Photo from Mount Sinai Fire Department photographer, Elliot Perry
Jaime Baldassare, an active Mount Sinai community advocate, passed away last week after a battle with COVID-19.
A retired Suffolk County corrections officer, Baldassare dedicated his life to volunteering in the Mount Sinai and surrounding communities. He served on the Mount Sinai School Board, was a past president of the North Shore Youth Council for a full decade, held the title of former vice president of the North Shore Colts and was ex-chief of the Mount Sinai Fire Department.
Photo from Mount Sinai Fire Department photographer, Elliot Perry
“It’s difficult to sum up someone like him in a few sentences,” said Andrew Samour, assistant chief at the Mount Sinai Fire Department. “He will be missed.”
Samour said Baldassare was with the department for 26 years.
“He was a dedicated firefighter for this department,” he said. “He was a fun guy to hang around with and had a great sense of humor.”
Baldassare was previously the assistant chief at the department from 2009-2015, and most recently served as chief from 2016-2017.
In 2017, he told TBR News Media that he loved helping other people.
“There’s nothing quite like when you pull someone out of a fire or out of a wrecked car and you find out the next day that they made it,” he said. “It’s a feeling you can’t describe. I love to do this. We train to be the best we can be so anytime a call comes in, we’re ready to do whatever it takes to help the people of Mount Sinai.”
When Baldassare wasn’t putting out fires, he was helping his wife with the Heritage Trust. Lori Baldassare founded Heritage Park nearly two decades ago, and he was right by her side.
Victoria Hazan, president of Heritage Trust, said that he could be found joking and chatting with people visiting the center.
“He surely will be missed, that’s for sure,” she said. “He was a great contributor to Heritage and truly well-loved by many people in the community.”
Baldassare was brought to Stony Brook University Hospital in December where he was diagnosed with the virus.
He was just 62 years old when he died on Feb. 4.
“He’s done so much for the community,” Hazan said. “Even though he was in the background, he was an asset to Heritage.”
From left: Legislator Sarah Anker, Heritage Trust Vice President Brad Feldman, Jaime Baldassare, Heritage Trust Treasurer Lori Baldassare, and Heritage Trust President Victoria Hazan. Photo from Leg. Anker’s office
On Sept. 10, Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) joined the Heritage Trust Board of Directors to honor Baldassare for his dedication and service to the community.
“I want to personally thank Jaime for all the years of service he has provided to our community,” Anker said. “Our community has been so positively impacted by Jaime. Among Jaime’s many contributions, he was instrumental to the creation and maintenance of our beloved Heritage Park in Mount Sinai.”
The North Shore Youth Council is mourning his loss, too.
Robert Woods, executive director, said he will be greatly missed.
“Jaime Baldassare served diligently for many years on our board of directors. He always served with joy during his time as president and made great strides in helping youth and families cope in our communities,” he said. “His legacy helped shape our unique prevention model, which supports hundreds of youth today.
Baldassare is survived by his wife of almost 30 years Lori, and his three children, Katie, Jesse and Cody.
A surprised rooster finds itself abandoned in the Heritage Park playground. Photo by Floridia
Four roosters, two adults and two young, were found abandoned in the Heritage Park playground Aug. 21. Town workers, police and animal rescue groups responded to take the animals away and give them sanctuary outside the town.
A Brookhaven town worker holds a fence up as animal rescuer Frankie Floridia takes them away. Photo from Floridia
Visitors to Heritage Park reported on social media finding the roosters Friday morning. Suffolk County Police were notified, and upon calling the North Shore-based Strong Island Rescue League around 10 a.m. a town worker was able to corral the animals into a corner of the playground while Frankie Floridia, the president of Strong Island, picked them up to put them in cages and transport them away.
Floridia said the animals will either go to an animal sanctuary, or to families who wish to take care of them in townships where it is legal to own roosters.
The animal rescuer said there is a major issue in the Town of Brookhaven with people illegally abandoning animals such as domestic ducks in local ponds, but especially roosters. Mail order chickens have become an increasingly popular business, though some do not specify whether the chickens are male or female. The animal rescuer said they have come to calls for several abandoned roosters in Brookhaven over the past few years.
“What the people do, rather than get a fine is they go ahead and dump them,” Florida said. “The problem is dumping them, they can’t survive on their own in the wild. They are easy prey for predators, they get hit by cars, they have no food source. It’s a slow torturous death for them.”
Some online questioned whether the animals were runaways from the small farm just around the corner from The Wedge, aka Heritage Park. The roosters indeed did not come from Niegocki Farms, off of Mount Sinai Coram Road, but that small little taste of agriculture life on the North Shore has had major issues with people dumping chickens onto their property.
Tricia Niegocki, of Niegocki Farms, said that they have had six occasions in the past few years where they found roosters dumped on their property. This includes an incident where an unknown individual dumped 26 hens over their fence “in the dead heat of summer” of about 95 degrees.
“Anyone who knows us knows if it’s in our capabilities to be able to take hens off someone’s hands or help where we can,” Niegocki said. “By dumping them it was a three day ordeal in trying to catch them and pen them up in a pen we had to rush to get ready for them.”
Though the farm is often asked personally to look after chickens, especially roosters, another major issue with dumping roosters is the risk of disease spreading amongst a flock. This is especially concerning for a farm, which depends on those chickens as part of their livelihood, though leaving them to fend for themselves would only invite
The farmer said the town code is partly to blame for the number of people who abandon these animals.
“A person’s dog can bark all day and night but a rooster is unacceptable? She said. “I think the laws need to change to be more accommodating. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, having the ability to feed your family is very important and chickens provide not only eggs but also a source of meat.”
Strong Island Animal Rescue can be contacted at [email protected] or through their Facebook page.
Heritage Center at Heritage Park is used by the trust for its events. Photo by Kyle Barr
During the spring and summer seasons, the community center at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai would see an abundance of residents stopping in to take a break from the park or to join in the plethora of events held there. That all changed with COVID-19, and with no indication on when it can reopen, members of nonprofit Heritage Trust, which oversees the park, say they may need to reinvent themselves in order for them and the center to survive.
Victoria Hazan, president of the organization, said right now is usually their busy season at the community center. They would normally have a number of classes, events, parties and receptions held in the building.
People of all ages enjoy Heritage Park for its sizable number of amenities. Photo by Kyle Barr
“We usually have tons of things going on during the week, there’s Zumba, country line dancing, cooking classes, the local church and civic association use the space as well,” she said. “Before COVID-19 we were booked solid through next April.”
Renting out the community center space is a major revenue source for nonprofit and it helps pay for other expenses. Without that option, it will be tougher to be able to pay for rent and insurance payments.
Since closing in March, the organization has refunded deposits back to planned renters.
“Those issues just don’t go away, our insurance on the building is extremely high,” Hazan said.
The organization was able to get a three-month deferment of its mortgage payments, but that ends in July.
Another funding avenue that the organization relies on is their regular fundraising events. This year they were unable to put on the annual spring carnival, one of the park’s main fundraising sources. That revenue from the carnival helps them host other events including the Christmas tree lighting and Halloween festival.
Given the financial strains from COVID-19, the nonprofit may be forced to change how it operates. This year, the trust was planning to celebrate its 20th anniversary since its inception.
Lori Baldassare, the founding director of the organization, said they have looked at consolidating with other local nonprofits, as well as combining resources and staff. They have talked to North Shore Youth Council about possibly sharing some of the community center space.
In addition, members are still trying to find creative ways to host some type of events for the time being. One idea would be a drive-in movie night or a virtual fundraising concert held at the community center, where only performers would be in the building and residents could watch from their homes.
“Logistically it would be difficult to pull off but it’s something,” Baldassare said. “The community center fills a void for a lot of people.”
The group hopes the community can come to their aid. One of the issues the trust has faced over the years is that residents don’t necessarily know how they operate and mistakenly think the Heritage Park is run by Brookhaven Town or Suffolk County. Brookhaven workers generously supply general maintenance of the baseball field and grass cutting to the park, but the center and playground are owned by the trust, and all other landscaping, such as the flower plantings, are all done by volunteers.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 454 look at the names of flags in Mount Sinai Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
Baldassare said it has been a messaging issue but hopes if people learn where the funding comes from and what they’ve been offering to the community, individuals would be willing to make donations.
The two agreed that the trust may need to change how they operate post-COVID-19.
“I don’t see us coming out the same way we were before coronavirus,” Baldassare said. “We can’t just think nothing will happen, we want to continue to provide a sense of place for the community and I hope we have a path forward to do that.”
Hazan is concerned of how the community center will fare once the pandemic and shutdown is over.
“I don’t foresee many people being comfortable at a big event like a wedding or reception,” she said. “There will probably be baby steps along the way.”
Possible capacity restrictions could be another obstacle for the group.
“Not a lot of people are going to want to rent out a place like the center with just limited capacity,” Hazan said. “We’re worried, we’ve worked so hard over the years to get where we are, and I would hate to see it go away.”
People of all ages enjoy Heritage Park for its sizable number of amenities. Photo by Kyle Barr
A flash of green among the gray, the short hills that roll along the side of Route 25A in Mount Sinai are strewn with people. Men and women jog, kids scream and laugh playing baseball and soccer. Children run up those green hills, then fall and let themselves tumble down the gentle slopes.
A mockup of what the park would look like upon completion. Image from Lori Baldassare
Some developers have talked about creating a “town square” for the hamlet of Mount Sinai, but for lovers of Heritage Park, there already is one.
“There it is, Heritage Park — it’s one of the most beautiful parks of its kind that I’ve ever seen,” said New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket). “It came together from the cooperation of so many wonderful people willing to pull together.”
Nearly 20 years ago, local residents became heated about plans to develop the site for the home improvement giant, Home Depot. The site, which was once a pumpkin farm, joined with other properties like the Davis Peach Farm in an agrarian setting. Decades of home development turned the area into small strips of business sandwiched in between residential neighborhoods.
Heritage Park went in the opposite direction. A successful agreement between Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven meant the county bought the site by using the Community Greenways Fund, while the town built the park amenities like the baseball and soccer fields. The nonprofit organization Heritage Trust continues to operate the park, along with Brookhaven town. The trust hosts multiple carnivals and other events throughout the year as a means of raising money. The trust also rents out the Heritage Center for public events.
But more than that, the trust has become a lightning rod for Mount Sinai, and even well beyond.
The history of Heritage
Very few dreams become reality, at least to specific designs.
But original plans for Heritage Park, known also as The Wedge, and mockups bear a striking resemblance to how the park has shaped up 20 years after those original designs.
A contractor installs the irrigation system just north of where the playground is now located back in early 2003. Photo by Fred Drewes
Fred Drewes, a longtime park volunteer and Mount Sinai resident, originally came to the Mount Sinai Civic Association back in 1988 with the idea of a hamlet study, and the idea was resurrected in the late 1990s, co-chaired with then civic president Lori Baldassare. Within those designs, he proposed a park, one that would become the focal point for the North Shore that had once been McGovern Sod Farm.
This was during a time when the rural past of the hamlet was being laid over with brick and concrete. One housing development after another changed the tenor of Mount Sinai. The last few farms on the south side of Route 25A started to close and look to sell their property, and a few big names started eyeing those parcels.
“The development pattern of western Long Island was going to make it impossible for Mount Sinai to escape being visually damaged and swallowed up,” Englebright said.
Among the legal action taking place at the location of the Davis Peach Farm, one of those maligned developments was a potential Home Depot on a plot of land that had been a pumpkin and sod farm.
At the southern tip of The Wedge, a space of only about one acre that had commercial zoning, representatives of Home Depot approached the property owners who were looking to sell. The rest of the property was zoned residential.
Baldassare, who has spent the past 20 years as the on-and-off again Heritage Trust president, has long been in the trenches over the fate of The Wedge. Home Depot would end up the line in the sand for Mount Sinai residents. As civic president, she asked Drewes to revive his hamlet study and plan for a park. She also was a leader among residents campaigning against the home supply chain, getting people to tie green ribbons around their mailboxes all across the hamlet to show their support.
“We ended up competing for them with land,” Baldassare said. “We had thousands of ribbons up all over the place.”
The next task was to make sure, as Englebright put it, “the same thing didn’t come back in some virulent form.”
In 1999, the civic authored a proposal for Suffolk County to buy the parkland. Of course, in government, nothing is ever that simple.
A state, a county, a town, a civic
Rare is it that all levels of government from the top down work together on such a large project as was Heritage Park, and while it wasn’t all easy, the results stand.
Volunteers from Girl Scout Troop 004 help plant a garden in the fall of 2004 in what is now the Butterfly Triangle, though plantings later failed due to not breaking up the compacted soil. The same day, volunteers planted crocuses. Photo by Fred Drewes
Still, the process was grueling at times. Both Brookhaven town and the county wanted active recreation, namely baseball and soccer fields. The town, especially, wasn’t into designing passive space with ingredients of a walking path and playground, but mostly a space for, as Drewes called it, “free play.” He remembers the then town parks commissioner mentioning he would never use such a space for jogging, so close as it was to two major roads.
“The way the greenways program worked is they needed a partner to maintain it,” Baldassare said. “They weren’t willing to develop it, they needed a partner, and the county said they wanted a municipal partner, but the town was not willing to do all the things we wanted in the park.”
Before they were willing to sign on to the county, the town also wanted to have a civic partner.
The assemblyman came into the picture, agreeing with the civic about needing to maintain the heritage of the area. He said he reached out to his colleagues at the state, county and town levels to help open those conversations.
One difficulty they encountered was finding funds to buy the particular section of The Wedge that was still zoned for commercial.
The property was owned by Vinny Bove, a local entrepreneur and developer. Englebright recalled him as a “rather rugged individual,” and didn’t expect that he would be such a kindred spirit. Speaking with him, he found Bove was more than willing to keep the property up for sale until the state could gather the funds for the civic to buy the property.
“His welcoming attitude and his willingness to embark on the journey of uncertainty that was worthy of the community’s heritage, made it possible,” Englebright said.
This first Smiley Face at Heritage Park was a display of 7,500 crocuses planted in the Fall of 2004. The present Smiley Face is a result of planting 2,250 daffodils in the fall of 2012 with the first daffodil Smiley Face blooming in spring of 2013. Photo by Fred Drewes
Of course, the next issue was that the civic had to be legally able to accept state funds, needing to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, categorized as a land trust. It was then the Heritage Trust was formed, which incorporated in 2000.
The past trust president and now treasurer recalls much haggling over which municipality would fork over the funds for which part of the project. After the section was designated for park, it would be years before the first shovels finally entered the ground in 2003 when it all started to come together.
The county would buy most of the land, with one section now owned by the trust. The town would build the walking paths and baseball and soccer fields, and town lawnmowers continue to maintain the space.
“All the voices were speaking of the green space,” Englebright said. “Just amazing loving work the parks department of the town invested itself into.”
20 years, 20 more
From a few baseball fields and passive green, the park grew. More state assembly grants and loads of private fundraising helped gather the money to build the barnlike structure that has become the Heritage Center, the main headquarters not just for the trust but also forthe civic groups and a gathering spot for other local groups and events.
Amy Satchell was a volunteer since almost the beginning, helping to fundraise for the center and installation of the playground, which went up years after the park was fully built. Every year around the holidays Satchell goes to help decorate the center and the large pine tree just outside its doors.
Heritage Center at Heritage Park is used by the trust for its events. Photo by Kyle Barr
“Many people had an idea that it would be the town center, the town square of Mount Sinai,” she said. “You can see now after all this time all the wonderful amenities that are provided.”
Drewes has seen more and more amenities come to the park, including his own idea for the now-annual parade of flags, a display of flags from nations across the world on the Avenue of America, a stretch of the walkway that encloses the park.
The longtime Mount Sinai resident, now 83, is retired. He can lean back on a park bench and look at all the work he and his civic compatriots have helped accomplish.
“I’m gratified and extremely happy that what we as citizens proposed and volunteers worked tirelessly to create is valued by so many people,” he said.
Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) said she has seen the effectiveness of the project and has proposed a similar agreement for a spot in Middle Island. The location is the site of a now-demolished K-Mart across from Artist Lake along Middle Country Road.
“It has inspired me to take the model and replicate it,” Anker said.
Baldassare said that as the park reaches its 20th year, very few things remain as part of the original design, with only a splash pad and a few other odds and ends left. For the trust, it means the end of an era, and the start of a new one.
Fundraising has always been a difficulty, with the trust having an annual budget of around $300,000, the members have to fundraise what they don’t get through sponsorships and grants almost all by themselves. These funds also help to pay the several part-time staffers the trust needs for its ongoing efforts.
“People think it must be taxpayer dollars that take care of the center, and it’s not, we always have to raise money,” Satchell said.
They host events every year like the spring and summer carnivals, but those are dependent on weather. The trust treasurer recalled one year that was incredibly lean because of adverse weather conditions during one of its main fundraising events.
The park always requires more volunteers and is looking for more ideas to take the park through the next 20 years.
Though many who visit the park assume that it must have always been there, for the trust and its volunteers, that can only be a good thing.
“When people say that, for them, the park has always been there, that’s fantastic,” Satchell said. “We want it to be that anchor in the community that people think it’s always been there. I do hope it always will be.”
This article was amended Oct. 2 to change the captions within the pictures to better reflect what they present. Several pictures were changed to say they were taken by Fred Drewes.
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
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Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
People gather to watch Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Journey. Photo by Kyle Barr
People gather to watch Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Journey. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
The Heritage Trust and Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) held a 50/50 raffle up on stage. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of Ultimate Taekwondo Centers show their skills. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of Ultimate Taekwondo Centers show their skills. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Long Hair, ripped pants, t-shirts drenched in sweat. Like an event straight out of the 80’s, crowds gathered at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai Friday, Aug. 16 for the Free Family Fun Day and concert, featuring Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey. The event was sponsored by the Heritage Trust and Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai)
Celebrating its 20thyear, the park played host to yoga sessions, bounce castles, martial arts demonstrations, crafts and magic shows all throughout the afternoon and early evening. Later, with a field crowded with people, Bon Journey belted out renditions of classic Bon Jovi hits like “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” and Journey songs like “Don’t Stop Believin.’”
Locals stroll down the parade of flags at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
Locals stroll down the parade of flags at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of Boy Scout Troop 454 look at the names of flags in Mount Sinai Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
Local veterans helped raise the flags of each of the armed services from half to full mast. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of Boy Scout Troop 204 played taps at the Sound Beach Veterans Memorial. Photo by Kyle Barr
A wreath was presented at the Sound Beach Veterans Memorial. Photo by Kyle Barr
Local veterans helped raise the flags of each of the armed services from half to full mast. Photo by Kyle Barr
Local veterans helped raise the flags of each of the armed services from half to full mast. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of the Sound Beach Fire Department at the Memorial Day commemoration 2019. Photo by Kyle Barr
Joe Cognitore reads names of fallen service members. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of VFW Post 6249 and local cub scouts salute the presentation of the flags. Photo by Kyle Barr
Flags are presented by cub scouts. Photo by Kyle Barr
In honor of Memorial Day, Mount Sinai’s Heritage Park hosted its annual Parade of Flags, while VFW’s in Rocky Point and Sound Beach took the time May 27 to memorialize those servicemen and servicewomen lost throughout the years.
Joe Cognitore, the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6249 in Rocky Point, read the names of 204 people who have died in the service of the U.S., with each set of names said to the sound of a bell. He said the number of names he reads every Memorial Day grows every year.
Over in Sound Beach, the Sound Beach Civic, along with members of the Sound Beach Fire Department, hosted their own ceremony at the Sound Beach Veterans Memorial. Flags flew at half mast, but veterans of each branch of service, from the U.S. Military, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, helped raise each of the flags high to the bright, sunny sky. Members of the Miller Place Boy Scouts of America Troop 204 played an echo version of taps.
“Flowers, memorials and flags at half staff, and the sad notes of taps, as meaningful as they are, they are not enough,” Cognitore said. What we really must do to honor their sacrifice is to live what they died for.”
The Mount Sinai Middle School Jazz Choir led the crowd in Christmas Carols. Photo by Kyle Barr
After the tree lighting, Santa took pictures with kids. Photo by Kyle Barr
Santa Arrives to Heritage Park Dec. 2. Photo by Kyle Barr
Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point) and Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) helped hand out cookies after the tree lighting. Photo by Kyle Barr
The Heritage Park in Mount Sinai hosted its 11th annual tree lighting Dec. 2. Photo by Kyle Barr
The Heritage Center Trust hosted its 11th annual tree lighting Dec. 2 at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai, drawing a crowd of several hundred who were ready to celebrate the breakout of the Christmas season.
The Mount Sinai Middle School Jazz Choir led the crowd in classic Christmas carols before fire trucks of the Mount Sinai Fire Department drove in with lights flashing, delivering Santa himself to the expectant crowd.
After the tree lighting, attendees were able to eat fresh baked cookies and kids had the opportunity to sit on Santa’s lap and take pictures.
The annual tree lighting at Heritage Park has been a part of the Mount Sinai community since 2007, but Jaime Baldassare, who volunteers for the center trust, said the lighting was a staple in the community before the Heritage Center Trust was established, first being hosted at the post office and later at the Mount Sinai Fire Department building.
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from Mount Sinai Heritage Trust's Fall Into Fun Carnival Sept. 29. Photo by Alex Petroski
The smell of zeppoles and sound of laughter could be heard for miles. The Mount Sinai Heritage Trust hosted its annual Fall Into Fun Carnival this past weekend at Heritage Park, featuring rides, food and good times.
Brookhaven unveiled new electric vehicle charging stations at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai Aug. 21. Photo by Alex Petroski
Brookhaven Town is hoping to inspire residents to ditch the gas pump for a greener alternative.
The town unveiled two new electric vehicle charging stations at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai Aug. 21, paid for through a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and rebates from Long Island Power Authority. The stations cost $22,000 each, and Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) pledged that the town will install additional charging stations at various, strategically located town facilities during the next year, either through grants or using town funds. Members of the public with electric or hybrid vehicles are permitted to utilize the stations for a minimal charge, according to Romaine, just to cover the cost of the electricity. The two stations can combine to give juice to four cars at a time.
“There’s a societal benefit in that these cars don’t produce smog, or pollution or hydrocarbons,” Romaine said. “The air quality on Long Island has consistently been rated as very poor. This is an opportunity for us to try to convince people who are thinking about electric to go electric.”
Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner, Supervisor Ed Romaine, and Councilwoman Valerie Cartright unveil new electric vehicle charging stations at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai Aug. 21. Photo by Alex Petroski
Romaine said the town currently owns one fully electric vehicle and about five hybrids in its fleet, and added the plan is to replace “aged out” high mileage cars with more hybrids and full electric vehicles during the coming year.
“I can’t tell you how excited and proud I am that these charging stations are in my council district in Mount Sinai at the Heritage Park,” Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point) said. “Very often, in deciding to make that move in that direction you have to think in your mind, ‘Well where can I charge my car?’ If these are centrally located in convenient places, it’s a win for the consumer and it’s a win for the environment and the residents that live here.”
Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station), who represents the neighboring 1st District, said she was proud to join her colleagues in the unveiling Tuesday.
“This is clearly a step in the right direction for the Town of Brookhaven as we move to reduce our emissions here in the town,” she said.
Similar stations to the ones placed at Heritage Park already exist at Moriches Bay Recreation Center and the town Parks Administration building in Centereach. The installs are part of a five-year capital plan spearheaded by Romaine called the Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Initiative, aimed to achieve a 50 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the town by 2020.
“We want to encourage the use of hybrids and electric vehicles,” the supervisor said.
Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ will be screened at the Crab Meadow Beach Drive-In on July 19.
By Sabrina Petroski
Mark your calendars! With the beautiful summer weather comes another season of free outdoor movie screenings for families on the North Shore. Parks, beaches and other outdoor spaces will magically transform into theaters, presenting a mix of animated films, current releases and family favorites.
Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (D) and the Town of Huntington recently announced this year’s schedule for its annual Movies on the Lawn event. Now in its 14th year, four movies, handpicked by the councilman himself, will be shown over the course of the summer at various locations in the town for free.
“We are excited to bring you another great lineup of movies this summer. Pack your picnic dinner, blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy this summer’s lineup,” said Cuthbertson.
This year’s program includes “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” at Heckscher Park, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington on June 25 (rain date July 16); “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” at Crab Meadow Beach Drive-In, Waterside Ave., Northport on Thursday, July 5 (rain date July 31); Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” at Crab Meadow Beach Drive-In on Thursday, July 19 (rain date July 31); and “Despicable Me 3” at Peter Nelson Park, Oakwood Road, Huntington on Aug. 13 (rain date is Aug. 20).
A sandcastle contest and basketball shoot off will be held on July 19 before the movie. All movies will begin at dusk.
According to Cuthbertson’s office, no alcohol is allowed at any of the events. If a showing is rained out, the event will be moved to the listed rain date and be shown indoors at Walt Whitman High School, 301 West Hills Road in Huntington Station at 7:30 p.m.
For more information about the movies, including updates, visit https://huntingtonny.gov/moviesonthelawn2018 or call 631-351-3112.
More free outdoor movie offerings:
•The St. James Chamber of Commerce will host a Movie Night at Deepwells Farm County Park, located at the corner of Route 25A and Moriches Road, St. James on July 17, with “Coco” and Aug. 21 (updated) with “Breaking Legs.” Movies begin at 7:45 p.m. Call 631-584-8510 or visit www.stjameschamber.org for updates.
•Grumman Memorial Park, Route 25, Calverton will screen “Top Gun” on Aug. 3 at 8:30 p.m. Call 631-727-574 or visit www.riverheadrecreation.net for further info.
•Hoyt Farm Park Preserve, 200 New Hwy., Commack will screen “Beauty and the Beast” on Aug. 3 at 8:30 p.m. (rain date is Aug. 10). Alternate street parking is available for nonresidents of Smithtown. For more information, call 631-543-7804 or visit www.smithtowninfo.com.
•North Shore Heritage Park, 633 Mount Sinai-Coram Road, Mount Sinai, resumes its annual Movies in the Moonlight series on July 6 with “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” July 20 with “The Incredibles” and Aug. 17 with “Toy Story 3.” Sponsored by Heritage Trust, all movies begin at dusk (approximately 8:15 p.m. Bring a blanket or chair. Movie refreshments will be available at The Shack concession. No rain dates. Questions? Visit www.msheritagetrust.org, or call 631-509-0882.
•The Village of Port Jefferson’s Movies on the Harbor returns to the Jeanne Garant Harborfront Park, 101 East Broadway, Port Jefferson on July 10 with “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” July 17 with “Wonder,” July 24 with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (updated), July 31 with “Cars 3”and Aug. 7 with “Coco.” Movies begin at dusk and the rain date is the next evening. For additional info, call 631-473-4724 or visit www.portjeff.com.
•Movies Under the Stars returns to Smith Haven Mall’s Lifestyle Village (located next to Dick’s Sporting Goods), Lake Grove, with a screening of “Moana” on Aug. 6, “Justice League” on Aug. 13, “Coco” on Aug. 20 and “A Wrinkle in Time” on Aug. 27. Call 631-724-1433 or visit www.simon.com for updates.