The Mount Sinai Mustangs were the class of the field in the Suffolk County small school championship Feb. 1, sitting atop the leader-board to win the team championship with 66 points at Suffolk County Community College.
Kings Park finished 7th overall just ahead of Comsewogue High School. Shoreham-Wading River junior Blake Wehr placed 2nd in the high jump event clearing 6’ 4” landing the Wildcats 12th in the team standings.
Mount Sinai parents will begin to see portions of the school district’s 2020-21 proposed budget figures in the next few months. At a Jan. 15 board of education meeting, district officials unveiled 12 percent of the budget, which included central administration, insurance, central printing, BOCES, transportation, technology and debt services among others.
The tentative total budget figure for 2020-21 looks to be $61,009,700, a slight increase from last year’s number.
Board of education/central administration costs would be increasing by $19,000 in the upcoming school year.
Superintendent Gordon Brosdal said the chunk of that increase would go into costs for an additional budget vote and cover the translation of all documents/public notices into Spanish. That would cost the district $14,000.
“It is a state mandate that hit us and other districts this year,” he said. “Any election/public notices has to be translated into Spanish. The state says we have to do this, but they are not giving us any money to do this.”
Another mandate that will be implemented is the addition of a data protection officer in response to a number of school districts experiencing hacks last year.
Purchasing cost will increase by $2,050 in 2020-21 due to the district utilizing a co-op organization that assists in securing materials and supplies.
“We have been using Educational Data Services — they do a lot — they work with vendors and we don’t have to do the bidding,” Brosdal said. “In the long run it will save us money.”
Technology will see an increase of over $65,000, in part due to the district getting rid of antiquated equipment as well as adding sets of laptops, replacement items like projector lamps, printer repairs, iPads and smart board parts.
Tax Anticipation Notes for 2020-21 are estimated at 3 percent. Debt services would decrease by over $6,000. Central printing, insurance, BOCES administration will increase collectively by $22,000.
The next budget meeting will be Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. Topics discussed will be pupil personnel services, building principals, instructional and adult ed/driver’s ed.
Syracuse, here they come, and not for the first time.
On Saturday, Jan. 25, Mount Sinai wrestlers beat Shoreham-Wading River in the finals of the Suffolk County Division II championship 47-24 to advance to the New York State Division II wrestling championship in Syracuse. Mount Sinai won an earlier match against Shoreham-Wading River in the regular season.
The seniors again dazzled the capacity crowd by scoring pins at their respective weights. They were led by seniors Matt Campo at 170 pounds (34-2), Joe Goodrich at 182 pounds (35-0), Mike O’Brien at 138 pounds (33-4) and Adham Shata at 195 pounds (34-3), who each won their match.
Taking charge at the lower weights was Brayden Fahrbach at 99 pounds, who won by a pin, while Derrek Menechino, Jack Tyrell and Brenden Goodrich all reversed earlier losses against Shoreham-Wading River to score decisive wins.
Contributing to the team effort were middle weights Ryan Shanian at 145 pounds and Tristan Nardi at 160 pounds, who each won their matches.
On the SWR side, the team ends league play with 7-6-1 and 19-4-1 overall.
This was the third year in a row that Mustang wrestlers won the Suffolk County Division II championship.
Mount Sinai will advance to Syracuse for the New York State Dual Meet Championship at the SRC Arena Feb. 1, where they will defend their New York State title, which they have won the past two years.
The Mount Sinai High School Mustangs wrestling team beat John Glenn at John Glenn High School Friday, Jan. 17 to win League VII and advance to the Suffolk County playoffs with teams from Shoreham-Wading River, Mattituck, Port Jefferson, John Glenn and Southampton.
In an impressive victory over John Glen, Mount Sinai showed off their skills, led by seniors Matt Campo (31-2), Joe Goodrich (35-0), Mike O’Brien (31-4), Ryan Shanian (26-8), Gian Luca Ferrara; along with juniors Brenden Goodrich and Jack Tyrell. They all scored impressive wins.
Brayden Fahrbach, an eighth grader, continued his winning streak (34-0) with a pin. Fahrbach is ranked number 1 in New York State D-2 at 99 lbs.
Mount Sinai will wrestle next at Center Moriches in the semifinals on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 4:30 p.m., with the finals at Bay Shore High School on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m.
The winner of the Suffolk County Championship will travel to Syracuse where they will compete at the SRC Arena and Events Center Feb. 1 for the New York State Dual – D2 Championship. Mount Sinai was the winner of this tournament in 2018 and 2019.
The Mount Sinai Mustangs fell behind 22 points in the 2nd quarter Jan. 18 but battled their way back against Sayville at home to retake the lead a by three in the closing seconds of regulation. It was then that Sayville senior Aidan Arnesen hit a 3-point buzzer beater to force overtime. Mount Sinai surged ahead in the overtime period holding off the Golden Flashes to win it 62-57 at home.
Head coach Ryan McNeely said his team has had some close wins and some close losses but that the close losses were in league play.
“We beat them earlier in [the season] so these two teams matchup very well, but I think our guys are tired of losing those close games,” said the coach. “We’ve got a lot of seniors who’ve been to the playoffs except for [one] year and I think they want to get back to that.”
Mount Sinai senior guard Ryan McNeely, the coach’s son, led his team in scoring with 17 points and talked about the rematch.
“The last time we played them it was very close-we won in overtime, so we knew we could beat them,” said the senior. “Coming into our gym we always play well, we had to keep our composure and we knew we could make a run.”
Mount Sinai seniors Justin Rinck netted 14 points and Nick Cergol banked 10.
The win lifts the Mustangs to 4-7 in League VI, 7-8 overall with five games remaining in regular season play.
By Peggy Spellman Hoey
Coastal Steward Long Island has a three-pronged plan of attack in an unending, dirty battle — the one all environmentalists have been fighting — to keep local beaches and waters clean for years now. And it seems to be working.
What started out as loosely organized beach cleanups led by a local resident has spread to incorporate aquaculture conservation, restoring shellfish to Mount Sinai and Port Jefferson harbors, and marine education teaching youngsters about marine life and water quality. Its education programs include harbor seining and marsh exploration, shellfish hatchery tours and plankton microbiology, in which students use microscopes to identify plankton.
Through its fundraising efforts, the group is also able to subsidize busing costs for schools that cannot fund field trips to the center.
The organization’s long-standing partnership with the Town of Brookhaven at its beach and marina complex on Long Island Sound in Mount Sinai allows for its educational programs to be run out of the Mount Sinai Marine Environmental Stewardship Center. In the complex’s maricultural center, the oyster seeds are grown for eventual release into the harbor.
Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) called the organization a good partner and a nice complement to the town and its work to restore water quality.
“They are all about water quality,” she said. “Their message is the right one and their heart is in the right place.”
In addition to its beach-cleaning projects, about four years ago, the group began leading underwater cleanups, recruiting local divers to volunteer their services to remove debris such as garbage, mechanical parts, and household items like furniture that has ended up on the water’s bottom.
The addition of educational programs and underwater cleanups evolved from the group’s efforts to clean beaches after organizers realized something had to be done to address the trash coming in with the tide.
“There is no end to beach cleanups, but if we educate before it gets in the water, we keep it out of the water in the first place,” said Denis Mellett, a dive instructor who serves as the president of Coastal Steward LI.
Ashly Carabetta, the organization’s executive director, said the group has also seen success with one of its newer programs, the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, where youngsters get to listen to guest speakers, including scientists and educators such as aquanaut Fabien Cousteau, a documentary filmmaker and the grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
“It’s just a great opportunity for these kids to get to be surrounded by people in the field [of marine science] and talk amongst themselves,” she said.
Another part of the program includes a segment where participants break off into groups and develop a project for which they apply for grant money and then work over the next year to complete the project. The projects can be anything from creating a children’s book about water quality to devising a plan to limit single-plastic use in schools.
Giving the group a final plug, Bonner noted it is always looking for volunteers, and it’s a well-rounded organization with which anyone of any age can become involved.
“This is a nice way to be involved and you are really making a difference — beach cleaning and water quality,” she said.
Carabetta noted the importance of a beach cleanup is that anyone can do it, but the organization does have other roles to fill.
“We are looking for volunteers, part-time educators to try to expand our reach in many ways,” she said.
The Port Jefferson and Mount Sinai wrestlers hit the mat at the Bob Armstrong Memorial Cup tournament Dec. 14. Port Jeff wrestlers made a showing, with the Royal’s Frank D’Elia made the podium finishing 2nd at 99 pounds and teammate Liam Rogers finished 2nd at 113 pounds.
In the Consolation Finals, Tyler Rogers pinned his opponent at the 3:18 mark, Sam Robertson won with a major decision and Anthony Evangelista took victory at 145 pounds.
Mount Sinai fared well in the Bob Armstrong Memorial Cup. In the final round, Brenden Goodrich pinned his opponent at the 1:39 mark and Mike O’Brien, at 138 pounds, did it in 26 seconds. O’Brien took the “Most Pins-Least Time” honors with four pins on the day in just 4 minutes 41 seconds. Both Joe Goodrich, at 182 pounds and Gian Luca Ferrara at 220 pounds pinned their opponents in final round at 0:42 and 3:56 respectively.
The Royals are back out on the mat Dec. 20 when they hit the road to face Babylon. First match is 5:30 p.m.
The Mustangs retake the mat Dec. 18 at home with a 4 p.m. start against Bayport-Blue Point.
Brookhaven Taps Lower Bid, Cites Environmental Concerns
A new lease agreement between the Town of Brookhaven and Mount Sinai Yacht Club sees its annual price increase by a factor of 10, and some bidders were left unhappy with the board’s final choice.
The Town Board voted unanimously to award the lease bid to the Mount Sinai Yacht Club for a term from Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2040, for a total of $302,500 annually. This amount will increase by 3 percent after the first 10-year period and every five years after.
This is a hefty jump of what the yacht club is currently paying for the lease agreement, $29,109. Town Attorney Annette Eaderesto said the site is assessed at around $110,000, but competitive bids upped that price.
Both Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) and Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) recused themselves from the discussion, with Bonner being a member and LaValle’s family having been past members.
The town acquired the property in 1975 through a condemnation process for “town purposes.” The town then leases the property to the yacht club, and the first term of the town lease that was set to expire in 2000 was extended until 2020. The yacht club operates the marina and ancillary facilities, with a yacht club commodore saying they currently operate over 100 boat slips. The lease agreement includes 2.4 acres of upland and 2.6 acres of underwater property. He said the yacht club currently has a $1.2 million gross yearly revenue through both its house and general funds.
The yacht club charges $1,000 as a first-time fee and $1,600 in annual fees after that. Some who spoke at the Dec. 5 meeting charged that it was unfair that taxpayers be restricted from entering town property based on being a member or paying for the privilege.
Jeffrey Hulse, a Sound Beach-based attorney representing the yacht club, said the yacht club considers itself a “public-oriented facility” that makes itself available for other organizations to meet or run events, including Boy Scout groups and Coast Guard Auxiliary.
“We are open on a nondiscriminatory basis for anyone who wants to apply — we bring in new members each and every year,” said the attorney, who is also a 30-year member of the club. “We consider ourselves a working man’s clubhouse … we maintain this club in a pristine condition.”
Several scores of yacht club members attended the Dec. 5 public hearing where trustees discussed the merits of the separate bids. By the end they clapped and cheered as the town announced its decision.
“We’ve had the honor of experiencing an environment that is very family oriented and community oriented,” yacht club member John Amato said to the board. “This organization has provided our family with the true experience of family and community when we lost our son almost 17 years ago.” He added the club has facilitated scholarships for high school students throughout the local area in the name of his son.
However, not all were happy with the board’s decision.
“Sounds to me if I wanted to go there, I would have to come up with $2,600 before I step foot on the property.”
— Chris Abbot
Chris Abbot, of the Riverhead-based Smith, Finkelstein, Lundberg Isler and Yakaboski LLP, represents Russell Waller, the CFO of North Shore Enterprises, the operator of Old Man’s Boatyard along the same peninsula as the yacht club. That proposal came in at $327,600.
In its original proposal letter, then attorney for Waller, Dennis Collins, proposed creating a restaurant with bar service that is open to the public, also renovating the upstairs attic area into a large room with an outside deck that could be rented for parties or meetings. The proposal also spoke of securing the four docks and 100 boat slips with gates and cameras in the same way that Danfords in Port Jefferson secures its docks.
The attorney was miffed over the board’s decision, saying his client’s proposed bid was the highest out of the four submitted. The yacht club’s bid came third highest at a total of four other bids for the lease, the other amounts being $230,000 from Strong’s Marine in Mattituck and $317,000 from William Dick, a yacht club member and past commodore.
“The yacht club was there when the town acquired the property through a condemnation proceeding — that’s when property is for public use and benefit,” Abbot said. “Sounds to me if I wanted to go there, I would have to come up with $2,600 before I step foot on the property.”
Members of the town board said the choice in lease agreement also came down to the use of the property, with Abbot’s client looking to add an additional story to the building, which a town review said would have increased traffic and parking issues, as well as environmental concerns. The yacht club, and other surrounding buildings are built on a sandbar, and Eaderesto said an analysis showed an intensified use would lead to more pollution into the Mount Sinai Harbor.
A report from the town’s Division of Land Management said they were concerned with the other proposals for adding to the footprint and height of the structure, saying it would increase the impact of nitrogen and traffic. The report acknowledged the Mount Sinai Management Plan, which looked to keep development of the sand bar down while looking to restore habitat and decrease pollution.
“We have a lot of issues in this town, but money is not always the paramount issue,” said Councilman Dan Panico (R-Manorville). “We always try to find the best fit, and in a town with over $300 million budget every dollar matters … to me on a sandbar, I don’t find the actions of this committee to be in any way arbitrary.”
The Miller Place Panthers put on a dominating wrestling performance against Mount Sinai Mustangs, winning 47-24 in the annual Battle for the Paddle match at Mount Sinai High School Dec. 4. The Panthers took a commanding 30-point lead with strong performances by Michael Giugliano, Alexander Constantis, Mark Rado, Justin Klein, Ryan Hucke, Kyle Klein Jr., Travis Grebe and Anthony Bartolotto, also Chris Bold.
The Mount Sinai Mustangs tried to narrow the lead with wins by Matt Campo, Phil Johnson, Brayden Fahrbach, Joe Goodrich and Gian Luca Ferrara, but the Panther lead was insurmountable.
The paddle remains with the Miller Place Panthers for the next year.
Photos by Diana M. Fehling
After winning their preseason games handily over Southold/Greenport and Deer Park, Shoreham-Wading River girls basketball team dropped their league opener against John Glenn and the Wildcats looked to get back to their winning ways. Win they did against Mount Sinai, edging the Mustangs 43-36 on the road Dec. 6.
SWR senior Abby Korzewinski led the way for the Wildcats with 13 points. Sophomore guard Carlie Cutinella did her damage from down range hitting three triples, netting a total of nine points.
Mount Sinai sophomore standouts Casey Campo nailed four treys, four field goals and a free throw to lead the Mustangs 21 points, while Kylie Budke banked nine.
Shoreham-Wading River retakes the court Dec. 10 when they host Miller Place with a 4:15 p.m. start. Mount Sinai is back in action when they take on Amityville on the road Dec. 11. Tipoff is 4 p.m.
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