Northport High School students practice their interview skills with exectuives from local businesses during an event thrown by the Northport High School Academy of Finance. Photo from Bob Levy
Northport High School Academy of Finance students put their interview skills to the test this month at a mock interview event where they received feedback from local executives.
About 35 administrators from Long Island companies including Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., KPMG accounting firm, Douglas Elliman, and MetLife Premier Client Group all gave students advice on what they should be communicating in an interview, how to act professional and how to dress, according to a press release.
“Our students took all the necessary preparations for this interviewing event,” Allison Schwabish, coordinator of the school’s Academy of Finance, said in statement. “We impressed on them that in order to get the internships that they will be applying for as a part of our program they will need to polish their interviewing skills.”
Schwabish said the 80 students who participated in the event on Jan. 14 went through a series of “speed interviews” where they worked on not only interview skills, but networking skills.
“This mock interview event was the perfect taste of precisely what we will face when conducting interviews in the business world, which is something that will definitely aid use in our future endeavors,” senior Emilie Reynolds said in an email.
Jake Sackstein, a fellow senior student, echoed Reynold’s sentiments.
“A year ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed about comfortably partaking in an interview, but now personal business interactions like this come as second nature,” he said. “It showed me how valuable the program is to me and I will continue to draw strength from it in the future.”
Northport High Schools’ Academy of Finance is a part of NAF, formerly known as the National Academy Foundation, a network of career-themed academies for high school students that includes multiple industries such as hospitality and tourism, engineering and the health science industry.
Student John Charles Unser said he appreciated the opportunity to work with so many prominent businesses.
“I was able to interview with Fortune 500 companies such as KPMG and Ameriprise Financial Services,” he said in an email. Unser said he was asked many difficult questions but was “able to provide appropriate examples and answer with professionalism.”
Northport-East Northport Superintendent Robert Banzer. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Northport school district’s security greeters are on the verge of receiving health benefits — thanks in large part to the efforts of one of their own.
Diane Smith is in her seventh year as a greeter at Fifth Avenue Elementary School, and said she has never received health benefits, despite numerous pleas.
“Before this position was created, anyone could go to the office and often stroll right down to classrooms, creating a lot of interruptions,” Smith said in an interview after the meeting Thursday night. “We finally have some boundaries.”
Greeter’s duties include monitoring who is coming and going from school buildings, assisting in late arrivals and early releases and helping parents get forgotten items to the students, among other day-to-day tasks that may arise.
According to the district supervisor of security, the position of greeters was created about 10 years ago.
Over that time, the responsibilities of the job have changed, with greater emphasis placed on security in the aftermath of violent school-related incidents like the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn.
“We [greeters] know the parents, grandparents and babysitters, as well as most of the personnel that visit our buildings,” Smith said in an email on Friday.
Smith said she has been working a second job to afford health care, while continuously searching for another job that would give her benefits, though she is hesitant to leave the Northport school district because she loves the job.
Smith said she has been expressing her desire for health care for the nine full-time greeters via letters and in person for years, to the school board and to district officials. She showed up on Thursday to take her campaign to the next level.
So far her efforts have been fruitless, but that could soon change.
“[The greeters are] going to get an opportunity for health insurance,” Superintendent Robert Banzer said during the meeting. “It just happened to be so ironic that she showed up today, because we just talked about it and kind of said, ‘Yes let’s go ahead and make it right and make sure they have an opportunity for health insurance.’”
Banzer attributed the delay in providing health insurance to the greeters to a switch from part-time to full-time designation.
Smith was skeptical when she left the meeting Thursday. She said it was more of the same rhetoric she’s been hearing since she began her battle.
However, as of Friday, she is approaching the situation with more optimism after receiving an email from Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Irene McLaughlin that established Jan. 19 as a meeting date for the greeters and members of the district to sit down and discuss health care options.
Ethan Feuer, of East Northport, will serve as USY president for 12 months. Photo from Laurie Kamens
A Northport High School senior has proven to be a diverse and formidable leader.
Ethan Feuer was recently elected by his peers as international president of United Synagogue Youth. USY is Conservative Judaism’s premiere youth group and has taught young men and woman the values and skills they need to become exceptional leaders in their religious and secular communities.
“I want to spend this year inspiring others,” Feuer said in a statement. “Starting right now, we need to redefine USY as being about relationships. If you can change one person’s understanding of what they’re capable of, how much people care about them, or how powerful a source for change they can be, you change everything.”
The international presidency is the highest office a young man or woman can achieve at USY, and according to a statement, USY said Feuer is a leader in both his home community and at the organization, and he serves as a role model to his peers.
“Each of the newly elected leaders impressed us with their vision for the future of USY. We can’t wait to work with them as they empower new generations of teens and make their dreams a reality,” David Levy, director of Teen Learning for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism said.
Feuer is a senior and honor roll student at Northport High School, where he has worked in peer tutoring and several other extracurricular activities.
As president, Feuer will spend this year leading thousands of teens from across North America and guiding them toward the organization’s principles of social action/justice, social acceptance and inclusion, and the nourishing of their Jewish identities.
“It is the most exciting, yet most humbling, experience I have ever encountered,” Feuer said in an email. “This opportunity means the world to me, since I have dreamed of leading United Synagogue Youth since the eighth grade. It is truly an honor to serve as a leader and role model to thousands of Jewish teens, and the newly elected board is already proactive and ready to be the change that USY needs.”
Rocky Point's cheerleading squad takes first place with its performance in Small School varsity Division I "A" during the cheerleading sectionals on their own home mat on Jan. 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue cheerleaders compete in Small School varsity Division I "B" at the cheerleading sectionals held at Rocky Point High School on Jan. 10. The Warriors walked away with a first-place finish. Photo by Bill Landon
Kings Park cheerleaders compete in Small School varsity Division I "B" cheerleading sectionals at Rocky Point High School on Jan. 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Northport cheerleaders compete in Small School varsity Division I "A" during the cheerleading sectionals at Rocky Point High School on Jan. 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue cheerleaders compete in Small School varsity Division I "B" cheerleading sectionals at Rocky Point High School on Jan. 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point's cheerleaders hold up signs during their routine that earned them first place on their own mats during the cheerleading sectionals on Jan. 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior captain Brooke Piligian gets the crowd going at the cheerleading sectionals held at Rocky Point High School on Jan. 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue cheerleaders leap in the air during their routine that earned them first place in Small School varsity Division I "B" during the cheerleading sectionals at Rocky Point High School on Jan. 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point's cheerleading squad took first place in Small School varsity Division I "A" during the cheerleading sectionals on Jan. 10 on the Eagles' home turf. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Cheerleading squads from all over Suffolk County converged on the mats of Rocky Point High School Sunday for the Suffolk County cheerleading sectionals, where Rocky Point and Comsewogue ran away with first-place finishes.
Cheerleading officially became a recognized sport in the 2015-16 school year, making this sectional event the first time that the competition is overseen and sanctioned by the New York State Public High School Athletics Association.
Rocky Point was the first of 31 teams to take to the mat first in Small School Division I “A,” and the squad wowed the crowd with a two-and-a-half minute routine, despite head coach Anna Spallina feeling less impressed with her Eagles, which are 12-time regional and three-time national champions.
“You have two and a half minutes to prove yourself out on the mat — if you don’t prove yourself in those two and a half minutes, you don’t get a second chance,” Spallina said. “You can’t go to the net again with a ball, or throw that pass one more time, so one little slip, an inch this way or an inch that way, and you can throw it away.”
Pleased or not Spallina’s squad earned first place in the division followed by Longwood and East Islip came in third.
With a squad of consisting of mainly eighth and ninth-graders, and only three seniors, Rocky Point senior Courtney Kelly said the Eagles’ only competition was themselves.
“We don’t worry about any other teams, we just worry about ourselves because the only routine we have to beat is ours,” she said.
Brittany Reh said there are some other challenges now that cheerleading is recognized as a sport, such as a different scoring sheet and new rules, but thought her team performed well despite the changes.
“We had a pretty good performance,” she said. “We stayed positive.”
Claire Johannesen said her team has had better execution on the mat, but will continue to work hard to remain at the team’s standards.
“Today was an okay performance, so we definitely have things we have to go to work on in practice,” she said. “But we did many things well that we’ll build on going forward.”
Northport hit the mat next looking to give Rocky Point a run for first place, and after a performance that impressed the judges, the Tigers’ head coach Danielle Milazzo talked about the adjustment her team has had to adjust to the scoring changes.
“The whole scoring rubric is completely different from last year, so we’re trying to get used to that,” Milazzo said. “We’ve reworked routines to align them with the scoring sheets to try to make sure we get the maximum number of points from New York State.”
Comsewogue hit the mat in the second session, as did Kings Park, competing in the Small School Division I “B.” The Warriors put on a flawless performance as the crowd exploded in applause with their finish, but head coach Stefanie Breitfeller was just relieved that the routine was behind her, as the team had yet another hurdle to jump prior to a competition.
“We had a major change this morning as I found out last night one of the girls came down with pink eye,” Breitfeller said. “We had to replace a starter, so we came into this thinking this could go badly or it could go very well.”
Comsewogue senior Samantha Donlon was thrilled with her team’s first-place finish.
“We did absolutely amazing — we have worked so hard for this day and I’m really proud,” she said. “I’m so happy and this will make us perform even harder next week.”
Comsewogue senior Rachel Steck said she thought her Warriors team also performed well, but thinks that like always, there is room for improvement.
“It could’ve been a little tighter, but I’m just so proud of my team,” she said.”We did our best today. We’ll practice our routine; we’ll make it harder and we’ll make it cleaner.”
For junior Brittany Dein, she thought her team performed beyond its expectations with the last-minute change.
“All week we’ve been running the routine a whole bunch of times and I can’t fault any part of our performance,” Dein said.
The teams will reconvene on Sunday Jan. 24 at Hauppauge High School for the second round of competition.
Above, Richard Boziwick smiles with his wife. Photo from Boziwick
One Northport man has helped bring the spark back into the village’s New Year’s Eve celebration.
Richard Boziwick, owner of R. P. Luce & Company Inc. on Scudder Avenue in Northport, helped Northport Harbor ring in the new year by organizing a fireworks show. He said the Centerport Yacht Club used to have an annual fireworks display that was suspended about seven years ago. He used to look forward to watching them from the Northport Yacht Club every year and wanted to bring that celebration back for everyone in Northport to experience.
“It was great to bring this back for the village,” Boziwick said in a phone interview. “It’s neat to have something on the off-season and I think it’s something we needed.”
Boziwick has lived in the village since 1983 and is known to be deeply active within the community. He first got involved with the community’s coveted annual Cow Harbor race in 1985 as a runner, became a volunteer soon after, and was eventually appointed director for the race. He has also spent years on the Northport Planning Board and now serves as chairman.
As director of the Cow Harbor race and chairman of the planning board, Boziwick said he has been able to develop relationships with countless people throughout the village.
“I am in positions that have high visibility within multiple municipalities, so I meet a lot of different people,” he said.
He has been a member of the Northport Yacht Club for the past 20 years and is the rear commodore there, so his reach expands to the nautical community. A rear commodore assists the commodore in his or her duties to maintain the yacht club.
Through these relationships, Boziwick was able to reach out and hear not only that other residents wanted the fireworks back, but that they were willing to contribute to the costs.
The event was almost entirely funded by Northport businesses and organizations. The three major contributors were Northport Yacht Club, Centerport Yacht Club and the Great Cow Harbor 10k. Other smaller community sponsors included Northport Copy, Tim’s Shipwreck Diner, the Northport Historical Society and Jones Drug Store.
Boziwick said this first year of fireworks was quite a success, with more than 500 people coming to view the fireworks in Northport while sipping on hot chocolate and eating cookies supplied by Tim’s Shipwreck Diner.
He said that plans have already been solidified for next year’s fireworks, which he hopes will expand the show in terms of the types of pyrotechnics.
“I just love fireworks and I think it’s unique to have them on New Year’s, since so many towns and villages usually have them on the Fourth of July,” he said. “It’s been great to bring this back to the village because, in the end, it’s got to be something for the village.”
He also said he feels this is a chance for the Cow Harbor race to give back to the community and say thanks for allowing them to use the village every year to host this race.
“This event is meant for the people of Northport and their friends,” he said.
Update: Police reported on the evening of Dec. 30 that Cody Lee Miller had been located and was unharmed.
A Northport man’s family has not seen him since the day before Christmas Eve and is looking for the public’s help to find him.
The Suffolk County Police Department said on Wednesday that the family last saw 24-year-old Cody Lee Miller at his house at 8 a.m. on Dec. 23 with a black, oversized backpack.
Photo of Cody Lee Miller from SCPD
According to the family’s Facebook page “Help find Cody,” the young man left abruptly. “No argument before he left, nothing of that nature.” It’s possible he has a toiletries and a change of clothes with him, the page said, but he didn’t bring a sleeping bag or any technological items with him.
“He did not mention any part of leaving to any friends/family member,” the page said. “We have no explanations for his leaving, are unable to track him, and need your help to find him.”
The family reported him missing last week.
Miller is white, 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 145 pounds, according to the SCPD. He has dark blonde hair and hazel eyes, and was last seen in blue jeans, a black hoodie and black sneakers.
Police said the family believes he could still be on Long Island but might have gone into New York City.
Anyone with information about the young man’s whereabouts is asked to dial 911 or to call detectives from the SCPD’s 4th Squad, who are investigating the missing person case, at 631-854-8452.
Turf fields, locker room upgrades and more discussed for schools
A man stands next to termite damage on the high school gym floor. Photo from Regina Pisicani
Northport athletes may see some improvements in fields and facilities throughout the district in the upcoming years.
The Northport-East Northport school district’s Athletic Facilities Citizens Advisory Committee gave a presentation to the board last Thursday, Dec. 10, highlighting the problems student-athletes face with the current conditions of locker rooms, fields and more, and gave a five-year comprehensive plan for upgrades.
Members of the committee toured all the schools in the district, and spoke with representatives from synthetic turf companies, members of buildings and grounds departments from multiple school districts and coaches to get input.
The recommendations were divided and spread out over a five-year span to offset the estimated cost of about $17 million. Trustee Regina Pisicani, who spearheaded the creation of this group, said deciding which projects came first was the most difficult part.
The current gym lockers at Northport Middle School are decaying. Photo from Regina Pisicani
“We want it all and we want it all now,” Pisicani said at the meeting. “Because the facilities have been neglected for so long, it all needs to be done now, but we know that is not possible.”
Immediate projects include several upgrades to the Northport High School football field. Replacing the football field with synthetic turf using alternative fill, installing a new track, adding stadium lighting and replacing the sound system were suggested.
Committee member and Northport teacher Rocco Colucci said many members of the Northport community use the high school track.
“The high school track team uses it, the middle school uses it, but also the community uses it for Relay For Life and the [Northport} Running Club,” Colucci said. “This track gets used almost every day.”
Constructing an outdoor concession stand and permanent restrooms, as well as replacing the asphalt by the long jump and pole vault area at the high school were also suggested, as well as replacement of the tennis courts and fencing at Northport Middle School.
The committee expects the costs for first-year projects to range from $5.6 million to $5.9 million.
For the 2017-18 school year, projects include replacing the soccer field at the high school with synthetic turf and adding protective fencing, adding a natural grass field with irrigation for the junior varsity and varsity baseball fields, and a new backstop with increased overhand suspension at the junior varsity and varsity softball fields.
During the presentation, Pisicani said the stairway leading to the wrestling room should be painted and the ceiling and lighting at the wrestling room entrance needs to be replaced or repaired, too. Committee members thought these renovations should be tackled in the second year, as well as projects for Northport Middle School, including an all-weather track, new long jump pit, improvements to the softball and baseball fields, and replacing the ceiling and lighting in the gym.
At Bellerose Elementary School, new lighting and a ventilation system are suggested for the gym. The total projected cost for year-two projects is about $7 million.
The cost for year-three projects is significantly smaller with a projected budget of approximately $1.7 million. Recommendations focus on the ceiling and bathroom area of the girls’ and boys’ locker rooms at the high school, and air conditioning in the high school’s main gymnasium. Renovations for the Northport Middle School boy’ and girls’ locker rooms include new lockers, windows and bathrooms. The committee also suggested that the East Northport Middle School multipurpose field benefits from an irrigation system.
The approximate $340,000 year-four projects include renovations of the tennis and handball courts at both the high school and William J. Brosnan School, and irrigation to the main field at Pulaski Road Elementary School.
The final year of projects has a plan to redesign the entryway to the gym area for teams and spectators at the high school, installing an all-weather track and irrigation for a natural field at Brosnan school, and an irrigation system, driveway and path to the back field at Bellerose elementary. The anticipated cost is about $2.4 million.
Pisicani urged the board to take tours themselves to help see what state the facilities are really in. Members of the board thanked Pisicani and acknowledged that this overview was needed, but no immediate decisions were made.
Lukas Jarrett leaps up to the rim and scores two points. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Northport opened its season with a win over Connetquot on their home court Tuesday, defeating the Thunderbirds 62-51 in League II boys’ basketball action.
Brennan Whelan scores on a layup. Photo by Bill Landon
Connetquot broke out to an early 8-2 lead halfway through the first quarter, which shrunk to a three-point lead with just under two minutes left. The Tigers rallied and took their first lead of the game, edging ahead 11-10 in the last minute of the quarter, but Connetquot, on their final possession, let the clock wind down to two seconds, and hit a jumper at the buzzer to take a one-point lead into the second.
But it would be the last time the Thunderbirds would lead in the contest.
After a sluggish first quarter, Northport senior Lukas Jarrett found his rhythm and the rim, as he helped the Tigers surge ahead 19-12 with just over five minutes left in the half.
Connetquot controlled the inside game early, as they were strong down low and Northport struggled to handle the pressure.
The Tigers opened the second half clinging to an eight-point lead that shrank to five with just under four minutes left in the third. Northport senior Joe Stockman swished a three-pointer from the corner to give his team a six-point advantage, and the Tigers took a 42-36 lead at the 2:28 mark of the third.
Connetquot clawed its way back to open the final quarter trailing just 45-41, but Jarrett rocked the room with a three-pointer to aid the Tigers. Again the Thunderbirds muscled their way to the rim to cut the deficit, 48-43.
Lukas Jarrett leaps up to the rim and scores two points. Photo by Bill Landon
Northport head coach Andrew D’Eloia said that Connetquot is a tough, resilient team, adding that the matchups between the two teams are always competitive.
“We knew what to expect and we had to be ready and play all 32 minutes, and we did that,” D’Eloia said. “I thought Brennan Whelan, Sean [O’Shea], Lukas [Jarrett], Rory [Schynder], and Joe Stockman really stepped it up, so it was a real team victory.”
O’Shea, a senior, made his presence known with a long three-pointer from the corner to break out to a 51-45 advantage with just under four minutes left in regulation.
“We knew that they’re a team that likes to pound it inside and they have good shooters, so we prepared for that,” O’Shea said. “I like how we finished at the end. It was a close game. We didn’t get overwhelmed by the moment.”
Jarrett struck again from long distance, as the senior drained his second trey of the game, to put his team out front by 11 with just over three minutes left.
Play was stopped for an injury timeout as Jarrett took an elbow to the nose. The 6-foot, 7-inch forward, with cotton stuffed up his nostrils, sat on the bench for the rest of the game.
Rory Schynder drives the baseline. Photo by Bill Landon
“They’re a physical team,” Jarrett said. “They were good at getting to the loose balls, so we had to match their intensity. Our bench is deep — it’s always been that way, so it’s awesome that when someone gets hurt, our bench can always pick us up.”
In the foul-plagued final minutes, both teams traded points at the free-throw line. Whelan nailed two, and the senior put his team ahead, 60-46.
“We knew they were going to be tough inside and they’re tough players,” Whelan said. “We let them get too many points inside, but we started to play well on defense and we pulled it out there at the end.”
Trailing by 14 points with time running out, Connetquot was forced to foul to arrest the clock, but learned that that was a losing battle with Northport at the charity stripe.
Whelan led his team in scoring with 18 points; Jarrett was close behind with 17 and O’Shea finished with 13.
The Tigers will try to carry the winning momentum into Friday’s road contest at Half Hollow Hills East. Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m.
A sketch of Del Vino Vineyards is displayed at the Huntington Planning Board meeting on Dec. 2. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
Huntington residents left a recent planning board meeting with a bad taste in their mouths, thanks to a proposal to build a Del Vino Vineyards winery directly next door to Norwood Avenue Elementary School.
Frederick Giachetti, owner of the 10-acre property, said in June that he wanted to grow grapes and open a 94-seat wine tasting room instead of subdividing the land into seven residentially zoned properties, which was the original proposal. Community members and the Northport-East Northport School District said they strongly disapproved of the plans due to safety and health concerns for students at Norwood Elementary during a Huntington Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
Attorney Carrie-Anne Tondo spoke on behalf of the school district and accused the applicant of not being “neighborly” by skipping several parts of the site plan review process typically requested by the planning board. But Attorney Anthony Guardino, who was representing the applicant, said Del Vino Vineyards is not required by the state to even submit a site plan. He said the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets does not recommend site plan approval for farm operations, including wineries.
“However, if a town does not follow that recommendation, and requires site plan approval, the dept. suggests that the site plan review process for farm operations be streamlined and expedited,” Guardino said in an email.
Attorney Carrie-Ann Tondo speaks at the Huntington Planning Board meeting on Dec. 2. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
Guardino said that the school district was referring to requirements from a different type of classification under New York State’s Environmental Quality Review standards.
“Based on a NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Market’s publication…the application should be classified as a Type II action under SEQRA, which would make it exempt from the SEQRA review process altogether,” Guardino said. This includes a traffic study.
“The fact of the matter is we didn’t have to submit anything,” he said. “We’re here before you because we agreed to do the site review but we don’t have to be.”
Guardino said he suggested that if the planning board really wants these extra studies done, they should take it up with the state. But he said Del Vino Vineyards is “fully complaint with the law.”
The district’s biggest concerns included the winery’s hours of operation, pesticide uses, traffic problems, and student safety.
“The board of education takes very seriously the protection of the 365 students who attend the school,” Tondo said.
She also said a traffic study is currently missing from the vineyards site plan approval, and with a proposal of 60 parking spaces, a traffic study is “clearly warranted.”
According to Tondo, the school has bus traffic patterns on the weekdays, and on weekends, the school is used for many different events including soccer games and various club activities. So additional traffic in this area could have an adverse impact, she said.
Tondo also said the school would have a better understanding of how much traffic would be affected if the vineyard released its hours of operations, but they have yet to do so.
“All we’re asking for is full disclosure and transparency, which shouldn’t be issues if you’re looking to be a good neighbor,” she said. “I don’t know why there can’t be some compromise to alleviate concerns for hours of operations.”
Guardino said that the board does not have any power over the deciding for closing and opening hours.
“Hours are at the discretion of the owner within…this board can’t control that,” he said.
The property on Norwood Avenue where Del Vino VIneyard wants to set up shop is currently vacant. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
Student interaction with patrons at the vineyard was another concern, and Tondo asked if the vineyard is exploring security services. To this problem, Guardino said that building plans included a landscape buffer between the vineyard parking lot and the school, as well as a 10-foot deer fence, and he said he saw no instance where students would be able to converse with patrons.
Tondo also said the district would also like a notification of when Del Vino will be spraying pesticides on their crops because schools themselves are not usually allowed to apply pesticides to their grounds to prevent students from unnecessary exposure.
Guardino said that Giachetti plans to use “state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly pesticide applicators” that recycles whatever pesticides aren’t directly sprayed on a plant and has very little overspray.
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) said he thinks this vineyard could be valuable to the town by providing more open space.
“We need open space and for someone from the outside to pay for it is a gift,” Trotta said. “Is this perfect? I don’t know. But I think that you have an opportunity here to work with this gentleman…and for us to preserve open space because once he sells that and builds houses it’s gone forever.”
Alice Abbate, a 25-year resident of Norwood road, presented a petition with more than 350 signatures against the vineyard. All four of her children walk to school everyday at Norwood Elementary.
“My children shouldn’t be afraid that there are 60 parking spaces they’re passing where people have been coming in and out after they’ve been drinking,” Abbate said. “When we bought our home 25 years ago, as did our neighbors, we bought it because it was in a nice quiet neighborhood on a street with a school. Maybe a winery is a good idea some other place.”
Kegs clutter the back of the Sand City Brewing Co. Photo from the business
There’s a new spot in Northport for those looking to kick back with a cold one.
Sand City Brewing Co. opened its doors in October as the only brewery in village, with all beers made on-site.
What started off as a hobby for owner Kevin Sihler has became quite the business venture.
“I started home-brewing 10 years ago,” Sihler said in a phone interview. “As soon as I started, I wanted to perfect the craft. It was a hobby I got interested in and then I became infatuated with it and it took over my life — and my house.”
Sihler said his friends, Bill Kiernan and Frank McNally, started helping him back when he was brewing in-house and eventually became partners with him in Sand City Brewing Co.
The brewery is located on Main Street in the village, at a spot that has seen many different tenants, including The Spy Shop and The Inlet, over the past few years. But this did not scare off Sihler at all — if anything, he loves the spot.
Sand City Brewing Co. owner Kevin Sihler and his son, Hudson, pose inside the brewery. Photo from Sihler
“The location is great for a brewery,” Sihler said. “The alleyway off Main Street gives us more seclusion.”
The Centerport-based Blind Bat Brewery was originally looking to set up shop at this space in 2014. However, the owner, Paul Dlugokencky, could not come to terms on the lease with the landlord and left the location.
The tasting room is casual and relaxed, and welcomes both dogs and children.
According to Sihler, about 300 pounds of beer are brewed on any given day. Sihler said he likes to experiment with different styles, and add a unique twist to standard flavors.
Southdown Breakfast Stout, a popular beer, is brewed with coffee, chocolate and oats. Day Drifter Oatmeal IPA is also brewed with oats and is Sihler’s twist on classic India pale ale.
Since opening, Sihler said the tasting room is always crowded
“We are literally selling out of beer before we can brew it,” he said.
Aside from single glass tastings and a flight of five different beers, growlers are also available for purchase.
Sihler, a Northport resident, said he always wanted to set up shop in Northport.
“There’s a quaint feeling in this town,” he said. “The small town environment of getting to know your neighbors — I like that feeling.”
He said Sandy City Brewing Co. is actually named after a local hot spot in Northport, Hobart Beach Park, which many refer to as “Sand City.”
“It portrays the image of a relaxed place that everyone can relate to,” he said.
Sand City Brewing Co. is open Thursdays through Sundays.
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