Tags Posts tagged with "Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow"

Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow

Photo from Lauren Sheprow

TBR News Media invited Kathianne Snaden, Lauren Sheprow’s opponent for the mayoral race,  to participate in the interview as well, but she declined.  Coverage of her position, as well as the three candidates competing for two trustee positions, can be found in the article, “Tense atmosphere dominates meet-the-candidates night”. 

What surprised you about the position during these last two years? 

Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow speaks with TBR ahead of the June 17 election. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

Everything. I knew a lot about governance from working with Stony Brook’s faculty and staff and administration for sixteen years, both in the hospital and on the main campus. So, that gave me some bearing. I think what surprised me really was the level of vitriol that continued for two years. It never stopped and that was sad. I thought the opposition would sort of weigh in, get involved and help out with their community, but I didn’t get that reaction,  so I don’t focus on it. It isn’t something that I think about. But to say what surprised me, that surprised me. The number of hours it takes to do this job surprised me. But, and I’m not gonna say it surprised me, but I did not have an understanding of the extent of the complexities that exist in this small three square mile piece of land.

 What are your financial plans for the village?

I established early on a budget finance committee through code. It was legislated. There was never a budget and finance committee in the code. So now it’s chapter seven in the code, and it is a seven member board committee. It’s a committee–it’s advisory by nature. And so, I also have a very gifted and intelligent trustee who is our finance commissioner. I don’t know if ever in the history of Port Jefferson there has been a finance commissioner who’s been a trustee, but this is a person that I know knows more about finance and budgets than I do. So my goal is to keep the budget balanced, obviously. My focus is to keep the taxpayer levy as even as possible without raising taxes to a great extent. And to be able to do that, we are really focusing on grants and grant administration, which is a whole job in and of itself. We’ve been very successful with our new grant administrator, Lisa Mato. And, she’s been very successful in getting grant money reimbursed to the village that has been long standing. So, financial goals: get the capital fund back to where it has been, get it back to balanced, and then start building a capital reserve so that if we have big expenditures that we need to make, we have the funding to do it. 

How are you planning to move forward in mitigating flooding?

 Oh, great question. I’m very excited about this. The former administration got a FEMA grant for flood reduction studies. We got the grant. The thing you have to do when you get a grant is you have to get an executed contract so that you get reimbursed. If you do have to put your own money out, which we do, we wanna make sure we have an executed contract. It takes a long time. It can take up to eighteen months to get that executed contract back. So we got the executed contract back for that grant. We did an RFP. We hired an engineering firm who we contracted with and we had our kickoff meeting last week with L.K. McLean Associates. So the goal of this flood reduction study is to come up with a plan on how to mitigate flooding in the downtown area. But the scope of the work, they did it. They’re doing a topographical study with the drone footage that extends from the Northeast corner of Harborfront Park, which is where it meets the yacht club, all the way southwest to Brook Road where it meets Old Post Road, and all points in between, including the school district property, the fire district property, the apartments on Main Street, and all that road. They’re mapping our stormwater, sewers, and stormwater catch basins. Anyway, I could go on forever about this, but I’m very excited. We’re meeting with the school district and the fire district on Wednesday to introduce them because they are major stakeholders in this study.

 What is the most pressing issue facing the village right now? 

I would say it’s the hazard issues related to climate. Flooding is the most pressing issue. And also the impact to the East Beach Bluff and our old Homestead Recharge Basin. That August storm caused so much damage. We’re getting funding to mitigate the damage. We’re cleaning out storm drains, about up to 50 storm drains. The cost will be reimbursed by FEMA. It could be up to $100,000 to clean out 50 store drains. We’re asking the residents to help us pick the right ones that are most problematic. After that storm, we fixed every single roof in the village. Every single roof was leaking in the village, and we fixed all the village-owned roofs. We didn’t get refunded for all of that work, but for some of that. Fixing our maintenance issues is the most important thing for the village that the village government can do for its residents right now. 

What are your thoughts on the Port Jeff Country Club? 

So if you talk to real estate agents, the three things they use to sell Port Jefferson are the country club, the beaches and the school district. Those are the three most important things, and it has an impact on the value of the homes, on the quality of life, and on the future of how people spend their days in the village

I think the country club is a major asset. It was purchased for $2,300,000. It’s probably worth, you know, $100,000,000 right now or $75,000,000. But it makes a lot of people very, very, very happy. Right now, we have our work cut out for us because we have a blank slate on the north side of Fairway Drive. We’re bringing in a master planner to give us an impression of what they think can happen on that north side and and throughout the whole to give us an assessment of the country club. This is an experienced country club master planner and at no cost, except for maybe travel expenses, they’re coming in. They’re going to present to us what their impressions are. So that’s going to give us a way to shape our thinking about what’s possible there and what we should do. In terms of the bluff and the and the building, that building is being utilized to its full extent by Lessing’s Hospitality Group.

That restaurant is closed now, right?  

We’re working with Lessings to get that restaurant open a few days a week. That could service the community as well as the members.

They’re not operating an á la carte restaurant business. So both vendors who were here prior did not make that restaurant work. Their focus was really on different things. I don’t wanna talk for them, but then Lessing’s came in. They were honest; they said, we’re not gonna be able to provide an a la carte restaurant’s business right away; we have to get our feet under us. We have to get this business up and running.

The contract with Lessing’s is a 9% profit share. So they make money, the village makes money.. And the other reason why the country club is an asset to this village is because the partner who pays the rent in that building offsets the tax levy by 2%. So as their revenue grows, the village revenue grows. 

I mean, they’re putting on activities every single week, quite a few. Once they hit their stride and they’re really cooking and we see our revenue numbers going up, I’d like to use that revenue and put it right back into the cost of what it costs to fix that bluff so that it offsets tax payer. We anticipate that the numbers will grow. And, after talking to our treasurer about this, this is maybe two or three years down the road, but eventually, I’d like to pay that debt off that we had to take to pay for the project through the income that we make–the revenue that we draw from Lessing’s. That’s the draw.

And they are changing the aesthetic of the place. No offense to anyone’s decorative eye, but they’re bringing back a coastal feel on the inside of that facility. They’re removing and eliminating as much marble on the flooring and everything, and they’re bringing in a wood floor from the moment you step out to the deck area. So it’s in progress. They’re still addressing the things, the aesthetic. They’re addressing the kitchen. They’re putting in a new kitchen, they’re really investing in the business, which says to me, they wanna make it work. 

I’ve spoken with David Lessing, and he has said, I think we can make the restaurant work. We just need time. 

Why do you feel the East Beach Bluff stabilization project is the right move, and how do you reconcile that with the residents who feel that the project and the country club are a waste of village money?

I took an oath of office which said that my job is to protect and preserve village property. Stabilization of that property is important because it impacts the areas not only where the country club exists, but the areas to the west and to the east of it as well. So if we get FEMA funding to offset 75% of the cost of phase two, whatever phase two ends up being as our engineers are drawing up a valued engineering project plan for phase two, it’s not gonna look like the original phase two and we’re looking forward to seeing what that looks like. If we have up to $3.5 million dollars to offset the cost and offset the taxpayer’s responsibility, to help stabilize that property, it’s a valued property. It is one of the most valuable pieces of property in Port Jefferson and Lessing’s knows it. If they thought it was not valuable, they wouldn’t have rushed in and said, we want this. We wanna make this work. This is a property we have wanted for twenty five years. They wanted this catering facility and this whole building operation when Lombardi’s came in. They had hoped to to be considered for it. So they came to us, and they said, we’re interested in this. 

There are a lot of variables to the planning process right now. We’re looking at drainage, which wasn’t looked at in the first place. There’s stormwater coming off the building. We need to redirect that stormwater. We need to capture that stormwater and push it elsewhere. They they did that on the East Side. We’re looking at the drainage now, and our engineers are figuring out a drainage plan.  If we need to come up with a pump system to bring it back to the golf course and use it as an irrigation resource, perfect. Use it for irrigation. Or, we can use it when we’re at drought levels, which we’ve experienced before. We’re looking to be sustainable and not just a Band-Aid on a heart attack.

They did look at the utilities or consider or factor them into their planning, the underground utility, infrastructure, and they didn’t look at the stability of the building. So, we’re looking at the stability of the building.

One of the things that I did was establish a Citizen’s Commission on Erosion. I invited as many volunteers who wanted to sit at a round table and talk about the issues that we’re facing and discuss and try to make decisions about along the way. That’s how we got resident input. This erosion commission is no joke. They are looking at everything, and they are asking the right questions, which give us cause to ask the right questions of the engineers. 

We hired an engineering firm, which we didn’t have before, to review the engineering designs, question the engineers of record and to also look at other options and how we can do this better. So we hired Hayduk Engineering. Stephen Hayduck Jr. as our principal engineer, and Peter Scully is our environmental consultant. So we’re looking at it in a very disciplined way. We’re not just saying, oh, that plan looks good; let’s go with it. We are evaluating it very, very carefully with input from the community. 

The other thing we’re doing, just to add on to that, is we’ve asked our public works department to be the eyes and ears of the monitoring so that we don’t have to have engineers come out. If there’s a heavy storm, the DPW goes out, records, takes photos of what happened and what they’re seeing on the bluff face. So we’re using our own employees who are very capable. It’s not technical. They’re just taking pictures, and they’re recording what the difference might be if they still see something here or there.

Is there an area for improvement within village hall operations?

We’ve done a lot of work on, on reporting structure and organizational charts and where people sit and everything. And there’s always room for improvement for that. We have a limited budget, so we have limited resources of who we can hire and how we do so. We have to make sure we use our resources wisely and so that people are working together. One of the things that I brought back was a department head meeting. So every two weeks, we have department head meetings where our department heads speak to one another, including our public works, park public works, country club. So we are really working together in those terms.

These department head meetings help us understand where our treasurer comes in. He’s sitting right there. If they need to buy something or need to invest in something, they have that conversation in real time. We have these work session reports that we ask every department head to create, and we post those online during our work session meeting as part of the agenda. And it’s open and free for everybody to read. Every single department has a work session report so residents can see how their money is being spent. 

 

Global Language Reads ribbon cutting. Photo courtesy of PJCC
Global Language Reads ribbon cutting. Photo courtesy of Councilmember Kornreich’s office

It was a great turnout for the ribbon cutting of new Port Jefferson Village business Global Language Reads at 402 Main Street on Jan. 15. 

Hosted by the Greater Chamber of Commerce, the event was attended by Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow, New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay, Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, former New York State Senator Ken LaValle, Port Jefferson Village Trustees Kyle Hill and Robert Juliano, PJCC President Stuart Vincent, Third Vice President Douglas Quattrock, family and friends who came out to congratulate owner Caterina Lemos-Cunha and wish her the best of luck in her new venture.  

“I’m excited to welcome Global Language Reads to our community. This new bookstore offers a unique collection of books in multiple languages, providing an opportunity for locals and visitors to explore stories from around the world,” said Councilmember Kornreich. 

“Global Language Reads is a wonderful addition to our town, celebrating diversity and encouraging cultural exchange. I can’t wait to see this new business thrive and contribute to the cultural fabric of Port Jefferson. Be sure to take advantage of the variety of exciting activities they host! From movie and game nights, to engaging book clubs, to the science society and debate club for young adults, there’s something for everyone,” he added.

For more information, visit www.glrbooks.com.

Port Jefferson Village Hall. File photo

By Lynn Hallarman

Village of Port Jefferson officials addressed resident concerns over a new policy suspending village employees from carrying firearms in a statement posted on the village website on Nov. 9. 

Officials also emailed this statement to residents on the village’s contact list. 

The statement, issued by Mayor Lauren Sheprow and the board of trustees, follows an incident Sept. 27 when a firearm was found in a public restroom in the village hall. The firearm belonged to a Code Enforcement employee under their privately obtained concealed carry license. 

In response to this incident, during an emergency meeting called Oct. 25, the board of trustees approved a measure 5-0 suspending firearms carry for all village employees, including Code Enforcement staff with personal concealed carry permits. 

Several Code Enforcement officers resigned recently, presumably related to the firearms ban. The message clarified that the village does not issue firearms to employees, noting that Code Enforcement staff are not considered police. 

“Code Enforcement personnel do not constitute or comprise a police force, nor do they possess police power or authorization to enforce the penal code,” according to the statement.

Village officials aimed to reassure residents that the suspension would not compromise public safety. The statement continues that, “the Suffolk County Police Department has agreed to increase patrols and tours in Port Jefferson to ensure residents feel safe and secure in light of any misrepresentation of intentions otherwise.” 

TBR News Media was unable to confirm with the Suffolk County Police Department this increase in police coverage.  

Code Enforcement

Code enforcement vehicles parked in Port Jefferson Village. Photo by Lynn Hallarman

Code officers’ scope is limited to actions related to the village code. Their duties include issuing tickets for parking violations, managing traffic during events, investigating code-related complaints and alerting Suffolk County police to possible crimes, according to Sheprow. 

Code officers cannot detain or arrest citizens. They cannot issue summonses for moving violations such as speeding and are not authorized to respond to police alerts transmitted over police radios.

However, the 2023 Manual of Code Enforcement Bureau Rules and Procedures for the Village of Port Jefferson outlines a pathway for obtaining authorization to carry a concealed firearm. 

“No employee shall be given such approval [to carry a firearm] unless documentation is provided indicating completion of a proper firearms training course accompanied by a valid NYS Pistol License,” according to the manual. The manual also requires a “village-approved annual firearms training and qualification course.”

According to Sheprow, inconsistencies between language in the procedures manual and the village code remain unresolved and tied to the union contract governing the hiring of code officers. 

Code officer resignations

TBR News Media spoke with Andrew Owen, who recently resigned as chief code enforcement officer in protest of the firearms ban.

According to Owen, before the resignations, the code enforcement team included 38 officers, 20 of whom had concealed carry licenses; all who carry firearms are retired or current police.  The village clerk could not confirm these numbers as accurate to TBR’s New Media by press time.

Owen, a retired New York City police officer, was hired by Code Enforcement about two years ago with 20 years of police experience and 14 years as a sergeant.

“I told the mayor at the meeting that I cannot, in good faith, enforce policies that I don’t agree with,” he said.

Five days after his resignation, Owen was placed on paid administrative leave until his final day of duty on Nov. 18. According to Owen, the mayor gave no reason for the administrative leave.

Owen believes carrying is essential as a safety measure for code officers who work in the community daily. He considers concealed carry a necessary aspect of employing retired or active police officers who bring valuable experience interacting with the public to the job. 

“Everybody that carried [a firearm] had their qualifications. We went to the range once a year. We had the classroom once a year. It wasn’t that we were arbitrarily carrying firearms. We’re all licensed,” he said. 

He believes Code Enforcement officers support the police department by acting as crime deterrents by patrolling village streets and adding to residents’ sense of safety. 

“We would communicate with the 6th Precinct about what to look out for because there are gang elements in this area. Whether people believe it or not, that’s one thing we are on top of,” he said.

Perception vs. reality

According to former village mayor Mike Lee, the Village of Port Jefferson gave up its right to have its own police force when it was incorporated in 1977. The village receives its police protection from the Suffolk County Police Department, District 6. Two cruisers are assigned to patrol the village daily. 

Decisions about the scope of duties for code enforcement occur at the hyperlocal level in Suffolk County. Some municipalities have recently moved to ban firearms, as Patchogue did, according to Sheprow.  Other Suffolk County municipalities outside of the Town of Brookhaven have their own police force. 

The Nov. 9 statement explains the recent firearm carry suspension was prompted primarily by liability concerns. The statement also clarifies misperceptions of the role of Code Enforcement officers, aiming to reinforce their duties as civil servants working to uphold village code.

Public reactions

This reporter spoke to several residents about the recent suspension. Concerns ranged from feeling “less safe” because of the suspension to several villagers expressing surprise that Code Enforcement officers carried concealed weapons and were in favor of the suspension.

Other residents felt the village benefitted overall from having retired police patrolling the streets, regardless of their limited scope of duties as code enforcement. 

“I am 100% OK with having trained former police carry in our village,” said Fred Hoffman, a long-time village resident. 

Marie Parziale. Photo courtesy of Parziale

By Aidan Johnson

Port Jefferson resident Marie Parziale is running for the village board of trustees. Also known as Marie Johs — though her name will appear as “Marie Parziale” on the ballot — she announced her bid on May 29. She has been a resident of Port Jefferson since 1995 and works as the senior alumni career coach at Stony Brook University, along with being an elder and deacon at the First Presbyterian Church of Port Jefferson.

In an interview, she recounted how she got involved with the village early into her residency.

“I was lucky enough to have [former mayor] Jeanne Garant living a few doors down [from me], and we had a neighborhood community association. Of course, Jeanne was involved, and I jumped right in,” Parziale said, also describing how she helped on Garant’s mayoral campaign.

Parziale also took pride in discussing how she was part of the committee that worked with the architect that designed the inside of the Village Center, along with being on the parking committee and Vision 2010, a committee created to envision and discuss the goals and future of Port Jefferson by the year 2030.

“When I look back at the happiest times in my life I’m giving,” she said. “I really wanted to jump right back and do community work.”

One of her biggest issues is the revitalization of the downtown and uptown areas of Port Jefferson.

“I work at Stony Brook, and the person who hired me is the vice president of student affairs now, so he oversees residential life, and we have an issue there that there’s not enough housing for students. Upper Port is one stop away [on the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road],” Parziale said.

She explained her vision of providing a place for graduate students in the uptown area, which would allow more room on the Stony Brook University campus for first- and second-year students.

“What’s missing in this village up there is … a good, vibrant energy, a young energy,” Parziale said, describing an area that would include coffee shops and bookstores.

Parziale also said that a stronger village police presence was needed in the Upper Port area.

“If code had a presence up there, there would be a level of safety, and then people will be willing to come in and invest. I know the developers are building, but we don’t want empty shops like we have down here,” she said.

Parziale praised Mayor Lauren Sheprow for “keeping us up to date on her promises,” though the candidate expressed a need to better amplify this to the community.

“I think what maybe could be better is that she’s got some wonderful things on the website that’s explaining it, but it sounds like people aren’t going there, so maybe a little bit better PR [to be able to] better amplify all that’s being done.”

Parziale is joined by two other candidates for village trustee, Xena Ugrinsky and Kyle Hill, for the two open seats. A meet the candidates night for the three candidates will take place on June 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Port Jefferson Village Center.

The election is on Tuesday, June 18, at the Village Center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Port Jefferson’s East Beach on Jan. 25. Photo courtesy Myrna Gordon

By Sabrina Artusa

With further recession of the East Beach bluff threatening the safety and structural integrity of the Port Jefferson Country Club, tennis and pickleball courts and golf course, the Village of Port Jefferson held a town hall meeting May 28 at the Waterview catering hall to discuss how to proceed with the bluff revitalization plan initiated in 2021. This plan was interrupted by fierce storms that damaged the barrier wall the village spent two years and approximately $6 million building.

While portions of the wall held strong against runoff and winds, the damage has made some residents unsure if continuing with Phase II is the most effective solution. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding 75% of Phase II, but the specifics of the grant agreement have not been finalized.

Country club

Some residents question why money should be spent protecting a commercial business and argue for the demolition of the village-owned country club and rebuilding further from the cliff.

“There are a lot of people in this town who are hurting. Inflation is hurting middle American families … we talk about putting millions of tax dollars into this beautiful club, but for what?” one resident asked. 

“It’s not just an engineering issue. It’s a cost-benefit analysis for the entire community, and a referendum requires that we be included,” another person said.

The club, however, reportedly brings in over $300,000 of revenue to the village annually. Additionally, one does not have to be a member of the country club to visit.

“When you are repairing the bluff, what is it actually going to protect? It is going to protect a building that is revenue neutral at its worst and it sounds like it is a revenue positive facility,” another resident said.

Other options

Mayor Lauren Sheprow said that the wall held strong for the most part and that engineers and environmental scientists are being consulted on the most responsible course of action going forward.

Nick Thatos, co-founder of the Long Island-based Coastal Technologies, said that planting native species is key to preventing further erosion. He noted that North Shore native plants evolved “to stabilize” and “colonize this niche environment,” citing the complex root systems and cement-like excretions that can keep sand in place.

“Nature is incredible. We cannot engineer anything near what nature can accomplish,” he said.

Some said that the angle of the bluff needs to be corrected to prevent recession, while others said that retreating is the most dependable option.

“The only way to fortify the top is to retreat,” said a woman who has lived in Port Jefferson for over 30 years. “The golf and tennis are separate. Another building can be built.”

Sheprow is asking for volunteers for the village’s Citizens Commission on Erosion. “We want input, we don’t want to do it in a vacuum,” she said.

Port Jefferson Village Center. Photo by Heidi Sutton

By Samantha Rutt

On the evening of May 29, a crime occurred near the village center, shedding light on gaps in the village hall’s communication protocols. The incident has raised questions and concerns among residents and officials about the effectiveness of current systems for public safety notifications.

Incident details

Between 6 and 6:30 p.m., a man who had been stabbed or slashed sought help at the Village Center near Harborfront Park. Covered in blood, the victim’s appearance alarmed bystanders. The assailants were reportedly still at large, fleeing in a white SUV. Suffolk County Police responded with several police cars and retrieved camera footage from the area to aid their investigation.

Compounding the situation, a senior awards ceremony and several sporting events were taking place at the nearby school. Despite the proximity of these events to the crime scene, school leadership was not informed about the incident, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of students and attendees.

Response timeline

Seeking clarity and answers, an email was sent to village officials on May 31. The email was addressed to Mayor Sheprow and trustees Loucks, Juliano, Kassay, and Biondo. All below events are reported from Traci Donnelly’s Facebook page.

May 31, 6:25 p.m.: Initial inquiry sent to village officials.

May 31, 8:26 p.m.: Trustee Loucks responded, indicating he was unaware of any official communication from the village. He learned about the incident from the manager of the village center and noted that more than 50 hours after the incident, trustees had still not been provided with any updates or information.

May 31, 9:11 p.m.: A follow-up email was sent, questioning the lack of community notification.

May 31, 9:32 p.m.: Trustee Biondo responded, suggesting that if the incident were serious enough, the Suffolk County Police Department would have notified the community.

June 1, 7:02 a.m.: A request was made for clear communication protocols and criteria for alert systems.

June 1, 1:51 p.m.: Trustee Biondo advised attending the next public meeting for discussions and deliberation with the trustees. It was reiterated that, according to the village attorney and mayor, public comments are not meant for deliberations.

Several concerns have emerged in the wake of this incident. No public alert was issued, despite the severity of the incident and its proximity to community events, no alert was sent to residents. A lack of real-time information as schools and trustees were not informed in real time. Trustee Loucks learned about the incident from the village center manager and other trustees were also uninformed prior to the email. Additionally, it was made evident there are communication gaps as the current strategy for notifying residents about serious incidents is unclear.

The incident has prompted several questions from concerned residents, in Donnelly’s post she asks “Why wasn’t the incident on May 29 considered a public safety issue warranting a Code Red alert? Who decides when these alerts are issued and who is on the village’s emergency response team? Were all trustees informed of the incident in real time?”

The community is calling for increased transparency and the development of a comprehensive communication plan with public input. Residents are encouraged to email trustees directly for accurate information and to avoid relying on social media for critical updates.

“It is important to have communication between village officials and residents. We are looking to wirk alongside residents to have an effective emergency response system in place,” village trustee Rebecca Kassay said.

The email exchange regarding this incident is available upon request for anyone interested in complete transparency.

Photo by Lynn Hallarman

By Lynn Hallarman

During the April 24 Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees meeting, discussions surrounding the Port Jefferson school district budget for the year 2024-25 and the new village parking initiative took center stage. 

School budget 

Deputy Superintendent Sean Leister provided a detailed overview of the school district’s financial landscape, emphasizing ongoing challenges. These challenges include an uncertain timeline for resolving the Child Victims Act litigation and decreases in revenue due to the LIPA glide path agreement. 

Leister reported that the Board of Education deliberated extensively on budget allocations for the upcoming year, focusing on necessary construction projects. Due to budget constraints, the school board approved four projects totaling $1 million. These projects relate to demolishing a no-longer-habitable high school portable classroom, renovating the high school orchestra room, renovating the elementary school pool and continuing a roofing project. 

Reduced enrollment prompted reductions in staff positions, amounting to 3.6 full-time equivalent positions. 

“I don’t say this lightheartedly for any reduction for a staff member is tough, but someone may be reduced from 100% to 80% meaning going from five classes to four,” Leister said. 

The budget breakdown highlighted that 77% of the district’s funding goes to salaries and benefits. 

“Once you take into account collective bargaining agreements, state regulations and state mandates, of this whole budget probably only about 4% is controllable,” he said. 

Leister noted increases for the coming year in medical insurance (10%), liability insurance (4%), teacher retirement insurance (9.76%-10.25%) and utilities (4%). 

Mayor Lauren Sheprow sought clarity on the reserve funds in the budget presentation. Leister indicated that the presentation did not explicitly state the details of the reserve funds. However, residents can find information about the funds on the district’s website. Leister summarized for the mayor a general breakdown of the reserve into six parts that comprise a fund for workers compensation, unemployment insurance, spikes in the retirement system, the teachers and civil service unions, and capital projects. 

“Right now, our capital reserve fund is $3.1 million. We use that to do different capital projects. The way we fund it is when we have a surplus at the end of a given year — the board will pass a motion to fund that reserve up to no more than $1.5 million each year,” Leister said.

Trustee Drew Biondo asked, “Is there any working group going on to bring the community in and talk about what we are doing as a district as our enrollment drops and how we maintain our services?” 

Sheprow responded, “In fact, the village created a school district interactive working group in response to taxpayer feedback about this issue. My perspective is that it is about building trust with community members to show that you are listening to them and being fiscally responsible.”

The 2024-25 second draft budget is projected at $48,018,335 ($47,066,099 in 2023-24), an increase of 2.02%.

The total amount of taxes levied by the school district for the 2024-25 academic year is estimated at $39.8 million ($39.3 million), a 1.24% increase. 

The vote for or against the 2024-25 budget will be held at the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School cafeteria on Tuesday, May 21. 

Managed parking

Andrew Freleng, director of the Building & Planning Department, reported on the progress of the newly-implemented parking management system. His presentation reviewed the village’s recent effort to streamline its parking infrastructure and improve user experience. The new system departs from previous practices, informed by operational recommendations from the parking committee. 

The initiative kicked off with the removal of redundant signage and simplified messaging. The new system also retooled pay stations to emphasize functionality and user experience.

Freleng emphasized the use of empirical data to inform operational decision-making. The overall approach is to refine the parking management strategy over time in response to data-driven outcomes such as revenue generated and community feedback. 

Managed parking in the village began April 15. Homeowners must each renew their virtual permit to park for free in village lots every two years. Renters renew every year. 

By Heidi Sutton

The Village of Port Jefferson hosted its first annual Arbor Day Celebration on April 24. The event, organized by the newly formed Tree Committee members Anne Leahey and Avril Coakley, was attended by local officials and community members.

Port Jefferson Village Deputy Mayor and Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability Rebecca Kassay served as Master of Ceremony and introduced speakers Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, New York State Assemblyman Ed Flood, Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright and Port Jefferson Village Mayor Lauren Sheprow. Former Mayor Sandra Swenk, Leahey and Port Jefferson Village Trustee Bob Juliano also spoke at the event.

Port Jefferson Village school District fifth grader Michael Viviano read a poem that he wrote for the occasion titled “The Tree Stands Tall” followed by the planting of two native trees — an American Hornbeam (Carbines Carolinians) and a Hackberry tree (Celtis Occidentalis) in the Maple Street parking lot.  All attendees were given a native tree or shrub sapling to plant in their own yards.

Reached after the event, Port Jefferson Deputy Mayor Kassay said, “As Port Jefferson Village’s first Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability, I’ve been honored to bring together and galvanize our community’s tree enthusiasts. Last year, I helped to form the Village’s first Tree Committee with a group of residents who shared the goal of making PJV a “Tree City, USA” under the Arbor Day Foundation canopy. We have successfully worked towards this goal, including creating a budget line for tree plantings, and an annual Arbor Day event. Their work to plant trees this year will serve their neighbors for decades to come. Many thanks to all who came out to celebrate the planting of two new trees in the Village, our young poet laureate of the event, and the distribution of native tree and shrub saplings.”

Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation and the NYS Urban Forestry Council, Port Jefferson Village is now one step closer to achieving a Tree City USA designation.

PJV Arbor Day 2024 Flyer. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kassay

The Village of Port Jefferson’s Tree Committee – freshly sprouted in 2023 – invites one and all to the village’s first annual Arbor Day Celebration this coming Wednesday, April 24, from 5-6 p.m.

Held in the Maple Parking Lot, behind Old Fields and Billie’s restaurants, attendees will hear from Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright, Port Jefferson Village Mayor Lauren Sheprow and the Village’s Deputy Mayor and Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability, Rebecca Kassay. 

A local student from Port Jefferson will delight the crowd with a topical reading before the group ceremoniously plants two new native trees. Finally, all attendees will all be given a native tree or shrub sapling to plant in their own yards. 

By hosting this event, which is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, the village will be one step closer to their Tree City USA designation.

Further destruction of terracing and plantings on the East Beach bluff after recent rainstorms. Photo by Lynn Hallarman

Recent setbacks in East Beach bluff stabilization project have officials and residents on edge 

By Lynn Hallarman

East Beach is a village-owned strip of sandy shoreline situated between the northern front of the Long Island Sound and the base or toe of a steeply set bluff, roughly 100 feet high.

A jetty opens into Mount Sinai Harbor eastward of the bluff. To the west, the shore stretches past a series of private properties, then past the village of Belle Terre, and finally curves inward, reconfiguring as Port Jefferson Harbor. 

For decades, the village-owned Port Jefferson Country Club, perched near the crest of the bluff, was invisible to beachgoers below, shielded by a thick tangle of greenery clinging to the bluff’s north front. 

But in recent years, a series of intense rainstorms, combined with sea rise and pressures from human-made alterations in the landscape above the bluff, have set in motion deforestation and scouring, denuding the bluff of vegetation and accelerating erosion in the direction of the country club’s foundation. The club has become precariously close to the bluff’s edge. Without a plan, there was no doubt it would slide down the bluff onto the shoreline below within a few years. 

To make matters worse, the bluff stabilization project, whose aim is to stabilize the position of the club, has been beset with complications in the wake of a series of recent storms unraveling costly work completed just last summer as part of Phase I of the project.

As communities across Long Island are confronting relentless coastal erosion, TBR News Media focuses on the obstacles facing the bluff stabilization project at East Beach, exploring the complexities, costs and alternative solutions to rescuing the country club.

The big picture

Bluffs change naturally over time, feeding sand to the beach and replenishing the shoreline. They respond to the force of winds, waves and tides, creating new states of equilibrium with the beach below and the landscapes above. The Long Island shoreline has been reshaping for thousands of years, sometimes imperceptibly and sometimes in dramatic fits of landslip that is, chunks of shoreline abruptly falling into the sea. 

East Beach and its bluff are inseparable from the adjacent coastline they move as the coastline moves. When humans make changes in the shorelines by adding bulkheads, jetties and other rigid structures, the effects resonate laterally, affecting the movement of sand and ocean from beach to beach along the shoreline. 

“Port Jefferson’s experience with bluff restoration is a microcosm of what has been happening all over Long Island,” said Chuck Hamilton, a marine biologist and former regional natural resource supervisor for the state Department of Environmental Conservation for some 33 years.

“For a long time, farmers on Long Island had their farms right on top of the bluff, and shoreline erosion happened naturally,” he said. But now those same areas are being subdivided and developed, adding weight and impermeable surfaces abutting the shoreline. “And guess what? Now we need to stabilize.”

For decades, Port Jefferson Country Club was invisible to the beachgoers, shielded by a thick tangle of greenery clinging to the bluff. Undated photo courtesy Port Jeff historian Chris Ryon

The project

When Port Jefferson’s mayor, Lauren Sheprow, took office in July 2023, the bluff stabilization project was already in motion. Sheprow, a former public relations professional, had campaigned on a platform of two core values: financial transparency and safeguarding of village assets. However, the realities of rescuing the country club purchased in 1978 when her father, Harold Sheprow, was village mayor while keeping project costs under control have proven to be complex and demanding. 

Most of Phase I of the project happened before the current mayor took office. This work included the installation of a 454-foot rigid wall at the base, terracing and native grass plantings on the bluff face. With Phase II now under her purview, Sheprow believes it is her responsibility to see the project to completion: the installation of a wall system along the bluff’s crest, directly seaward of the imperiled country club. 

“I swore to protect and preserve the property owned by the Village of Port Jefferson, and therefore the residents. Preserving and protecting is not ignoring an erosion issue,” the mayor said.

Phase I, costing approximately $5 million, relied on local taxpayer dollars financed through a bond repayable over time. Phase II, estimated at $4.8 million, will be financed mostly by federal taxpayer dollars by a FEMA grant of $3.75 million.  

Financing the endeavor has been rife with holdups and stymied by a six-year-long permitting process. It has been almost a year since Phase I was completed. Final signoffs related to the FEMA funding for Phase II are still pending, preventing the village from seeking bids for construction of the upper wall. However, the village treasurer, Stephen Gaffga, said he hopes to see the signoffs come through this month. 

By many accounts, questions about the project’s funding have rankled residents for years. The prevailing sentiment is that the village pushed through a $10 million bond for the stabilization project (phases I and II combined) without a community vote through a bond resolution. 

“When I am asked about my position about the bluff restoration, I never saw the arguments on all sides of the project flushed out,” said Ana Hozyainova, president of Port Jefferson Civic Association. “Village officials took the position from the beginning that the building must be saved, no matter what. That imperative has limited the discussions about options.”

Complications

The uncertainty surrounding the cost and timing of needed repairs because of winter storm damage to the bluff faces further complications in Phase II. “Negotiations are ongoing” between the village and the contractor about who is responsible for absorbing these additional expenses, Gaffga said. 

Drainage issues at the bluff’s crest are also hampering progress, and likely contributed to the recent collapse of the newly-installed terracing along the western part of the bluff, below the tennis courts. “There are huge puddles sitting at the crest, after heavy [recent] rainstorms,” Sheprow said. The strategy and cost related to addressing the drainage issues have not yet been determined, she added. 

Although the project was divided into two phases because of funding constraints, “its ultimate success,” according to Laura Schwanof, senior ecologist at GEI Consultants of Huntington Station, “hinges on both walls working together to curtail erosion and prevent the club slipping down the slope.” 

GEI has been involved with village erosion mitigation projects since 2009. The two-wall system for the bluff stabilization was their design. “The problem with this project is protection number two the upper wall has not been installed,” Schwanof said. When asked how long the wall system might hold up, she couldn’t say. 

“What does happen, and has been seen across the Northeast, is that as we get more frequent storms, higher wave energy, higher rainfall events, rigid wall structures may work in the short term. But if you look 50 years down the road, they may not be as effective,” she said. 

“Hard erosion protection structures such as revetments or bulkheads can be costly, only partially effective over time and may even deflect wave energy onto adjacent properties.” Jeff Wernick, a DEC representative, wrote in an email. The DEC, he said, permitted the East Beach project based solely on “the immediate threat to significant infrastructure.” 

Completion of Phase I in spring 2023, before winter storms unravel work on the bluff face.
Photo from the PJ Village website

Retreat?

 When Steve Englebright, 5th District county legislator (D-Setauket) and geologist, was asked about the stabilization project, he started with a lesson about glacial formations dating back 17,000 years. Englebright scrutinized photographs of the bluff during an interview with TBR News conducted after the recent storms. 

“When the bluff, which is partially made of clay, is overweighted it behaves like squeezed toothpaste,” he said. “You can see toothpaste-like extrusions on the beach.”

Missing from the conversation, according to Englebright, is a reckoning of what is happening along the entire Long Island coast. “People don’t understand the overall dynamics,” he said. “That’s why I’m trying to give you the big picture that the entire North Shore is unstable.”

“Trying to defend a single property is human folly,” he added. “You can buy some time, but how much are we paying? I don’t believe it’s realistic because you can’t stop the overall dynamic. The village should celebrate the fact that they have the ability to retreat and use that ability. Right? The bind is if you don’t have land, but they have the land. Strategically retreat, rebuild the building.”

Stan Loucks, a village trustee and a former country club liaison, was asked to put together a retreat plan by former Mayor Margot Garant confirmed by her to TBR News. “I did a plan A proceed with the restoration project or plan B, retreat about three years ago,” Loucks said. “I got prices for the demolition of the country club, moving the tennis courts and an architectural rendering of a new club further inland.” 

“The drawings had a huge deck on this side overlooking the Sound, and the huge deck on this side overlooking the golf course. I would have loved to take that plan to the end,” he added. 

Loucks’s retreat plan was never vetted publicly. Sheprow told TBR she never saw a retreat plan. 

Loucks remembers when tennis court No. 5 went in a landslide a few years ago. “It was massive and happened overnight,” he said. “And the slide took the gazebo, too.”