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Raymond Janis

Resident William Holtz addresses members of the Smithtown Town Board during a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 5, at Town Hall. Photo by Raymond Janis

By Raymond Janis

The Town of Smithtown Town Board convened Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 5, for a brief meeting spanning code and local parks.

The board adopted sweeping changes to Part I of the Town Code, which deals with administrative legislation. Jennifer Juengst, assistant town attorney, outlined the motivations behind the proposed code amendments.

“The town has been in the position of revising large portions of the code, and at this point, Part I has some pieces that are ready to adopt,” she said.

The code amendment removes several boards, commissions and committees from the Town Code. Among these are the Building and Planning Review Board, the Fire Prevention and Code Review Board, the Historical Advisory Board, the Human Rights Commission, the Industrial Advisory Board, the Medical Board of Trustees, the Recycling Committee, the Substance Abuse Prevention Council, the Tenant Selection Advisory Committee and the Traffic Safety Board.

The amendment also removes several policies from the Town Code, such as the computer policy, the drug-free workplace policy, the equal employment opportunity policy, hearing conservation policy, investment policy, sexual and other harassment policy and workplace violence prevention policy.

“These policies will be removed from the code, but they will remain in effect throughout the town,” Juengst indicated.

During the public comment period, resident William Holtz addressed plans for the forthcoming annual budget, asking board members to consider appropriating funds to keep town pools and splash parks in operation following Labor Day.

“I feel that each year, we’re seeing more summerlike weather in September,” he told the board. “I would suggest that you think in terms of … a sunshine fund for next year that would allow for the pools to be open and for people to continue to enjoy the warmth of the summer.”

Resident Irwin Izen was back before the board Tuesday following a back-and-forth last month with town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) over the prolonged closure of Callahan Beach in Fort Salonga [See story, “Smithtown Town Board discusses Callahan Beach closure …” Aug. 12, TBR News Media].

Izen said he had recently walked the beach and reported that “progress is being made on the beach.” He nonetheless maintained that “there was no consultation with the [New York State Department of Environmental Conservation] early on on this project, and I find that to be an error,” he said.

To watch the entire meeting, please visit www.smithtownny.iqm2.com/citizens/Default.aspx. The Town Board will reconvene on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m.

Suffolk County Water Authority officials say Advanced Oxidation Process systems, such as those seen above, will help flush out 1,4-dioxane and other emerging contaminants from local drinking water. Photo courtesy SCWA

By Raymond Janis

[email protected]

In a secluded residential block on Northport’s McKinney Avenue lies an advanced water treatment center masquerading as a barn.

At this site, representatives from the Suffolk County Water Authority joined state and local public officials for a press event on Thursday, Aug. 24, announcing eight new high-tech water filtration systems for local drinking water.

THIS IS NOT A BARN: The exterior of the SCWA’s new state-of-the-art water treatment plant. Photo courtesy Suffolk County Water Authority

Charlie Lefkowitz, chairman of the SCWA Board, said the eight systems employ Advanced Oxidation Process, or AOP, technologies capable of treating and removing emerging contaminants — such as 1,4-dioxane — from the groundwater.

“I’m always asked by the media what is our biggest threat,” he said. “Aging infrastructure and emerging contaminants,” both of which are areas addressed through the AOP systems.

The SCWA Board chairman also noted the measures taken to comport this industrial complex with the surrounding area.

“Just look at the historical character of this building,” Lefkowitz said. “It doesn’t look like your normal commercial building throughout Suffolk County.”

He added, “This is a great moment for water treatment overall, for the Huntington community as well as every resident of Suffolk County.”

New York State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James), who has previously served on the SCWA Board, emphasized the continual need to invest in and develop aging water treatment systems.

He pointed to the recently passed $4.2 billion New York State Environmental Bond Act [see page A12] as a potential funding source to keep this infrastructure up to date.

“We want to make sure that we received our fair share,” the state senator said. “Clean air, clean water and green jobs — that is so important that we receive the money.”

New York State Assemblyman Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) also attended the event. He detailed the lifespan of the process from its planning stages to its completion.

“It’s very special when you get to see something that goes from some blueprints and some pipes to a plan and watching it through the policy effort to ultimately being able to make it happen and cut the ribbon,” Stern said.

Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth (R) tied the announcement to an ongoing local initiative to modernize infrastructure.

“Whether it’s on the highways, the roads or the waterfront, it’s all about infrastructure and maintenance, and I know everybody in the town is pulling in the same direction,” he said. “All you have to do is look around at this state-of-the-art facility to know that this money is well spent.”

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, highlighted the various threats against Long Island’s sole-source aquifer, referring to the new treatment center as “a needful clean water victory for the public.”

“1,4-dioxane is a highly toxic chemical,” she noted. “Having Suffolk County Water Authority be an aggressive partner to make sure they’re filtering that water for Suffolk residents is a pleasure, and it’s a gift.”

Despite the eight new treatment systems in Huntington, Lefkowitz suggested the work of SCWA to be “far from done.”

He indicated that the water authority is simultaneously completing nine other AOP systems throughout the county, with hopes to bring these online soon.

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By Raymond Janis

Thatch Meadow Farm is a scenic, historic property in St. James tucked away off a dirt path from Harbor Road.

Situated along 18 acres overlooking Stony Brook Harbor, the farm features a massive barn, an 18th-century era mansion, several cottages and farmhouses and a wide assortment of trees, shrubs, plants and other natural greenery.

Supervising this vast estate is Constance “Conky” Nostrand, who inherited the land from her grandmother along with her two sisters, both now deceased.

Following the death of her mother when she was a teenager, Nostrand moved to Manhattan to live with her father. She said Central Park “saved her life” during those years, its open space “what made Manhattan work for me.”

Now, as she walked the land which has been in her family all her life, the sole inheritor of this estate defined her life’s mission.

“My job is to save this property,” she said. “It’s my savior. It has saved me my entire life, and it’s the only thing that brings me such peace and happiness and serenity.”

Preservation pitfalls

Nostrand expressed fears that such open spaces throughout Long Island could soon be wiped out — paved over and developed.

“My vision is that eventually Long Island is going to look like Manhattan Island,” she said. “Everything is going to be concrete and gridlocked and sectioned off into squares of asphalt.”

She viewed the general trends taking place both locally and globally as moving away from the values of preservation and conservation.

“A lot of people don’t see preservation as it should be seen and the benefits of it — of open space, of quiet space, of land with flowers and trees,” she said. “There’s geese and deer and animals all over the place with butterflies and hummingbirds.”

She added, “It’s because of the nature around us that they’re all here. It’s a sanctuary.”

But maintaining such a space requires continual upkeep and repairs. And while Nostrand, a former child care worker, says her retirement check has not increased, she sees costs skyrocketing everywhere else.

“It’s always going to cost money to fix things, and unfortunately everything is getting more expensive — except my child care retirement salary,” she indicated.

Nostrand also observed how the odds are increasingly stacked against Long Island’s aging population, who she said are having an even harder time staying put:

“I’m not sure how people are supposed to stay in their homes when they get older if they don’t get more money,” adding, “It’s really challenging how your taxes go up, but your income doesn’t go up.”

Conquinox music event

Given the sense of awe and tranquility the land has inspired in her, Nostrand has sought to share her “piece of heaven” with others. She noted the tradition of concert events held along the main lawns throughout the decades. 

“I like to share [the property] with others, which is one of the reasons I used to have these solstice parties,” she said. Through them, “I felt I was making lots of people appreciate this property because nobody sees it — we’re off the beaten path.”

Grappling with a high tax assessment on the property and related maintenance expenses, Nostrand forecasted her next endeavor as an adventure into “a new realm.”

Inspired by wineries along the East End, Thatch Meadow Farm is currently experimenting with transitioning the venue into an entertainment space. “The concept is to use the farm for flowers and music,” she said.

The farm will launch the inaugural Conquinox event on Saturday, Sept. 30. This four-hour concert will feature an all-star lineup, including Bakithi Kumalo’s Graceland Experience.

Reached via Zoom, Kumalo — who is best known for his fretless bass playing on Paul Simon’s famous 1986 “Graceland” album — outlined his deep connection to Long Island and Thatch Meadow Farm.

Kumalo, whose journey began in South Africa, spent nearly three decades living in Stony Brook before moving to Pennsylvania, where he currently resides. He highlighted the value that historic parcels, such as Thatch Meadow, could offer a community.

“A place like that, we need it for educational programs,” he said. “A venue like that can be used … all year round” to educate children about local history, while offering a space for musical performances.

Kumalo suggested that while he had observed many “problems with the system” while growing up in South Africa, music had always offered refuge from the societal ills around him. Now, given the difficulties facing the farm, he regarded the need for music as recurring for Thatch Meadow.

“For the music, you try to stay focused and not get distracted by the outside stuff,” he said. “It’s not about the money. It’s about the support, and I have a great team of people who are going to help me and play this music.”

But, he added, “We can’t do this without the community. Everybody has to pitch in.”

To learn more or purchase tickets for the event, visit www.thatchmeadowfarm.com.

An optimistic outlook

Despite the barriers, Nostrand said she remains committed to the cause for historical preservation of her family’s farm.

“It’s always going to be a struggle, but nothing is easy,” she said. “You have to fight for everything you want, and the fight has to be just,” adding, “There’s nothing more just than saving this property.”

In the face of adversity, she maintained an optimistic outlook. “I’m an optimist,” she said. “I’m going to hope and pray that all good things will happen, and that’s all I can do.”

File by Lina Weingarten

By Raymond Janis

A townwide debate over accessory dwelling units came to a conclusion Tuesday, Aug. 8, with the Huntington Town Board opting not to advance Councilwoman Joan Cergol’s (D) proposed code amendment to sanction basement apartments and detached garages as secondary living spaces in single-family homes.

Lois Hayn, one of the attendees, added some context to the discussion. She told the Town Board that the code amendment was part of an ongoing local opposition effort to resist the “ever-increasing congestion that plagues this town and a Queens-like atmosphere that has taken a huge toll on our quality of life.”

Desiree Ben, a member of Harp the Alliance of the Responsible Civics, reflected upon the public effort to resist the code amendment.

“Huntington’s at a tipping point,” she said. “The people spoke, they were organized and you heard.”

She inquired about the overall planning of the town. She said the ADU reversal was a matter of the town overseeing and guiding the development of the area.

“I don’t think anyone here is against development, but development done thoughtlessly and without a master plan can really decrease the value in the single-family home areas and put that value right into the pockets of developers,” she added.

To see the video of the entire meeting, go to huntingtonny.gov/meetings.

Supervisor Ed Wehrheim responds to a resident during a Smithtown Town Board meeting Tuesday, Aug. 8. Photo by Raymond Janis

By Raymond Janis

Following a sizable protest on Saturday, Aug. 5, over the prolonged closure of the town-operated Callahan Beach in Fort Salonga, members of the Smithtown Town Board defended their policy at the Aug. 8 meeting.

During the public comment period, resident Irwin Izen suggested a lack of intergovernmental coordination between the town and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in expediting the beach’s opening and that the Callahan Beach project’s current progress is “unacceptable.”

Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) countered Izen’s criticism, noting that the project has stalled due to NYSDEC’s permitting process, which took seven months.

“The project was never delayed,” he said. “It has been worked on from day one. We’re as frustrated as anyone else that it’s taking this long, but that’s unfortunately what has to happen when you have government agencies working on a project like this.”

He added, “We would hope that [the project] would come to completion sometime in October.”

Resident William Holtz advised the board and administration to observe closer oversight of the workforce housing requirements for new developments. He cited an agreement reached for The Preserve at Smithtown, located in Nesconset and owned by the Hauppauge-based Northwind Group, which earmarks 15% of units for workforce housing.

“I would like to see some sort of follow-up, some sort of enforcement, in terms of those commitments that have been made by the developers and not simply have the current Town Board just accommodate whatever needs the developers say that they have,” Holtz said.

Responding, Wehrheim advised Holtz to contact the Planning Department and the Town Attorney’s Office. The town supervisor assured that The Preserve development would comply with the workforce housing conditions outlined under state law.

“I can assure you that they will — the developer of that property over there — will comply with New York State law about workforce housing,” he said. “No question about it.”

David Regina, inspector for Suffolk County Police Department’s 4th Precinct, delivered a comprehensive public safety report outlining various crime trends throughout the area.

Regina stated that the 4th Precinct has observed an uptick in sideshows, or drag races, on public roads. 

“These are very dangerous events,” he said. “They become unruly, and we’ve had plenty of police cars damaged. It really got out of control at certain points.”

To alleviate this problem, the 4th Precinct has collaborated with neighboring precincts, sharing information and monitoring on social media about possible organized sideshows.

Enforcement measures have “had an effect,” the inspector said, adding, “The frequency has gone down.”

Regina reported on the most recent crime statistics and noted that the area is “doing fairly well.” However, he alerted residents to a pernicious spike in larcenies, a trend common across precincts and throughout the county.

Regina warned that criminals and thieves are targeting pocketbooks and wallets in retail stores.

“They walk by an unsuspecting victim’s shopping cart, who might just be getting a box of cereal off the shelf, and they reach right in the pocketbook,” taking only the credit cards, he said. “So the victim will not know.”

Given the difficulty of targeting this crime, Regina advised residents to safeguard their bags and wallets while shopping.

To watch the entire meeting, visit smithtownny.iqm2.com/citizens/calendar.aspx. The Town Board will reconvene Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 2 p.m.

Above, members of the Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation during a golf outing event Monday, July 31. Back row, from left: Dawn Gibbons, Thomas Boyle, Gina Mastrantoni and Rose Mastrantoni. Front row: Emily LaRosa, left, and Maria Murrow. Photo by Liz Ashley Photography

By Raymond Janis

A new local tradition was launched Monday, July 31, when family and friends of the late Ward Melville High School alum Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa hosted the inaugural 18 for 18 golf event in his honor. 

JoJo was diagnosed in 2018 with the cancer, desmoplastic small round cell tumor sarcoma, which had him in and out of the hospital for the remaining years of his life. He died in August 2021.

Amid beautiful summer weather on Monday morning, dozens attended the event at the St. George’s Golf and Country Club in East Setauket for 18 holes of golf in JoJo’s honor. 

“My son was one of the kindest, most amazing human beings,” Gina Mastrantoni, his mother, said. “He had the strongest will.”

Golfers take off for 18 holes of golf. Photo by Liz Ashley Photography

JoJo was a multisport athlete who “played every sport imaginable,” Mastrantoni said. “Lacrosse, football, swimming, wrestling, soccer — you name it, he did it. He lived for sports.”

The Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation, with Mastrantoni as executive director, was created in 2021 to honor his memory by assisting children fighting for their lives. Rose Mastrantoni, Gina’s sister and the foundation’s marketing/public relations officer, described the impact of the prolonged hospital stays.

“They spent almost four years living in the hospital,” Rose Mastrantoni said. “You don’t realize they don’t leave the hospital, don’t leave their child’s bedside,” adding that the foundation seeks to do “anything we can do to help” those families.

“He was always rooting for the underdog,” Gina Mastrantoni said. “He always cared about the person in the bed next to him at the hospital.”

Foundation secretary Maria Murrow, JoJo’s aunt, referred to her nephew as a lover of sports and a golf advocate. She also noted the prominent role his favorite number, 18, played throughout the day.

“We’re dedicating the event and the day to him,” Murrow said. “It’s an ‘18 for 18’ — 18 holes for number 18 to give back to JoJo.” She added, “We endeavor to do more repeat events … like the toy drive and anything else that will help families who don’t know what obstacles are coming up.”

Following JoJo’s diagnosis, Gina Mastrantoni noted that he began to hone his golf skills. “We’re having this golf outing in his honor,” the mother said. “This was his favorite course, where he played and perfected his golf game whenever he could.”

JoJo’s sister, foundation vice president Emily LaRosa, referred to the event as “a way that we keep him in our minds and at the forefront of what we do every day.”

“We’re not forgetting about him,” she said. “This is our way of keeping him with us and trying to do good in his name.”

Foundation treasurer Dawn Gibbons, a longtime friend of Mastrantoni, characterized the immense work that took place behind the scenes to make the inaugural outing a success.

“It’s a tribute to JoJo, but I have to say that this event is also a tribute to his mom and his sister, Emmy,” Gibbons said. “As Gina said, he was always very concerned about the kid in the next bed. They want to now help that kid and their families.”

She added, “They know what they went through, and they want to ease the burden on other families with this foundation.”

Gina Mastrantoni responded to the immense show of support during this golf outing as “beautiful,” noting the sense of pride she derives from her son’s example.

“Everyone’s here in support of JoJo,” she said. “It’s overwhelming, as his mom. It makes me proud.”

To donate to The Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation, please visit jojostrong.org.

Suffolk County Water Authority Board Chair Charles Lefkowitz, at podium, urges residents to adjust their watering patterns. Photo by Raymond Janis

By Raymond Janis

[email protected]

Tucked away on 5th Avenue in Bay Shore, just south of Sunrise Highway, lies the heart of the Suffolk County Water Authority’s operations.

Data streams into this control center around the clock, funneling information from each of the water authority’s myriad wells and pumps from Melville to Montauk. Amid these summer months, that data indicates Suffolk residents are overloading the system through excessive water consumption.

SCWA officials held a press conference at this site Thursday, July 13, sending a singular message to Suffolk County residents: Conserve water.

“We’re pleading to the public at this point to conserve,” said Charles Lefkowitz, chair of the SCWA Board. “We need all the residents to participate in these conservation efforts.”

Lefkowitz attributes the problems with overpumping primarily to irresponsible irrigation practices. “It starts with the irrigation systems,” he said. “Lawns do not need to be watered every single day.”

Joe Pokorny, deputy CEO for operations at SCWA, indicated that county residents are pumping 500,000 gallons per minute during peak irrigation periods during this summer season. By contrast, peak levels are around 100,000 gallons per minute during non-irrigation months.

“This time of year, people are using about five times as much water during the peak as they would in the off period,” he said.

He added that if residents en masse do not begin to curtail their water consumption, they may begin to experience issues with water pressure. This phenomenon impacts those on the East End most markedly.

“When demand outstrips supply, our tank levels fall,” the deputy CEO noted. “When our tank levels fall, the pressures in our system go down. And if the pressure in your water system goes down, the people that are irrigating are not going to get much irrigation on their lawns at all.”

To counteract these challenges, SCWA is encouraging residents to adopt an odd-even watering pattern, that is, irrigating their lawns every other day. 

“This will theoretically divide up the water usage by half,” Pokorny indicated. “That will then allow more people to water during those periods … and they will have green lawns as a result.”

But the problems associated with overconsumption continue beyond the front lawn. With too much stress on the tanks and diminished water pressure, there could be public safety repercussions as well.

“If firefighters need to fight a fire and a water tank is low, that means there’s less water available for fighting fires,” he added.

Along with the odd-even irrigation schedule, Lefkowitz implored residents to avoid watering during the peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The SCWA Board chair also announced that it has instituted up to $250 per year in “water credits” for residents who use rain sensors, irrigation timers, leak detection and compliant faucet heads.

To learn about SCWA’s water credits program, visit www.scwa.com.

Photographer Steven Zaitz won second place in the Best Picture Story category for his coverage of the Town of Smithtown’s Memorial Day Parade.

By Heidi Sutton

From news articles and feature stories to photography, special supplements, ad projects and classifieds, TBR News Media  took home 11 awards from the New York Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest this year. The winners were announced during NYPA’s annual Spring Conference and Trade Show in Albany on March 31 and April 1.

Over 150 newspapers in New York State took part in the annual event celebrating newspaper excellence with 2,657 entries competing for 380 awards in 73 categories covering the editorial, advertising and circulation efforts of the state’s dailies and weeklies. Members of the Colorado Press Association were tasked with judging this year’s contest.

“Newspapers create a brand-new product on a daily or weekly basis, 52 weeks a year,” said New York Press Association Executive Director Michelle Rea in a press release. “They work on tight deadlines with small staffs, covering local government, breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, and more. Receiving recognition from their peers in another state is affirming and energizing. We salute them for the top quality, important work they do.”

TBR News Media’s weekly opinion piece, D. None of the Above by Daniel Dunaief, captured first place for Best Column. In reviewing the three submissions — “The complexities of plural nouns and words for animal groups,” “From Suffolk, UK, to Suffolk, NY, a family reflects on the late queen,” and “Seeing teachers through the eyes of an appreciative child” — the judge wrote, “Imaginative and compelling. Fun storytelling that makes for an easy read.”

Editor Raymond Janis won second place in the Coverage of Local Government category. Regarding his submissions of the articles “Uptown Port Jeff undergoes transformation” and “On the edge: Port Jeff Village weighs the fate of its country club,” the judge commented, “This reporter delves deep into a complicated story about a town landmark and development pressures and how a community can approach preserving a delicate area in the face of continued deterioration. Nicely written, well-sourced and clearly a story that is of deep interest to this community. This kind of coverage is the hallmark of strong local reporting.”

Janis also received an Honorable Mention in the Best News or Feature Series category for covering the Town of Brookhaven’s redistricting process.

TBR News Media was honored with second place in the Best Local Business Support Campaign category for its annual People of the Year feature which honors community members who have shared their time and talents to enhance the place they live for the benefit of all. “Nice program,” wrote the judge. “Shows involvement in the community. And involves the community.”

Managing editor Rita J. Egan received an Honorable Mention in the Best Feature Story category for her article titled “Town to move Roe Tavern back to North Country Road in East Setauket.” The judge wrote, “I like the way this combined current and historic information.”

Cartoon by Kyle Horne

The paper’s resident cartoonist Kyle Horne also received an Honorable Mention in the Best Editorial Cartoon category for an illustration related to the Town of Brookhaven’s redistricting process with the judge commenting, “I like the local angle this takes, even though it could be a cartoon drawn for any place in the country, following redistricting.”

Photographer Steven Zaitz won second place in the Best Picture Story category for his coverage of the Town of Smithtown’s Memorial Day Parade. “Good variety of parade photos. Clear photos, good composition and lots of expression!” wrote the judge.

TBR News Media’s annual supplement Harvest Times by editor Heidi Sutton received two third place awards — one for Best Special Section Cover and another for Best Special Sections/Niche Publications in Newsprint — with the judge commenting, “Love the entire fall theme, from festivals, farms to seasonal soup and pie recipes. Creative use of color. Layout is very readable.”

Art/Production Director Beth Heller Mason received an Honorable Mention for Best Small Space Ad for the design of the Pazzo Ristorante and Wood Fired Pizza ad in TBR’s Arts & Eats supplement. “The flames and brick in the background tell you that this is brick oven pizza without ever saying it in words. The ad tells me this is no ordinary pizza!” wrote the judge.

Rounding out the awards, Classifieds Director Sheila Murray won second place in the Classified Advertising category. “I like the way the designer used different line weights to separate sections. Also, the use of white space above and below the line ads makes the pages not feel so cluttered and makes it easier to read the ads. Sometimes designing in black and white can be challenging, but this layout is an example of how to do it right. This was very close between first and second places,” wrote the judge.

“I’m tremendously proud of our staff and grateful for their commitment to excellent journalism. I’m delighted that the awards represent the breadth of our talent, from writing to advertising to art,” said TBR News Media publisher Leah Dunaief. “In addition to it being our job, it is our pleasure to serve our communities.” For a full list of winners, visit nynewspapers.com/nypa.