On Sept. 19, the Smithtown Town Board met to discuss a variety of matters.
Key highlights included the appointment of a new town historian, preparations for a November 5K charity event and a number of transfers and bids aimed at improving town services.
The meeting opened with the appointment of Richard Smith as town historian, along with the establishment of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 5K. The event will take place on Nov. 9 with a rain date of Nov. 23.
The board also advertised a hearing to be held on Nov. 5 to discuss amendments to the zoning portion of the town code.
The bulk of the meeting focused on several resolutions involving the town’s budget and financial management. The board approved a variety of transfers between accounts involving work in the Recreation, Highways, and Public Works departments. One notable resolution, RES-2024-887, involved the transfer of more than $20,000 stemming from several accounts, for recreational services, specifically, with regards to public pools.
The board then moved to approve a number of bids. After announcing open bidding for urban-forestry services, bids for animal shelter supplies and screened sand for ice and snow control were awarded to local contractors. Additionally, the TOS accepted a bid of $42,800 for repairs to the Smithtown Boat Ramp, and a purchase order for $115,795, to repair the town hall elevator.
Moreover, the Highway Superintendent was authorized to work with National Grid regarding the Commack Gas Replacement Project, involving the replacement of gas pipelines.
The meeting concluded with a number of appointments and reappointments.
Scenes of the library’s destruction. Photo by Rob Lusak
Scenes of the library’s destruction. Photo by Rob Lusak
Scenes of the library’s destruction. Photo by Rob Lusak
Scene of the library’s destruction. Photo by Rob Lusak
By Toni-Elena Gallo
The Smithtown Library is in disarray after the early morning hours of the Aug. 19 blindsiding storm that dropped at least 9 inches of rain on a chunk of Suffolk’s North Shore and caused flooding of dire proportions.
Rob Lusak, director of the library, described some of the catastrophic damage.
“On Monday, the water literally filled up to the ceiling,” he said. “On the lower level, water came rushing in with such pressure that it smashed through a double-hung window. We got to work at 7 a.m., and couldn’t even get into the lower level until 4:40 [that afternoon]. That’s when we began recovery mode.”
Rainbow Restoration, a flood remediation company, was called in to extract the water clogging up the stairwells, while the Smithtown Fire Department pumped out even more.
“Once the water made its way down, it settled in the stairwells,” Lusak said. “I mean, when you get about 11 inches of rain, in two hours … . And worse than that was the sludge — the muddy, wet sludge that filled everything up — the sheer amount of that water. It cannot be caught by storm drains and lawns. It just can’t.”
The library was far from the only location in the area hit hard by this once-in-a-lifetime storm, as “Smithtown Town Hall got 4 or 5 feet of water,” he added.
The damage to the library is — to put it lightly — extensive.
Lusak’s “guesstimate” of costs is around $10 million which would include the replacement of the LearnLab, an area that was equipped with 3D printers and computers, among other equipment, also carpets, sheetrock, etc. More or less, an entirely new lower level.
“We’ll be down to concrete and steel studs,” he said.
As of Aug. 27, the library still had no power. In the interim, employees have been relocated to the other libraries within The Smithtown Library family at Nesconset, Commack and Kings Park that were not badly affected by the storm.
Perhaps the most devastating impact this storm has had is on the library’s Richard H. Handley Collection of Long Island Americana. Full of priceless documents, this area of the library contained a vault that included documents from Richard Smith — the founder of the town — and paperwork signed by Thomas Jefferson.
That section of the library was hit the harshest of all, with flooding penetrating the vault and harming the artifacts.
However, there is hope for this one-of-a-kind archive.
“We were very lucky to have an archivist fly in from Detroit, to look at our crown jewels,” Lusak said. “He thinks they can be fully restored. Two tractor trailers pulled up, which took all of the artifacts in tubs, back to Detroit. The trucks are freezers, actually. Once they arrive, they will be thawed, sanitized and restored. But, it will be at least a year before we see them again.”
As for what’s next, Lusak said that Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine’s (R) Aug. 19 State of Emergency Declaration, and Sunday’s approval of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) request for a federal Emergency Declaration were instrumental in getting things moving.
According to the state’s website (www.ny.gov), this declaration will allow “direct federal assistance,” through FEMA, “to provide emergency protective measures, including actions to protect critical infrastructure such as roads and bridges, water control facilities, utilities and mass transit facilities.” Additionally it will allow “disaster recovery experts … to work with local and federal partners, to determine the state’s ability to request a federal Major Disaster Declaration and low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.”
Lusak said that the library’s insurance has been contacted, and papers have been submitted: “We are cleaning up, and we will rebuild. Better than ever.”
Save the date! The Village of Nissequogue and The Friends of Stony Brook Harbor, a coalition of neighbors from Head of the Harbor, Nissequogue and Stony Brook, will host Happy Harbor Day to raise awareness of the beautiful, yet fragile Stony Brook Harbor.
The free event, which will be held at 555 Long Beach Road just past the boat launch at Long Beach in Nissequogue on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., marks the return of Harbor Day after a 15-year absence. An opening blessing will be offered by the Setalcott Indian Nation.
“Stony Brook Harbor is the last pristine harbor along the entire North Shore,” said Nissequogue Mayor Richard Smith. “Bringing back our Harbor Day celebration seemed like the perfect way to foster community awareness that this remarkable resource is fragile and requires all of us to protect it.”
In addition to a variety of environmental and marine science experts who will make presentations, there will be aquarium touch-tanks for young attendees as well as carnival games and activities all with a nautical theme. Build a habitat for a bird, squirrel or bat with Habitat with Humanity, meet the Harbor Master and tour the new patrol boat.Two bands will perform, The Mondays, and The Royal Yard, which specializes in songs called “sea shanties” and food trucks will be on hand.
Some of the guest speakers will be John Turner of Four Harbors Audubon Society, Dr. Jeffrey Levinton of Stony Brook University, Dr. Malcom Bowman of Stony Brook University and Anna McCarroll of The Stony Brook Yacht Club Mariculture Program.
A community-wide art contest, open to all kids, kindergarten to 12th grade, will also be a feature of Harbor Day. The theme of the competition is “save our happy harbor.”Entries must be brouth to the Harbor Day art tent by 11:30 p.m. Top winners in three categories — grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 — will receive a ribbon and a $50 Amazon gift card and have their artwork on display on the Nissequogue Village website.
“In order to create a drawing or painting the artist must really study their subject,” said Mayor Smith. “An art contest not only creates an exciting opportunity for young people to participate in Harbor Day, but it also ensures they will forever appreciate and respect Stony Brook Harbor.”
Concluding the day will be the presentation of the Dr. Larry Swanson Environmental Award to former Assemblyman Steve Englebright.
Even intermission promises to be fun and rewarding. “Come intermission you’ll find me atop the dunk tank,” said Mayor Smith. “I expect that ‘dunk the mayor’ will be a tremendous fund raiser for the event. I’m happy to get wet for this great cause.”
For more information on the event, call Nissequogue Village Hall at 631-862-7400.
Smithtown celebrates its 350th anniversary with the unveiling of a new statue of founder Richard Smith. Photo by Eric Santiago
By Eric Santiago
Smithtown celebrated its 350th anniversary Saturday morning with the unveiling of a new statue– this time of the town’s legendary founder– Richard Smith.
Commissioned by the Smithtown-based Damianos Realty Group, the bronze sculpture joins the emblematic “Whisper the Bull” as the latest figure to immortalize the town’s history. The $300,000 statue stands outside of a Damianos-owned office building at the intersection of Main Street and Route 111.
“Here was a person who laid eyes on this land and said this is a great, great place,” Cristofer Damianos said. “It’s still true 350 years later.”
Local officials praised the Damianos’ efforts at a jam-packed ceremony on the building’s lawn.
U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said he was impressed with the attention that was drawn to the event.
“As you look at this crowd you are reminded with every glance how great of a town this is– that you all would be here on what is a beautiful Saturday morning” he said. “This is Smithtown.”
Town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio (R) added that hoped Smith would approve of how the town has evolved over the last three centuries.
Smithtown celebrates its 350th anniversary with the unveiling of a new statue of founder Richard Smith. Photo by Eric Santiago
“I don’t know if [Richard] ‘Bull’ Smith could ever have imagined Smithtown as it is today,” he said. “I don’t imagine he would think some guy with an ‘O’ on the end of his name would be making a speech about him,” he said to laughs from the crowd. “But I hope Mr. Smith would pleased with our stewardship of Smithtown.”
According to legend, Smith was an English colonist settling in the new world when he made a pact with a group of Native Americans. He could keep whatever land he managed to circle in a day while riding his now-famous bull, Whisper. As the story goes, Smith set out on the longest day of the year in 1665 and covered the borders of modern day Smithtown.
Historians have since debunked the story, but the myth still an important part of the town’s culture.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) referenced it in his remarks at the ceremony.
“It’s nice to see the man who rode the bull getting his own statue, right here in Smithtown,” he said. Bellone added the event was “an incredible occasion for the community to come together and celebrate the founding of this great town.”
The real story behind Smithtown’s founding is more complicated.
According to Smithtown historian Brad Harris, the land that would become the town was originally owned by the Nissequogue Native Americans. Grand Sachem Wyandanch awarded the land to Englishman Lion Gardiner in 1659. Gardiner had helped return Wynandanch’s daughter, the princess, after she was kidnapped by the Narragansett Native Americans.
Meanwhile Smith was living with his family in nearby Setauket. According to Harris, Gardiner and Smith were friends, and when the Narragansett finally released the princess to Wyandanch, it was actually done at Smith’s house in Setauket. Then in 1663 Gardiner sold the Nissequogue lands to Smith.
Two years after this Smith had his claim to the land ratified by New York Governor Richard Nicolls. Nicolls then awarded Smith “The Nicolls Patent of 1665,” which solidified the claim. This is the document displayed in the statue’s left hand.
“So now you know the real story,” said Harris. “And I would just like to point out, it had nothing to do with bulls.”
