By Sabrina Artusa
After the Aug. 19 storm, the lower level of the Smithtown Library’s main branch at 1 North Country Road had to be cleaned and gutted. The stairwell has been repainted and all electriclal equipment has been removed. Now, the floor is a blank slate. Smithtown Library Director Robert Lusak views this as an opportunity to re-situate the floor to make it a better, nicer area.
–Photos by Robert Lusak
By Sabrina Artusa
Six months after the Aug. 19 storm that damaged infrastructure, washed away the dams at Stony Brook Mill Pond and Blydenburgh County Park’s Stump Pond and upturned Harbor Road in Stony Brook, community pillars such as the Smithtown Library and Stony Brook University are on the mend.
The storm, which unleashed 9.4 inches of rain in only 24 hours, flooded the lower level of the Smithtown Library, bursting one of the windows and completely filling the area with water. Since the library sits at a lower grade, the water from higher grades flowed to the building and down the staircases on either side, overwhelming the sump pump and clogging it with leaves; therefore, it was not only 9 inches of water that flooded the library, but 8 feet.
However, walking through the Smithtown Library today, it would be difficult to discern evidence of the storm on the first floor or the mezzanine. The bookshelves and tables look relatively untouched; it seems that at any moment a library page might round the corner with a cart of books or a high school student will settle down at one of the tables. In a few months — April, possibly, according to Library Director Robert Lusak — the library could open again.
“In order to bring people back into the building, first we need power obviously, we need HVAC, we need heat and air-conditioning functioning, we need to have the elevator working, we need to have fire sprinklers operational … so there are a lot of factors that need to come into play before we can open the building,” Lusak said. The library’s architect, in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, has put together “a two- to three-inch book” detailing the steps to reopening.
Temporary power has been restored. “Everything is moving along pretty well,” Lusak said.
Lusak and the rest of the library staff have been working with FEMA to account for damages to potentially get up to 75% of eligible costs reimbursed. The staff listed every item that was destroyed. One of the main obstacles, however, is the time-consuming process of ordering the necessary materials and the months it takes to ship.
“It is really the equipment that we need to reinstall that is keeping us from moving forward,” Lusak said. “When we have to wait for materials we have to wait 6 to 8 weeks in some cases. That is what we need in order to open the building up.”
Next month, Lusak and other staff members are flying to Michigan to evaluate the archive renovation progress done by Prism Specialties. The Richard H. Handley Collection, which features centuries-old documents and maps, was situated on the lower level. On the day of the storm, however, the water detection system failed and water infiltrated the room.
Lusak will have to determine which archives should be restored, such as precious original copies, and which would not be worth the expense, perhaps second copies. The cost of archival restoration already amounts to over $700,000. The archives will be considered by FEMA for reimbursement.
Lusak said that the designers will begin to redesign the lower floor this week. Since the first floor and mezzanine are nearly ready to be opened to the public — after the elevator, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system and electricity are restored — Lusak plans to open the upper levels and have construction on the lower floor occur simultaneously.
In addition, the storm has exposed issues in the grading and stairwells. “We are looking at ways of safeguarding the building to make sure a situation like that never happens again … we are going to change the grading there [and] we are going to address the stairwells.”
At Stony Brook University, the rainfall affected 61 buildings, according to university officials; the Ammann and Gray residence halls were hit the hardest, and students residing there had to be reassigned to other buildings.
Vice President for Facilities and Services Bill Hermann wrote in an email, “In response to the flooding of our residence halls, we advocated for and will be relocating core facilities infrastructure (boilers, electrical equipment, IT and fire alarms) to upper floors.”
The university paid for a comprehensive storm infrastructure study which, according to Hermann, “revealed that our campus growth over the years had not been matched by adequate increases in storm infrastructure capacity.”
The university already addressed some of the weak spots dictated by the study, such as collapsed sections, but still has stormwater maintenance plans in the horizon, one being a plan to implement a stormwater detention and retention system under the athletic stadium surface lot to manage runoff.
“This mitigation is needed to upgrade and modernize the campus storm infrastructure to meet the current demands,” Hermann wrote.
At this time, Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, was unable to comment on the damage to Harbor Road, the ownership of which is debated as it crosses into Head of the Harbor.
Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utevsky said that discussions are progressing.
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.”
The Friends of The Smithtown Library, a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting the Library, has awarded its 15th annual scholarship. This scholarship is awarded annually to graduating Smithtown Library cardholders. The first place scholarship was presented to Smithtown High School East graduate Taylor Saar; second place was presented to Smithtown High School East graduate Emerson Cozine.
Taylor Saar was accepted to Penn State College and the University of Delaware for the fall. She is no stranger to The Smithtown Library, participating in over 400 hours of volunteer work at the Nesconset Building including Kindness Cards, Bookmark Volunteers, Washkits, Paracord Bracelets and more. She also volunteered her time for the Red Cross and Long Island Cares.
Emerson Cozine will be attending Loyola University Maryland in the fall. She was awarded the Girl Scout Silver Award, has years of experience volunteering at summer camps and is involved in leadership activities in her school.
The Friends, along with The Smithtown Library congratulate these two young women on this award and wish them much success in their future endeavors.
Smithtown residents will find 15 candidates vying for three seats when they vote for Smithtown Library trustees on Oct. 11. The election will also include a vote on the 2023 budget.
The number of candidates is the most since Smithtown residents voted for an independent library district more than 20 years ago, according to library director Robert Lusak. In 2001, 20 candidates were running for seven seats.
This year, incumbents Joseph Gregurich and Anita Dowd-Neufeld are among the candidates. Current trustee Marie Gergenti, whose term expires at the end of the year, decided not to run again.
Brief biographies and mission statements from each candidate are listed on the Smithtown Library website, smithlib.org/library-board-candidates-2022.html.
On Monday, Oct. 3, the League of Women Voters held a Meet the Candidates Night via Zoom, which can be viewed on the library’s YouTube page through smithlib.org/library-vote-and-trustee.html.
Regarding the trustee elections, Lusak said the desire is to have candidates with “a passion for libraries.”
“I would hope that anybody who runs for the library board cares about their library and wants to make sure that it’s the pillar of the community,” he said.
He added the library’s goal is to ensure “we provide high-quality customer service.”
The library director said previously passed budgets have allowed new services such as a notary public, a patent and trademark research library, a passport facility in the Smithtown building, and Library of Things where cardholders can take out items not expected at a library such as telescopes.
“When our budgets in all the previous years were successfully passed, it allowed us to introduce new technologies and new services that might not exist,” he said.
Recently, Marilyn LoPresti decided to resign from her board position. Due to the timing of the resignation, which would not allow certain deadlines to be met, her seat is not among those up for vote. The board will appoint a person to take over her position. The appointee will run in 2023 and, if successful, will finish out LoPresti’s term, which was scheduled for Dec. 31, 2024.
Residents who are registered voters will have the opportunity to say “yes” or “no” to the Smithtown Special Library District’s $17,434,000 proposed budget for 2023. Voting takes place at all library locations from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Within 48 hours, The Smithtown Library Board of Trustees reversed a controversial decision made at its June 21 meeting.
Initially, the trustees voted 4-2, with one member absent, to remove pride displays, which included signs and books, in the children’s sections in its Smithtown, Commack, Kings Park and Nesconset branches. Two days later, the board held an emergency meeting and reversed its decision, again 4-2, with one board member abstaining.
The reversal came after criticism from the community on social media platforms. Among the critics were Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), the New York Library Association and author Jodi Picoult, who grew up in the town and was a page at the library when she was younger. She said on her Facebook page the initial decision “disgusts me and makes me reevaluate an institution that I have praised for being formative in my life as an author.”
The books remained available in the library’s children’s collection during the temporary removal and could be checked out, according to a June 22 memo from library trustees. Pride displays in the adult and teen sections remained.
After the reversal of the decision during the board’s emergency June 23 meeting, another memo was posted to the library’s website announcing the rescinding of the decision.
“The majority of the board recognizes that our earlier decision was made without the time, care and due diligence that a decision of this type deserves and that it was the wrong decision,” the memo read.
No public comments were accepted during the June 23 meeting, which was held via Zoom.
Thomas Maher, vice president of trustees, said at this meeting he supports the LGBTQ+ community’s rights. He said during the June 21 meeting, there was a passionate discussion about the displays, and the subject was discussed for a while. It was discovered there wasn’t a library policy about internal displays. He said his initial vote to remove the displays “was intended to enable the library to continue to offer all of its existing resources to all of its patrons in a peaceful and cooperative manner during this time of transition.” On June 23, he voted for the return of the displays.
Trustee Marie Gergenti voted twice for the removal. She said during the June 23 meeting she received messages from patrons.
“They felt that little children were exposed to some images in some of those books, and they weren’t happy about it,” she said.
Theresa Grisafi, a trustee who also voted twice for the removal, added many felt the displays in the children’s rooms were not age appropriate for young library patrons.
“The concern was for the small children,” she said.
She said she tried to convey that at the initial meeting and said it had nothing to do with anyone’s personal feelings.
Trustee member Marilyn LoPresti abstained from voting on June 23 and said she would like to research the matter further.
Library board president Brianna Baker-Stines said at the June 23 meeting, “We assumed a role that was not our job.”
Baker-Stines added that it was the librarians’ jobs to set up displays and “we need to trust the staff we hired.”
In an email to TBR News Media, Baker-Stines said in order to create a policy regarding internal displays, legal counsel advised that a standing committee for policy creation would first need to be created. While the board has multiple standing committees, the previous ones were only ad hoc. Baker-Stines said during her time on the board the members have only had to amend policies and not create new ones, unless based on an immediate need such as the work-from-home policy adopted at the beginning of the pandemic. She said the members realized it would take several steps to establish a proper committee.
“We knew that this process might take several meetings, which may be why some trustees were in a rush to remove the pride display that night,” she said.
Initial news coverage reported that the books were removed from the children’s collections when they were not.
“I think the wording on the motion may have led some of the media to believe the books were removed all together,” she said.
Baker-Stines said she “was devastated by the vote to remove the pride displays” and added “the library should be a safe space for every member of the public.”
As former library page and reference clerk at Hauppauge Public Library, she said, “I have been a part of the creation of many library displays, including Pride month displays. These are materials that can be lifesaving, and also materials that are requested by patrons during this time.”
Currently, the trustees have 900 emails to go through after the community reacted to the board’s initial decision.
David Kilmnick, nonprofit LGBT Network president and CEO, said while the removal of the displays never should have happened, the community’s response “shows the power that we have as a community to do the right thing and that right thing is so simple — it is creating safe learning spaces for all of our children.”
He said the removal of the displays could have a traumatic effect on “someone seeing themselves exist one day and then erased the next and for no good reason other than hate and bias.”
Kilmnick added the community’s response showed an “outpouring of support and love.”
“There are more people on the side of equality, equity, safety and love than on the other side,” he said. “We just all have to work together and not be afraid, and it showed what we can do in a very fast, rapid, effective way when we do this together.”
The pride displays in the Smithtown Library branches will remain until July 15.
This article has been updated to add one more concert on August 11.
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta has announced the return of the Dennis Cannataro Family Summer Concert Series to the Smithtown Main Library, 1 North Country Road, Smithtown which start on Thursday, July 7 and run through Aug. 11.
These concerts are made possible by a Suffolk County Omnibus grant obtained by Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta. “The free shows provide a great opportunity for everyone to enjoy themselves, hear some great music and to support our downtown merchants and local restaurants,” said Legislator Rob Trotta.
The concerts are held every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. Bring a chair or blanket for seating.
The line-up is as follows:
July 7 – Just Sixties (60s)
July 14 – One Step Ahead (Greatest Hits)
July 21 – Petty Rumors (Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty)
July 28 – Endless Summer (60th Anniversary of the Beach Boys)
August 4 – Captain Jack (Billy Joel)
August 11 – The Gold Coast Orchestra (Motown)
For more information or in case of inclement weather on the day of the event, please go to the Smithtown Library’s website at www.smithlib.org or call 631-360-2480 ext.150 after 3 p.m.
On Monday, April 11 the Passport Acceptance Facility celebrated the execution of its 1,000th
passport application. Charles and Angela Fisher of Smithtown were the lucky patrons who made
this appointment to apply for a new passport. They received a travel gift basket as a token of
appreciation for utilizing the Library’s Passport Acceptance Facility.
Pictured from left, Smithtown Building Head and Passport Acceptance Agent Eileen Caulfield, Passport Acceptance Agent William Salas, Charles and Angela Fisher, Assistant Director Patricia Thomson, Passport
Acceptance Agent Andrew Salomon and Passport Acceptance Agent Jessicca Newmark.
The Passport Acceptance Facility opened its doors at the Smithtown Building of The Smithtown
Library in November 2018. It is open to all patrons, regardless of library district by appointment
only. For more information or to make an appointment, please call (631) 360-2480 ext. 192 or email
[email protected].
Join the Four Harbors Audubon Society for a free screening of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea – Ken Burns – EPISODE TWO: 1890 –1915: The Last Refuge (2009) at the Smithtown Library, 1 North Country Road, Smithtown on Friday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Part of the series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, this episode tells how, by the end of the 19th century, industrialization had left many Americans worried about whether the country would have any pristine land left. Poachers in the parks were rampant, and visitors were littering or carving their names in wilderness sites. Congress had yet to establish judicial authority or set aside appropriations for protection of the parks.
This sparked a conservation movement by organizations such as the Sierra Club, led by John Muir; the Audubon Society, led by George Bird Grinnell; and the Boone and Crockett Club, led by Theodore Roosevelt. Learn about how America and Americans protected their last national open spaces. Age appropriate from those in middle school to retirees! For the budding environmentalist, and also those curious about how nature and the natural world works. All are welcome, as are questions and comments.
The screening is free and open to all but reservations required. Call Joy Cirigliano at 631-766-3075 or call the Smithtown Library at 631-360-2480, ext. 232, to reserve seating.
By Melissa Arnold
The vast majority of artists will say they are influenced by the work of someone else. Whether it’s a contemporary from their own time or someone from long ago, artists blossom from appreciating and studying others.
This sentiment is held dear by members of the Smithtown Artists Group (SAG), a small network of local artists who gather for creativity and camaraderie alike.
Their friendship began at the main branch of the Smithtown Library, where artists of all backgrounds and skill levels have gathered on Tuesday afternoons to paint, some of them for decades.
“When my kids were in school I ran a lot of arts and crafts programs, and then in their later teens I took a watercolor class,” said Judy Contrino of Stony Brook, who began painting at the library 20 years ago. “Joining the library group was a wonderful experience because there were so many different mediums being used by the people there, and some of them were quite accomplished. I was a self-taught artist. And it’s wonderful to have newcomers improve and show them how they’ve grown. No one is asking you to be Rembrandt — it’s just a place to come, relax and learn from those around you.”
A few years ago, some of the library artists expressed a desire to broaden their horizons and pursue exhibitions. Roughly a dozen people came together to form what is now the Smithtown Artists Group.
With the help of a new website to showcase some of their work online, the group was able to hold exhibits in libraries around Long Island, including Harborfields, Sachem, Kings Park and East Northport. After a long hiatus during the pandemic, they are thrilled to share their work again. Their newest exhibit, A Potpourri of Art, will be on display this spring at the Port Jefferson Village Center.
Featuring more than 80 pieces from 8 artists, the exhibit will feature works done in watercolor, acrylic, oil, colored pencil and more. Each artist has a unique flair and favorite subjects, making it a great fit for art enthusiasts of all kinds.
Carol Kelly of Kings Park spent many years simply appreciating the work of others before trying her own hand at painting. “It wasn’t until I was around 45 that I started learning to paint. I would go to art exhibits and often say, ‘Wouldn’t it be marvelous to be able to create beautiful works of art for other people to enjoy?” she recalled.
“I started taking watercolor classes, and then some time later saw a listing in my library’s newsletter about the group meeting in Smithtown. I’ve been there for 13 years and enjoy the process of critiquing and learning from one another.”
Kelly enjoys painting landscapes and scenes from her garden, but occasionally branches out into other subjects, as with a painting of a bird she titled “Looking for Lunch.”
Lucia Alberti of Smithtown has spent the past 10 years painting at the library and was excited to participate in exhibitions with longtime friends in the group. Alberti said that the majority of her work is done in acrylics with a focus on imaginative realism.
“We have a lot of variety in our experiences and what we enjoy doing as artists. Some people teach art and have exhibited before, while others simply enjoy art and being creative,” she said. “We are friends, and we admire one another, which adds another layer of joy to our painting. Getting to do this exhibit together is a very special opportunity.”
The exhibit is a welcome source of joy for the community, too.
“We’re happy to be doing shows again — this is our second exhibit since the pandemic,” said Sue Orifici, head of graphic, archival and special projects at the Port Jefferson Village Center. “There’s a nice mix of art to enjoy in this show and we hope people will stop by and visit.”
Participating artists include Lucia Alberti, Cheryl Cass-Zampiva, Carol Ceraso, Judy Contrino, Ruth Johnson, Carol Kelly, Anita Simmons and Joanie Whalen.
A Potpourri of Art will be on display on the second floor of the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101 E. Broadway, Port Jefferson from March 1 to April 30. Viewing hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. For more information about the exhibit, call the Village Center at 631-802-2160. To learn more about the Smithtown Artists Group, visit http://sagartists.wixsite.com/sagartists.
