Home Tags Posts tagged with "St. James"

St. James

Circuit reliability upgrades begin in Saint James and Village of the Branch

by Press Release - February 7, 2025

0 585

PSEG Long Island Storm Hardening — Photo courtesy of PSEG Long Island

PSEG Long Island is improving the reliability of the energy grid in Saint James and Village of the Branch. The storm-hardening work on this distribution circuit is part of many system improvements included in the “Power On” program.

“We are working hard to reduce the number of outages that occur during severe weather by strengthening the electric lines that directly power homes and businesses,” said Peggy Keane, PSEG Long Island’s vice president of Construction and Operations Services. “This Power On infrastructure improvement project in Saint James and Village of the Branch is part of PSEG Long Island’s ongoing, multi-year effort to continue to improve electric reliability for customers.”

The work is scheduled to begin in early February and is expected to last approximately three months. PSEG Long Island’s licensed and approved contractors will work along distribution lines in Saint James and Village of the Branch. To ensure traffic moves safely, PSEG Long Island will provide cones, flaggers and signage at the worksites as needed. Local officials will also be notified in advance regarding any potential traffic concerns.

The storm-hardening improvements include:

Stronger poles: PSEG Long Island will replace some existing utility poles with stronger, more durable poles that are capable of withstanding winds up to 135 mph. The new poles will be approximately the same height as the existing poles, have a stronger base and will be placed no more than 5 feet from the current pole locations. PSEG Long Island will actively coordinate the removal of old poles with other utilities and municipalities.

Narrow profiles: To help wires deflect falling limbs instead of catching them, PSEG Long Island will be installing shorter cross arms atop some poles.

Stronger wire: Current wire will be replaced with more resilient and durable wire.

Upgrading: PSEG Long Island will upgrade or replace worn equipment as necessary. Crews will be working on the following streets in Saint James and Village of the Branch:

• Howell Drive between North Country Road and Lehigh Drive

• Lehigh Drive east of Howell Drive

• Rear property on Howell Drive between Lehigh Drive and Baylor Drive

• Rear property on Baylor Drive between Howell Drive and Dartmouth Drive

• Rear property on Howell Drive between Baylor Drive and Blackman Street

• Rear property on Rice Lane between Dogwood Drive and just east of Howell Drive

Using funding from both FEMA and LIPA, PSEG Long Island has completed storm hardening and reliability work on more than 1,000 miles of distribution mainline circuits.

Power On, a program that started in the spring of 2020, continues the work now that the FEMA program has concluded. Since the launch of Power On, more than 401 miles of the most vulnerable distribution mainline and branch line circuits on Long Island and in the Rockaways have been storm hardened with stronger poles, thicker wire and other modern equipment.

These investments have strengthened the system so that fewer customers experience outages and, when they do occur, the duration is shorter, especially during extreme weather. Excluding catastrophic storms, the sections of circuits that PSEG Long Island has storm-hardened have seen a 28% reduction in damage leading to outages in 2024, compared with the rest of the distribution system.

Power On focuses on mainline circuits, the backbone of the distribution system. The main lines feed the many branch lines that power the homes and businesses in individual communities.

For more project details, visit psegliny.com/inthecommunity/currentinitiatives

PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.

Quaker meeting house in St. James starts Earth Care Committee

by TBR Staff - July 12, 2024

0 577

The Girl Scout troop prepares soil for native plants. Photo courtesy of Earth Care

By Katherine Kelton

The Conscience Bay Quaker Meeting House in St. James has been convening since 1961. This meeting house in St. James has started its own Earth Care Committee and its first goal is incredibly close to home for the Quakers.

On the meeting house’s grounds, two former horse paddocks were mowed and maintained as a lawn. The Earth Care Committee plans to convert the lawn into a meadow through a process of rewilding. An expert at Cornell Cooperative Extension informed the committee of a problematic barrier of invasive species around the paddocks, further complicating their goal of having a self-propagating native meadow.

Barbara Ransome, the clerk of grounds at the meeting house, works with the Earth Care Committee for which Amy G. is the clerk. They spoke with TBR about the process.

“In this first phase of removing these invasive plants, we needed contractors and equipment. Which was funded by our own meeting house. For the planting materials we got a small grant from the New York Yearly Meeting,” Ransome said.

The Yearly Meeting is a gathering of state Quaker congregations. The Conscience Bay Quakers applied for an Earth-care grant from the Yearly Meeting with an “inclusive application,” as Ransome described it. The group received $500, the largest grant allowed to be given as a result of their application.

The grant money covered some of the cost of the native species, although Amy G. admitted that securing enough plants to cover such a large area is “quite expensive.” Consequently, the newly-cleared area will be replanted in stages with the work ongoing as funds, plants and volunteers are sourced.

The pair enlisted the help of local native plant grower, Mindy Block, who owns Quality Parks in Port Jefferson. Block works to provide native plants to locals and is working to cultivate more species. She provided the group with milkweed and native grasses, along with a variety of other plants that it hopes will begin to self-propagate and spread to create a native habitat.

Amy G. explained that one of the beliefs of Quakerism is respecting the Earth’s ecological integrity and being “good stewards of the environment.” She shared that an attendee of the society inspired these efforts when he mentioned how burning fossil fuels to mow the horse paddocks was not aligned with the values of the Quakers.

Ransome said, “In unity, the Quaker meeting house decided to go forward with an Earth Care Committee not to mow the paddocks.” From there the committee decided to take on a plan for rewilding the grounds, which refers to allowing native plants to take over the area and self-propagate. However, the process has not been an easy transition.

The committee wanted to ensure the meadow could thrive independently as part of its plan to take a combination active-passive approach. In the beginning stages, the committee will take an active approach to planting native species and clearing the border of invasive plants around the paddocks.

The end goal would be to allow habitat to develop where creatures can live and be undisturbed by machines and people. Ransome provided an example of a tree falling, where she believed it is beneficial to allow it to stay because it can become a home to small animals.

“Our first step in outreach was the Girl Scout troop, who we invited to help plant the native grasses and plants,” Amy G. said. The committee hopes to invite them back each year to continue to learn about plants and invest in a long-term community project. The committee also hopes to involve other groups and anyone who wants to get involved.

The St. James attendees and members meet weekly in person or via Zoom for worship. Quakerism is also known as the Religious Society of Friends. Ransome wants people to know that “there is a concern for climate change — this is one way the Quakers are dedicated to being good stewards of the Earth.”

Those interested in joining the Earth Care Committee do not have to be practicing Quakers, nor do they have to fill out any formal application. Ransome urges those interested to contact her via email at: [email protected].

St. James comes to life during Deepwells Farm fair

by Steven Zaitz - July 26, 2023

0 601

1 of 14

Under beautiful summer skies, the Deepwells Summer Art & Craft Festival was held this past weekend, July 22-23. It was a big hit.

On the historical grounds of Deepwells Farm, just a stone’s throw away from the St. James General Store, artisans displayed and sold original art, pottery, jewelry, fiber, candles, handmade soaps and lotions.

Over 30 vendors toted their wares as hundreds of art lovers and bargain hunters enjoyed themselves at the fair.

Celebrate St. James hosts Kids Community Earth Day

by Rita J. Egan - April 26, 2023

0 401

1 of 7

Celebrate St. James hosted its first Kids Community Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 22.

The event was held at the new Celebrate Park on Lake Avenue. Children had the opportunity to learn about nature and Earth Day with story time, plant sales and the opportunity to make their own terrariums.

Attendees also enjoyed listening to live music, getting henna designs and visiting a rabbit and a miniature screech owl at the Sweetbriar Nature Center table.

St. James and Head of the Harbor residents aim to protect historic Route 25A corridor

by Rita J. Egan - March 23, 2023

0 1411

In addition to concerns over a proposal to build a house of worship and school on the grounds of Timothy House, village residents have had other issues with the monastery that owns the property, including a storage container that has been outside the historic house for months. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Many St. James residents as well as those in surrounding communities are breathing a sigh of relief after a recent update from the Town of Smithtown regarding a proposed assisted living facility. However, homeowners living near Route 25A in Head of the Harbor and St. James are growing concerned and impatient about a proposed church on the corridor.

Bull Run Farm

Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said in a statement that the Town Board would not move forward with a special exception for a proposed assisted living facility on the former Bull Run Farm parcel on Mills Pond Road.

“We as a board demanded community outreach by the applicant, prior to bringing this application to the board for a public hearing,” he said. “This is something we insist on when large development is proposed in an area that abuts up to residential zoning, and to provide total transparency to the community. In the end, there was insufficient support from the Town Board to proceed with a special exception.”

Earlier this month residents crowded the second floor of the St. James Firehouse on North Country Road to air their concerns about the possible development of former farmland. An informational meeting was headed up by attorneys for Frank Amicizia. The Fort Salonga developer had proposed a two-story, 97-bed facility on 9.02 acres of property on Mills Pond Road that is zoned residential. The facility would have needed a special exception from the Town of Smithtown.

Residents’ concerns included the proximity to the Gyrodyne property on Route 25A which also faces potential development; 24-hour lighting on the property; increased traffic; and the building not fitting the community aesthetics. Others were concerned about a sewage treatment plant that is proposed for the property, ranging from how it would affect local waterways due to the disposal of pharmaceuticals in the facility to the noise it would make.

Judy Ogden, a Head of the Harbor trustee and spokesperson for the Saint James-Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition, said, “This is exactly the kind of leadership that residents hope for in their elected officials.” The coalition along with the Facebook group Save Bull Run Farm headed up the opposition against the proposed development citing the plans were not in line with the town’s Draft Comprehensive Plan.

“The supervisor’s comments about the need to protect the bucolic nature of this portion of Mills Pond Road is especially encouraging,” Ogden said.

Timothy House

Less than 2 miles down the road, residents of Head of the Harbor and those surrounding the historic Timothy House on Route 25A were prepared to attend a public hearing Wednesday, March 15, to air their concerns about a proposed house of worship to be built on the property. The day before the meeting, Village of Head of the Harbor officials posted on its website that it was canceled.

According to an email from Head of the Harbor Mayor Douglas Dahlgard, the monastery monks originally submitted an application to the village’s Planning Board in 2021. The application, which included constructing a house of worship and school, was delayed when the monastery decided to change counsel and amend the plan.

Dahlgard said the amended plan will require a special use permit and will also involve a time-consuming process.

“Prior to last week’s scheduled trustees meeting, we decided to delay to give us more time to prepare to properly represent our village,” Dahlgard said.

The mayor added they will be checking with the monastery’s counsel to see what date works for him for a public meeting.

The Russian Orthodox Monastery of the Glorious Ascension, also known as the Monastery of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite, purchased Timothy House in 2018.

The amendments to the proposed 3,341-square-foot building include being situated farther from Route 25A than originally presented and moving planned parking spots from the front of the building to the back.

Head of the Harbor historian Leighton Coleman III said in an email that local residents have concerns about multiple issues regarding the proposed house of worship and school, including the parking lot for 35 cars being situated close to neighbors’ properties.

Among the residents’ concerns are also the impact the construction will have on the historic property, lighting from the parking lot and increased traffic on Route 25A. Many have had issues before the application, including a huge metal storage container on the property that has become an eyesore.

Timothy House, constructed in the 1800s, was once the home of former Head of the Harbor historian and architectural preservationist Barbara Van Liew, who died in 2005. The house was built by a descendant of Smithtown founder Richard Smith.

Hundreds go green for St. James’ parade

by Julianne Mosher - March 15, 2023

0 624

1 of 56

Temperatures were low but spirits were high at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. James on Saturday, March 11.

Residents from across both shores headed to Lake Avenue this weekend to eat, drink and be merry. The hamlet’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade featured floats, the local Irish step dance team, kids from the Smithtown Bulldogs youth football league and leprechauns galore.

Kicking off the parade was Grand Marshal Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R), as he sported a bright green hat leading other elected officials, including Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D), right center, and State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-Saint James), below right.

While many parade participants were Smithtown-based, the event also welcomed fire departments from Northport, Stony Brook and Babylon.

Supervisor Wehrheim set to lead St. James parade

by Rita J. Egan - March 9, 2023

0 294

St-James-St-Pats-Parade_040222_ritajegan9-scaled — Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, front, in the 2022 St. James parade along with Vincent Puleo, former town clerk. Photo by Rita J. Egan

After leading the town for five years, Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) will head up the St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday, March 11.

Supervisor Ed Wehrheim was announced the St. James parade grand marshal at the chamber’s Winter Gala. Photo by Rich Balter

Wehrheim, a native of Kings Park, said when he heard the news, he was humbled and honored. The town supervisor added he is mostly of German and English descent.

“As I told the chamber for that particular day, I will be all Irish,” he said.

The honor will be his first time serving as a parade grand marshal.

“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “It’s great for the community when the chambers put the parades and events on. I’m looking forward to it.

Kathy Weber, president of the St. James Chamber of Commerce, said the board chose Wehrheim as grand marshal for all his work for the hamlet, including being instrumental in making possible Celebrate Park, which opened in 2022.

“From the roads to the park and all the revitalization, he’s really there for St. James,” Weber said. “We’re so grateful.”

She added it’s apparent how Wehrheim cares about the St. James community.

“It wasn’t even a question as to who should be this year’s grand marshal,” Weber said.

Wehrheim said the town is proud of what has been done in St. James.

“It has resulted in a huge success for the community and the business community,” he said. “To be the grand marshal and go down the newly renovated Lake Avenue will be a great honor.”

The supervisor said after COVID-19 protocols prevented or limited community gatherings for a couple of years, returning to parades, festivals, concerts and more was welcomed.

The St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled in 2020 a few days before it was due to take place. In 2021 a car parade was held, and the 2022 parade was postponed until a few weeks later due to inclement weather on its original scheduled date. According to Weber, it was the first time there was a rain date.

She said this year planning and participation have returned to pre-COVID conditions.

“There are a lot of people and a lot of excitement,” she said, adding that several children will be participating as princes and princesses this year. A resident turning Sweet 16 will also be in the parade handing out candy after her grandmother arranged to make her wish to participate come true.

“It’s a great day to celebrate the supervisor and celebrate St. James,” Weber said. “The feeling in St. James, it’s such a close community feeling.”

The St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on Saturday, March 11. The event kicks off on the corner of Woodlawn and Lake avenues at 1 p.m. and continues to the train station.

St. James residents frustrated over proposed assisted living facility

by Rita J. Egan - March 8, 2023

0 739

Bull-Run-Farm-meeting_030223_ritajegan — Concerned residents filled the second floor of the St. James firehouse on North Country Road to air their concerns about a proposed assisted living facility on Mills Pond Road. Photo by Rita J. Egan

St. James residents are joining together to fight a proposed assisted living facility on the former Bull Run Farm, which takes up slightly more than 9 acres along Mills Pond Road.

Concerned residents filled the second floor of the St. James firehouse on North Country Road to air their concerns about a proposed assisted living facility on Mills Pond Road. Photo by Rita J. Egan

An informational meeting was held Thursday, March 2, at the St. James firehouse on Route 25A to provide residents updates on the proposed two-story, 97-bed facility that will be called Whisper Mills. Approximately 150 people, many living on the road and right next to the property, filled the room, half of them standing, to air their concerns.

Attorneys David Moran and Deirdre Cicciaro represented Mills Pond Group, owned by Fort Salonga developer Frank Amicizia, to moderate the event and field questions. Moran said the March 2 meeting was just the first step of the process. The assisted living facility proposal is contingent on receipt of all properties that make up the total parcel of land. Currently, the developer owns one lot and members of the Elderkin family, who once ran the farm, own the other two.

Cicciaro said the entire parcel was 9.02 acres and zoned as residential. The facility would need a special exception from the Town of Smithtown to be permitted. She said the client “shares the concerns about the preservation and the bucolic nature of the neighborhood.”

She added nearly 20% of the premises would be developed, leaving a little more than 80% of the total parcel landscaped, undisturbed, natural or vegetative. The attorney went over the development plans, including that there would be more than 800 feet of road frontage, and all setbacks will be more than required by town code. The facility would have 74 parking spaces.

Cicciaro said the plan was an attempt to “provide a necessary housing option for the community of St. James that does not currently exist while keeping with the character of the area and neighborhood.”

Residents took turns airing concerns at the meeting, including the proximity to the Gyrodyne property on Route 25A which also faces potential development; 24-hour lighting on the property; increased traffic; and the building not fitting the community aesthetics. Others were concerned about a sewage treatment plant that is proposed for the property. Concerns about the STP ranged from how it would affect local waterways due to the disposal of pharmaceuticals in the facility to the noise it would make. One attendee said the STP at Whisper Woods on Route 25A across from St. Catherine of Siena Hospital makes noise 24 hours a day.

Moran said the facility would be 100% code compliant, including proper maintenance of medication on the site and a traffic study is being worked on.

One woman said that residents “would rather see broken down tractors” than the proposed building.

“This is by no means compliant visually and otherwise with any of these beautiful homes,” she added. “This is our paradise. We have worked to preserve this all these years.”

A few of the residents, as well as the Facebook group Save Bull Run Farm, St. James and Saint James-Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition, have encouraged people to attend upcoming Town Board meetings to let Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) and council members know their concerns.

“You are the ones who are responsible for putting the pressure on your elected officials whether you voted for them or not,” one woman said at the meeting. “You must reach out to them and tell them how you feel.”

As of March 8, a town public hearing was not scheduled. According to Nicole Garguilo, Smithtown public information officer, when a meeting regarding the development is scheduled, it will be held in the evening and at the town’s senior center.

Rain no match for St. James parade

by Rita J. Egan - November 14, 2022

0 424

1 of 15

Right before the St. James Veterans Day Parade began on Nov. 11, the rain began. However, veterans, Scouts, fire department volunteers and school marching bands weren’t going to let that stop them from heading down Lake Avenue.

The marchers started at Woodlawn Avenue and continued down Lake until St. James Elementary School.

St. James celebrates a belated St. Patrick’s Day

by Rita J. Egan - April 4, 2022

0 918

1 of 26

After canceling the St. James St. Patrick’s Day for two years in a row due to COVID-19, the parade had to be postponed from March 12 to April 2 due to inclement weather.

The sun was bright and the temperatures were mild this time around. On April 2, St. James residents were joined by their neighbors from surrounding towns and hamlets to celebrate the return of the parade. Hundreds lined the streets and put on some green to celebrate the tradition.

State Sen. Mario Mattera and Kerry Reilly DeJesus shared the honor of grand marshal. The parade also included bagpipes, Irish step dancers, firefighters from St. James and surrounding areas, representatives from various civic associations, businesses, and more.

12 3...13 Next

Page 1 of 13