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St. James

Communities from across Suffolk County gathered on a wet Monday in support of the men and women who served our country to commemorate Memorial Day.

A plan for what Lake Avenue would look like post-revitalization. Photos from the Lake Avenue renovation capital project report, prepared by the Smithtown Planning Department

Smithtown is moving ahead with plans to beautify its downtowns, this time with St. James.

The town board voted May 9 to amend the 2017 capital projects plan and budget to add a $2 million reconstruction to enhance the St. James business
district.

The project, adopted in a 3-2 vote, will renovate approximately 4,300 feet of Lake Avenue, from Moriches Road to Woodlawn Avenue, by restoring its sidewalks and putting in new street trees, street lighting, curbs, concrete gutters and crosswalks, driveway aprons, asphalt, driveway aprons, benches and other decorative amenities.

The project, spearheaded by Councilman Tom McCarthy (R) in collaboration with the traffic, engineering, highway and planning departments, aims to make Lake Avenue the focal point of the St. James community, improve business activity in the downtown area, and encourage private investment in adjacent properties.

“It’s about time we step up to the plate, swing the bat, and make St. James Village and all our other villages the light of Suffolk County,” McCarthy said to the board during the work session Tuesday morning. “We have the best budget of all towns in the county and some of the most affluent people in the county … and I think we have to lead the way for the community to fix our infrastructure that’s aged and decrepit and if we don’t, then shame on us.”

According to Town Planning Director David Flynn, Lake Avenue was last reconstructed with a crown and base and street trees, concrete curbs, sidewalks and gutters in the 1930s. The work done at the time served the hamlet well for many years but new surfacing is desperately needed today, Flynn explained to the board.

“The sidewalks in St. James today would be rated the lowest in terms of walkability, smoothness, and crookedness, and the trees have been cropped severely by utilities to the point where they are more like weeds,” Flynn said. “The vacancy rate in the business district has increased the past few years and our approach is to bring downtown back to what it was, add amenities, put some trees back, rebuild what’s there … restore the pavement and make the pedestrian environment better, safe and more attractive.”

To further improve the aesthetic of the streetscape, according to the project proposal, the species and locations of street trees will be selected based on overhead wires, underground utilities and other urban conditions.

When asked by Councilwoman Lynne Nowick (R) why St. James should be the first of the hamlets to be worked on, as opposed to Kings Park and Smithtown, Flynn said it is the only one not sitting on a state highway, so state approval wouldn’t be necessary. The state of repair is also better in other hamlets, he added.

Nowick said during the work session she was in agreement with the project.

“We need to take care of our downtowns, whether it’s Smithtown or Kings Park or St. James,” she said. “There is no foot traffic in St. James … it’s a little sad.”

According to Superintendent of Highways Robert Murphy (R), renovations to Lake Avenue will begin as soon as possible, in coordination with schools and local businesses.

The cost estimate total of $1,994,836.60 — for asphalt, concrete, trees, amenities, surveying, drainage and lighting — will come out of the town’s general fund balance and will not be bonded.

“It’s a great project and we’re moving in the right direction,” McCarthy said.

During the vote, Supervisor Patrick Vecchio (R), McCarthy and Nowick said yes. Councilman Ed Wehrheim (R) and Councilwoman Lisa Inzerillo (R), saying they support the project but request it be tabled for a couple weeks, voted no. The two opposed said they wanted more time to review the plan in its entirety.

Northport Village and St. James residents were ready for the Easter Bunny this year, as families and children of all ages came to hunt for eggs, take pictures with the Easter Bunny and play Easter-themed games.

Atelier's Kevin McEvoy paints John Morehouse's portrait at a recent event. Photo courtesy of The Atelier

The Atelier at Flowerfield will host an Open House titled For the Love of Art! on Sunday, Feb. 12 from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees are welcome to view live painting demonstrations by artists Christian White, Lana Ballot and Tyler Hughes, take a tour of over 5,000 square feet of art studios and experiment with pastels to create their own Valentine’s Day card, all while enjoying hot chocolate and homemade crepes.

Meet the Atelier artist instructors and staff, view artwork by Atelier students and learn about the art studio’s upcoming museum trips, art lectures and events. Guests will also receive a free trial class gift certificate valued at $55 and can enter to win a 50 percent discount off their Spring Semester tuition. The Atelier is located at 2 Flowerfield, Suite 15, St. James (off Route 25A). For further information or directions, please call 631-250-9009. Photo courtesy of The Atelier

Photo courtesy of Harbor Country Day School Students drop off food collected during the school’s annual drive. Photo courtesy of Harbor Country Day School

On Nov. 21, students from St. James’ Harbor Country Day School delivered nearly 1,000 pounds of nonperishable food items to the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry. The food was collected through the school’s annual food drive.

“Harbor Country Day is pleased to continue our annual tradition of collecting food for the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry,” said John Cissel, Head of School at Harbor Country Day. “Our Upper School students, who lead this school-wide effort, take great pride in the role they play in helping people throughout our surrounding communities. As we continue our focus on character development throughout all grades here at Harbor, the Upper School students are setting a remarkable example for their fellow students to follow.”

“We are grateful for the support Harbor Country Day School has given us for the past 15-plus years. We always look forward to seeing the children’s smiling faces as they take time out of their busy school day to visit us,” said Pat Westlake, Director of the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry. “As a integral member of our community for nearly 60 years, Harbor is a perfect representation of the many wonderful ways we all rally together and lift each other up in times of need.”

Residents from across the North Shore gathered at Veterans Day memorials and parks to pay their respects Nov. 11.

Residents from all over the North Shore spent the weekend and Monday celebrating Halloween and dressing up in their spookiest costumes.

Peter Magistrale speaks in support of the Child Victims Act at a rally in St. James. Photo by Ted Ryan

By Ted Ryan and Victoria Espinoza

Residents of the North Shore gathered at Veterans Memorial Park in St. James Oct. 15, to raise awareness of sexual abuse of children in New York state.

Democratic candidate for the state Senate race in the 2nd District, Peter Magistrale, hosted the rally. He is advocating for a change to the current statute of limitations that restricts when a child rape victim can come forward with a civil or criminal case against their abuser.

In New York, once victims turn 23 they can no longer make a case for child abuse against the predator in question.

According to research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. In addition, the National Center for Victims of Crime said 14 percent of sexual offenders commit another sexual offense after five years, and 24 percent after 15 years.

The National Sex Offender Public Website stated children usually delay telling someone if they have been sexually abused because they are either afraid of a negative reaction from their parents or of being harmed by the abuser. The website indicated kids often “delay disclosure until adulthood.”

Magistrale said he thinks the restriction is unjust and wants to turn the tide on child abusers by removing the statute of limitations through the Child Victims Act. The bill would eliminate both criminal and civil statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse, and provide a one-time, one-year window in the statute of limitations to enable victims whose claim was time-barred by the current arbitrary limitations to revive their claim.

A similar version of this bill failed to make it past the state Senate floor during the legislative session this past June.

“A kid takes on average 21 years to come forward [to admit they were abused],” Magistrale said at the rally. “The average age that a child is raped is 8 or 9. By the time they build the courage and get over their psychological scars, time is up. We have to pass the Child Victims Act to do two things: Lift the statute of limitations completely, and then give a one-year look back window for people who were abused and unable to come forward in the past to point out who did it to them so we get them [the predators] off the street as well.”

Several victims of child abuse spoke at the rally, as well as members of anti-child abuse organizations. They told their stories of the abuse and their subsequent frustration with the restrictive statute.

Among the speakers was Melanie Blow, COO of the Stop Abuse Campaign.

“It’s simply ridiculous it’s taken us 10 years to pass the most significant bill to prevent child abuse,” Blow said. “But we’ve got survivors coming together right now to get the word out, to tell parents that this is an issue, and this piece of legislation will help.”

John De Vito, Democratic candidate for the state Senate’s 3rd district, also spoke at the rally.

“So many people here who are victims of sexual violence might never have a day in court to seek justice,” De Vito said. “But if we pass the Child Victims Act, our children will be awarded that opportunity going forward.”

During an interview at TBR News Media’s office in East Setauket, state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-East Northport) said he agreed with Magistrale, who he is running against for re-election in the 2nd District, that this is an important issue but he does not support the legislation.

“There are significant protections in the law right now,” he said. “This is a one-year opener that could bring cases going back 40, 50, 60 years. We have statute of limitations for very cogent reasons and no matter how emotional a subject may be, witness availability, evidence, all those things have a salutary effect in terms of what happens.”

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The Long Island Cars Fall Harvest Car Show brought hundreds to St. James Sunday, Oct. 16, where dozens of vintage rides spanning from 1910 to the newest models were on display.

A man in a construction mask robbed a TD Bank on Sunday afternoon, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

The man entered the bank on Lake Avenue in St. James shortly after 2:30 p.m. and approached a teller, displaying a note that demanded cash, police said. After the teller complied with the demand, the suspect, who had covered the lower half of his face with the construction mask, fled south on Lake Avenue on foot.

Police further described the robber as white, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and with a medium build, wearing a brown hoodie and blue jeans.

construction-bank-robberw2Major Case Unit detectives are investigating the case.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.