You’re hot. It’s true. There is a continuous high demand and if you own a home today you’ve got nothing to lose.
I can say this with confidence after speaking with Paul Perrone, associate broker and number one agent at Realty Connect U.S.A. He is also vice president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce.
Curious and cautious about the real estate market during this unprecedented global health crisis, I was put at ease after speaking with Paul. His technical savvy, and friendly nature provided peace of mind.
Folks have varying levels of concern as new information on testing and vaccinations becomes available.
Is it also your time to tap into the hot sellers market? No buyers would ever need to step foot in your home, if that’s your wish.
He described his success with his fully virtual Live Facebook Zoom Open House tour. With his phone in hand, in real time, he is directed by buyers as they view rooms, inspect crown moldings, storage, square footage and more.
Simultaneously, a seller can direct him to areas that might otherwise be missed like on-demand hot water heaters, new windows or the herb garden. Paul, who I find to always be in good humor, is creative and patient.
Okay with buyers in your home? Paul provides disposable booties and gloves and takes a masked buyer and their masked ‘plus one’ adult, for a showing. No children are permitted these days.
“There are 12 pages ofNew York State Dept. of Health Safety Guidelines for Real Estate Services during the COVID-19 health crisis,” he said. “It works great for sellers and buyers.” He added that “We connect safely and responsibly.”
It is no surprise to me that he enjoys serving as Real Estate Team Leader as well as a real estate coach, helping agents across the U.S. to maximize their careers.
Paul’s success in Real Estate might stem from his early career as an R.N attention to detail, a desire to assist and an instinct for assessing outcomes.
“It’s in my nature,” Paul said. He tells me that he enjoys helping people. “It is what drew me to join the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce.”
Paul is also an active parent in the Comsewogue School District.
These days you’re in good company if you’re interested in the value of your home, condo or commercial property.
You’ll be well cared for if you contact Paul at [email protected], 631.236.3699, or find him at li-mls.com.
Joan Nickeson is an active member of the PJS/Terryville community and community liaison to the PJS/T Chamber of Commerce.
*UPDATE* Police said Grady Whidbee, of Terryville, has been located unharmed.
Suffolk County Police have issued a Silver Alert for a missing Terryville man who has dementia.
Grady Whidbee
Police said Grady Whidbee left Woodhaven Adult Home, located at 1350 Route 112, Nov. 6 at around 3:30 p.m. Whidbee is a resident of the facility.
Whidbee, 67, is Black, 5 feet 8 inches tall, approximately 220 pounds with grey hair. He was last seen wearing a blue and red coat and sneakers. He uses a walker.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on Whidbee’s location to call 911 or the 6th Squad at 631-854-8652.
Buttercup’s Dairy has been an area staple for close to a century. Photo by Joan Nickeson
Buttercup’s Dairy, owned by Rich Smith and family, is located at 285 Boyle Road at the corner of Old Town Road. They are a long time loyal member of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce. The bonny red building is the stalwart edifice of the Terryville community. The original 1935 dairy farm established by Smith’s grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Kroll, extended more than 50 acres. It was engaged in a vigorous regional dairy trade. Local needs led the family to start selling food staples.
Joan Nickeson. File photo
Sitting on several serene acres today, and free of the cattle it was once known for, the interior of Buttercup’s is refurbished. We find a variety of organic eggs, chicken, beef, dairy, nut and soy milks, grocery and health food items, ice, cold cuts, cakes, seasonal chocolate candy specialties, sundries, plus outside we enjoy the benches for eating lunch and the Little Free Library kiosk. It is also adorned with poster sized photographs of what the farm and grounds looked like years ago. Shopping there is a treat. Perhaps you’ve seen their mascot, Speedy Cow, at local chamber of commerce events and fundraisers.
So what happens to business at Buttercup’s, amid a global pandemic? This community known historically as “the land of steady habits” and “the place where many paths meet” could only be thus: “This community has been great,“ Rich Smith said.
Physical adjustments made inside protect everyone, meet U.S. Centers for Disease Control and New York State guidelines, and are met with appreciation by customers. The call-in order system for cold cuts is working well; no congregating on either side of the deli case, which keeps staff and patrons safe. It is easy to stop in for fast service. Swing by to pick up dinner with local zucchini and tomatoes and a whole fresh watermelon or a pie for dessert 631-928-4607
Joan Nickeson is an active member of the PJS/Terryville community and community liaison to the PJS/T Chamber of Commerce.
A kitten was rescued by Suffolk County Police July 10 from a Terryville storm drain. Photo from SCPD
Suffolk County Police officers responded as quick as a cat to a little kitten reported stuck in a Terryville storm drain Friday, July 10.
Police said officers responded to 39 Clymer Street at around 6 p.m. after a 911 caller reported a kitten had fallen into the drain on the side of the road. The officers notified the Emergency Service Section.
ESS Officer Michael Viruet then climbed into the drain, police said, and rescued the kitten. The baby cat was adopted by a local resident once removed from the drain.
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce reminded residents their stores are open for Phase Two after a chamber meeting June 16. Photo by Joan Nickeson
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce released a video June 16 after a chamber meeting reminding the public that its stores, restaurants and other businesses are largely open since the start of Phase Two reopening on Long Island.
In Phase Two, restaurants are allowed to do outdoor sit-down dining, and stores are allowed to have customers shop inside, though at a reduced capacity. Hair stylists, salons and barbershops are also allowed to open, though most place require an appointment and there are other restrictions involved.
The cell tower has been proposed for the southwestern portion of the property. Photo from Google maps
The Terryville Fire District is moving ahead on plans for a cell tower at its main firehouse, one they say could make the difference in emergency situations.
The fire district has proposed creating a 120-foot monopole cell tower at the southwest portion of the property. Steve Petras, the district manager, said they are working with Port Jefferson Station-based LI Tower Partners. While Petras said they have not yet confirmed which provider would be on the tower, he mentioned AT&T was currently at the top of the list.
The cell tower, which district officials called a “mobile communications tower,” will include apparatus to extend the reach of the fire department’s radio equipment.
So far, the final engineering reports have yet to come in, according to Petras. At its last meeting, March 26, the Town of Brookhaven voted unanimously to waive the site plan requirements and building fees for the cell tower, due to the district being a nonprofit. The fire district would still need to bring such a plan before the Town Planning Board in public hearings.
In May of last year, residents living near the Terryville Fire Department’s Station 2 firehouse on Canal Road vehemently protested the proposed cell tower. That tower had been proposed for the rear of the property, closer to the trees on the north side of the facility.
Residents had complained that it would be an eyesore and decrease their property values. Leaders of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association joined in the protest, saying the fire district had not properly advertised its intentions to residents.
District officials disputed that, saying they had placed a legal notice in the March 16, 2017, edition of The Port Times Record on proposals for a cell tower on Canal Road and Jayne Boulevard as well as broadcasted those plans on all the digital signs outside each firehouse.
“When we sat down at those meetings, nobody from the community came out,” Petras said.
However, the new proposed location for the cell tower is enclosed, not by residential homes, but by retail businesses.
Sal Pitti, the president of the civic, said he has not been contacted yet by the fire district, but the civic has not yet taken a stance on such a cell tower at the Jayne Boulevard location and would have to talk to the few people residing in the area, such as those living in the Fairfield Gardens on Terryville Road.
However, of the three firehouses that could house a cell tower, “that’s the most desirable one,” he said.
The district manager said the fire district’s main justification in building a tower is two pronged. One is to eliminate dead zones within the district, while the other is to open up more potential revenue to the district to try and help keep taxes down.
The first point could mean the difference between a quick or slow response, or life and death.
“We’re having a hard time communicating with portable radios,” Petras said. “All our apparatus is outfitted with 4G, but we’re getting really bad reception in some areas — that’s a life safety issue for us … that’s unacceptable.”
The district manager said he did not yet know how much revenue the district would receive from the cell tower, and, depending on which service picks it up, the fire district would not have to spend time or money on building it or its maintenance.
This article was amended Oct. 15 to correct the company that is constructing the tower.
Robert Niedig, Robin Hoolahan and Sean Leister deliver bags of food to students who need it. The program is expected to continue as long as the schools remained closed. Photo by Kyle Barr
Though schools in the Port Jefferson area may be closed, districts have been working constantly to get food to the children who may need it now more than ever.
Volunteers and staff help deliver meals at both JFK Middle School and the Comsewogue High School March 19. Photo by Leigh Powell
Port Jefferson Deputy Superintendent Sean Leister and a few volunteers stood inside the high school’s cafeteria Friday, March 20. For the weekend, the district was handing out three meals, one for Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The program is based on the district’s previous reduced cost lunch program, but now its being donated to anybody 18 or under free. Nobody has to sign up, and nobody at the door checks if the person lives within the district.
“The program is not restricted, it’s for any child 18 and under that feels they have a need,” Leister said.
When school was normally in session, Leister said the district had 110 students signed up for the program, where around 65 normally picked it up. In the last week or so, the district has been producing around 50 to 60 meals each day. Middle School Principal Robert Neidig has also volunteered to deliver to those resident’s houses who said they were unable to come out to pick their meals up. He said families have been really appreciative, even one young girl who comes to the door so excited to see the meals he’s brought.
“It’s like if I were delivering them candy,” Neidig said.
Each bag comes with a sandwich, bagel or wrap, along with fruit and milk. Any untaken meals are being given to Infant Jesus RC Church for them to distribute any remaining food.
Leister said the district has also applied to New York State to allow them to make breakfast and dinner meals as well. Local residents can get these meals at the Port Jefferson High school from 11 to 1 p.m. on weekdays.
Meanwhile in the Comsewogue school district, staff and a score of volunteers worked Thursday, March 19 at two separate schools to donate around 1,800 meals to children in need within the district.
Volunteers and staff help deliver meals at both JFK Middle School and the Comsewogue High School March 19. Photo by Jennifer Quinn
Comsewogue School District Superintendent Jennifer Quinn said the staff took everything from the schools cafeterias and even raided the faculty food pantry. Originally the district thought they would be able to only give out 1,100, but they went far above what they expected.
“This is one of the toughest things we’ve ever experienced — we will do what we need to do, together,” Quinn said. “We need to make sure our families are fed and our children are educated, and we are as whole as possible by the end of all this.”
Food included in bags were cold cuts, bread, apple sauce, juice, milk, cereal, cereal bars, and frozen hamburgers and meatballs. Staff and volunteers placed the bags inside the cars of those who drove up to the high school and JFK Middle School. Volunteers also drove meals to families who said they were unable to come by the two pickup locations.
There were around 30 volunteers who came by to offer aid. Quinn said they were offered aid by over 100 residents, but she felt she had to turn most away to try and reduce the chance of any kind of contagion.
The Comsewogue district is expecting nonprofit food bank Island Harvest to donate them another 300 meals come this Monday. Quinn added the district is likely to raid the cafeterias in the other schools, and should have another 1,100 meals after they receive aid from a New York State program giving food aid to schools during the mandated shutdown.
The Comsewogue School District is expecting to host its next bagged food drive Thursday, April 2.
Superintendent Joe Rella a his last graduation ceremony, 2019. Photo by Kyle Barr
By Kyle Barr and Monica Gleberman
Dr. Joe Rella, the beloved former Comsewogue superintendent who spent just over 25 years in the district, passed away Feb. 21, with Moloney Funeral Homes and the district confirming his death late Friday night. He was 69.
Community members flocked to social media to share their thoughts and memories about their superintendent affectionately known around the district as just “Rella.”
Comsewogue Superintendent Joe Rella with students who participated in Joe’s Day of Service. Photo from CSD
“So much of what I learned about community was through his unceasing example of what it meant to serve the place you call home,” said Kevin LaCherra, who graduated in 2009. “To bring people in, to find out what they need, to fight like hell to get it and then to pass the torch.”
Rella entered the district as a part-time music teacher, making only $28,000 in salary. He would move on to become a full-time music teacher, then the high school principal and finally, superintendent of schools, which was his final position, held for nine years.
In an interview with TBR News Media before his retirement and final graduation ceremony in 2019, Rella had likened the act of running a school district to music, all based in a learning process for both the students and for him.
“Because one thing you learn, there is no such thing as a mistake, it’s a springboard to your next part of the piece,” he said.
The district planned to decorate school buildings with blue-and-gold ribbons come Monday and make counselors available for students who may need it, current Superintendent Jennifer Quinn said Saturday. The district was closed Wednesday, Feb. 26 to allow teachers and students to attend his funeral.
Quinn had worked with Rella for 13 years. In a phone interview Saturday, the current superintendent had nothing but great things to say about her predecessor and mentor. If anything, she said Rella “did not want people to remember him sadly. He wanted them to smile and laugh. He just loved everybody.”
Rella’s wife, Jackie, passed in 2016 following a struggle with breast cancer. The superintendent himself had been diagnosed with stage 4 bile duct cancer in 2017. Despite his sickness, he would stay on in the top position for another two years.
Comsewogue Superintendent Joe Rella congratulates a member of the class of 2016 during graduation June 23, 2016. File photo by Bob Savage
It was that dedication, even in the face of sickness and loss, that built up so much trust between him and the community over the years. Quinn said he was humble, always the one to take the blame if plans didn’t work out, but he was always ready to heap praise on others.
“He made everyone important,” she said. “He never shied away from a tough problem and tried to make everything better — he always did.”
Others in the district said Rella’s example pushed them to do more and to do better. Andrew Harris, a special education teacher in the high school, created Joe’s Day of Service in 2018. Named after the then-superintendent, the program asked students to do volunteer work around the school and the greater community. Students have traveled all the way to the Calverton Cemetery in both 2018 and 2019 to clean graves and plant flags.
Harris said there are hundreds of examples of Rella’s kindness, such as driving over an hour to take care of a teacher’s mother who was suffering from cancer.
“In many ways, just like they call the middle of our country the ‘flyover states,’ Port Jefferson Station used to be like a ‘drive-through town’ — people were on their way to another town as the destination,” Harris said. “That all changed with Dr. Rella’s leadership. No matter where you went, and especially as a teacher, when you say you are from Comsewogue and Port Jefferson Station, people know where you came from and the legacy. It makes us all proud to say it.”
The school board accepted Rella retirement in November 2018. He had said in previous interviews his diagnosis did not factor into his decision to retire, and it had been his and his wife’s intent to make that year his last.
“Joe and Jackie were the face of Comsewogue for many years,” said John Swenning, school board president. “Their dedication and support to our administrators, teacher, staff, parents and most importantly our students is nothing short of legendary. Dr. Rella is the Italian grandfather that every kid deserves to have. He will be missed dearly.”
School board trustee Rob DeStefano had known Rella since his sophomore year in Comsewogue high, when the to-be super had joined the district as the new music teacher. DeStefano would be elected to the board coinciding with Rella’s appointment as head of schools. One memory that cemented the famed superintendent in his mind, according to a previous column he wrote for TBR after Rella’s announced retirement, was during a jazz band concert he and his wife got up on stage and started to dance the Charleston.
Rella speaks out against standardized testing in 2015. File photo
Despite the loss, the Rella name lives on in the district, particularly in the high school courtyard, full of sunflowers, named Jackie’s Garden after his late wife. As the superintendent participated in his final high school graduation ceremony last year on June 26, students rolled out a new plaque, naming the high school auditorium the Dr. Joseph V. Rella Performing Arts Center.
His funeral, held Wednesday, Feb. 26, at St. Gerard Majella R.C. Church in Port Jefferson Station, drew huge crowds of family as well as school officials and community members.
Those same Community members and school officials gathered outside the high school Wednesday morning before the funeral. At just after 10 a.m., a hearse bearing Rella and a procession drove around the circle outside the high school, his final visit to the institution residents say he cared so deeply about. Members of both the Port Jefferson and Terryville fire departments hung a giant flag above the ground for the hearse to drive under. Residents and students held blue and yellow signs, all thanking the superintendent for his life of work and service.
Quinn said they will be working out the details for a larger memorial sometime in the near future.
“He embodied the Comsewogue culture — pushed it and all of us forward,” said 2019 graduate Josh Fiorentino. “To say I know how he wanted to be remembered would be a lie. However, I and many others will remember him as a Warrior. The truest of them all.”
Candidates Ruminate on Past accomplishments and Future Challenges
The Port Jefferson and Terryville Fire Comissioner elections will be held Dec. 8. File photo by Kyle Barr
While Port Jefferson Fire District Commissioner David Okst is running unopposed in the village, Terryville Fire District’s race is contested with two members vying for one seat. Commissioner Bernie Reynolds is planning to retire, which means volunteer member Daniel Gruosso is running against Captain James Guma of Company 1.
Commissioners are unpaid elected board members who run the district, which is a connected but distinct entity from the fire department. The district is a taxing entity whose board is elected by the residents in the district. They determine yearly budgets, go out for grants and propose bonds to maintain equipment and personnel of both the district and department.
All districts’ polls are open Dec. 10 for residents to cast their ballots. Residents of Port Jefferson Station or Terryville can cast their ballots at the firehouse located at 19 Jayne Blvd. in Port Jefferson Station from 2 to 9 p.m. Residents of Port Jefferson can cast their ballots at the firehouse located at 115 Maple Pl. from 3 to 9 p.m.
Here is a rundown of those seeking a term at their respective districts.
Terryville Fire District
James Guma is running for Terryville Fire Commissioner. Provided photo
Guma, a current fire captain of Fire Company 1, said he wants to use both his experience running his own business, the Port Jeff Station-based D James Marketing, and his firefighting experience to help run the district.
“I would be honored to further serve our fire community and district as commissioner,” he said.
Guma has been a longtime resident of the area, having graduated from the Comsewogue School District in 1981, and he currently owns a home in the district. He cites his years as a New York City police sergeant for his knowledge of leadership and his experience in his own business and in helping friends open Due Baci Restaurant in Port Jefferson village, saying he has knowledge of employee management, buying and selling equipment and sending requests for proposals. The district handles over 40 employees, he said.
“Running for this position takes having business strengths,” he said.
In addition, he said he is active in the local community as a civic and chamber member as well as a past president and current treasurer of the Red Knights Long Island Chapter NY-26 motorcycle club.
As a member of the department for over 30 years, he said he has been dedicated to the area not just as an officer but also as a member of the carnival committee and has served as department chairman.
He added that ensuring the safety of the community requires providing the necessary resources to the department, especially since other local departments such as the Setauket Fire Department have started to hire a few paid firefighters. However, he said he does not see Terryville needing to hire paid firefighters any time in the near future.
“It’s all volunteers and it should be that way,” he said.
Gruosso has lived in the district for 25 years, having bought the house from his parents who originally lived there. He has been a member of the Terryville Fire Department for four years, having taken a hiatus two decades ago when he had been with the department for two years before leaving to manage a hefty job schedule.
Dan Gruosso is running against Captain James Guma of Company 1. Provided photo
Now that he’s been with the department for a while, and with one of his two sons a member as well, he said he wants to offer up his time.
“I saw it as a good opportunity to give back,” he said.
He currently lives in the district and has seen two sons graduate from Comsewogue. He works as a diesel mechanic and has spent more than 17 years with the Operating Engineers Local 15 union. Overall, it’s a job he describes as “turning a wrench all my life.”
Gruosso is part of the antique fire truck committee, where he does all the mechanical work for both engines on his own time.
As commissioner, he said he would work to assure tax dollars are used wisely and be a voice for both the first responders and community members. He added that as commissioner he would have the opportunity to show the district mechanic some of what he knows, as he often goes out for schooling on mechanical matters.
“I’m looking to give back my time, and give up some of my knowledge,” he said.
He added he has seen no animosity between the candidates and both remain friends in the department.
Port Jefferson Fire District
Okst, a 30-year veteran of the Port Jefferson Fire Department, ran in 2014 for commissioner and has decided to run again this year. His seat is uncontested.
“I’m happy to do it,” Okst said. “I’ve enjoyed being able to give back to the community.”
The commissioner said he was a longtime member and once treasurer of the department. The district, he added, has gone through a bout of turnover, which has bred new blood on the board of fire commissioners.
In the past five years, he said the district has used Dormitory Authority of the State of New York grant funds to purchase a new fire boat. The funds were secured in part by Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson). This is important for a small district such as Port Jeff, but while the district is reaching out feelers for additional grants, such funds have become more and more competitive and thus harder to come by.
In the near future, the district is planning on some sort of flood mitigation for the firehouse, which was inundated in September 2018 after flash floods buried the floor in nearly 4 feet of water.
“It was the worst flood members had ever seen,” he said.
Okst added they were looking at items such as flood doors in the building’s main floor doorways to help stop such an event from happening again.
In addition, the district has purchased a building for training purposes, where members can restructure the layout of a room with removable walls while fighting through fake smoke. However, state requirements mandate members train with a bailout harness system, and volunteers have had to travel to nearby departments to use their training equipment. The district is using budget funds to create a bailout system for its training room.
In addition, the district has resolved to use money from its reserve fund to install a new roof on the annex building, with a cost not to exceed $60,000. The roof, Okst said, is leaking as the building is over 20 years old. They hope to put that project out to bid in the near future.
Volunteers help revitalize the Terryville Road community garden Oct. 5. Photo by Kyle Barr
One would have never known there was a garden on the side of Terryville Road in Port Jefferson Station. Vines had strangled the fence that bordered the road, and to anyone without some local knowledge practically anything could be behind those rusting chain links.
Comsewogue students Sarah Thomas and Briana Rodriguez tear apart vines at the community garden. Photo by Kyle Barr
Now, those driving past see something completely different — a full garden with planting boxes, a greenhouse and a large sign reading “Community Garden.”
Over the course of Oct. 5, close to 20 community leaders, volunteers and young people looking for high school service hours hacked at weeds, shrubs and vines, quickly bringing the place back to a presentable standard.
The garden property is owned by the Comsewogue School District, and for years had been operated by the Comsewogue Youth Center, according to district officials, but the crew suddenly ceased operations nearly a decade ago. Since then vines overtook the fence, and the site faded from many locals’ memories. While the grass was maintained by the district, the rest of the site was left to its own devices.
“The lady who took care of it eventually moved, and after that it fell to squalor,” said Sal Pitti, the president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association.
As the volunteers moved in, many were surprised by just how well the property had survived after years of neglect. Only a few wooden pieces had to be replaced, such as needing new 2-by-4 lumber for the wooden benches and for a few new planters, along with new Plexiglas for the greenhouse door. Otherwise the civic leaders were pleasantly surprised.
Members of the PJS/Terryville Civic discuss ideas for the garden. Photo by Kyle Barr
“The bones of this is in relatively good shape,” said Charlie McAteer, civic corresponding secretary. “Maybe it needs some paint, maybe it needs a touch up.”
In just a few hours, a mountainous pile of plant debris had already formed by the gate onto the property.
Local landscaper Kevin Halpin, of Halpin Landscaping, said he was contacted via Facebook by civic vice president, Ed Garboski. The day before the cleanup, Halpin came in with appropriate equipment, and did much of the heavy lifting along with cutting the grass. He said he will come back on request to help with whatever needs doing.
The area, he said, needs that extra effort and TLC.
A number of high schoolers from the area also showed up to lend a hand.
Comsewogue students Sarah Thomas and Briana Rodriguez laughed and joked around as they plied a bundle of rough vines apart.
“It was a huge mess, there were vines everywhere,” Thomas said. “It’s definitely a lot cleaner without all the vines and stuff. I think a lot more kids might come here.”
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) arrived midday Saturday and immediately started picking up litter from the side of the road in front of the garden gate. She said cleanups like this are good ways for community members to make a difference in an immediate and tangible way.
A sign for the Community Garden was surprisingly intact. Photo by Kyle Barr
“They’re usually very effective ways of getting people involved,” she said.
Pitti said he is looking to work with the school district to see if other students looking to get service hours in the future could work in the community garden.
“As much as the kids get into it, they’re welcome to come,” the civic president said.
The civic leaders are looking forward to next spring, where they will start planting vegetables and flowers, hoping that they maintain a staunch group of locals to tend the garden. Once the garden starts growing, they plan to donate the food to neighboring St. Gerard Majella R.C. Church for its food pantry, and if they grow even more, they will share with other churches in the area.
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