Lois Ross, left, leads the choir at a 2011 practice session of North Fork Chorale.

Members of the North Fork Chorale gathered at director Lois Ross’ dinning room table Friday morning. The discussion ranged from recent vacations, family updates and the group’s upcoming December concert series.

It is not an uncommon occurrence for members.

“In between songs everyone is talking to each other,” said Chorale treasurer Gene Yourch.

“Friendships come out of our group,” added his wife Mary, the group’s secretary. “There isn’t a person here I wouldn’t move my chair to sit next to. Everyone is family.”

It’s a 78-year tradition and one the Yourches and other members hope to continue for years to come despite dwindling financial resources. 

In recent years the group’s finances have taken a hit, said Ms. Ross, the group’s 21st director. Declining membership and rising costs, she said, have put the group in danger of “ceasing to exist.”

“There are a lot of expenses and they add up fast,” she said.

Fees collected from North Fork Chorale’s 48 members and a yearly spring fundraiser comprise the group’s annual $20,000 operating budget. However, that barely covers the cost of insurance, advertising, printing programs and hiring someone to help set up the sound system at certain venues, Mr. Yourch said.

“When I became treasurer I told everyone bluntly we are going to run out of money and there isn’t going to be a chorale,” Mr. Yourch said. “We face a declining membership. We had a long run where we had 60 people. As the membership shrank everything else shrank with it.”

Donations and ticket sales have also declined as more singing groups pop up on the North Fork, Ms. Ross said.

“There are more concerts to attend and more organizations to donate to,” she said. “How many can people give to?” 

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced last week federal grant money that will be distributed to The Retreat, a domestic violence prevention organization based on the East End.

The Retreat, an East End nonprofit serving victims of domestic violence, is receiving $75,250 in funding through the Federal Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced October 29.New York State received a total of $4.3 million through the program to distribute among various nonprofit domestic violence services agencies.

The Retreat will use the money to support bilingual services, including a hotline counselor, legal advocate and general counselor.

“Too many families experience violence at home, and my administration has made it a priority to help New Yorkers break this cycle of abuse,” Governor Cuomo said, in announcing the grant.

“This funding will support proven programs that are designed to help victims and combat the problem of domestic violence all across this state,” he said.

“The Retreat is grateful for the funding provided through the Federal Family Violence Prevention and Services Act,” said the organization’s director of nonresidential services, Karen Lombri. The money will enable maintenance and expansion of core services for English and Spanish speaking adult victims of domestic violence as well as for children who have witnessed traumatic events and been emotionally impacted by domestic violence, she said.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services used a competitive Request for Proposals to allocate the funds, which are awarded on an annual basis through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Those who received grants had to show that their programs support preventing incidents of family violence, as well as provide immediate shelter, support services and access to community-based programs for victims of domestic violence and their children. They also had to offer specialized services for children, under served populations and minorities that are exposed to domestic violence.

j.lane@sireporter.com

The view behind Latham’s farm stand in Orient. (Credit: Grant Parpan. file)

Planning Board Work Session

Courtesy Photo

Northforker.com presents our latest “Experience North Fork” Giveaway. We are giving away great prizes through rafflecopter that only take a second to enter multiple times.

A Lure Chowder House & Oysteria is our latest partner. Enter to win a $100 gift certificate to this beautiful, seaside restaurant. The idea behind A Lure was to create a seafood chowder house, serving impeccably fresh fish and seafood, in a relatively casual and convivial setting for locals, boaters, day-trippers and vacationers on the idyllic north shore of Long Island wine country.

You can enter until Monday, November 10th at 2:00PM.

A Flanders man with a revoked driver’s license was arrested Monday in Mattituck on felony drunken driving charges, Southold Town police said.

Gilberto Velasquez-Vargas, 31, was driving near the intersection of Route 48 and Westphalia Road shortly before 7 a.m. when police pulled him over for an undisclosed traffic violation and was found to be intoxicated, officials said. Police also found he was driving with a revoked license stemming from a previous DWI charge, officials said.

Mr. Velasquez-Vargas was charged Monday with DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, police said. He was transported to police headquarters, processed and held for arraignment, officials said.

The Southold Town Planning Board unanimously approved a site plan application to expand the Peconic Landing lifecare community in Greenport Monday.

The $45 million expansion — which would be the largest in the center’s 11-year history — would add 46 senior apartments, 16 private skilled nursing accommodations and a 16-suite “memory care facility” for seniors with cognitive impairment.

Peconic Landing held a ceremonial groundbreaking in September.

A Sept. 29 special meeting that had been scheduled to vote on the site plan was cancelled because the applicant was not ready at that time to proceed, town planning officials said Monday.

Peconic Landing officials have previously said they hoped the expansion would be completed by January 2016.

mwhite@timesreview.com

Here are some of today’s top stories across the North Fork. To stay on top of local news, follow The Suffolk Times on Facebook.

Inez Hall of Greenport passed away Oct. 28, 2014. She was 92. 

She was born in Bough, England, June 30, 1922, the daughter of Reginald and Violet Wordsworth. Ms. Hall served during World War II in the British Army from 1940 until 1943, as a driving instructor, staff car and transport driver for the 477 Cmt regiment.

As a teenager, Ms. Hall was a long-distance swimmer and loved sailing boats around Plymouth Harbor in England. She came to the United States after marrying Andrew Dasch, an American soldier serving in England during the war. After coming to America, she was an avid antique collector and dealer for over 60 years and was still going to flea markets and yard sales at age 92.

Ms. Hall was predeceased by her husbands Andrew Dasch, Vito Mannino and Robert Hall; her brother, Alex Wordsworth; her sister, Brenda Holiday; her son, Andrew Paul Dasch; her stepdaughter, Susan Hall; and her grandson, David Dasch Jr. She is survived by her sons, John and David Dasch of South Carolina; two daughters, Shirley Dasch (Bob) Krug of Florida; and Linda Mannino (John) Sondgeroth of East Marion; stepsons, Robert Hall of Saint James and Bruce Hall of Port Jefferson; sisters, Madeline West and Elizabeth Snook of England; brothers, Christopher Wordsworth of Auckland, NZ and Robin Wordsworth of Switzerland; grandchildren, Joey, Lisa, Jason, Rob, Jenny, Rich, Matthew, Darlene, Dawn, Diane, Jennifer and John; and many great-grandchildren.

Arrangements were handled by Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. Services were private.

Memorial donations may be made to Eastern Long Island Hospital.

This is a paid notice.

Lillian A. Smith of Southold died Oct. 31, 2014, at Stony Brook University Hospital. She was 76. 

She was born Jan. 26, 1938, in Astoria, Queens, to William and Elizabeth (née Smith) Ardus and was a graduate of Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park.

On April 9, 1960 she married Donald B.J. Smith in Garden City.

For 21 years, she was a patent clerk for the law firm of Scully, Scott, Murphy & Presser of Garden City.

From 1968 to 2002, she lived in Floral Park, at which time, she moved to Southold. Here, she was an active member and former deacon of First Presbyterian Church in Southold

Predeceased by her husband, she is survived by two sons, Donald of Manhattan and Mark (Kristine) of Southold; a brother, James Ardus of Floral Park; and two grandsons, Mark and Kirk.

The family received visitors Nov. 4 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. Religious services were conducted by the Rev. Dr. Peter J. Kelley.

Memorial donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 787, Southold, NY 11971.

It appears Optimum will be the only cable provided on the East End for awhile. (Credit: Paul Squire)

Is Verizon FiOS coming to the East End?

Short answer: Nope.

“It’s a simple no,” said Verizon spokesperson John Bonomo. “I hate to be blunt, but the answer is no.”

That won’t stop the rally that has been planned at Riverhead Town Hall for Saturday morning, where union representatives and local politicians will voice their support for Verizon to bring its fiber cable network to eastern Suffolk County.

But Mr. Bonomo said Verizon already has enough commitments to other communities that it must fulfill, adding that the company isn’t planning to invest in any new build-outs.

While Verizon held preliminary talks with eastern Suffolk County towns in the mid-2000s, Mr. Bonomo said the company is now focusing on marketing to the communities that already have FiOS service.

“Back in those days we reached out to a lot of communities because we were starting to build a business,” he said. “Now we have built that business.”

The rally in Riverhead has been organized by Communication Workers of America Local 1108, a Long Island labor union.

“What we’re looking to do is have an ability to raise awareness to the public service commission that this is an important issue for residents,” said executive vice president Michael Gendron in an interview last week. “Having one provider in this area is not working out … we want true competition.”

But even Mr. Gendron admits that “all indications” point to Verizon staying out of the East End cable business. He said the union supports FiOS coming to the area — both for the jobs it would provide its members as well as the option it would give consumers.

“It’s an important issue to the residents,” he said.

Mr. Gendron said the rally will hopefully influence the Public Service Commission to step in and put pressure on Verizon to expand its service. But Mr. Bonomo, the Verizon spokesperson, said the PSC is a regulatory entity that doesn’t have a say in what business decisions Verizon chooses to make.

“Do they have any influence or any ability to require us to build fiber and offer FiOS services in a particular area?” he asked. “No.”

Mr. Bonomo said Verizon is currently preoccupied with finishing build-outs in communities across the state, from New York City and Long Island to Buffalo.

When asked why Verizon wouldn’t install new fiber lines for solely Internet service as opposed to negotiating a TV franchise agreement with the towns, Mr. Bonomo said customers were asking for a “triple play” of services: phone, Internet and television.

“People want the triple play of services and FiOS, frankly, is a consumer service so we want to offer people a triple play of services,” he said.

Riverhead and Southold towns each currently have a franchise agreement with Cablevision, which allows the company to operate the Optimum network by using utility poles throughout the towns. Those agreements — which include a non-exclusivity deal allowing the towns to allow other cable companies to operate — expired in 2012, said Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter.

“Really, it’s a rally to try to get FiOS to come to Riverhead,” Mr. Walter said of Saturday’s forum. “I’m not saying Verizon or Cablevision is better. I’m saying competition is always better.”

Mr. Walter added that the town is currently negotiating along with Southold Town as part of a “North Fork bloc” to get a new Cablevision agreement.

Mr. Walter said Cablevision’s current offer — which he claimed would cut senior discounts — was unacceptable to the town.

The town, he said, has demanded that the new franchise agreement be negotiated based off the current one. The old contract will remain in place until a new agreement is reached, so long as all parties are negotiating in good faith.

“We’re going to stand tall with Southold,” Mr. Walter said. “Really, the towns are in the driver’s seat on this one. We can negotiate with them forever.”

Mr. Walter said the union had approached him about hosting the rally, which union reps say will also feature East End and county politicians like Legislator Al Krupski and County Executive Steve Bellone.

While Mr. Krupski said he would attend the meeting as a way of keeping abreast of the issues, the County Executive’s office could not confirm whether he would attend.

The rally is scheduled to be held at Riverhead Town Hall at 10 a.m.

psquire@timesreview.com

Mattituck’s Kaan Ilgin, pictured in the team’s game against Southampton, scored two goals in Tuesday’s win over Wheatley in the Class B Long Island title game. (Credit: Garret Meade)

There is little doubt that Mattituck High School is the team to beat in the New York State Class B boys high school soccer tournament.

A day after assuming the top-ranking among Class B schools, the Tuckers went out and demonstrated why they deserved that honor, earning a 4-1 triumph over Wheatley to win the Long Island championship at Adelphi University in Garden City Tuesday.

The Tuckers (16-2) last captured the L.I. crown in 2012.

Midfielder-forward Kaan Ilgin scored twice and set up a third goal in the first half at Motamed Field. Paul Hayes and Walter Jacob also scored goals.

The five-time defending Suffolk County champion Tuckers will meet the winner of fifth-ranked Rye Neck (Section I; 12-5-3) and No. 9 Highland (Section IX; 11-7) in the Southeast Regional at Diamond in the Pines in Coram at 4 p.m. Saturday. The winner advances to the state final four in Middletown Nov. 15.

Hayes headed in an Ilgin corner kick only 2:41 into the match to lift the Tuckers to a 1-0 advantage, before Wheatley 4-8-5), the Nassau County champion, equalized on Joey Dinetz’s penalty kick. The set piece was set up after a ball in the penalty area bounced off the hand of Mattituck defender Erik Schwartz in the penalty area and Dinetz converted against senior goalkeeper Ben Knowles at 5:39.

After taking a while to find themselves, the Tuckers dominated the rest of the half and Ilgin made the possession and shots count, striking twice within three minutes to turn the game.

First, Ilgin ran onto a deflected pass and beat senior center back Brendan Doberty before depositing the ball into the lower left corner for a 2-1 Mattituck lead at 23:40. He sprinted onto a Kevin Williams feed and this time overcame Doberty, who was leaning on him and Joe Cucinella for a 3-1 margin at 26:18.

Ilgin almost made it a first-half hat-trick, but he was denied by freshman goalkeeper Zach Jacobs on a breakaway at the halftime buzzer.

Jacob, overlapping from his left back position, tallied the final goal 1:57 into the second half.

Jacobs, Wheatley’s goalkeeper, was outstanding, stopping several close-range attempts and finishing with 13 saves.

Wheatley, which defeated Oyster Bay for the Nassau title, entered the game as the 19th ranked Class B side in the state.

Norma Steiner

Norma M. Steiner of the North Fork and Florida, died Oct. 1 in Riverhead. She was 85. 

Ms. Steiner was born June 9, 1929, in Buffalo, to Chester and Kathleen Bradley. She served in the Civil Air Patrol during Word World II and, following graduation from Riverside High School in 1947, attended the University of Buffalo.

She worked for many years in healthcare administration at the Central Islip Psychiatric Center and was extremely active in numerous community organizations including the U.S. Power Squadrons, the Navy League, the American Cancer Society, the Abilities Foundation, the Girl Scouts, and the Lioness Club of the Islips, of which she served as president.

Predeceased by her husband of 47 years, Ward, and two children, Nancy and Bryan, she is survived by two daughters, Kathleen Pillai Thomas and Sally Beth Steiner; a son, W. Bradley Steiner; and one sister, Carol Burandt; as well as many grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A funeral mass in her honor will be held at St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church in Largo, Fla. on Dec. 22.

Sean Moran (5) pumps his fist after scoring in sudden-victory overtime to bring Southold a second straight county title. Joining in the celebration are, from left, Ryan DiGregorio, Noah Mina and Shayne Johnson. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

SUFFOLK COUNTY CLASS C FINAL | FIRST SETTLERS 1, WHALERS 0 (OT)

Sean Moran described it as an “outer-body experience.” The moments immediately after Moran’s goal brought Southold a second straight Suffolk County Class C boys soccer championship were like he was watching a movie, he said.

If it were to be a movie, it most certainly would be a drama because Tuesday’s county final between No. 2 seed Southold and No. 1 Pierson/Bridgehampton was nothing if not dramatic.

As it turned out, Moran played the starring role in this action-packed thriller at Diamond in the Pines in Coram. After the First Settlers failed to convert the many scoring chances they had through 80 minutes of regulation time, they finally got their reward 14 minutes 18 seconds into sudden-victory overtime with Moran’s sixth goal of the year for a 1-0 triumph. An unmarked Moran met a chip from Ryan DiGregorio with a first-time left-footer that found net and sent the First Settlers into ecstasy.

After the goal, the Southold players raced toward the side of the field where their screaming fans were waiting for them.

“They were screaming our names,” Moran said. “It was a magical moment.”

Some of the players slid head first into the field turf before a large, happy pileup developed.

With its 17th county title since 1978 in the bag, Southold (12-5) advances to a Southeast Region final against Solomon Schechter of Section I or Rhinebeck of Section IX. That game is tentatively scheduled for Saturday in Coram.

The first question Southold coach Andrew Sadowski was asked during his meeting with reporters afterward was what his reaction was to what he had just seen?

“Holy moly!” he answered. “Why didn’t we put one in in the first half when we had those opportunities?”

Ah, yes. The First Settlers had their opportunities.

Southold played runner-up to League VIII champion Pierson/Bridgehampton (11-6) during the regular-season (they each won one-goal games at the other’s expense), but the roles were reversed in the county championship match.

The First Settlers, sporting their traditional Mohawk haircuts for the playoffs, came out strong and nearly scored on several occasions in the first half. The game remained scoreless mostly because of the efforts of Pierson/Bridgehampton’s first-year goalkeeper, sophomore Chase Zimmerman, who did not play like a first-year goalkeeper.

In the first half, three opportunities stood out: Southold’s Shayne Johnson caught up to a through ball from Joseph Worysz and charged in on goal, only to see Zimmerman block the shot for a corner kick; less than three minutes later, Worysz fired a shot that rang off the right goal post; and Peter Fouchet later stole a ball before making a couple of nifty touches and then driving a left-footed attempt that Zimmerman stopped for one of his 7 saves.

“You got to know that one’s bound to come,” DiGregorio said. “You keep working hard, you keep possessing and you keep putting balls toward the goal. Good things are going to happen.”

The First Settlers held a 20-3 advantage in shots. Their goalkeeper, John Charles Funke, did not need to make a save, although he did make am acrobatic diving grab of a centering pass that would have led to an almost certain goal had he not intercepted it in the second half.

Sadowski said he was pondering penalty kicks when Moran’s goal made that unnecessary. The goal was the product of drills the First Settlers conduct in practice, “so that was almost automatic out there,” said Moran.

Moran indicated that the First Settlers are eager for an encore. His final words during an interview were, “Still more good things to come.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

A memorial for Paul Stoutenburgh will take place Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. at Southold High School main auditorium, 420 Oaklawn Ave.

The longtime North Fork environmentalist died July 13 at the age of 92.

Walter A. Peterson of Hampton Bays, died Nov. 4, 2014 at Southampton Hospital. He was 72.

The family will receive visitors Sunday, November 9, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, November 10, at 10:15 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church in Mattituck. Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Amagansett.

A complete obituary will follow.

This is a paid notice.

Portions of Moores Lane in Greenport will be repave prior to winter. (Cyndi Murray photo)

Village Board members approved up to $120,000 in spending to repave two roads in Greenport prior to the winter.

The board voted 5-0 during a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to pave portions of Moores Lane, as well as a small portion of Main Street from Bridge Street to First Street.

The village awarded the contract to Corazzini Asphalt Inc. While it is projected that the paving will cost less than $100,000, Mayor David Nyce said the board allocated the additional money from the village’s general fund in case unexpected costs arise.

The move comes almost a month after village and state officials couldn’t reach a deal to include the village portion of Route 25 to be repaved as a part of the DOT’s $6.9 million repaving of the road elsewhere on the North Fork. Instead, the village, town and DOT are looking into joint federal grants to repave the village-maintained portion of Route 25 in the future.

There are also preliminary talks for DOT to take over the maintenance of Route 25 all together in the future, Mr. Nyce said.

Tuesday’s vote is a short-term solution to repair the roads before the winter, he said.

“We need to do something before the winter hits,” Mr. Nyce said.

“We know that area needs to be paved, so we decided that as long as we were getting some of Main Street done we would get Moores Lane done as well,” village administrator Paul Pallas said prior to the vote.

The repair work is expected to take about a day to complete.

Although no start date has been selected the mayor said the work needs to be done “as soon as possible” to beat the winter weather.

Detour notices will be issued prior to the paving.

The board also voted Tuesday to fund $32,000 worth of repairs to the east pier at Mitchell Park Marina, another time-sensitive project, officials said.

cmurray@timesreview.com

A 30-year-old Jamesport man was arrested on a drunken driving charge early Thursday in Mattituck, Southold Town police said.

Porfirio Martinez was stopped by police about 1:20 a.m. after he was spotted crossing a double yellow line while traveling eastbound on Main Road near Elijah’s Lane, police said.

Mr. Martinez was found to be intoxicated and charged with misdemeanor DWI, police said.

He was arraigned and held on $300 cash or $1,500 bond, records show.

Sorry Greenport: 7-Eleven is out for that last-minute beer run. At least for a little while.

The store’s liquor license, which is still in the name of its previous owners, expired Oct. 31. Until the matter is straightened out, the store is not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages.

An employee confirmed the news, and New York State’s Liquor Authority website notes that it expired last month as well.

The store has been run by the 7-Eleven corporation since its former owners were among five people indicted in June 2013 following federal raids of 10 of the convenience chain’s locations on Long Island and Virginia.

In September, the five suspects, including Greenport store owners Farrukh Baig, 58, and his wife Bushra Baig, 50, of Head of the Harbor, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and concealing and harboring illegal aliens while stealing their wages, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

As part of their plea, the defendants forfeited the rights to 10 7-Eleven stores in New York, including the Greenport and Cutchogue locations, and four 7-Eleven stores in Virginia, as well as five houses in New York worth over $1.3 million, prosecutors said. The deal marked the largest criminal immigration forfeiture in Department of Homeland Security history, according to the news release.

The defendants also agreed to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution for the back wages that they stole from their workers, the release states.

According to the SLA website, the liquor license for the Cutchogue store expires at the end of November, next year.

Riverhead Dodge president Tony Strollo (left) with his son T.J. Strollo, vice president, and daughter Jane Millman, secretary and treasurer, at the former Out East Family Fun site on Route 58, which they recently purchased to relocate their dealership. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

Riverhead Dodge, which once billed itself as the only Riverhead car dealership not on Route 58, appears to be headed there.

Last month, the company purchased the former Out East Family Fun mini-golf and batting cage site on the western end of the busy thoroughfare, with the goal of building a new dealership there and eventually moving from West Main Street, said owner Tony Strollo.

“We’re just out of space down there,” Mr. Strollo said of his current location. “We’ve been there for 38 years.”

The building was a Dodge dealership for 20 years before he bought it, Mr. Strollo said, and had been the site of Vail Motors for 20 years before that.

Being surrounded by all the big shopping centers on Route 58 should be a draw, Mr. Strollo said, but it’s also a big change from when he started.

“When I first came to Riverhead in 1976, most of this was open fields,” he said, recalling the section of Route 58 where he plans to build.

The West Main Street site is about 1.4 acres and the current dealership is about 10,000 square feet, he said, while the Route 58 property is three acres and zoning there will allow for a 26,000 square foot dealership.

The Route 58 site also is located within the town water and sewer districts and can be connected to natural gas.

“The plan is to go full fold, build a full dealership here and, when it’s all complete, we’ll move the complete operation up here,” Mr. Strollo said. “We’ll see what we’re going to do with the old property once that happens. We may need it for storage or something like that.”

This is not the first time Mr. Strollo has contemplated relocating to Route 58. In 1999, he purchased the 5.5-acre property that now houses P.C. Richard & Son and had considered building two dealerships there.

But when he got a $6 million offer from P.C. Richard, he said, he sold the property to them and stayed put on West Main Street.

The Out East site was purchased for $3.25 million, according to county records.

Riverhead Dodge has about 21 employees, many of whom have been with the company for several years, Mr. Strollo said.

His son, T.J. Strollo, is the sales manager and his daughter, Jane Millman, oversees the service department and the office, he said.

“My father has two children in the business and we both have a love for the business,” Ms. Millman said. “It’s the progression of one generation to the next. And that’s the whole purpose of moving to Route 58.”

“This is for the kids, not me,” Mr. Strollo said. “I’m 78.”

Riverhead Dodge will first seek a use permit from the town to allow the company to store some inventory at the Route 58 site before construction, Mr. Strollo said. He anticipates filing a formal site plan application in late December, with the approval process taking six to nine months.

The site is zoned Business Center, which permits auto dealerships.

Out East Family Fun owner Ed Meier took the pitching machines when he sold the property, but the batting cages remain on the property.

“We will donate the batting cages to anyone that wants them,” Mr. Strollo said. “I would just turn them into scrap iron.”

He said the giant inflatable hippo water slide is also still on the property and he’s willing to donate that as well.

tgannon@timesreview.com