The Greenport Zoning Board of Appeals and Greenport Village attorney Joe Prokop, far right, listen to Mary Bess Phillip’s statement during the board’s meeting Wednesday. (Credit: Paul Squire)

Is North Fork Smoked Fish House in Greenport a retail store or is it a manufacturing plant?

The Greenport Village Zoning Board of Appeals has decided to take another month to figure it out.

After a 40-minute long discussion over village zoning and where the fish shop’s usage fits, the ZBA decided Wednesday night to hold off on giving its “interpretation” of the code. The Planning Board, which is currently reviewing the fish shop’s site plan, has requested the ZBA’s official opinion.

North Fork Smoked Fish House, located on First Street in Greenport, is renting space from K & M Properties, for which Village Board Trustee Mary Bess Phillips is the secretary/treasurer and her husband, Mark, is president.

The fish shop had been open since the summer without proper permits, and is now going before the village’s ZBA and Planning Boards to get the necessary approvals.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Ms. Phillips represented the North Fork Smoked Fish House and said that while the building isn’t open to the public, it should still count as a retail store because of its online sales.

Ms. Phillips said online retails accounts for 70 percent of the company’s sales while the other 30 percent comes from wholesaling to local fish markets and stores.

“The seafood industry has gone beyond traditional sales,” she told the board, noting that there’s no definition for “retail” in the village code.

“There’s been a lot of miscommunication on this one,” she said about the building’s usage.

Ms. Phillips said the owner of the fish shop, Phil Karlin, and one employee use the space to package and prepare smoked fish for retail sales.

ZBA chairman Douglas Moore said he believes the business sounds less like a storefront and more like a factory.

“Front to back, it looks like a manufacturing plant,” he said. “It’s documented as a wholesale business.”

Mr. Moore said he had concerns over a section of village code that allows manufacturing and processing as long as it takes up no more than 20 percent of the total floorspace of the business.

He said he believes North Fork Smoked Fish House primarily functions on a manufacturing level, which he said makes the usage inconsistent with village code.

Other ZBA members questioned the code’s language.

Dinni Gordon said village zoning “does not take into consideration the modern Internet sales sector” and felt the fish shop’s current usage fits the spirit of the law.

Charles Benjamin cited surf shops that make their own boards or coffee stores that brew their own coffee as examples of “manufacturing” in the village. He said he believes the size of what the fish shop is manufacturing doesn’t require it to use 80 percent of its floorspace for retail.

Mr. Moore responded by saying those examples have happened in a “retail environment” and he believed North Fork Smoked Fish House isn’t a retail store.

Since the ZBA had to leave the meeting room in the Greenport firehouse at 7 p.m., the board decided to table a decision on whether to issue an interpretation of the code until next month’s meeting. Mr. Moore told the board he’ll be unable to attend that session.

psquire@timesreview.com

From left, Southold Superintendent David Gamberg, district clerk Patti DiGregorio and school board member John Crean at Wednesday’s meeting. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

The Southold school board has made an official statement opposing “field tests” tied to the controversial Common Core mandates.

During the school board’s meeting Wednesday, Superintendent David Gamberg said publishing companies that create the state assessments administer field tests to determine which questions could be valid on future tests.

“There has been an excessive amount of testing,” he said. “It is our strongly held belief that the nature of the field testing is compounding an already difficult problem.”

The board vote 3-0 in favor of a resolution stating the district opposes field testing. Scott Latham and Brian Tobin were absent.

School board president Paulette Ofrias said she’s in favor of Mr. Gamberg sending a copy of the resolution to the Board of Regents.

“It just shows we take it seriously,” she said.

Southold has passed other resolutions expressing the district’s displeasure with new education mandates.

In August 2013, the school board approved a resolution calling on state and federal officials to overhaul the current method of standardized testing tied to teacher evaluations known as the annual professional performance review, or APPR.

While Mr. Gamberg and the school board have agreed there are some good elements to Common Core, they’ve also been one of the more outspoken school districts on the North Fork to oppose the state’s mandate that ties teacher evaluations to state assessment scores.

In August, the school board approved a resolution calling on state and federal officials to overhaul the current method of standardized testing and New York’s teacher evaluation system.

Most notably, Southold denied it’s total portion of Race to the Top funds in protest of the mandates.

Mr. Gamberg is also the superintendent for the Greenport School District. That school board is expected to vote on a similar resolution Thursday.

The Greenport school board took no such action under the prior administration of former Superintendent Michael Comanda, who retired this summer.

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Scroll down to read the resolution.

Southold school board agenda, Dec. 17 2014

The Southold High School Honor Society at Wesnofske Farm on Tuesday. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

Members of Southold High School’s National Honor Society rolled up their sleeves on Tuesday, helping to ensure families in need had a little bit of fresh produce on their plates this holiday season.

About 16 Honor Society members, joined by their adviser, James Stahl, visited the Wesnofske family’s farm in Southold to pick whatever produce was leftover from the harvest to donate to the food pantry at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Aquebogue.

Mr. Stahl, an English teacher at the school, said he had reached out to fellow teacher Jason Wesnofske to see if his family would be willing to donate to the cause — and open their farm to the kids.

Mr. Wesnofske gave the students the OK, and after school Tuesday they fanned in the farm fields, picking everything from cabbage, broccoli, and kale to brussels sprouts, which were a bit more of a challenge to extract from the dirt.

The Wesnofske’s also donated some pre-picked cauliflower, which requires more than just hands to harvest.

In the end, the students had packed the back of Farmer Wesnofske’s pick-up truck, with plenty of greens piled high.

All the vegetables were then dropped of at the church.

cmiller@timesreview.com

Gathering brussels sprouts.

Megan Van Bourgondien, 17, gathering produce.

Produce starts to pile up.

Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone speaks during the press conference at Southampton Town Hall Wednesday afternoon. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

East End police departments and villages across Suffolk County will benefit from a collective $6 million in sales tax revenue over the next three years, thanks to a new agreement announced by County Executive Steven Bellone during a press conference at Southampton Town Hall Wednesday afternoon.

The deal is one step in the right direction for securing a fair split in sales tax revenue for the twin forks — which aren’t policed by Suffolk County Police Department — a budgeting issue Legislator Jay Schneiderman (I-Montuak) said he had been working on for more than a decade.

Currently, state law does not outline how revenue earmarked for public safety is to be shared between Suffolk’s departments, with a larger portion of revenue historically being funneled into the Suffolk County Police Department. It leaves East End towns and villages relying mostly on property taxes to fulfill public safety needs, explained Mr. Schneiderman, who drafted the three-year deal with the help of fellow Legislator Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue).

“When they started using sales tax for police, all we wanted was our fair share. It [Suffolk’s percentage] has fluctuated through the years, and we’ve seen up to 5 percent, and one year even zero,” he said. “We all pay sales tax, and we are all struggling to keep our [property] taxes down … The towns rely on their portions of sales tax revenue. All we’ve been asking for is a fair shake.”

Mr. Bellone called the deal “an issue about fairness and what is the right thing to do.”

Legislator Krupski said he hopes to work with Mr. Bellone on developing a permanent solution to the problem, drafting legislation to quantify how the sales tax revenue is to be distributed throughout all of the county’s departments, so the East End town’s have a dedicated cash flow they can depend on.

Southold Town received a total of $104,000 for the 2015 budget, which it has used to help hire eight new police officers.

“We appreciate the county working together to give the East End its fair share,” said Southold Supervisor Scott Russell. “This has been on ongoing issue for years. They were able to secure an amount that is fair, right and just.”

The distribution of the $6 million in additional funds between area departments was decided on by the county executive and the county Legislature, Mr. Schneiderman said.

The Riverhead Police Department will benefit from an additional $178,555 in sales tax revenue, according to the 2015 spending plan, with increases expected over the next two years.

Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter thanked Mr. Bellone for making the deal, saying “this will make my job that much easier come budgeting time.”

Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said the department has hired six new officers for 2015, and is still figuring out how to best use the money coming its way in the future, noting that “more officers are always a good thing.”

Southampton Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst said the town is receiving about $300,000 this year, which will increase to $600,000 in 2016, and $900,000 in 2017.

The town will be using its additional funding to hire one new full-time officer this year and two new officers come 2016, calling it a “much more fair and robust share” coming to the town, she said.

Harold Lester Cross of Riverhead, born March 2, 1923, was a World War II veteran who landed in Normandy and was married 71 years to his 1st Lieutenant nurse in the U.S. Army, Claire Vespucci Cross.

A wonderful, spiritual man, always in church as an elder deacon and for 65 years as a lay preacher, he preached this past year at Riverhead Church of Christ.

Harold was an inventor and engineer who worked at Grumman on the Apollo mission. He was a past governor of the Loyal Order of Moose and a member of the Riverhead American Legion chapter.
Harold is survived by his three daughters, Deborah Boschetti, Sara-Ellen Petricini, and Susie Amador; 10 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren.

He was beloved by family, friends and anyone who knew him; and was known to all as a fair, just and loving man. All were welcomed into his home and took great comfort in his advice. A wonderful husband and loving father, his girls thought he was their hero. Harold has gone home to his Holy Father, whom he walked with every day.

Arrangements were entrusted to Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue.

Mattituck resident Thomas Pilieski. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

Whether it’s his “Fish On” bumper sticker, the flounder-shaped welcome mat or the picture of a bayman at work that hangs next to his dinner table, it’s safe to say Thomas Pileski of Mattituck spends a lot of time on the water.

That’s the reason he’s stayed in tune with water quality issues that are plaguing area estuaries — the very same waters where he grew up clamming and scalloping with his father and he now enjoys fishing with his three sons.

On Monday, Mr. Pileski, 55, was among 19 homeowners chosen to receive free advanced wastewater treatment systems — valued at up to $15,000 each. The selection puts his household among the first in Suffolk County that will participate in an effort to reduce nitrogen contamination flowing into groundwater.

“I saw [the lottery] on the news and I figured why not apply,” Mr. Pileski said after getting word of his unique prize. “I thought, anything I can do to help the next generation and keep the waters healthy.”

The systems are designed to remove about half the nitrogen that enters groundwater from conventional cesspools. They are the same types of advanced systems that could become mandated for use by at least some — and maybe one day all — East End homeowners.

Should that be the case, Mr. Pileski stands to have saved a pretty penny, as the systems are an expense he knows could pose financial hardship for the average homeowner.

“At that kind of price, it absolutely is,” he said. “I mean, I am a single parent, so it’s tough. I have my own bills and I also help my sons when they need a little support.”

Four different manufacturers have donated the 19 systems and will pay for installation as well as maintenance costs for the first five years.

The winning homeowners will be responsible for the cost of electricity to run the systems, which are expected to range from $5 to $20 a month, county officials have said.

Through the pilot program, county health department officials will determine which systems have the greatest impact on improving water quality, as some systems may work better than others in different areas.

While testing the systems’ efficiency, officials from the county’s department of labor, licensing and consumer affairs will develop “an extensive job training program to bring more septic and wastewater-oriented employment opportunities to Suffolk County,” according to a release about the program.

The majority of the systems being tested are already in use in a number of Northeastern states, which Mr. Pileski said eased any fears about taking part of the countywide study.

Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone called such denitrification systems “a vital part of the solution to our water quality crisis.”

“While this is not the single solution, this is one of the initiatives we are doing to reclaim our water here in Suffolk County,” he said.

More than 130 homeowners applied for the chance to win one of the systems. County Legislator Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue) picked Mr. Pileski’s winning ticket for his district, noting that “Suffolk County is entering the modern era of wastewater treatment.”

Mr. Pileski said he is awaiting word of when the system will be installed.

cmiller@timesreview.com

A life-sized sculpture of Santa Claus climbing a ladder takes center stage in the winter wonderland that Kevin and Tammy Kruger start working on each November on Mechanic Street in Southold. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

There are people who love Christmas and then there’s Kevin and Tammy Kruger.

The Krugers, who have been decorating each holiday season for two decades, created a unique setting, using practically every inch of their property at 640 Mechanic St. in Southold. For that, they’ve earned the grand prize in our first Deck the Halls holiday decorating contest, which includes a $1,000 gift certificate courtesy of Riverhead Building Supply.

The front yard of the Krugers’ home is simple and elegant, with giant snowflakes hanging from tree branches and a life-size Santa standing on a ladder near the front door. The couple even has a trio of lit-up reindeer on the far side of the frozen pond in their backyard. When the last of us arrived to judge their house Sunday evening, we found our colleagues roasting marshmallows in a backyard bonfire.

In order to get the full holiday effect of the Krugers’ home, however, you have to step inside. Literally every room in their house was decorated when we visited — from the perfectly set dining room table to the hundreds of Santas in the living room to the pillows in each bedroom. They probably even had soap shaped like St. Nick’s sleigh in the bathroom, but we didn’t have to go.

“Our house is all about the love of Christmas,” said Mr. Kruger, who owns a company that hosts children’s parties and said he and his wife spend three weeks decorating inside and out. “We find things, we buy things, we collect things. We use what we have.”

It’s true. The hood of a vintage Mercedes-Benz in the driveway was adorned with a big red bow, Christmas-themed topiaries lined the front stoop and the Krugers even decorated with gingerbread houses from years’ past. They have not one but two large decorated Christmas trees.

Our judges were floored, assigning the house an average score of 9.3. The Krugers earned a contest-best four perfect scores and five nines. One Grinch scored it an eight and the rest of us couldn’t understand why.

“It looks like a show house or something out of a movie,” said judge Michael White, one of two people to rank the house No. 1 (five other judges had it in a first-place tie). “They’re great hosts and they do creative work.”

Judge Rachel Young agreed.

“It’s decorated from top to bottom,” she wrote. “I can tell they really love Christmas.”

gparpan@timesreview.com

Click on the tabs below for more photos of the Kruger family’s home and images of the honorable mentions.

When “631” runs out of assignable telephone numbers in 2016, the new area code for Suffolk County will be “934.”

The North American Numbering Plan Administrator has directed local telephone companies to activate the new 934 area code before the end of the third quarter of 2016, according to a statement released by the organization on Friday.

After some debate on how the new area code would be implemented, the New York State Public Service Commission decision to go with the “overlay” approach, which residents preferred over the “geographic split.”

In July, the commission began examining the two options. An overlay occurs when a new area code is superimposed on an existing calling area. A geographical split would have divided the current 631 area of Suffolk County into two separate zones, with one area keeping 631 and the other receiving a new code.

Based on feedback at several public meetings, the commission determined an overlay would be easier to implement and less expensive from a customer standpoint. Additionally, businesses would not be forced to change signage and branding in the event of a geographic split.

To change will be implemented over 16 months, including a nine-month permissive dialing period, where calls can still be made with just a seven-digit number. The commission will be conducting outreach during that time to ensure customers are aware of the area code change.

The new area code will be ready to be assigned in the third quarter of 2016.

cmurray@timesreview.com

Maddie Joinnides, a sophomore at McGann-Mercy High School, works on the Christmas card’s main design.
(Credit: McGann-Mercy High School)

When Bishop McGann-Mercy High School sophomore Maddie Joinnides and her classmates decided to sell Christmas cards to raise money for charity, they had no idea how far the cards would spread across the country.

The Christmas cards show a mosaic of more than 500 index cards that students drew or painted hearts on. The hearts were then organized into the shape of a Christmas tree.

The charity Maddie co-found, “Four Girls For Families,” has since sold hundreds of these cards at school events. The cards have even spread across the country as far as California and Alaska, she said.

“I never thought it would come so far,” Maddie said.

Her mother, Mary, added: “We are so thrilled and touched by the response this card has generated.

Through the holiday cards sales and other fundraisers throughout the year, Four Girls For Families has raised $2,000 this school year.

Since the charity group was formed about three years ago by Maddie and classmates Clara Walker and Rae and Emmy Specht, it has raised thousands more to provide clean water wells and water filters for rural areas in Cambodia. Rae and Emmy’s younger brother, Sam, are now helping with the charity since Clara moved to Connecticut.

The school’s program “Mercy on a Mission” also helped with fundraising efforts.

Maddie said she’s very thankful for the all of the support and donations received, and said the charity group is in the process of buying a well for a village in Cambodia.

The four friends are also planning to visit Cambodia together in February to deliver water filters and meet the people they’re helping.

The cards are available for purchase at the school bookstore or online at fourgirlsforfamilies.org and cost $12 for 8 cards.

psquire@timesreview.com

Virginia Suter of Cutchogue died Dec. 18 at Westhampton Care Center. She was 95.

A funeral Mass will be held Saturday, Dec. 20, at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck. Interment will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Cutchogue.

Arrangements were handled by Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue.

A complete obituary will follow.

Linda J. Boken of Greenport died Dec. 18, 2014, at Stony Brook University Medical Center. She was 65.

Ms. Boken was postmistress of East Marion Post Office.

The family will receive visitors Sunday, Dec. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, Dec. 22, at 11 a.m. at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport. The Rite of Committal will be private.

Memorial donations made to to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Long Island Chapter, 1324 Motor Parkway, Suite 102, Hauppauge, NY 11749 would be appreciated.

A complete obituary will follow.

Lifelong Greenport resident Lillian A. White died Dec. 18. She was 88.
2014.

The family will receive visitors Sunday, Dec. 21, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. A funeral Mass will be held Monday Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. St. Agnes R. C.
Church. Cremation will be private.

Ms. White’s family has suggested sending memorial donations to Burton Potter American Legion Post 185, Building Fund, PO Box 125, Greenport, NY 11944.

A complete obituary will follow.

Joan Bischoff, kneeling and wearing red pants, outside Town Hall in May. (Credit: Cyndi Murray, file)

The North Fork Promotion Council is looking for a new president in 2015.

Joan Bischoff announced plans to step aside in the New Year after serving four years as the group’s president, a volunteer role.

“We need new people to step up,” Mr. Bischoff said Thursday. “If all the old people kept hanging around there is no place for new blood. I don’t want to stand in the way of that.”

Mr. Bischoff, whose full-time job is executive sale manager at Town & Country Real Estate in Southold, joined the group as a volunteer treasurer in 2006.

The Council, which compromises dozens of local businesses including bed & breakfasts, restaurants and chambers of commerce, shares the collective goal of increasing tourism and business on the North Fork throughout the year.

When he was named president in 2011, Mr. Bischoff said his goal was to encourage local business to work together on events and marketing.

Reflecting back on Thursday, Mr. Bischoff said he believes the Council achieved that goal.

“We helped formulate a clear strategy of what the North Fork is and what the North Fork needs in terms of the small business community,” he said. “I hope that we made a difference there, and I hope that continues.”

With Mr. Bischoff at the helm, the North Fork Promotion Council was successful in bringing more attention to the area’s wineries, breweries, restaurants and shops, said Phillip Beltz, Southold Town’s special project coordinator, who also serves on the town’s economic development committee.

Mr. Bischoff played a key role in organizing the first-ever state sponsored Taste North Fork event to the region during Veteran’s Day weekend in 2013, which brought with it a spike in business during a slower part of the year, Mr. Beltz said.

“I have worked closely with him on several initiatives, particularly Taste North Fork where we galvanized the Southold business community to participate,” Mr. Beltz said. “He demonstrated extraordinary leadership in helping to position the tourism industry in the Town of Southold and the North Fork.

“He will be missed as president.”

On Thursday, Greenport Business Improvement District president Peter Clarke, who has worked closely with the Council to promote village events, echoed Mr. Beltz’s sentiments.

“It is going to be a challenge to fill his shoes,” Mr. Clarke told members of the BID during its monthly meeting Thursday morning. “He has been a very dynamic and hard working leader the past few years.”

Mr. Bischoff said he would stay on as president until the Council’s board of directors appoints a new one sometime in late January, adding that he would continue to participate in the Council’s efforts as a regular member going forward.

“It is a great organization and I will be there to help in any way I can,” he said.

cmurray@timesreview.com

Southold’s Shayne Johnson leans over Shelter Island’s Semaj Lawrence and Peter Kropf (33). Southold takes a 4-1 record into the holiday break. (Credit: Garret Meade)

FIRST SETTLERS 57, INDIANS 49

Happy holidays.

They undoubtedly will be for the Southold High School boys basketball team. The First Settlers ought to be in the holiday spirit, with their early-season results.

What’s the reason for all that good cheer? A 4-1 record (3-0 in league play) will do the trick.

In its final game before the school’s holiday break, Southold prevailed, 57-49, in a Suffolk County League VIII encounter against defending Long Island Class D champion Shelter Island on Friday night. Liam Walker scored 7 points in the final 55.7 seconds to help the First Settlers nail down the victory.

The game at Southold High School was highlighted by an intriguing matchup between the teams’ two headline players: Tristan Wissemann of Shelter Island and Walker. The two, who guarded each other at times, essentially canceled each other out in terms of scoring. Wissemann, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, produced a game-high 27 points. Walker, a senior forward, had 24.

A putback by Alex Poliwoda gave Southold the lead for good at 34-32, but it was a tight affair. About midway through the fourth quarter, Wissemann made a layup to cut Southold’s lead to 43-42, but Shelter Island was unable to pull ahead.

A running banker and a layup by Shayne Johnson stretched Southold’s advantage to 50-44 with about a minute and a half left.

Billy Boeklen’s layup drew the Indians 2 points closer. He had 13 points.

But, as he is prone to do, Walker came up big for the First Settlers. Seconds after canning a pair of free throws, he stole the ball and converted a layup for a 54-46 count. Walker added three more free throws before the First Settlers applauded themselves for a job well done after the final buzzer.

Shelter Island, playing with only seven players (it has only eight on its roster), gave Southold a tough time under the boards. Wissemann and his 6-4 teammate, Semaj Lawrence, came down with 12 rebounds each.

But Shelter Island didn’t help itself from beyond the arc, shooting 0 for 12 on 3-point attempts. Furthermore, Southold sank 14 of its 18 free throws (8 of 10 by Walker).

Shelter Island takes an 0-2 home record into its home opener Sunday against East Rockaway.

bliepa@timesreview.com

Dan Fedun of Mattituck goes up for a shot while being defended by Wyandanch’s Mikey Lamb. (Credit: Daniel De Mato)

TUCKERS 66, WARRIORS 53

Mattituck avenged an elimination loss from last year’s Suffolk County Class B boys basketball playoffs, recording a 66-53 League VII victory over Wyandanch at home Friday night.

Junior guard Joe Tardif was the Tuckers’ spark plug, scoring 21 point and making 4 steals while leading a ball-hawking and alert defense.

Tardif spread out his scoring, collecting 5 points in the first quarter, another 5 in the second period, 7 in the third and 4 more points in the final quarter.

His shot from the just inside the key broke a 19-all tie and lifted the Tuckers (5-1, 2-1) into a 2-point lead they never relinquished, although Wyandanch (1-5, 1-2) came close twice.

When the Warriors climbed within 39-36 with 61 seconds remaining in the third period, Tardif and Chris Dwyer (14 points) sank back-to-back treys within 15.5 seconds to lift the hosts to a 45-36 advantage.

When the visitors moved within 45-43 only 51 seconds into the fourth quarter, Dwyer sank a layup and Parker Tuthill (8 points) hit a 3-point shot and Will Gildersleeve (11 points, 8 assists) canned a foul shot for a 51-45 lead for one of his 5 fourth-period points with 4:43 left in the game. The Tuckers outscored the Warriors, 15-8, the rest of the way.

Kashawn Charles led Wyandanch with 12 points.

Wyandanch defeated Mattituck in a Class B outbracket game last year, 77-68.

The Tuckers will play their next three games away before returning home to host Bishop McGann-Mercy on Jan. 13. They will visit Greenport on Dec. 30, Center Moriches on Jan. 6 and Hampton Bays on Jan. 9.

• Southold native Allison Mann has released a new CD, “For My Mother and Father: The Best Songs of Their Times, Vol. 1,” in honor of her parents, Joan and Russell Mann of Southold. 

Ms. Mann, who lives in Vermont, recorded the CD live at Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier, Vt. Her parents were in attendance. The song list features jazz standards and selections from the Great American Songbook such as “Pennies From Heaven,” “Detour Ahead,” “I Concentrate on You” and “Over the Rainbow.”

On her website, Ms. Mann calls the recording “a prayer of thanks to her parents, who came of age in the ’30s and ’40s, steeped in the music of the American Songbook.”

Ms. Mann is director of Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio in Montpelier. She also gives voice lessons in Montpelier.

She plans two more concerts in the series, both to be recorded in 2015.

To send arts news, email lsisson@timesreview.com, fax to 298-3287, or mail to Times/Review Newspapers, P.O. Box 1500, Mattituck, NY 11952. Copy deadline: Wednesday at 5 p.m. to appear the following week.

Regarding editor Michael White’s “nephew effect” and its contribution to “white privilege,” I must not have the right uncles, since my white skin has had no beneficial effect when I’ve been ticketed for speeding or once nabbed for scalping tickets or once — most unfortunately — being arrested and charged with a felony. Mr. White uses subjective and anecdotal evidence to validate his own bias: that we whites are “unconscious” racists, oblivious to our “everyday white privilege.” 

“White privilege” is a term that’s suddenly all the rage among leftists. Why? Because now that decades of various other “solutions,” such as school busing, affirmative action, self-esteem crusades, lowered standards, black studies’ departments, non-stop movie/TV “role-modeling,” the burgeoning race industry, etc. — have all failed to narrow the significant economic and educational black/white gaps, this white privilege slur is progressives’ last-ditch attempt to absolve blacks from taking any responsibility for those gaps.

Prejudice — doesn’t that literally mean pre-judge? Here’s a good example: the left’s reaction to the shooting of Michael Brown. These supposedly free-from-bias souls — forever amber-trapped in their narrative that all black societal dysfunction is the result of white racism — took about five seconds to leap to a chiseled-in-stone conclusion that the cop was guilty of race-based murder. (Who needs evidence? Let the rioting and looting begin.)

As for the Eric Garner tragedy, besides the “white cop v. unarmed black” scenario, there is another thing the Brown and Garner deaths had in common: a refusal to cooperate with the arresting officers. If that very self-destructive behavior has anything to do with white privilege, I fail to see it. I don’t know why the Garner grand jury declined to indict, but then I don’t know all the evidence presented to them. The thousands of protesters currently throwing righteous mass-tantrums, they know: White cops are racists. ’Nuff said.

Unfortunately, this leftist manure — “blacks can’t be held responsible” — has been liberally spread over American society for the last 60 years and all it has accomplished has been to increasingly poison race relations and to undermine blacks’ chances for success. Progressive “compassion” has fostered (among other negatives) a disastrous breakdown of the black family, currently resulting in a 72 percent out-of-wedlock birth rate — a guaranteed one-way ticket to poverty for those unfortunate kids.

Mr. White writes: “Many young black kids don’t get the same breaks early in life that white kids do.” Well, yes and no. My own anecdotal experiences aren’t so black and white. After teaching four very pleasant years in a poverty-level Hispanic grade school in Texas, I had a most unpleasant year teaching in an all-black inner-city Newark grade school. Whatever “breaks” we teachers were trying to give those kids were regularly crushed by the near impossibility for most teachers to control their classrooms. Recently, Obama’s Department of Education has begun forcing school districts, via implicit threats of withdrawing all federal funding, to reduce the “disproportionate” numbers of black male students being punished to numbers equaling the punishment rates of whites. I can imagine a teacher checking with the office: “A student just threw a book at me.” Office: “Was the student white or black?”

I wonder if genuine white privilege — rather than being some nebulous societal E-ZPass — consists primarily of four concrete ingredients: a cultural/parental attitude that education matters greatly; a cultural stigmatization against having children until being able to properly raise them; a positive belief that one’s future is not preordained, but rather lies in one’s own hard-working hands; and, of course, a rigorous avoidance of breaking the law.

Disastrously for America’s future, 21st-century race industry professionals (Al Sharpton comes to mind) have dragged up out of 19th-century sewage a kind of reverse KKK mantle and have become enthusiastic new-age stokers of racial hatred. Today on TV I saw masses of protesters chanting “kill the cops” — such is progressive progress.

What’s that noise I hear? Sounds like someone’s saddling up that tired old nag Legacy O’Slavery, cocking their race-card pistols and aiming them at yours truly. Well, go ahead evil do-gooders, take your best shots. I am also armed — with some whole truth.

Hugh Prestwood is an award-winning songwriter from Greenport.

A Cutchogue man was arrested Thursday on a drunk driving charge in Laurel, Southold Town police said.

Erwin Gruber, 42, was driving shortly before 10 p.m. near the intersection of Peconic Bay Boulevard and Laurel Lane when police pulled him over after he failed to stop at a stop sign, officials said.

He failed standardized field sobriety tests police administer after alcohol was detected on his breath, officials said.

Mr. Gruber was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. He was transported to police headquarters and held for arraignment.

Bridgehampton National Bank celebrates the opening of its new Mattituck location in July. (Credit: Cyndi Murray, file)

Bridgehampton National Bank will be adding nearly a dozen more locations from Suffolk County to New York City following a merger with Community National Bank.

Under the merger, which was announced Monday, Bridgehampton National Bank will acquire Community National Bank’s 11 branches in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Manhattan. Currently, Bridgehampton National Bank primarily serves Suffolk and southern Nassau, operating 29 retail branches and two loan production offices in Manhattan and Riverhead.

The combined institution will have $3.2 billion in assets, $2.6 billion in deposits and 40 branches serving Long Island and the greater New York metropolitan area, according to a statement released by parent company Bridge Bancorp.

“Community National Bank’s strong commercial banking expertise and presence in rich lending markets will accelerate our growth and enhance profitability,” said Kevin M. O’Connor, president and CEO of Bridge Bancorp, in a statement. ”Our combined institutions will be one of the largest community banks operating on Long Island.”

Effective at the closing of the transaction, Bridge Bancorp will appoint two directors from Community National Bank to join the Board of Directors of the combined company.

The transaction has been approved by the current board of directors of each company and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2015.

Under the agreement, shareholders of Community National Bank are entitled 0.79 shares of Bridge Bancorp for each share of Community National Bank. Based on Bridge Bancorp’s closing stock price on Dec. 12 of $25.35, the transaction implies a per share value of $20.03 and an aggregate estimated value of $141 million.

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the approval of Bridge Bancorp and Community National Bank shareholders.

cmurray@timesreview.com

Jesse Goodale. (Credit: Goodale family courtesy photo)

A giant in the Riverhead community has passed away.

Jesse R. Goodale II, who founded Riverhead Building Supply along with his brother, Harold, and uncle, Peter Ketcham, on Ostrander Avenue in 1948, died Saturday morning at the age of 97.

The company currently has 11 locations throughout Long Island and Rhode Island. It’s one of the leading employers of the area and has continued to be one of the most generous local businesses that frequently donates to community events and projects.

• Related: Jesse Robinson Goodale II obituary 

Mr. Goodale’s involvement in the community goes beyond his building supply business.

Over the course of his life, Mr. Goodale served as president of the board of directors at Central Suffolk Hospital, which later became Peconic Bay Medical Center and as president of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Suffolk County Historical Society Board and Riverhead Board of Education.

Mr. Goodale was also a director for Long Island State Bank, which loaned money to Riverhead farmers. He was the Peconic Bay District Boy Scouts’ 1987 Man of the Year Award recipient and active in the Old Steeple Community Church in Aquebogue where he also volunteered to maintain its cemetery.

He was also the Suffolk County chairman for the Salvation Army.

Carol Goodale Cambi, Mr. Goodale’s daughter, said her father suffered from dementia and died at home 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

Ms. Cambi said she has found memories of her father’s giving nature.

“He would do things like ring the Salvation Army bell in front of Caldor,” she said. “He was a very energetic person who could never sit still.

“He was an amazing man.”

Mr. Goodale’s granddaughter, Laura Goodale VanHouten, described her grandfather as “a great role model.”

“He took it upon himself to get things done in the town,” she said. “He taught me many life lessons. You never wanted to disappointment him.

“I don’t know how he found the time he dedicated his life to the community.”

Ms. Cambi and Ms. VanHouten said they’re also proud of Mr. Goodale’s efforts to make Riverhead a better place, such as founding Riverhead Litter Control in 1987.

Ms. Cambi said Mr. Goodale took it upon himself to pick up litter that piled up near the hospital and Route 58 traffic circle.

At one time, the group had about 250 volunteers cleaning the streets of Riverhead on a regular basis. Mr. Goodale himself was usually seen picking up litter himself, seven days a week, despite being in his 70s at the time.

He said at the time that he felt that his work with the Litter Control Volunteers was one of his proudest accomplishments.

Even after he stepped down as leader of the group in 1992, he could still be seen picking up litter, in a pickup truck with a sign that read: “Don’t Trash Riverhead – 15 Days in Jail.”

“My idea is to motivate others,” Mr. Goodale said in a 1992 interview for a News-Review story about the litter patrol. “If they see I’m doing it, it’s easier for other people to do it. You’ve got to be visible. I can’t sit still. I’ve got to be doing something.”

Mr. Goodale, a lifetime Riverhead Town resident who was born on a farm in Aquebogue, received the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2012.

East End Arts executive director and chamber board member Pat Snyder said at the time he won the award the she described Riverhead Building Supply as a “reflection of its founder.”

“He has lived a life of honesty, integrity and community and it shows,” she said.

Mr. Goodale received the North Fork Environmental Council’s “Environmental Citizen’s Award” in 2002 and in January of 1989, he was the first-ever recipient of the News-Review’s Person of The Year Award in 1988, an award that continues to be issued annually.

“Jesse Goodale’s public accomplishments stand so large because he is able to instill in other people the civic pride that has moved him during a lifetime of community involvement,” the News-Review wrote at the time.

Mr. Goodale was a major supporter of Central Suffolk Hospital, having been president of its board of directors when the east wing of the hospital was built and helping to raise money for the hospital for more than 20 years.

“Jesse is blessed with the rare ability to see a job that needs to be done, the energy and enthusiasm to tackle it and the know-how to see it through,” former CSH CEO Joseph Turner said of Mr. Goodale in a 1989 interview.

He was predeceased by his wife of 68 years, Mary Lupton Goodale, who died in 2010. They have five children, Edgar Goodale, Jesse “Bobby” Goodale III, Russell Goodale, Carol Cambi, and Diane Sadowy.

There will be a wake for Mr. Goodale on Sunday, Dec. 21 from 3 to 7pm at Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday at Old Steeple Community Church in Aquebogue.

tgannon@timesreview.com