Anna Throne-Holst received more votes in five of the 1st District’s seven towns against Dave Calone during Tuesday’s Democratic primary race, according to results released Wednesday by the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Locally, Ms. Throne-Holst was ahead in Southampton, where she was town supervisor for six years, with 56 percent of the vote; in Riverhead with 63 percent; in Southold with 60 percent; and in Shelter Island with 85 percent.

Ms. Throne Holst was also ahead in Smithtown and Islip.

Mr. Calone of East Setauket won Brookhaven Town, which is the largest town in Suffolk County, by 55 percent and East Hampton Town by 57 percent.

Here’s a breakdown of Tuesday night’s primary results: 

Prior to the vote, Mr. Calone had been endorsed by the Brookhaven and East Hampton town Democratic committees and committee chairpersons. He also had the backing of all four Democrats on the East Hampton Town Board and of the only Democrat on the Brookhaven Town Board, plus the backing of two former Democratic Brookhaven council members.

Unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections showed that Ms. Throne-Holst held a lead of just 29 votes, with about 1,700 absentee ballots still to be counted. That ballot count is expected to begin July 5.

[Related story: Throne-Holst, Calone race too close to call on primary night]

The winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary will face Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) in November. Mr. Zeldin, a former New York State Senator, took over the seat in 2014 after defeating Democrat Tim Bishop of Southampton by more than 15,000 votes.

Mr. Calone, 42, is an attorney, venture capitalist and former chairman of the Suffolk County Planning Commission.

Ms. Throne-Holst, 56, of Sag Harbor served as Southampton Town Supervisor for six years before not seeking re-election in 2015 to focus on the Congressional race.

If Ms. Throne-Holst doesn’t win the Democratic nomination, she’ll still appear on the ballot under the Women’s Equality Party line.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

tgannon@timesreview.com

Photo: Anna Throne-Holst and Dave Calone met his supporters at the Meadow Club in Port Jefferson Station on primary night. (Credit: Times Review, file)

The Southold Historical Society is celebrating a piece of Civil War history that was recently restored.

A historic banner discovered in 2014 in the attic of a local store once operated by the Richmond family has now been installed at the Ann Currie-Bell House on the grounds of the society’s Main Road museum complex.

The banner was originally brought to the attention of former society director Geoffrey Fleming. He and Amy Folk, the group’s manager of collections, worked to purchase and restore it. The banner was once used by the Wide Awakes, a paramilitary campaign group supporting the Republican party in 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was running for president.

“We’re very excited to have the restored Wide Awake banner here for all to see and enjoy,” said current society director Karen Lund Rooney.

When the item was found, it appeared to be a Civil War banner. The background was blue and fabric was glued to both sides. One side read “Union Forever!” and the other read “Welcome Home!”

Ms. Folk explained that this banner would have been hung on the street when the soldiers were returning from the Civil War. After peeling off the fabric, she noticed glue stains from letters that had previously been affixed to the banner. They were able to send it to a professional conservator who traced all the letters out to read “Lincoln & Hamlin Mattituck Wide Awake Club.” They came to the conclusion that the banner had once been used by the Wide Awakes and was reused later, after the Civil War, to welcome the soldiers home.

The society received a $7,500 grant for the restoration from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network and raised the rest of the money itself. All new letters were applied, following the remaining glue outlines. The wood pole on top of the banner, as well as the stars and lines on the bottom, are original.

Cathie Dunn of Cutchogue, who was involved in helping to raise funds for the restoration, said, “I really wanted something like this for the kids in town to have.” During last Thursday’s unveiling, she said she is very interested in anything related to President Lincoln and was really excited when she heard about the banner.

“The town just came around [to support] us,” she said. “It was overwhelming.”

Ms. Folk said the Wide Awakes were active in Mattituck and Orient. At that time, she said, political candidates didn’t campaign for themselves. Instead, groups like the Wide Awakes would help campaign for the Republican Party and would make sure rallies did not get out of hand and would safely escort speakers, according to Ms. Folk.

“For us, it’s really an amazing piece from the Civil War,” she said. “It shows you the beginning of the war and the end of the war — and it’s local.”

Ms. Folk said that after a little research she established that this is one of the only Wide Awake banners designed like this. The banner will remain displayed at the Ann Currie-Bell House and the society hopes to one day create a complete Civil War exhibition.

“We’re excited it has a home here,” Ms. Lund Rooney said.

kmassa@timesreview.com

Photo: The restored banner (right) and the pieces that were peeled off (left) were unveiled last Thursday at Southold Historical Society’s Ann Currie-Bell House in Southold. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

Listings prepared for Times/Review Newspapers by Suffolk Research Service, dated May 9-15, 2016.

CALVERTON (11933)
• Doroska, A & F by Referee to Federal National Mortgage Association, 248 Warner Dr (600-40-2-12.30), (R), $573,536

FLANDERS (11901)
• Velez, V by Referee to Long Island Rentals LLC, 47 Wood Road Trail (900-143-2-28), (R), $70,000
• Cordone, D to US Bank National Association, 56 Hart Ave (900-148-3-62), (R), $312,855
• Kujawski, S Trust to Snowden, Krishna, 28 Fern Ave (900-148-4-43), (R), $257,000

GREENPORT (11944)
• Serpone, C to Navarra Family Trust, 61475 CR 48, Unit 206 (1000-45.1-2-20), (C), $370,000
• Behringer & Kumar Trsts to Pan, Yutian, 1755 Shore Dr (1000-47-2-31), (R), $1,399,000
• D’Ambrosio, R to Victorian Seasons Stirling, 857 Main St & lot 15.002 (1001-2-1-16), (R), $680,000
• Hogan, W & C to Scavelli, Gerard, 160 5th St, Unit 20 (1001-7.1-1-20), (C), $825,000

JAMESPORT (11947)
• Monte Azul, LLC to 1833 Main LLC, 1833 Main Rd (600-48-3-4), (R), $425,000

LAUREL (11948)
• Diller, H Trust to Kozera, Lucy, 240 Peconic Bay Blvd (1000-145-2-1.5), (R), $450,500

PECONIC (11958)
• 35300 Route 48 Hldng to Water Bridge Realty LLC, 35300 CR 48 (1000-69-4-2.2), (C), $500,000

RIVERHEAD (11901)
• Berry, J & M to Choy-Ichaj, Alfonso, 240 Old Farm Rd (600-64-2-7.8), (R), $270,000
• Sullivan, L to Buckner, Nicole, 43 Melene Ave (600-105-2-1), (R), $165,000
• Maiorini, P & D to Stern, Angela, 89 Mulberry Common (600-109.1-1-89), (R), $275,000
• Rogers, R Trust to Horton, Richard, 80 Fairway Ave (600-111-2-14), (R), $245,000
• Mil War Inc to Sinchi, Ignacio, 1223 W Main St (600-119-2-25), (R), $170,000
• Van de Wetering, K&C to Messina, Joseph, 284 Newton Ave (600-127-3-46), (R), $275,000
• Richard, E by Executor to Ostrander Property LLC, 117 Ostrander Ave (600-129-3-14), (C), $300,000

SHELTER ISLAND (11964)
• Eisenberg, R to Denara, David, 23 Great Circle Dr (700-1-1-41), (V), $344,000
• Inglis, J & J to Relyea, Richard, 121 Ram Island Dr (700-10-1-4), (R), $3,950,000
• Spinosa, F & Ross, R to Irikura, Alan, 18 S Menantic Rd (700-18-2-77), (R), $589,000
• Daniels, W & N to Clark, Ellen, 2 Fox Hollow Run (700-19-2-113.3), (V), $380,000
• Egan, J & J to Fifield, John, 1 & 3 Heritage Dr (700-19-2-113.15), (V), $289,000
• Manisoff, M & Wohlreich to Patterson, John, 3 Hillcrest Rd (700-21-1-71), (R), $607,500

SOUTHOLD (11971)
• Cavounis, M & S to Rallis, Nicholas, 765 Dogwood Ln (1000-54-5-32), (R), $435,000
• Ryan, P to Diaz, Freddie, 12250 Soundview Ave (1000-54-7-8), (R), $535,000
• Nacinovich, E to Bay Beach LLC, 1055 Bay Home Rd (1000-56-5-35), (R), $674,150
• Kiessel, G to Pope, Nancy, 2555 Youngs Ave, Unit 10A (1000-63.2-1-26), (C), $360,000
• Nixon, J Trust to Willow Pond Lane LLC, 435 Willow Pond Ln (1000-78-1-45), (R), $250,000
• Foley, K to LaPoma, Robert, 605 Leeward Dr (1000-79-7-26), (R), $537,500

WADING RIVER (11792)
• Eisner, E & J to Palmer, Brian, 35 Great Rock Dr (600-36-7-7), (R), $335,000
• Whalen Family Trust to Canellys, Angela, 205 Great Rock Dr (600-36-7-23), (R), $370,000
• Burkart, B to Saddlebrook Group Inc, 126 Stephen Dr (600-95-2-20), (R), $155,000
• Campo Brothers to Drepanis, Andrew, 68 Calverton Ct (600-115-1-10.33), (R), $535,785

(Key: Tax map numbers = District-Section-Block-Lot; (A) = agriculture; (R) = residential; (V) = vacant property; (C) = commercial; (R&E) = recreation & entertainment; (CS) = community services; (I) = industrial; (PS) = public service; (P) = park land; as determined from assessed values in the current tax rolls.)

Woo-hoo! School’s out for summer! Yup, I’m one of those moms who’s happy to have the kids home more and free time abounding. Congratulations to all the graduates at many levels.

Birthdays: Saylor Hughes and Pollina Anselemo, July 5; Tom Loreto, July 9; Lois Manfredi and Jamie Grzegorczyk, July 12; Kyra Panetta and John Zaveski, July 13; and Jamie Engles, who turns 13 on July 14. Happy birthday, everyone!

Happy 17th anniversary to Dawn and Jamie Grzegorczyk on July 3.

Fourth of July means it’s time for the 19th annual Southold Village Merchants Parade, which starts at noon and runs from Hobart Lane to the American Legion.

Want to march in the parade? Dress in red, white and blue and join the Southold Free Library float at 11:30 a.m. on Maple Lane, opposite the firehouse.

In other library news, “Visions of Scenic Long Island” is the July exhibit featuring work by photographic artist Robert Bloom.

‘Rest Your Mind in the Good Old Summertime!” is a program currently underway for all post-high school readers. Read books in any format. Pick up blank forms at the circulation desk and fill out one per book. Submit your forms at the circulation desk throughout the summer. All forms will be entered into a raffle. The drawing for a grand prize will be held Monday, Aug. 29. Come join the fun!

Want to visit the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead or Long Island Game Farm in Manorville? The library has discounted tickets to both. Want to go to the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton? Come borrow a pass from the library. All passes and tickets are available at the circulation desk.

Join the ELIH Auxiliary for “Ladies’ Day on the Links” Thursday, July 7, at Island’s End golf course in Greenport. Continental breakfast starts at 8 a.m., tee time is 9 a.m. and there’s a buffet luncheon with a cash bar plus prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Win $15,000 with a hole-in-one, sponsored by Robert’s Jewelers of Southold. The cost is $125 per golfer with a limit of 72 golfers. Register by July 2. Call Barbara Koch at 631-477-0975 or 631-553-4857 or Bill Fish at 631-477-0777.

Congratulations to Paula Daniel of Peconic, winner of the ELIH Auxiliary’s car raffle. After buying tickets for 10 years, she finally hit the jackpot this year and is reportedly thrilled with the prize she chose: a 2016 Chrysler 200 provided by Mullen Motors in Southold.

Southold Fire Department will host a backyard all-you-can-eat Seafood Bash Saturday, July 16, at 7 p.m. Food will be served until 9 p.m. and a band will play until 11 p.m. A chinese auction and 50/50 raffle will also take place. Tickets are $50 (credit cards accepted) at the main firehouse or from any department member. Bring your own table and chairs and enjoy a wonderful community event.

Southold Historical Society has two exhibitions coming up. “Dead Man’s Cove: 10 Shipwrecks and One Lighthouse” runs through August at Horton Point and showcases the stories of 10 vessels that ran into trouble in Long Island Sound.
From July through October, SHS presents “Schoolgirls and their Samplers.” Sarah and Nancy Glover of Southold worked hard on their samplers while going to school in the 1830s. This exhibition features the stories of past schoolgirls as well as the needlework of other women over the years. Call 631-765-5500 for specific locations and times.

T-shirts are still available to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in memory of Ericka Auer. Youth and adult sizes can be purchased for a $10 cash donation at Southold Pharmacy’s front register.

Peggy Murphy recently went to Ithaca for the baptism of her youngest great-grandchild, Julian Bellini Norkus. Julian’s grandparents are Kate (Dow) and Greg Norkus. Her next stop was San Marcos, Texas, to see grandson Stephen Dow Jr. graduate with honors from Texas State University. Both families are frequent visitors to Southold. We hope to see them all soon.

My next deadline is Sunday, July 10, at noon. Email works best, but phone calls are welcome, too. As you celebrate the birth of our nation, take a moment to thank the many people who came before us who helped make our country great. Thank a soldier for keeping us safe.

Contact Southold columnist Tina Koslosky at SoutholdTina@aol.com or 631-765-2774.

The Greenport Fire Department’s 43rd annual carnival kicked off Thursday night and will continue through Monday, July 4.

Fireworks are scheduled Saturday and Monday at 10 p.m.

Top photo: Amy and Zak Freeman of Long Beach enjoy a ride on the ferris wheel. Click on the photos below to enlarge images.

The end of the school year may seem like an ideal time to move into an administrator position, especially one centered around athletics. The sports season wrapped up in mid-June and the fall season begins in late August.

As Chris Golden, a longtime Greenport teacher and coach discovered, the job of an athletic director never really slows down. 

“As they say I’m literally jumping into the deep end of the pool,” he said.

Golden was officially approved by the Greenport Board of Education last week as the athletic director, filling the void left after Jim Caliendo resigned in November 2015. Shortly afterward the district hired Paula Nickerson as an interim athletic director to fill the gap for the remainder of the school year.

Golden said the position was posted in late May and it was something that interested him after spending nearly 30 years in the district as an educator.

“Since I was appointed at the board meeting, I’ve pretty much been in every day and will be in many days over the summer getting organized, inventorying our equipment, meeting with coaches,” he said.

Golden, 51, coaches the varsity boys soccer team in the fall and he plans to continue to do so. He had previously coached the varsity baseball team until 2014 and last year he coached the girls varsity basketball team that’s combined with Southold. He said he will no longer coach a winter sport now that he’s the AD.

Golden had taught as a special education teacher and moved over to history about six or seven years ago, he said. He most recently taught 11th grade U.S. history and 12th grade economics, AP government and politics, he said.

“This is another opportunity for me to pursue some professional growth,” he said.

Golden said he’s already been in contact with other athletic directors across the East End to help navigate the new position. Greenport combines with other North Fork schools in a number of sports, making communication that much more important. For starters, in the fall, the football team that plays in Greenport includes students from both Mattituck and Southold.

“There is a good degree of cooperation between the three districts that will have to take place,” he said.

Golden said he’s not looking too far into the future as to how long he’ll hold the position. He said he’ll approach it on a year-to-year basis and see how the district approaches shared services in the future. Greenport and Southold currently share a superintendent, so the idea of one athletic director for both districts may not be far behind.

“It’s all really determined by the needs of the district,” he said. “For now I’m embracing this position.”

Photo Caption: Chris Golden pictured during his final game as varsity coach of the baseball team in 2014. (Credit: Garret Meade, file)

joew@timesreview.com

Nearly a decade has passed since Suffolk County adopted its social host law, which is aimed at preventing adults from allowing minors to consume alcohol in their homes.

In the nine years since the legislation’s approval, just four tickets have been issued by police in Suffolk County — and zero convictions have resulted.

While the motivation underlying this statute is commendable, it’s hard to argue that it’s had much of an impact.

As we reported this week, studies in both Riverhead and Southold towns show local teens are still consuming alcohol at a significant rate. One study conducted by the Riverhead Community Awareness Program revealed that nearly half the high school students polled said they were served alcohol by an adult at a friend’s home.

Suffolk legislators are now doubling down on the social host law, elevating it from a violation to a misdemeanor. This will make it more easily enforceable for local police, who will no longer have to observe a minor being served alcohol in order to write a ticket. A misdemeanor arrest can be based on the testimony of witnesses, police officials said.

While it’s difficult to imagine anyone arguing that a social host law is anything but well-intentioned, it should be noted that in the decade since the county has begun cracking down on the service and sale of alcohol to minors, the use of opioids among teens and young adults has been on the rise.

As alcohol has become harder for underage consumers to get their hands on, prescription pills and heroin have become easier to obtain.

While we certainly hope that an expanded social host law further deters adults from serving alcohol to underage drinkers, we also hope the county doesn’t lose sight of the more serious problem of opioids in our communities.

If the revised law proves to be more easily enforced, perhaps the county will expand the bill even further to ensure that fines levied for social host violations are placed in a fund to educate teens and treat them for opioid addiction.

We have more than an alcohol problem in Suffolk County. Drug addiction is something our lawmakers must do all they can to help prevent.

Former Southold resident Dorothy (Poliwoda) North of Sag Harbor died June 10 at Southampton Hospital. She was 74. 

She was born Dec. 24, 1941, to Joseph and Dorothy Poliwoda of Southold.

Ms. North lived in Southold for many years and later moved to Sag Harbor to enjoy her family and friends. Family members said she loved sewing and knitting, collecting frog figurines and would “always be there with a smile for anyone who needed help in life.”

Predeceased by her son, Jeff Florence in 1983, Ms. North is survived by her sons, Steve Florence of Sag Harbor and Peter North of Glenville, N.Y.; her daughter, Cindy Florence of Punta Gorda, Fla.; her sisters Margie Deroski of Southold and Beth Poliwoda of Southampton, Mass. and six grandchildren.

A report released last week by the Department of Homeland Security outlining alternatives to selling Plum Island to the highest bidder has come under criticism from environmental groups.

“The whole point of this [report] was supposed to be for the Department of Homeland Security to kind of take a step back and take a really hard look on what the options are out there,” said Leah Schmalz, program director for Save the Sound. “They just failed to do that.”

The 44-page report, which does not make a recommendation, detailed three alternatives for the island, which has been home to a federal research lab since 1954 that is now relocating to a new facility in Kansas. The report listed a competitive sale as one of the three options, and the one that would likely generate the most revenue.

Louis Burch, the Connecticut program director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the report reads as if the plan to sell the island will continue as scheduled. He said he believes the report is a missed opportunity.

“After much anticipation, the report that we got was fundamentally flawed,” he said.

• Read the full report below

The other two alternatives were for retention and reuse of the property by the DHS and invoking the Property Act Disposition Authority, to permit the General Services Administration to transfer the property to other federal agencies to support other federal missions, according to the report.

In April, the Preserve Plum Island Coalition wrote to the DHS requesting that it analyze a variety of conservation options to be included in the most recent report. Ms. Schmalz said the DHS “glossed over” the coalition’s  letter and the issues proposed. Environmentalists were also concerned that the report failed to offer a recommended course of action after 2023 when the federal facility closes.

The fight to preserve Plum Island has been going on locally for several years now. In May, the House of Representatives passed a bill introduced by Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) to halt the federal government’s proposed sale. The bill’s aim was to reverse a 2008 law that mandated the public sale of the island to the highest bidder to help offset the cost of the new facility. In March, New York senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said the property should be obtained by a federal agency such as the National Park Service or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Preserve Plum Island Coalition would like to see the facilities already on the land repurposed. Some options proposed are restoring some of the historical sites and establishing limited public access to the island sometime down the road. Ms. Schmalz said another alternative they expressed to the DHS was to sell the footprint of the facility that is already there to a company or organization that would retain some of the jobs.

Ms. Schmalz said preserving Plum Island has been a focus of hers for several years.

“When I set foot on it and realized exactly how magical the place is I was pretty transfixed,” she said. “It became crystal clear that we really need to have a united region fighting to protect this gem. We just don’t have any other island like this one in our region.”

Mr. Burch said the island has significant historic value and attracts a wide variety of animal species. Sea turtles, rare orchids and a number of migrating birds make their home on the island, officials have said. Most of the island is underdeveloped and in its natural state, virtually untouched by man.

“We’re committed to this issue,” Mr. Burch said. “We are going to keep working and do what we can to make sure that resource gets preserved and gets kept in the public trust.”

kmassa@timesreview.com

Alternatives for Final Disposition of Plum Island by Timesreview

Green grass, plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures; what’s not to love about summer? (Locals are not allowed to answer this question; I know what your response will be!)

This is also the time when we get to enjoy an abundance of music here in our little hamlet. The Greenport Band, under the direction of Colin Van Tuyl, kicks off another season this Friday evening in Mitchell Park. All musicians, local or otherwise, are invited to join the band.

Monday evenings also bring the resurgence of Dances in the Park in Mitchell Park. This year’s schedule features Uppercut, July 4; Swan Live, July 11; Southbound, July 18; Swingtime Big Band, July 25; Abrazos, Aug. 1; Somethin’ Fresh, Aug. 8; Winston Irie, Aug. 15;  reggae and Pamela Betti, Aug. 22; and Gene Casey & the Lone Sharks, Aug. 29. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.

The Village Tree Committee is in the midst of a fundraiser. It is selling machine washable canvas bags for $10 each. Purchase yours at Village Hall or the Greenport IGA or email Jane Ratsey Williams at jrw229@gmail.com.

Congratulations to Jillian Ruroede, daughter of Chris and Bart, who became the bride of Pete Johnstone on June 24.  I wish the two of you a lifetime of happiness together.

The Southold West Branch of the Eastern Long Island Hospital Auxiliary will hold its annual golf outing Thursday, July, 7, at Island’s End. “Ladies Day on the Links” includes a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. with a 9 a.m. tee time, buffet luncheon with cash bar, fun prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Win $15,000 with a hole-in-one, sponsored by Robert’s Jewelers of Southold. The entry fee is $125. Tee sign sponsorships are $25 each. Space is limited to 72 golfers; register by July 2. For more information, call Barbara Koch at  631-477-0975/631-553-4857 or Bill Fish, 631-477-0777.

Congratulations to former Greenporters Mike Heaney and Danny Ship, who were part of team Athletic Outlet and won the Atlantic Coast Championship. They will play in the Tournament of Champions in Lakeland, Fla., in February.

Just a reminder about CAST’s summer Feed-A-Kid Program. Elementary school-aged children who participate in free or reduced-price school lunches are eligible for this eight-week program. Call 631-477-1717.

Birthdays will be celebrated by Christian Davis on June 30; Emily Loper and Angel Medina, July 1; Kevin Urban, Liane Berger, Patrick Stepnoski, Brittany Bond and Jenna Loper, July 2; John Charters III and Russ Gagen on the 3rd; Karen Williamson, Joe Walters and Anthony Breese on the 4th; Chris Macomber and Bill Claudio on the 5th; Suzanne Hulse and Melanie Doroski on the 6th; Natalie Regan, Charlie Bumble III and Madison Manwaring on the 7th; my co-celebrants P.J. Corazzini, Jeff Geier, Roy Taplin, Bob Gessner and Nancy Luke on the 8th; Karen Heaney and Sue Malinauskas on the 9th; my brother-in-law, Kip O’Connell, Fred Schoenstein and David Nyce on the 10th; Darlene Pacholk, Sam Carey, Dana Saetta and Sherry Jackson Burkinshaw on the 11th; Matt Charters, Sean Powers, Brandi Monique Okesola and Marcellus Shedrick, Jr. on the 12th; and my cousin Denise King in Mattituck and Xavier DeJesus on the 13th.

Belated wishes to Dakota Gold Saetta, who celebrated her June 29 birthday with a party in Southold on the 26th. Dakota is the granddaughter of Mary Saetta.

Dancing to the tune of “The Anniversary Waltz” are Pat and Jerry Urban on July 5; my sister-in-law and her husband, Teresa and Kip O’Connell, on the 7th; and Jean and Tom Hughes on the 13th.

Enjoy the holiday weekend, everyone, and stay safe.

Contact Greenport columnist Joan Dinizio at Lucky1inNY@aol.com or 477-9411.

The bathrooms at Southold Town’s beaches hadn’t been opened last month and beachgoers desperate for a bathroom break had been taking some extreme measures, Councilwoman Jill Doherty said at Tuesday’s Town Board meeting.

Town officials said the bathrooms weren’t open because lifeguards were not yet on duty for the summer. They are typically only open in July and August, Ms. Doherty said.

“The beaches have been packed,” Ms. Doherty said. “People are using other means to go to the bathroom, including knocking on people’s doors and going places they shouldn’t be.” The Town Board has now decided to keep the restrooms open on Saturdays and Sundays during September. Next year, Ms. Doherty said, the restrooms will also be open in June as well.

The town already has staff who can open the bathrooms in the morning and clean them at night, so the town won’t incur any extra expense to keep them open, Ms. Doherty said.

If the change does cause problems with staff, said Councilman William Ruland, it’ll be easily fixed.

“If it doesn’t work, it just won’t continue,” he said.

Photo Credit: Paul Squire 

Boaters looking to use Riverhead Town’s South Jamesport boat ramp this year have been met with an unexpected surprise: combined fees that have doubled for town residents and jumped to $275 for out-of-towners.

Since the new fees went into effect, residents and town officials said, they’ve dealt with threats from angry boaters.

“Everybody is just pissed off,” said Phil Piegarri of Jamesport, who was upset he recently had to pay an additional five dollars as a senior citizen to use the ramp. “Here’s an extra charge that they snuck in on us.”

The South Jamesport boat ramp, which is used by recreational and commercial fishermen, was previously free to use since it was owned by New York State. Town residents were only required to pay a $15 parking fee — five dollars for senior citizens.

This year, the state relinquished control of the ramp to the town, which added another $15 fee for town residents to use the ramp itself.

“There’s never been a fee implemented at this ramp before,” Mr. Piegarri said. “Now, for some reason, they’re raising money and they’re implementing new fees on boaters.”

Non-Riverhead Town residents must now pay $75 per season to use the ramp, plus $200 for a seasonal parking pass.

“It’s like fee gouging,” said Mary Griffin, a Mattituck resident who has used the ramp for years. “That’s a good chunk of change.”

Ms. Griffin said she was unhappy the ramp was given to the town without the public’s knowledge or input, adding: “I think anybody who doesn’t live in Riverhead Town would have opposed it.”

But Ray Coyne, the town’s parks and recreation director, said the new fees for non-Riverhead Town residents match what other Suffolk County towns charge for their boat ramps.

“We’re here to serve the Town of Riverhead residents, not out-of-town residents,” Mr. Coyne said. He added that all funds generated by the new fees will be deposited into an account meant specifically for repairs and maintenance at the South Jamesport ramp — squashing rumors that the money would be distributed elsewhere in town.

Mr. Coyne hung around the ramp during the first few days of this year’s season to explain the new fees and try to cool off incensed boaters.

“It’s a change,” he said. “It’s definitely change and people don’t like that.”

Photo Caption: Riverhead Town recently increased the fees at the South Jamesport boat ramp, doubling the costs for residents and driving the price up to $275 for out-of-town residents. Riverhead officials said the fees are in line with other town’s charges. (Credit: Paul Squire)

psquire@timesreview.com

It’s tough being a turtle on Long Island.

“Turtle Rescue,” answered Karen Testa last week on the “emergency line” at the century-old farmhouse at 111 Manor Lane in Jamesport, where she and her staff care for the amphibians. 

It was another in a blizzard of daily and nightly calls about a turtle in need.

“I sleep with the phone next to my bed,” she explained. “I’m here 24-7.”

The turtles have come from all over Long Island, Ms. Testa said.

She enumerated the many threats facing turtles here. Cars on all the highways regularly run into and over them. Bulldozers involved in construction are devastating to the creatures. Boat propellers rip into turtles in Long Island waters. Pieces of fishing line ensnare them. Pesticides, weed-killers and other chemicals leave turtles sick. People take hatchling turtles from Long Island shores. Ms. Testa’s list of the perils turtles face goes on and on.

She was 3 years old, Ms. Testa recounted, when she had an experience that sparked her commitment to take care of turtles. She was visiting her grandmother in Worcester, Mass., and they were visiting a park.

“I saw a turtle with three legs,” she recalled. “I felt so sorry for this animal and what it had gone through — a leg ripped from its body.”

This resulted in a “place in my heart” for turtles, Ms. Testa said.

A New York State licensed wildlife rehabilitator with other state certifications to care for turtles, Ms. Testa, who is from the Village of Poquott near Setauket, went to Southampton College, where she majored in marine biology. She volunteered at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays and then “branched off” to establish Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons. (Although it’s on the North Fork, Hamptons has continued to be included in its formal name because of its origin with Ms. Testa’s work at the Wildlife Rescue Center.) Turtles, she explained, “need special care” different from the care provided for “mammals and avians.”

Turtle Rescue is a not-for-profit 501c3 charitable endeavor that is always looking for donations. As its website states, “Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild chelonian species native to Long Island, to provide sanctuary with a high quality of life for those who have sustained permanent disability, and to allow injured animals to live out their lives with dignity and respect. We work to promote a safe and healthy natural environment by providing public education services regarding the threats and challenges facing our native population.”

It goes on to note that Turtle Rescue’s “state of the art rehabilitation facility” is called “Turtle Manor.” (Until writing this column, I didn’t know about the word chelonian but, as Google explains, it denotes “a turtle, terrapin, or tortoise.”)

I didn’t know about Turtle Rescue either until my old friend Jennifer Puleston Clement of Brookhaven sent me a message on Facebook relating how she had found a box turtle that “some low-life driver smashed up” and was referred by a local “rehab center” to Ms. Testa’s “full-time turtle-exclusive” facility.

“This woman is sincere in her devotion to the rehabilitation of our dwindling population of turtles,” Ms. Clement said, suggesting a piece be written.

At Turtle Manor “every room has a special purpose,” Ms. Testa said. This includes a room called an ICU and facilities to perform X-rays and provide oxygen to ill turtles. Outside are small ponds.

Ms. Testa, the executive director of Turtle Rescue, is assisted by three licensed veterinarians, two licensed vet technicians and three marine biologists.

“We’ve been super busy from the day we opened,” she said. There are good Samaritans (like Ms. Puleston) bringing turtles to Turtle Rescue and there is the constant stream of phone calls leading to the picking up of turtles in trouble and bringing them back to Turtle Manor for care. The number of the emergency line at Turtle Rescue is 631-779-3737. Its website is turtlerescueofthehamptons.org.

Representative of the plight of turtles on Long Island is the situation involving the Box Turtle, that sweet creature common for so long here. However, noted Ms. Testa last week, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently listed Box Turtles as “a species of special concern.”

“Box Turtles were common on Long Island, but not any longer because of habitat destruction,” she said.

Atop the Turtle Rescue website is this appeal: “Help us save turtles. Please don’t turn your back on an injured turtle! They depend on us to make a difference.”

Photo Caption: Karen Testa, executive director of Turtle Rescue, has dedicated her life to protecting the wild chelonian species native to Long Island. (Credit: Karl Grossman)

The author is a veteran journalist and professor and a member of the Press Club of Long Island’s Journalism Hall of Fame. His Suffolk Closeup column is syndicated in newspapers across the county.

Normally, when someone hears a truck driving around town ringing a bell, they assume ice cream is right around the corner.

That won’t necessarily be the case this summer in Greenport.

Beginning July 12, Greenport Elementary School principal Joseph Tsaveras will fill a minibus or minivan with over 600 books for students through grade 6 and then drive around the village.

Every Tuesday for five weeks, students will be able to borrow a book free of charge and exchange it for a different one the following week. The last ride of the summer will take place Aug. 16.

“We’re trying to get kids to have books in their hands to read throughout the summer,” Mr. Tsaveras said. “We’re trying to promote reading and literacy with our kids in a fun way.”

In addition to Greenport’s residential neighborhoods, Mr. Tsaveras said stops will include Mitchell Park, Third Street Park and Fifth Street Park. In order to fill the vehicle he’ll be driving, he has asked elementary school teachers to recommend age-appropriate books they think students would enjoy.

Mr. Tsaveras said he was meeting with administration members when Superintendent David Gamberg mentioned Medford Elementary School began a summer bookmobile program in July 2003, when he was principal there. He said he “placed a magnetic sign on the side of [his] Ford Explorer, had bins of books in the back of the vehicle, rang a bell and traveled the community delivering books each week at designated locations.”

For at least five years after Mr. Gamberg left the district, his successor continued the program. Hearing this sparked the idea to adapt the program to suit Greenport.

“Being such a walking town and a tight-knit community, just driving the town I’m going to see the kids,” Mr. Tsaveras said. “They know who I am and they’ll feel comfortable.”

When students return a book they have borrowed, they’ll be given a postcard to fill out with some information about the book and what they liked about it. Mr. Tsaveras will deliver the postcards to teachers so that when school resumes in September they can share what they read with their classes.

Mr. Gamberg added that the administration may expand the concept down the road by bringing healthy snacks from the school garden to hand out with the books.

Mr. Tsaveras said the library on wheels concept couples with both the summer school program for first- to fourth-graders and with a book club for fifth- and sixth-graders run by assistant elementary school teacher Amy Gammon.

“It’s so important for kids to always be reading,” he said. “It’s not just a summer thing; it’s not just a during school thing. I think kids need to read all year long and for nine to 10 weeks of summer. If they’re not reading at all, that’s not good.

“There’s such a thing called regression,” he continued. “We want to get books in students’ hands so that they’re reading throughout the summer, they’re reading throughout the school year and reading because it’s who they are.”

nsmith@timesreview.com

Photo credit: Greenport Elementary School, courtesy

In her commencement address, Mattituck High School valedictorian Katherine Hoeg recalled learning one of life’s great lessons. When she started high school she couldn’t wait to graduate; now, she is saddened by the thought of leaving the people and school she came to love. Also present at the graduation were members of the 25th anniversary Class of 1991, including class president Jennifer Foster, who gave a funny, well-written speech; and members of the 50th anniversary Class of 1966, including Jeffrey Smith and his wife, Susie. Special recognition went to 50-year alumna Carol McCaffrey and granddaughter Cecilia Stevens, who graduated with honors and numerous scholarships. Here’s to the Class of 2016. May your lives be filled with great discoveries and much success! As salutatorian Jack Dufton said, quoting Dory from “Finding Nemo”: “Keep on swimming!” Congratulations and God bless!

Congratulations also go to the moving up Class of 2016. May your years ahead in Mattituck be filled with awe, learning and good friends!

Cutchogue New Suffolk Library’s annual book sale is almost here. Please consider donating those gently used books, CDs, DVDs, games and puzzles that are collecting dust. Items will be accepted Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning Thursday, July 7.

Janine Harrigan of Cutchogue, who is Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild’s July artist of the month, has been involved in art all her life, doing drawings and paintings and making jewelry and stained glass. Her work is now on view at the Guild Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-734-6382 or visit oldtownartsguild.org.

Congratulations to Karen Gatz, who received support and understanding from her family during her three-year journey toward earning a master’s degree in predictive analytics from Northwestern University. All the best!

Group for the East End has lots of Cut­chogue family fun on tap. On Friday, July 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Downs Farm Preserve, kids ages 4 and up can use marine debris of all kinds to create a wildlife sculpture. On Thursday, July 7, from 10 a.m. to noon, there’s a Family Scavenger Hunt at Pequash Beach (family donation suggested). On Saturday, July 9, a Native American Talking Stick workshop is set for 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the preserve. Local artist Toni Valderrama will help kids ages 2-5 make a cultural art piece. Finally, on Tuesday, July 12, 11 a.m. to noon, kids ages 2 to 5 can enjoy storytime with Kerri from Barefoot Books, create a craft and explore the nature center. For reservations or information, email Jessica Kennelly at jkennelly@eastendenvironment.org.

The New Suffolk Waterfront Fund has two events planned for Case’s Place at the Galley Ho. On Saturday, July 9, at 10 a.m. there’s a talk and book signing with Zach Studenroth, author of “New Suffolk’s Early Days” and on Saturday, July 16, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., you can enjoy “Moonlight and Country on the Waterfront,” with country music and a country supper. All proceeds support revitalization of the New Suffolk waterfront property. For tickets and more information, visit http://newsuffolkwaterfront.org/.

Lauren Grant’s novel “The End is the Beginning” has been a labor of love. It’s a positive story about a successful couple whose relationship is jeopardized by addiction and codependency. You can get a copy during her book signing at Cutchogue New Suffolk Library Saturday, July 30. It’s also available at Amazon.com.

Happy Fourth of July! Enjoy and be safe!

Contact Cutchogue-New Suffolk columnist Barbara Sheryll at bsheryll@optonline.net or 734-5242.

Hundreds of people lined up along the causeway, pier and beach Saturday night to watch a spectacular fireworks show in Orient.

A barge was anchored near the Orient Yacht Club, giving folks a perfect vantage point to watch the display put on by Grucci fireworks.

The return of fireworks to Orient was spearheaded by Theodore Strauel, a member of the Orient Yacht Club, and a community fundraising campaign.

Click on the photos below to enlarge images.

Every Fourth of July, more than a thousand people line the streets of Southold, carrying balloons and small American flags as they celebrate the country’s anniversary. 

Crowds have gathered to watch the parade, which features horses, decorated bikes, antique cars and themed floats, for the past 18 years. And they will do so again on Monday, July 4, thanks to the continuous efforts of sisters Carol Scott and Joan Tyrer.

“No matter what people do on the Fourth, their day always starts with the parade,” Ms. Tyrer said.

Ms. Tyrer said she developed the idea for the event after a man stopped her one summer to ask what the town was doing to celebrate the holiday. “Not much,” she replied.

So she began talking to Ms. Scott, and the two eventually decided to spearhead a patriotic parade for the town they’ve lived in for more than 50 years. In fact, the sisters have businesses located next door to each other on Main Road — Ms. Scott owns Bath & Linens of Southold and Ms. Tyrer owns Joan Tyrer Realty.

“It was a very small hometown hokey parade,” Ms. Scott said of the inaugural 1997 event.

While the parade has grown substantially since then, Ms. Scott said it has retained its focus on community. During the procession, community members — mostly children — wear costumes made by Ms. Scott or Ms. Tyrer or donated by dedicated parade enthusiasts. This year, Ms. Tyrer said, there will be floats featuring Thomas Jefferson and the Statue of Liberty.

A picture of a Thomas Jefferson float from a previous parade. The themed float will make an appearance in Monday’s festivities. (Credit: Nicole Smith)

Additionally, youngsters adorn their bikes with red, white and blue decorations, horses march down Main Road and car enthusiasts drive antique models. Local ROTC groups, historical societies, baseball teams and Boy and Girl Scouts troops also participate.

The parade, which lasts around 30 minutes and ends with a barbecue, is funded almost entirely by donations from residents. The sisters set up donation boxes at Southold Pharmacy and the Village Liquor Store beforehand.

During the event, volunteers pass out balloons and flags to participants. They also carry buckets seeking donations for the following year’s celebration. The parade begins at the intersection of Main Road and Hobart Avenue each year and proceeds to the American Legion Hall.

“It’s the community’s doing,” Ms. Scott said. “The cash comes from the community through donations. The town helps, too.”

A few years after the parade began, the Southold Town Board approved Ms. Scott and Ms. Tyrer’s idea to hang American flags throughout Southold between South Harbor Road and Bay Home Road from May to October. In total, 120 flags hang from telephone poles throughout Southold during warm-weather months.

Every year, the sisters spend weeks examining each flag to make sure it’s presentable enough to be flown. This means they can’t be ripped or fading. This year, 75 flags were replaced. On average, they need to be replaced every two years, Ms. Tyrer said.

“People love the flags,” she said. “They take the flags very personally. I think they’re very proud to have these flags hanging in their town.”

Top Photo Caption: Sisters Carol Scott (left) and Joan Tyrer have organized the annual Fourth of July parade in Southold for nearly two decades, and will do so again on Monday. (Credit: Nicole Smith)

nsmith@timesreview.com

He retired from his job as an electrician in 1999, but Nick Ranieri still averages an eight-hour workday.

Each morning, the 78-year-old Mattituck resident rises around 7 a.m. An hour or two later, he laces his white New Balance sneakers and retreats to his impressive backyard vegetable garden, where he spends the rest of the day painstakingly tending to the countless varieties of produce that flourish there.

“It’s what keeps me going,” said Mr. Ranieri, who immigrated to New York City in 1965 from his hometown of Mola di Bari, in Italy’s southeastern Puglia region. “I’m 78. This is good for your mind and your health, also.”

Mr. Ranieri doesn’t sell his fruit or vegetables to the public, opting instead to share his considerable bounty with family and friends and store any leftovers in the freezer. Nonetheless, strangers have taken notice of his 150-by-100-foot garden. In fact, Mr. Ranieri’s Old World practices are now being documented by the Italian Garden Project, a Pittsburgh organization whose mission, according to its website, is to “celebrate the joy and wisdom inherent in the traditional Italian-American vegetable garden, preserving this heritage and demonstrating its relevance for reconnecting to our food, our families, and the earth.”

Mary Ann Pietanza, a Staten Island writer who is helping the project document Mr. Ranieri’s garden through photos and interviews, said she heard about him through word-of-mouth.

“We were looking specifically for gardeners who are real intense,” Ms. Pietanza said. “They garden in such a way that they graft their trees … They’re very creative in their gardening practices.”

The ninth of 11 children, Mr. Ranieri believes his ancestors along the Adriatic Sea have likely always been farmers.

“In Puglia, the south of Italy, there is no industry,” he said. “In a town of 25,000 people, you have farming and fishing.”

According to Ms. Pietanza, southern Italians were once referred to as “the peasantry.”

“They were the farmers of the country,” she said. “They didn’t rely on education; they relied on the land.”

Mr. Ranieri’s parents, Vito Antonio and Pasqua, made a living selling artichokes and table grapes. But Mola di Bari’s variable weather and ancient wells eventually made Mr. Ranieri decide to relocate to the United States.

“They said it was a land of opportunity,” he recalled. “It was, especially the year I came here. And it still is.”

Mr. Ranieri, 78, typically devotes eight hours a day to his garden, where everything from potatoes to chicory root and lemons are grown. (Credit: Rachel Young)

Despite leaving Italy behind, Mr. Ranieri literally brought a piece of home with him to America — in the form of chicory, Swiss chard and Roma tomato seeds. After he was hired as an electrician with Local Union 3, he and his wife, Rosa, settled in Flushing, Queens, with their two children, Pasqua and Anthony. In that urban environment, Mr. Ranieri cultivated a 30-by-30-foot vegetable garden.

“He worked a hard life and while working as an electrician he still had his garden,” said his daughter-in-law, Samantha Ranieri of Franklin Square. “He made sure that he kept it going.”

By 1986, Mr. Ranieri had discovered the North Fork. Enchanted, he purchased an 8.6-acre farm that same year in Northville, where he planted “whatever his family ate.” Sometimes, he recounted with a laugh, local potato farmers stopped their tractors to joke that he was putting them to shame.

Mr. Ranieri eventually sold his Northville property and in 2001 he and his wife bought a house in Mattituck. It was then, Ms. Ranieri said, that her father-in-law’s garden “exploded.”

Today, it’s difficult to discern just how many varieties of crops Mr. Ranieri grows on his 1.6-acre property in a cul-de-sac off Sound Road. In addition to 45 artichoke plants, he cares for 15 lemon trees and at least 30 other types of fruits, vegetables and herbs. During the winter, Mr. Ranieri tends to selected plants in his backyard greenhouse.

He still uses a homemade irrigation system he invented more than a quarter-century ago with PVC piping and he protects his artichokes from the cold by draping them with heavy sheets of plastic, using fans to promote air circulation. By doing so, he’s able to harvest the flowering vegetable one month earlier than usual.

“We always say he has a ‘gold’ thumb,” Ms. Ranieri said. “He is a scientist. His greenhouse is his lab.”

Mr. Ranieri has a particular penchant for grafting, a horticultural technique in which tissues from one plant are inserted into another so that they can be joined together. He has successfully used the practice to grow five types of pears on a single tree and nurse other trees back to health.

“He grafted a tree that was sick with a tree that was more disease-resistant so that he could make the tree that was dying healthier,” Ms. Pietanza recalled. “That’s pretty ingenious, I would say.”

In addition to concocting ways to accelerate the growing process, Mr. Ranieri spends time patiently educating his children and four grandchildren about the art of gardening.

“Unfortunately,” he pointed out, “times are different. I wish more young people would get into that, to carry some of that experience and the benefit of that. You guys today — computer, computer, computer. Nobody wants to do the physical work, but the physical work is good.”

For Ms. Pietanza, this makes the process of documenting Mr. Ranieri’s garden all the more important. Old World-style American farmers like him, she said, are getting older. Eventually, they’ll all be gone.

“It’s going to be a lost art,” she said.

Top Photo Caption: Artichokes are among the vegetables Nick Ranieri of Mattituck grows in his backyard garden. (Credit: Rachel Young)

ryoung@timesreview.com

The state of Southold Town’s roadways has become the complaint heard most often from residents, Supervisor Scott Russell said Tuesday. 

And the Town Board will soon have to decide how best to address the distressed roads, which were seriously damaged by a string of harsh winters.

Mr. Russell said the town may be able to take out a $5 million bond for the repairs, but the move could affect the town’s strong credit rating, he said. And choosing to add just $2 million of that to the town’s annual budget would make the tax levy jump by as much as 7 percent, far exceeding the state mandated cap on spending increases.

The roads were damaged over the past three years, when cycles of freezing and thawing caused them to “heave” and break apart. Last fall, the Town Board was forced to add an extra $250,000 to the town’s highway budget to make necessary repairs before the winter.

Between the town’s own money and state-allocated funds, Southold Town roads underwent almost $1 million in repairs. That’s still not enough to undo the damage, officials said.

According to Mr. Russell, the highway department is working on a priority list of problem roads that need repair, which will be used as the basis for the road repair project. The Town Board will discuss the findings, and how to pay for the repairs, at an upcoming work session.

Photo Credit: Paul Squire

How did the Oysterponds Historical Society book U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor as its special guest for Sunday’s Heritage Day celebration in Orient?

John Holzapfel, the historical society’s board president, simply wrote her a letter and asked if she would participate in the event’s reading of the Declaration of Independence following the Fourth of July parade — an annual tradition that goes back more 200 years.

Mr. Holzaphfel said he decided to reach out to Justice Sotomayor since he knew she’s familiar with the community because she’s summered with one of her staffers who recently retired and lives in Orient.

“I got the phone call about six weeks ago,” he said about Justice Sotomayor’s office calling to confirm she would attend. “I felt excited and honored that she would think of us and be willing to give us time.”

When Justice Sotomayor arrived, she toured the historical society’s grounds and enjoyed exhibits set up in different rooms throughout Village House. Justice Sotomayor then addressed the crowd from the steps of the Old Point Schoolhouse and called on citizens to continue “making this a more perfect Union.”

“It is important to remember that when they spoke in 1776 about all men being created equal, they were only talking about certain men and no women,” said Justice Sotomayor, who is the Supreme Court’s first Hispanic justice and third woman to be appointed in the court’s history. “It took us 100 years to include people of color in our Constitution as equal … It took another 150 years for the Women’s Suffrage Act to be passed, so we weren’t born a perfect Union.

“That’s not what the forefathers imagined,” she continued. “What they imaged is that all of us as citizens and participants in this great country would continue down that road … Thank you for being here today and affirming that we are still active in trying to create that place our forefathers wished for.”

After Justice Sotomayor recited the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, the reading was completed by Thomas Haley, Grace Griffin, Nate Stevenson, Ella Meredith-Jones, Jerie Newman and Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski.

Married couple Nancy Goldstein and Gail Cohan, who live part-time in Orient and attend the annual regularly, said they first learned Justice Sotomayor was going to make an appearance about a half hour before they arrived.

“I have never welled up listening to the Declaration of Independence — it was very touching,” Ms. Cohan said.

“She’s given us our rights,” Ms. Goldstein added. “Seeing her here, it was very moving.”

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Top photo: Justice Sonia Sotomayor reading the Declaration of Independence. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Click on the photos below to enlarge images.