JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Fliers of missing teen Ashley Murray could be spotted all across the East End Thursday, as the search for the 16-year-old from Peconic continues.

Before Brianne Catapano and Rachael Hornstein met up Thursday afternoon across the street from their high school, the two Southold natives had been only acquaintances.

Within a few hours though, a common interest brought them closer: They both want to find their friend, Ashley Murray.

The pair joined dozens of others Thursday, spending the afternoon handing out fliers across the North Fork, hoping to raise awareness of Ashley’s disappearance. The 16-year-old from Peconic has been missing since 8 a.m. Monday, according to Southold Town Police.

Ashley’s mother, Charlotte Murray, learned her daughter was missing after receiving a call from school officials. She later found a note from her daughter, which she called a “suicide note” and said it made reference to a “watery grave.”

POLICE RESPONSE

Law enforcement officials are expected to hold a press briefing Friday to report the steps they’ve taken since Ashley’s disappearance, which Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said includes calling in the FBI and personality profilers.

Southold Police initially employed a marine patrol, its canine unit and a Suffolk County Police helicopter to perform a physical search Monday morning, but later focused their investigation on the possibility that she may have left the area. They then ended the active local search Monday afternoon and began to concentrate on examining phone and computer records, and interviewing close friends and family, police said.

Police did not release an official missing person report until Wednesday morning, more than 50 hours after Ashley’s disappearance. Law enforcement officials said Ashley’s case does not fit criteria for an “Amber Alert,” since she is not believed to have been abducted.

FRIENDS SEARCH

The lack of an Amber Alert did not stop local residents from conducting their own searches and using social media to reach thousands of concerned web surfers from across the country.

“I want her to come home,” Rachael said as she walked down Front Street in Greenport, holding a stack of fliers.

“We all do,” said Ms. Catapano, who scheduled a search party Thursday to find her friend of four years. She organized the event through her Facebook page “Ashley Come Home,” which was followed by over 2,400 Facebook users as of Thursday night.

More than 40 local residents met across the street from Southold High School to participate in the search. Ms. Catapano originally wanted the group of volunteers to search under bridges and along the waterfront, but those plans were altered after Southold Town police asked that they focus their efforts on handing out fliers instead.

Ms. Catapano told the crowd that police feared a search party could contaminate evidence. She then asked them to break into groups and hand out fliers from Riverhead to Orient.

“We just want to spread as many fliers around and make sure her face is known so if anyone has recognized her they can come forward,” Ms. Catapano said.

The last time she spoke to Ashley, who is a sophomore at Southold High School, was about a week ago and she said they planned to hang out this week.

“It’s been very hard,” Ms. Catapano said. “I haven’t gotten much sleep.”

Ashley is 5-foot 4-inches and 140 pounds with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, her mother, Charlotte Murray, said. She was last seen wearing red sweatpants “four sizes too big,” black boots and a zip-up sweatshirt with a hood. Police added that she has a scar on her right wrist and wears hearing aids in both ears.

Many of her friends and classmates have said Ashley, who they say was bisexual, was often bullied in school.

“People knew she was depressed and still made fun of her,” Ms. Catapano said. “It’s very sad.”

Cora Small, 14, said she decided to join the volunteer effort because she misses her friend who helped her fit in at school.

“She’s nice and accepts people for who they are,” Cora said. “This just crushes me.”

SCHOOLS REACT

Superintendent David Gamberg said some of Ashley’s friends who attend school in Greenport received suicidal text messages from her Monday morning. Those students notified their school social worker, he said, who then contacted a social worker at Southold High School. Mr. Gamberg said the district then immediately contacted the Southold Town Police Department and has been cooperating with police since the investigation began.

Greenport High School principal Leonard Skuggevik said Thursday the district is “incredibly proud” of its students and staff’s quick response.

“They are currently organizing their ideas to assist in the search and we are talking with the Southold Police Department to ensure each idea will be helpful and not harmful to their investigation,” he said.

In December, Greenport schools hosted Todd Lauderdale of the national anti-bullying program “Rachel’s Challenge,” which is based on the writings of 17-year-old Rachel Scott, the first student killed during the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.

Following his presentation, Mr. Lauderdale helped the district form a student group that pledged to surround themselves with positive role models and become kinder to their peers — especially special needs, new and picked-on students — in an effort to deter bullying.

In an interview with The Suffolk Times Thursday, Mr. Lauderdale said he was pleased with how Greenport students handled the situation by notifying school officials and described Ashley’s disappearance as “tragic.”

“These are the very things we’re trying to combat and prevent from happening,” he said.

Mr. Lauderdale said while his group promotes proactive anti-bullying steps in schools, it also encourages students to seek help if they are in need.

“If kids are struggling with suicidal thoughts, depression or feeling isolated, counseling through the school or independent professional help is crucially needed,” he said.

Mr. Gamberg said this week that Southold High School has been encouraging students to speak with counselors since Ashley’s disappearance.

FATHER’S PREVIOUS ARREST

Ashley lives in Peconic with her mother and her older brother. She has been estranged from her father, Kenneth Payne of Shelter Island, since she was an infant, according to a 2004 New York Times story. Mr. Payne served six years in prison for the 1998 shooting death of his neighbor, Curtis Cook, court records show. Ashley was 18 months old at the time of the shooting.

Mr. Cook, a long time friend of Mr. Payne’s, had been arrested two weeks before his death and charged with sodomizing an 8-year-old girl, the New York Times reported. Mr. Payne told investigators at the time that Mr. Cook had threatened Ashley and her mother on the night he was killed, court records show. He was later acquitted following an appeal.

Ms. Murray won a court battle over the custody of Ashley after her father was released from prison, according to state records.

jennifer@timesreview.com

With Grant Parpan, Paul Squire and Tim Kelly

BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO | The actual ribbon cutting occurred about 10:45 a.m. Friday.

More than 100 people turned out Friday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at downtown Riverhead’s newly renovated Suffolk Theater.

The area of East Main Street outside the theater had been shut to traffic for most of the morning, as crowds gathered to listen to period music from Bob Barta and the Sunnyland Jazz Band, which performed on a red carpet under the theater’s digital marquis — as bubbles rained from the sky.

Theater ownes Bob and Dianne Castaldi and theater executive director Bob Spiotto were joined by town officials, county lawmakers and representatives of county Executive Steve Bellone and New York Governor Andew Cuomo.

Officials agreed the theater will help in the continued revival of downtown and act as a magnet to attract new business.

YMCA OF LONG ISLAND RENDERING | The YMCA released this design of a proposed facility when it was eyeing a site in Aquebogue.

After almost 15 years of trying to build a YMCA facility in Riverhead Town or the Riverhead area and getting nowhere, Peconic YMCA co-founder Joe Van de Wetering said his board — which hasn’t made any firm decisions yet — just might end up calling it quits.

This comes after new leadership at the parent group, YMCA of Long Island, rejected a site at the Enterprise Park at Calverton that the town was willing to offer up for free.

Riverhead Town officials approved the measure last year, and had been hoping to get a lease signed by December or January.

“At some point, you’ve got to say, let’s be realistic and throw in the towel,” Mr. Van de Wetering told the News-Review, acknowledging that ending their effort is one of the options being considered.

Mr. Van de Wetering said that while he’s hopeful something can be worked out, “We’ve got some basic conflicts with the [Long Island] YMCA” group, which must be on board and approve of any Y facility built in the region.

Peconic YMCA publicly announced its plans to bring a YMCA to Riverhead in January 2000, at which time it appeared the group had a site near County Road 105 and Route 25 in Aquebogue. But those plans fell through, and the group has since looked at a number of other properties, some connected with unpopular development proposals, some in locations that met opposition from neighbors and some that the Peconic YMCA board ultimately decided against.

The Calverton proposal, while farther west then the group initially wanted, got further along than any of the others and appeared to be on the verge of being constructed after the Town Board agreed to donate 7.3 acres at EPCAL for the Peconic YMCA and had begun negotiating a deal to lease, and eventually give, the property to the YMCA in exchange for certain services spelled out in the agreement.

But in December, YMCA of Long Island’s president and CEO, Anne Brigis, who replaced longtime president and CEO Michael Famiglietti in July, notified the town that the YMCA was considering a location on Riverhead School District property rather than EPCAL.

The town then directed its outside attorneys to stop work on the EPCAL lease agreement.

“I’m very disappointed in the YMCA of Long Island,” Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter said this week. “They came out here, and we spent a lot of time and energy negotiating on the Calverton site. Members of their board of directors testified at the public hearing as to what a great site it was.”

Mr. Famiglietti, who retired in July, had supported the EPCAL site.

“I’m very disappointed they are not coming to Calverton and I wish them the best of luck,” Mr. Walter said. “But I have a feeling the decisions that they are making are probably going to affect their backers.

“The Long Island Y may have actually killed a Riverhead YMCA project, and that really is unfortunate for the residents of the East End.”

The supervisor said that as far as he’s concerned, the EPCAL deal is dead and the town will probably try to sell that property, which runs along Route 25.

He said he still doesn’t know what brought about the YMCA’s “180-degree turn” on the EPCAL site.

Mr. Van der Wetering said the YMCA of Long Island is waiting for the Peconic YMCA board to decide what it wants to do, adding that YMCA of Long Island is willing to look at other sites — in addition to the school district property — which would involve starting from scratch.

As for the EPCAL site, YMCA of Long Island officials “have basically told us that it is out of the picture,” he said.

Fritz Trinklien, director of strategic planning for YMCA of Long Island, who had worked with Peconic YMCA and visited the area many times — in Town Hall, with potential donors, civic leaders or the News-Review editorial team — has been taken off the project, Mr. Van der Wetering said.

“They have a new regime that’s in charge and they want to see things done differently,” he said.

The Peconic YMCA board initially wanted a site closer to the Riverhead Zip code and felt EPCAL was too far west. But the seven-acre site was essentially being donated by the town and the Peconic YMCA board ultimately decided to go with it, Mr. Van der Wetering said, adding that it’s frustrating to see that plan fall apart again after so many years.

“We’ve been working on this for a long time,” he said. “It’s always something standing in the way. We just never expected to see this happen.”

Ms. Brigis has not returned calls seeking comment.

A call to Scott Sammis, president of the YMCA of Long Island’s board of directors, also was not returned.

Riverhead School Superintendent Nancy Carney said last week that she has not heard anything new from YMCA of Long Island officials since December.

tgannon@timesreview.com

MICHAEL WHITE PHOTO | The Intuition II, shown here in 2012, is one of the largest private yachts in the world. It’s docked each summer across the bay in Sag Harbor.

The Greenport Village Board voted Monday night to approve on electrical upgrades to the east pier at Mitchell Park Marina, a project that could cost as much as $400,000.

The village will pay for the work by floating bonds, with the expectation that some of the expense will be recovered through increased revenue from the rental of docks with upgraded electrical connections, Mayor David Nyce said at Monday’s meeting.

The move is aimed at luring mega yachts, some of whose captains are in negotiations to help Greenport foot the bill for the electrical power, to the deepwater port, the mayor said.

Many of those mega yachts dock part-time in Sag Harbor, but when their owners aren’t on board, professional captains and crews have the option to dock where they please, said Mr. Nyce, adding that many captains prefer to be in Greenport.

“The owners don’t care but the crews would prefer to be here than Sag Harbor,” he said. “It’s easier to get in and out [of the port] and there’s more for them to do.

“We’re in a Catch 22 with mega yachts. They do bring in a lot of money,” said Mr. Nyce, adding that the yachts also require expanded services. “I’m comfortable we’ll realize a return on that investment.”

Also at Monday’s board meeting, fisherman Sidney Smith asked the board why they were allowing the New York City fireboat Fire Fighter to dock at the railroad dock, which he said is supposed to be reserved for commercial fishermen.

Mr. Smith said he believes there’s a severe problem with electrolysis in the water surrounding the pier, which causes premature rusting and deterioration of metal boat materials.

He said his own boat has 60 zincs on its keel, small detachable pieces of zinc attached to the hull to absorb the electrolysis. He said he has to replace them all each year at a cost of $75 apiece.

“You’ve got a lot of problems down there. There are live electrical wires everywhere, wires in the water,” he said. “There’s electrolysis down there to beat the band. I give it a year and a half [for the fireboat] and you’ve got a problem.

The fireboat is currently docked at Mitchell Park Marina pending a determination by Suffolk County on whether it can dock at the railroad pier instead.

“I’m not against any fireboat,” said Mr. Smith, “but it’s filled in there. I draw 11.5 feet in the middle of the dock and I churn up mud. That boat’s not going to fit in there. If it goes up there, it’ll never get out of there.”

Mr. Nyce said the village intends to work out the docking logistics with the owners of boats currently using the railroad dock.

byoung@timesreview.com

VERA CHINESE FILE PHOTO | The Valero gas station on Main Road in Cutchogue.

State police troopers arrested one clerk during an undercover sting operation Thursday to test whether store employees would sell alcohol to a minor in Southold Town, authorities said.

But 12 other stores passed the test, state police said.

Mohammad Ayub, 51, of Flanders was the one person nabbed in the sting, police said.

Mr. Ayub, a clerk at Valero Food Mart on Main Road in Cutchogue, was charged with unlawful dealing with a child, a misdemeanor, and a state alcohol sales violation, police said.

No other details were available.

KATHARINE SCHROEDER FILE PHOTO | The Miss Nancy fishing boat moves through Greenport Harbor.

Life could get just a little easier for East End commercial fishermen if a bill Senator Kenneth LaValle (R-C-Port Jefferson) ushered through the New York State Senate has the same support in the Assembly.

The bill that passed the Senate with only a single negative vote would allow commercial fishermen to aggregate their daily catch limits over a seven-day period. A fisherman could, for example, catch three times his daily quota on Monday and two times the limit on Wednesday and then stay off the water until the following Monday, thereby conserving fuel. The bill that passed the Senate would also allow individuals, each of whom had a fishing license, to go out together in the same boat with each able to take a daily or aggregate limit.

“Fuel for running a fishing boat is extremely costly,” Mr. LaValle said, noting that it “significantly cuts into the already slim profits” fishermen get.

Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. (I-Sag Harbor), who is shepherding the bill through the Assembly, said he and Mr. LaValle drafted the bill together in consultation with local fishermen.

While the Assembly is focused on getting a budget passed by the April 1 deadline, Mr. Thiele said as soon as that’s accomplished, the fishing bill would move ahead.

“It’s a bill that is high on my list,” Mr. Thiele said.

Assuming the Assembly gives the legislation the go-ahead, it would go to Governor Andrew Cuomo for his signature.

jlane@timesreview.com

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Joseph Tsaveras says a big challenge as an educator is keeping focus on education and not letting outside influences interfere.

Greenport Elementary School principal Joseph Tsaveras is getting cozy in the post he’s held for the past three years.

That’s because Mr. Tsaveras, 43, of East Quogue, was granted tenure last Monday night during the school board’s regular meeting. The board voted 4-0 to approve Mr. Tsaveras’ permanent post, scheduled to begin July 1. Board member Michael Mazzaferro was absent from the meeting.

Prior to coming to Greenport, Mr. Tsaveras, who is married and has two small children, worked as a district administrator at the William Floyd School District in Mastic Beach. He said he decided to switch careers and become a principal when the position opened at Greenport Elementary School because he wanted to have more direct involvement with students’ education.

Mr. Tsaveras said he was excited when he recently found out the district wanted to keep him long term.

“I must be doing something right,” a smiling Mr. Tsaveras said this week. “It’s more of a feeling of accomplishment … looked at as in a positive note.”

We interviewed Mr. Tsaveras moments before he was granted tenure. The following was excerpted from our conversation:

Q: Why did you decide to become an elementary school principal?

A: My first goal getting into education was to help kids … Both my parents were very involved in my life and supported me. My parents started a parents club in 1980 at my high school [Valley Stream North High School] and it’s still running today. It was for all extracurricular activities.

From the football team to the chess team, they would sponsor and help support the kids that went to all of those activities … When you’re in the classroom, you make a difference for the kids who are directly in front of you. When you’re overseeing the building, you get to make a difference for all of the kids.

Q: What are some of the challenges facing elementary school principals?

A: I think the biggest challenge is trying to keep the staff and the kids focused on the goal, which is educating and making kids smarter and not let all of those outside influences derail what we’re trying to do. We’ve developed more open communication and support for the teachers in order to take stress off and let them know that they are doing a great job, which they are.

A person that is happy and loves their job tends to do a better job. I think some of our parents feel the stress, too, because they’re seeing things that they didn’t see when they were kids. We try to support our families as well by sending as much information home as possible in both languages, English and Spanish. We invite them into the school so they’re a part of what goes on in the classroom, in our assemblies, programs and celebrations.

It’s challenging because their lives are busy as well and we try to keep them aware of what’s going on.

Q: Which accomplishments are you most proud of?

A: Keeping with traditions and building on the success Greenport has had over the years. The staff here has always been a family and worked close together. I always felt to build on that was to make more opportunities for teachers to collaborate and work together. I didn’t feel I had to come in and make changes on what went on here because it was a [national] Blue Ribbon school my first year here. It was more about how to make it flourish even better by making schedules that matched the needs of the staff and students.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: My favorite part of the job is dealing with the kids and working closely with the teachers. There’s nothing like walking into a kindergarten class. If you’re having one of those days, you walk in there and it all goes away. They are just great … I think my long-term goal as principal is to build on the success we have here at Greenport and to continue to move in the right direction for our kids.

My personal goal is to stay in Greenport, grow with the district and face the challenges along the way.

jennifer@timesreview.com 

GIANNA VOLPE FILE PHOTO | An aerial view of Rabbit Lane in East Marion following Hurricane Sandy.

Southold Town is considering signing a pledge to become a “Climate Smart Community,” a program sponsored by the state Department of Environmental Conservation that helps towns reduce carbon emissions, protect shorelines and provide flood insurance rate reductions for residents.

David Bert of Cameron Engineering was hired by the State Energy Research and Development Authority to help towns implement the program.

He told the Town Board at Tuesday’s work session that the state is making $30 million available to municipalities in each of the next three years to help combat climate change.

“There’s certainly more emphasis coming out of Albany on that these days,” Mr. Bert said, referring to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s strong stance on fighting climate change.

Mr. Bert said the competitive grant program will likely begin this summer and communities that sign on to the pledge will receive more points toward their grant applications.

In the pledge, the town would agree to prepare a climate action plan, which Cameron Engineering could help the town develop at NYSERDA’s expense. The firm also provides mapping assistance.

Program organizers are planning a workshop on alternative fuels for municipal vehicle fleets on the East End on April 25, which will include a discussion of potential charging and fueling stations.

One of the ancillary benefits of signing the pledge, Mr. Bert said, is that it enables the town to qualify for the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating Program, which can help property owners get discounts ranging from 5 to 45 percent.

“There are a few municipalities on the island that do participate,” he said, adding that some of Southold’s public awareness programs and new building codes already in place would make residents eligible for discounts.

“It’s quite a process, but it’s useful,” he said.

PRESERVE NAMED FOR STOUTENBURGH

Also on Tuesday, board members approved renaming Arshamomaque Pond Preserve on Route 25 in Southold as the Paul Stoutenburgh Preserve, after the longtime North Fork environmentalist.

After learning of the honor, Mr. Stoutenburgh and his wife, Barbara, suggested the following wording for a plaque to be placed on a rock at the entrance to the park:

“With knowledge and the will to do what’s right, our world will blossom and keep on returning to us the delicate fragrance of May pinks in the woods, a spring run of flounder for dinner and ospreys to delight our heart and spirit.”

A public ribbon-cutting will be scheduled for this spring.

byoung@timesreview.com

TIM KELLY FILE PHOTO | Al Krupski won the special legislative election and he resigned from his seat on the Southold Town Board.

I’m beginning to have some serious second thoughts about voting for Al Krupski for Suffolk County legislator. And that’s only because if he hadn’t won, and subsequently resigned his seat on the Southold Town Board, Jim Dinizio wouldn’t have been appointed to replace him.

Is it naive to think that a Republican-dominated Town Board might appoint someone from Krupski’s own Democratic Party to replace him? (Short answer: Yes.) But appointing a Democrat would have meant preserving a modicum of ideological balance on the board, not to mention respecting the wishes of the majority of voters who have repeatedly re-elected Krupski to that local office.

Others might argue that, as a registered Conservative, Mr. Dinizio does bring balance to the Town Board, or that he’ll play the healthy role of the Town Board’s squeaky wheel. But I don’t buy it.

More likely he’ll be voting lock step with the GOP majority — and that, as we have painfully learned over the years, is a recipe for mischief. But as we also have learned from practical experience in Washington, the political pendulum usually swings in the opposite direction. So a few years from now don’t be surprised to hear complaints about too many Democrats, and too few Republicans, on the Town Board.

•••••

A month ago in this space, I raised the idea of establishing a local gun buyback program similar to those that have been established around the nation in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. More recently, the concept has been tentatively embraced by the chiefs of police of Southold, Shelter Island and Riverhead towns.

It’s too early to say exactly what form the program might take, but it seems likely to be a Second Amendment-respecting, voluntary, anonymous program aimed at getting old and surplus guns out of homes, where national statistics suggest the most accidents and suicides by guns take place. This is the last you will read about this issue in this space. Stay tuned for updates via the chiefs themselves.

•••••

Maureen Roslak of Southold is the winner of the Academy Award contest announced in this space two weeks ago. For correctly guessing all six winners (Best Movie: “Argo,” Best Director: Ang Lee, Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz and Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway), she wins a $100 gift certificate to the Mattituck Cinemas, courtesy of Times/Review NewsGroup. Congratulations, Maureen.

•••••

And some Oscar trivia: Former Greenport summer residents (they used to live on Seventh Street) Albie Hecht and Susan McLaury won Academy Awards Sunday night as co-executive producers of “Inocente,” chosen Best Short Documentary. According to the film’s website, it tells the story of 15-year-old Inocente, “a homeless, undocumented immigrant, who clings to her determination to become an artist in the face of a bleak future.”

It was McLaury and Hecht’s second Oscar nomination. Two years ago, they were nominated as co-producers of the documentary film “War/Dance.” They are co-founders of Shine Global, “a non-profit film production company dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of children worldwide.”

The family of Ashley Murray, a missing 16-year-old Peconic girl last seen leaving for school Monday, issued a statement Saturday thanking the public, police and media for helping in the search.

Below is the statement, unedited and in its entirety.

We would like to sincerely thank the community and everyone involved in the efforts to find Ashley and return her safely, and also those who have taken up the heart-felt tasks of supporting the family during this difficult time.

We also appreciate all News Reporters, News Teams and informants for their help and would like to extend both our genuine thanks for helping to spread the word in our search for Ashley, as well as our request for privacy at this point. We also would like to thank the Police and Authorities for all their efforts and continuing support and, God willing, to a quick and happy resolution to this matter.

Ashley is 5-foot, 4-inches tall and 140 pounds with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. She has a scar on her right wrist and uses hearing aids in both ears. She was last seen wearing a black and gray hooded sweatshirt, read sweatpants and black boots.

Anyone with information should contact Southold police at (631) 765-2600. Information will remain confidential.

Click here for additional news coverage and information.

KATHARINE SCHROEDER FILE PHOTO | The Oysterponds School on Route 25 in Orient.

Oysterponds School Superintendent Richard Malone presented his “worst case scenario” budget for the 2013-14 school year Tuesday night, which involves combining grades and teacher layoffs.

During the school board’s budget workshop at the Orient school, Mr. Malone said he was asked by the board to prepare a “zero-based budget” to show how much it would cost to operate with bare minimum mandates. That process involves presenting a spending plan that includes only state-mandated programs.

Although preschool and kindergarten aren’t mandated, Mr. Malone said he included them because he believes the early childhood education programs are critical.

His $4.9 million draft budget reflects a nearly 10 percent reduction from the current $5.6 million spending plan, Mr. Malone said. Over the next few weeks, the board will hold additional budget workshops and seek input from the community as to which programs should be restored to the 2013-14 spending plan.

Due to the district’s dwindling enrollment, Mr. Malone said he’s recommending combining first and second grades, for a class of 18 to 20 students; third and fourth grades, yielding for a class of 17 students; and fifth and sixth grades, with a total of 19 students.

In December, Mr. Malone projected student enrollment will fall nearly 20 percent over the next five years. He estimated a drop in enrollment of 29 students between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 school years, from 162 students to 133, including those who have gone on to secondary school in Greenport.

Under Mr. Malone’s spending outline, the three combined classes would each have one full-time teacher and would share a reading specialist, math teacher and science teacher. He also included a teacher assistant, aide and special education instructors. That would result in the loss of the equivalent of four teachers, the superintendent said after the meeting.

He’s also recommending restructuring the pre-k and kindergarten programs. The class of five kindergartners would continue to start their day in the morning, but would be joined by the class of five preschoolers who arrive at the school in the afternoon. Staffing would involve a full-time kindergarten teacher and a teacher assistant for the combined preschool/kindergarten class, he said.

Although Mr. Malone said his overall model will provide enough support to give each student a “personal learning plan,” some parents criticized the proposal, fearing students would slip through the cracks in a larger class or fail to thrive in a combined grade setting.

Mr. Malone defended his recommendation and said the district’s size and resources provide an ideal environment for individualized teaching.

“We’ve got to think out of the box that because you’re a second-grader you only do second-grade work,” he said. “There are second-graders who can do fourth- and fifth-grade work. There are second-graders who might still have to do some review of first-grade work … We can no longer provide them with just the second-grade program. We’ve got to individualize it.”

The superintendent stressed that the combined grade model would be driven by enrollment and would vary from year to year.

School board president Dorothy-Dean Thomas said she plans to hold a meeting with the parents of children currently enrolled in the district’s combined first- and second-grade classroom to gain feedback about their experience.

In addition to discussing combining grades, Mr. Malone also gave a presentation about the school’s finances. Over half the district’s current $5.3 spending plan is allocated to benefits and teacher and staff salaries, he said, adding about 34 percent pays for secondary school tuition at Greenport. The remaining 15 percent supports the district’s pre-K through sixth-grade program, transportation, building maintenance, equipment and supplies.

Mr. Malone said his goal is to reduce salary and secondary tuition expenses to increase the funds available to develop future elementary programs, such as foreign language.

Oysterponds has been in negotiations with its teachers union to replace the contract that expired June 30, 2011. Since the district and the union have reached an impasse, the matter is being mediated through the state’s Public Employment Relations Board.

The district has also been ironing out a five-year tuition deal with Greenport. Earlier this month, Ms. Thomas said that even though the districts are close to finalizing an agreement, tuition will follow the Seneca Falls rate and, most likely, will do the same for the 2013-14 term. The Seneca Falls rate is a state formula that establishes the highest tuition rate a district can charge nonresident students. Last school year, Oysterponds paid about $14,000 per student and nearly $64,000 per special education student.

On Tuesday, Ms. Thomas and Mr. Malone said they are challenging how some components of the Seneca Falls rate are calculated because they believe the district is being overcharged.

In addition to reducing expenses, Mr. Malone said he has plans to increase revenue, such as soliciting the enrollment of out-of-district students who need of additional support and creating a shared service professional development program with neighboring districts.

Mr. Malone said other savings could be realized if Oysterponds either contracted out or shared with another districts certain personnel, such as an art teacher or speech therapist. He said contracted services will reduce costs because the district doesn’t have to pay benefits for those positions.

Hard copies of Mr. Malone’s presentation, stamped “draft,” are available at the school.

The next budget workshop on Tuesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. will include a presentation about the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics program, known as STEM.

jennifer@timesreview.com 

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTOS | The Suffolk Theater’s grand ballroom at Saturday’s grand re-opening gala.

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | The staffed ticket window at the theater’s front entrance.

Hundreds packed the venue on Saturday to celebrate the theater’s grand reopening. The “Back to the 30’s” cocktail party marked the first time the theater has been open for business since it screened “Dirty Dancing” in 1987.

“We’re tired, but it feels great,” owner Bob Castaldi said. “This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

The theater first opened in December 1933. More than 80 years later, it remains the last large art deco theater on Long Island, theater officials say.

After buying the theater in 2005, and after litigation with the town halted progress on work, Mr. Castaldi and his wife, Dianne, have spent the last three years restoring the theatre to its former glory. Most of the fixtures and detailing are true to the original building.

Massapequa resident Jim Frost took notice. He recalled coming to the theater as a young boy. On grand opening night — a night two swiveling spotlights shot light back and forth off the clouds, and Main Street was lined with vintage cars —  he took his wife, Mimi, to enjoy the celebration and reminisce.

“It’s wonderful,” Frost said. “We bought tickets right away. I haven’t been this excited about an event in a long time.”

There was no stone left unturned, right down to the ragtime music gracing the stage. The party came to life with the help of Vince Giordano’s band, The Night Hawks. The ensemble won a 2012 best compilation soundtrack Grammy for its work on HBO’s prohibition-era series Boardwalk Empire.

Party guests indulged in the era. They dressed for the occasion and were sure to hit the dance floor.

“This has been something I’ve been talking about since I was 10,” explained Erin McKenna, whose mother has volunteered during the restoration. Ms. McKenna now lives in New York City but made a special trip to support the theater.

Many believe the theater is going to help the long-beleaguered downtown area start attracting much more people and businesses.

“It’s finally here,” Ms. McKenna said. “This is so important for Riverhead.”

The grand opening gala officially ended about9 p.m., but not many noticed. The party continued well into the night, as DJ Aly Di Nas kept guests dancing at the after party that featured signature cocktails.

In the upcoming weeks and months, the Suffolk Theatre will showcase a variety of classic movies, hold live concerts and dance parties and even a couple of magic shows.

To check out the full list of upcoming events, log on to www.suffolktheater.com

TIM KELLY PHOTO | Sisters Carol Scott (left) and Joan Tyrer of Southold will lead this year’s Cutchogue St. Patrick’s Day Parade as grand marshals.

They’re known as the mayors of downtown Southold, the two women who organize the annual Fourth of July parade and make sure American flags line Main Road in the summer and Christmas trees light up the sidewalks in December.

But those are just side concerns. Carol Scott, whose family has operated Southold Pharmacy for 50 years, is the proprietor of Bath and Linens/Carol’s Kids Corner of Southold. She’s right next door to the real estate office bearing Joan Tyrer’s name.

It’s no secret in the business community that the two are sisters, but few are aware that while growing up in Queens they were known as the Flanagan girls.

Until Monday, Joe Corso, chairman of the Cutchogue St. Patrick’s Day parade committee, wasn’t aware of their Irish heritage. But that’s not why Ms. Scott and Ms. Tyrer will ride at the head of the March 9 parade down Route 25. They share the honor of being this year’s parade grand marshals not because of their name, but in recognition of their volunteer work and years of civic involvement.

“This was not a difficult choice,” said Mr. Corso, a past president of the North Fork Chamber of Commerce, which partners with the Cutchogue Fire Department in putting on the parade. “They’re dedicated to the community, not just their businesses, and that’s what we always look for.”

The sisters said they were pleasantly surprised to be chosen.

“I asked Joe, ‘Did anybody object?’ ” Ms. Tyrer said. No one did.

In 1995, the sisters established the Southold Village Merchant’s organization, which launched the Christmas tree program. Three years later they organized the first July 4th parade with the help of Carol’s husband, Don Scott, who founded Southold Pharmacy in 1963 and who died in October at age 84. That effort continues with help from Ms. Scott’s daughter, Paulette Ofrias, and pharmacy manager Brian Walker.

In 2002, the sisters worked with the North Fork Chamber and residents to obtain and display the 120 American flags that fly throughout the summer.

“This is a community effort,” said Ms. Scott.

The parade grand marshals said they had little exposure to Irish culture in their youth.

“We grew up thinking that our grandfather who lived with us was English,” Ms. Scott, the younger of the two. “Only later did we discover that he was actually Irish.”

As soon as they got word that they’d be on the street March 9, the sisters rushed out to buy green scarves. The parade committee will provide the sashes identifying them as grand marshals.

“Our parents would get a big kick out of this, Ms. Scott said.

“Our kids even more so,” her sister added.

The parade begins at 2 p.m. with the line of march moving west from Cox Lane, through the intersection with New Suffolk Road ending at Cases Lane by Cutchogue New Suffolk Library. That section of Main Road will be closed from 2 to 3 p.m.

Mr. Corso said he’s sometimes asked why two Italian-Americans, himself and Suffolk Security owner Paul Romanelli, are the chief organizers of such an Irish event.

“It really came down to wanting to do something for Cutchogue,” said Mr. Corso, who lives in the hamlet and whose business, the Peconic Retreat adult home, is just steps from Main Road. Then with a grin he added, “We do it because we want the Irish people to have as much fun as they can without having to worry about the details.”

tkelly@timesreview.com

KATHARINE SCHROEDER FILE PHOTO | A group of youths participate in the 2011 Cutchogue St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Organizers of the Cutchogue St. Patrick’s Day parade have issued an open invitation to groups that would like to take part in the annual “wearin’ of the green” march down Main Road on Saturday, March 9.

The parade, sponsored by the North Fork Chamber of Commerce and Cutchogue Fire Department, begins at 2 p.m.

For information contact Joe Corso at 734-5959 or peconicretreat.com.

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Matt Drinkwater is one of the Greenport pitchers expected to log a lot of innings this season.

With apologies to the Kansas City Royals and the Milwaukee Brewers, when it comes to the term “small-market team,” there aren’t many baseball teams smaller than Greenport High School’s squad.

“We are a small-market team,” said coach Chris Golden.

With a student enrollment of 179 registered with Section XI, Greenport doesn’t exactly have a wealth of baseball players to draw from, so Golden finds positions and uses for all of his players, sprinkling in a dash of fun here and there.

“It’s a small school,” he said. “You need players, so you need to make it so they want to be a part of something.”

Unfortunately for Greenport, two players who would have been significant contributors, will not be a part of the team this coming season. Golden had already known that junior shortstop Brian Tuthill was lost for the season because of a shoulder injury. Making matters worse, the coach learned on Monday, the first day of preseason practice, that pitcher Matt Dibble’s senior season ended even before it had begun. Dibble, Golden said, will need to undergo reconstructive knee surgery.

Golden said Dibble “was like David Cone. You put him out there and he would give you 120 pitches.”

The Porters, who went 5-15 last year, have a nice group of returning players such as outfielder Bryant Rivas, pitcher/first baseman Austin Hooks, pitcher/first baseman/outfielder John Drinkwater, pitcher/third baseman/catcher Matt Drinkwater, catcher Christian Angelson and the versatile Timmy Stevens, who can literally play any position on the field. Others like Ivan Novak, an outfielder who transferred from Bishop McGann-Mercy, outfielder Wilson Morales and infielder Eddie Rogers should also help out.

“They get along well with each other,” Golden said. “They’re good friends on the field and off the field. It doesn’t seem like there are too many distractions. Last year we had too many distractions.”

Golden said Stevens looked real good in the field, the Drinkwater twins look bigger and stronger than they did a year ago, and Hooks exudes reassuring confidence.

At their first practice, the Porters swung the bat, tossed balls and then played a seven-inning simulated game on a makeshift field. “It was a great day,” said Golden.

Golden said his primary concern, first and foremost, is arms. He wants his players to gradually build up their arm strength without injuring themselves by trying to do too much too soon.

“The big thing is arms — arms, arms, arms,” he said. “We make sure the kids take it easy and don’t overdo it.”

Greenport will open the season with a doubleheader at Shelter Island on March 25.

Hooks and the Drinkwaters are expected to handle a good deal of the pitching, with Stevens and Rivas also getting time on the mound.

Golden doesn’t believe that Greenport has reached the playoffs under its own banner since the 1980s. That is something he would like to see change this year.

“That’s our goal,” he said. “We’re out here to make the playoffs. … Making the playoffs is fun. That’s what you play for.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Rick Jackson (left) and Howard Johansen clearing a path Saturday morning at Turkem’s Rest Preserve.

Charles Kraus swung a three-foot long machete into a tangle of vines, which never had a chance.

Mr. Kraus, along with a dozen other volunteers, was clearing a path just off south Midway Road opposite Dickerson Creek on Shelter Island Saturday morning. Their work would allow public access to one of Shelter Island’s newer pieces of open space preservation, about six unspoiled acres of woods flanking a marsh. The path they cleared snaked a hundred yards or so back from the road to a slight rise overlooking Fresh Pond.

Dubbed “Turkem’s Rest Preserve,” Saturday’s path clearing was organized by Shelter Island’s Vine Busters, a volunteer organization founded to combat invasive plant species that ruin woods and trails.

The Turkem’s Rest woods had certainly been invaded, especially by bittersweet vines thick as rope, but Saturday morning the primary goal was making the path passable for the public. For the past few weeks Peter Vielbig, chairman of the town’s Community Preservation Advisory Committee (CPAC), had come with a chain saw to do the heavy work of clearing downed trees from the path, said Tim Purtell, a Vine Buster volunteer.

Purchased jointly with Suffolk County in 2006, Turkem’s Rest was formerly the Sposato property. Almost half of the six acres is tidal wetlands. It has a history of aboriginal people living on or near there 3,000 years ago. The previous owners had commissioned an archeological survey in 1999, and found that a Native American, called “the Turkey Man,” (hence the property’s name) lived in the woods, along the marsh and on the banks of Fresh Pond.

This property will be “unimproved,” according to the town’s management plan. It has, the management plan states, “extensive encroachment by vines and undergrowth.”

The volunteers used silky saws, machetes and strong arms and backs to clear the path Saturday. Mr. Kraus, a member of the CPAC, said the goal was for every member of the committee to take stewardship of a property to help maintain it.

Turkem’s Rest has a maintenance budget of $500 to be used, for example, when a downed tree has to be cleared from the path by the Highway Department. The rest of the work is done by volunteers.

Mr. Purtell gave a tour of the property, walking back into the woods. He pointed out stunted holly trees, their green, spiky leaves glistening in the morning sunshine. Strangled by vines, when they are freed the ivy trees should flourish and grow, Mr. Purtell said.

Someone said the vines themselves were beautiful. “Beautiful and deadly,” Mr. Purtell said

Ahead was a glint of light and motion through the trees: Fresh Pond rippling with the breeze with geese just breaking the surface into flight.

Former Cutchogue resident Harry Patrick Fagan Jr. passed away Feb. 28, 2013. He was 85 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he attended St. Francis Prep high school, where he was an enthusiastic and talkative student. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving on the USS New Jersey in the Pacific. After the war he returned to Brooklyn, where he met Marie Scott at the local bank where they both worked. They were married Sept. 17, 1949, and had been by each other’s side for the past 64 years.

Harry was an energetic civic leader, serving as president of the Valley Stream Lions Club, and was a 4th Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus. He moved to Cutchogue in 1985, having spent summers there since 1964. He was an early president of the Fleet’s Neck Property Owners Association in Cutchogue and was responsible for securing beach access for all residents when Mr. Fleet sold the beach to the association for one dollar.

Harry worked for the New York Telephone Company for 35 years. After he retired in 1989, he and Marie moved to Palm Bay, Fla. After he suffered a heart attack requiring bypass surgery, he established Palm Bay’s first Mended Hearts Association, which is dedicated to the support of heart-surgery patients and their families. He later went on to be an ambassador for the organization all over the Southeast.

Harry is survived by his loving wife, Marie; his sons Michael (Ana) Fagan and Kevin (Irene) Fagan; grandchildren Christine (Rodney), Scott, Erin, Kelly, Julia, Michael and Eve; and a great-grandson, Noah. He was predeceased by his daughter, Dolores Katherine.

This is a paid notice.

Longtime Orient resident Patricia G. Latham died March 1 at the age of 61.

She was born June 29, 1951, to Cornelius and Madeline Gillespie. She attended Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead and graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University in Queens in 1973.

She married James P. Latham on Aug. 5, 1973, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hempstead. The couple owned and operated Port Lumber Corp. in Riverhead. She was a parishioner of St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport and the head of the eucharistic ministry for many years.

Pat is survived by her husband; her four children, Thomas, Emily, Sarah and Mary; her mother, Madeline Gillespie of Ridge; her brother, Neil, of Knoxville, Tenn.; and her sister, Shannon Verderber of East Meadow.

Visiting hours will take place Tuesday, March 5, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home, 735 First St., Greenport. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 6, at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport. 

The family has asked that memorial donations be made to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | The Suffolk Theater’s grand re-opening night.

The numbers are in, and the Suffolk Theater sold exactly 609 tickets to Saturday night’s grand opening gala in downtown Riverhead, theater officials told the News-Review Tuesday.

In fact, the “Back to the ’30s” cocktail party, which commemorated the recently renovated and reopened theater’s 1933 opening, was such a success that theater owners Bob and Dianne Castaldi are considering making it an annual event.

“I’m delighted. The overall feel and enthusiasm we’ve been able to create here is remarkable,” Mr. Castaldi said of the event’s outcome and ticket tallies.

“It will certainly be a event that will go down in history,” he said.

Tickets sold for $125 apiece for the party, which featured 1930s-style decor inside and out, and period costumes for staffers and attendees alike.

While there was plenty of seating, the event at its peak was standing room only, theater officials said.

Mr. Castaldi said he hopes to make the 30s party an annual anniversary event.