At some point in recent days, a sign was posted on a pole in Riverhead’s Polish Town that reads: “Better dead than red.” Under the banner is the web address for the group behind the sign: PATRIOTFRONT.US.

Patriot Front, said to have been formed by a teenager named Thomas Rousseau, is an offshoot of a group called Vanguard America, whose members were active in the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

That’s the rally where Nazi lovers paraded around with tiki torches, their right arms extended, shouting such things as “Jews will not replace us” as they tried their best to mimic the huge Nazi rallies in Nuremberg, Germany, in the 1930s that they presumably watched and admired on YouTube.

There is nothing murky or unclear about Patriot Front and what its members believe in and want for this country. They are upfront in their beliefs. They are not hiding in this time of ugly political rhetoric, particularly about immigration, where our southern border is said by President Trump to be under threat of invasion by caravans of men, women and children from countries such as Honduras.

Patriot Front has somehow found a toehold, however small it might be, and some member or follower of the group felt emboldened enough to tack that sign up at the intersection of Pulaski Street and Hamilton Avenue. And there it sat unmolested until a Riverhead police officer pulled it down Monday afternoon.

Patriot Front is a white supremacist group that espouses Nazi ideology. On its website is a manifesto stating the beliefs that American democracy is a failure and that immigration of nonwhites is an existential threat to the country. The group advocates the creation of a white-only “ethnostate.”

The group speaks of a “Zionist Occupied Government,” meaning a government where Jews play a prominent role. It’s among the group’s ugliest conspiracy theories. Its members shout phrases such as “blood and soil,” a slogan used by the Nazis after they came to power in Germany in 1933.

For some Americans in these contentious times, history is something to be forgotten, manipulated or simply ignored. After the Nazis took power in Germany, they organized the mass extermination of Jews and members of other groups they hated. They killed tens of thousands of people they considered mentally deficient, who thus didn’t fit their view of a superior race.

By 1945, the Germans had exterminated more than 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children. Supporters of Patriot Front and other groups like it either don’t know any of this or are hoping and wishing to pull off something similar in America.

For some Americans today, this past, this history, means nothing at all.

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Southold Town police arrested a Greenport woman for driving drunk on Route 48 in Peconic Saturday night.

After Nancy Marshall, 48, was stopped around 11:45 p.m. for having an expired inspection sticker, an officer found she was intoxicated.

She was charged with driving while intoxicated.

• A Shelter Island man called police Sunday evening to report an unknown man loitering inside the North Ferry terminal in Greenport.

The man, who police said was intoxicated, was advised to leave the area and complied, officials said.

• A Mattituck man was arrested for driving drunk early Sunday morning.

An anonymous caller reported a Ford Ranger revving its engine on Reeve Avenue around 3 a.m., according to a police report.

Southold police found Alex Endres, 21, had crashed into a fire hydrant and was intoxicated.

He was arrested for DWI, officials said.

• An unknown person dumped 12 tires next to a Greenport woman’s driveway Saturday, according to police.

The Southold Town Highway Department responded to remove the tires, police said.

• A Mattituck man was issued a ticket Saturday morning after he left the scene of an accident.

According to Southold police, the man was operating a Ford sedan on Westphalia Road near Bennetts Pond Lane around midnight when he lost control and could not negotiate a curve in the road.

The vehicle skidded off the roadway and collided with a pole, causing minimal damage to the pole and surrounding shrubs, according to an accident report.

He was found at his residence around 8:30 a.m. and issued a traffic ticket, police said.

• David Depaz-Javier, age unavailable, of Cutchogue was charged with DWI for operating his Toyota Corolla while drunk on Route 48 in Cutchogue Friday evening around 10:15 p.m.

• A Southold woman reported Friday that after returning from vacation, she noticed several pieces of jewelry missing from her home.

Detectives are investigating the incident.

• Last Thursday, a Southold woman called police after she observed two unknown vehicles parked outside her residence.

According to a police report, both vehicles fled quickly when she stepped out of the home.

The woman told police she was concerned because she had posted on social media that she would be on vacation, but ended up changing her plans at the last minute.

A description of the vehicles was not immediately available.

• Police responded last Tuesday to a report of an ATV operating in the King Kullen parking lot in Cut-chogue around 3 p.m.

Officials were unable to locate ATVs in the area.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Nearly seven decades ago, a Mattituck teenager named Cono “Dick” Borrelli left the Main Road house where he grew up to enlist in the Marine Corps. The U.S. was becoming involved in the Korean War, and he served for six years, eventually becoming a pilot. He went on to a 32-year career as a pilot for Eastern Air Lines, flying “just about every airplane ever made.”

Mr. Borrelli settled in Georgia and through the years would return to the North Fork for occasional visits.

His local roots ran deep and he kept in touch with old friends, including longtime pharmacist Larry DePetris, who had been a classmate in Mattituck High School’s Class of 1948. It was Mr. DePetris who sent his old friend a copy of an article that ran Oct. 28, 2010, in The Suffolk Times — and that has stuck with Mr. Borrelli ever since. It told the story of Victor and Barbara DiPaola of Mattituck, who renovated a century-old barn on their property and, in the process, discovered a number of artifacts buried beneath it. 

When Mr. Borrelli saw the article, a picture at the top right corner of the page stood out: a pocket watch bearing the name “T.J. Maguire.”

All those years earlier, he’d grown up in the house next door. And Tom Maguire was his great-uncle.

He said to himself: “Someday, I’m going to get that watch.”

The barn pictured as it is now after undergoing a renovation in 2010. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Mr. Borrelli, now 87, returned to Long Island for a visit last fall. He hadn’t forgotten about the watch. He drove to Mattituck and decided to knock on the door of the DiPaola house, at the corner of Maple Avenue and Main Road. They’d never spoken and he didn’t know what to expect.

When Ms. DiPaola answered the door, Mr. Borrelli introduced himself as Tom Maguire’s last living relative. 

The DiPaolas bought the house in 2000. They’d married later in life, a second marriage for both of them. After retirement, Mr. DiPaola, a former New York City police officer and an avid clock collector, completed a 120-hour course on antiques and appraisals at C.W. Post and began restoring furniture for their home. When one of his great-grandsons recently tried to count all the clocks in the house, he came up with the number 52.

“I said, ‘You missed some!,’ ” said Mr. DiPaola, 86.

When Mr. Borrelli arrived that fall afternoon, Mr. DiPaola was working out back in the barn. They ended up spending most of the day together. It was the watch that had drawn Mr. Borrelli back to Mattituck, so he asked if he could see it. Mr. DiPaola said he couldn’t recall where it was, and thought perhaps he had given it away.

While disappointed, Mr. Borrelli knew it was a long shot that he could get the watch back.

He left the house, thanking the couple for their time, and headed to Jamesport for dinner at the Elbow Room, his favorite steakhouse. His phone rang and he handed it to his sister in the passenger seat. It was Mr. DiPaola. He had found the watch. He asked if Mr. Borrelli could return the next day to see it.

“We spent the day with them again and Victor brought the watch out and I said, ‘Victor, I would really like to buy that watch.’ And he said, ‘Well, I really didn’t call you here to see it. I called you here to give it to you.’ ”

The restored watch. (Courtesy photo)

The watch, made by Waltham Watch Company, had been buried under the barn for a century — and its condition reflected that time. 

Ms. DiPaola said she knew that one day the watch would likely be tossed if they held onto it. 

“It was old and beat up, so it didn’t mean anything,” she said. “But it meant a great deal to him.”

Mr. Borrelli returned to Georgia and began researching the watch and whether restoration was possible. He determined that it had been made in 1879, when his great-uncle was only 9 years old. Mr. Borrelli assumed the watch had actually first belonged to Tom Maguire’s father, Jim, of New Suffolk, and had likely been under the floor of the barn since it was built around 1900. Tom had likely inherited the watch, he said.

During his research, Mr. Borrelli discovered Carignan Watch Co., a restorer in Belmont, N.H. He sent the watch to be examined by Denis Carignan, one of a dwindling number of people with the expertise to tackle such a job. Mr. Carignan, 46, has never met a challenge he hasn’t conquered in the business, which began as a teenage hobby. 

“It was hard to find people you can count on,” he said, “so I figured out how to do it myself.”

Dick Borrelli of Georgia (left) and his niece Kathy Walsh of Florida look over photos and artifacts at the Mattituck home of Victor DiPaola (right) last fall.

After examining the watch, Mr. Carignan reported that he could restore it, but the cost would exceed its value. He said the watch itself was common for its time, but the story behind it made it special.

The watch was rusted solid, held together by baling wire and missing its crystal.

“The watch has an antique value of about $400,” Mr. Borrelli said. “It has a family value of $400,000.”

He had come this far, so he instructed Mr. Carignan to move forward with the restoration, which ended up costing about $1,500.

“The watch had suddenly taken on a life of its own,” Mr. Borrelli said.

Mr. Carignan worked on the watch for a few months, starting by replacing hinges and repairing the case and lid. He carefully cleaned the dial, which was a challenge because of the rust that stained the enamel. Then he dove into fixing the tiny parts that made the watch move and refinishing the balance. He finished the case and put it all back together.

“It was neat to be able to restore,” Mr. Carignan said.

In January, the refurbished watch was returned to Mr. Borrelli. 

He took photos of the shiny timepiece and mailed them to the DiPaolas, along with a letter dated Feb. 1. 

“The results are absolutely amazing and it looks and runs like a brand-new watch,” he wrote. “I am forever grateful to you both.”

joew@timesreview.com

Photo caption: The recently restored watch was buried under a Mattituck barn for more than a century. (Courtesy photo)

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Gay-Straight Alliance groups in Greenport, Riverhead and Mattituck high schools have received grants to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in each district.

The LGBT Network — an association of non-profit organizations working to serve the LGBT community of Long Island and Queens — awarded more than 30 grants totaling $7,500 to GSA groups on Long Island and New York City through its Safe Schools Initiative mini-grant program this year. The program, funded by private and corporate donations, has helped more than 125 GSAs throughout the region since 2017, according to the LGBT Network.

Greenport GSA members are using their $510 grant to create an LGBT documentary for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a series of demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid in Greenwich Village in 1969. The club said the funds would be used toward transportation to New York City, where they would interview the owner of Stonewall Inn and obtain footage for the film.

The Riverhead GSA is planning a dance for local GSAs with its $250 of grant money. Mattituck said it would use its grant money for transportation to attend that event.

LGBT Network President and Founder David Kilmnick said GSA programs provide a safe space for LGBT youth to advocate for a school environment free of bullying.

“Sometimes all that stands between them and their ideas is resources,” he said in a press release. “That’s where the LGBT Network’s GSA Mini-Grant Program comes in — we provide the support and empower youth leaders to stop the bullying of LGBT youth.”

According to the LGBT Network, the organization helped establish the first GSA club on Long Island in 1998, and since then the LGBT Network has helped start 125 after-school GSA clubs.

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Greenport Village appears to be on the verge of having a dog run on Moores Lane. 

The Village Board has been discussing the idea of a dog park or dog run since 2017 and at Thursday’s village board work session, the board seemed to indicate that it will move forward with the project.

Mayor George Hubbard said the park would be just south of the water tower on the north end of Moores Lane, east of the northernmost ball field.

Village Administrator Paul Pallas said the village has a price estimate of $6,500 for the project, although that estimate is more than a year old.

The proposed space would be 30-by-80 feet with a four-foot high fence and two gates, he said.

“It’s a fenced area, there’s nothing else in there,” Mr. Pallas said.

The board also considered locating it on the south part of Moores Lane, across from Jernick Moving, but opted for the northern site, which is used less often.

Trustee Julia Robins asked if it would be modeled after the dog park Southold Town has in Peconic. Mr. Pallas said the Greenport one would be smaller.

Trustee Doug Roberts, who first proposed the dog run, said the point is to be able to have a place where dogs can run free. He said many people support it.

One resident spoke out against the proposal.

“The village has three fields, a skatepark and it will have a mini-train on Moores Lane,” said Chatty Allen, a regular attendee of village meetings. “To take space away from of those uses [is wrong].”

“What ever happened to playing with your dog on your own property?” she said.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Racism and segregation were at the forefront of the political debate in America during the 1950s and 1960s.

In a historic 1954 decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decision prompted some Americans to speak out against inequality, paving the way for others to raise their voices.

Among those who spoke out was William C. Thompson of Brooklyn. Ron Howell, associate professor in English at Brooklyn College, said Mr. Thompson was one of several African-American lawyers who made up the United Action Democratic Association, an organization that advanced minority political power in New York City.

Bertram Baker, Mr. Howell’s maternal grandfather, led the United Action Democratic Association.

Mr. Thompson, a pioneering civil rights figure who maintained a home in Mattituck and served on the Southold Town Ethics Board, died of complications of colon cancer Dec. 24 at his home in Brooklyn Heights. He was 94. His funeral, held in Brooklyn, was a “celebration of life,” according to former Southold Town Board member Bill Edwards. Mayor Bill de Blasio, former congressman Charles Rangel and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, among other notable Brooklynites, spoke at the service. 

Mr. Howell said his grandfather opened doors for African-Americans from Brooklyn — including his protege, Mr. Thompson — and allowed them to seek positions as elected officials and judges. In 1948, Mr. Baker became the first black elected official to hold political office in Brooklyn’s history, representing Bedford-Stuyvesant in the state Assembly.

That same year, Mr. Thompson received a degree in political science from Brooklyn College and later graduated from Brooklyn Law School, according to Mr. Edwards. He served in the U.S. Army in 1943 with the 92nd Infantry Division in Italy during World War II, Mr. Edwards said. Former Southold Town Democratic Committee chairman Art Tillman said Mr. Thompson called himself a “buffalo soldier” after his army experience. The title had been given to members of the African-American cavalry regiments of the United States army who served from 1867 to 1896. 

In 1964, Mr. Thompson became the first black state senator elected from Brooklyn, Mr. Edwards said.

Mr. Thompson married Elaine Allen and they had two children: Gail Thompson and Bill Thompson, a political figure who served as the 42nd comptroller of New York City and president of the New York City Board of Education.

Mr. Thompson sat on the City Council from 1969 to 1973. He was named administrative judge of the state Supreme Court in 1974. During this time, he became a leader of the Democratic party in Brooklyn when he was elected chairman of the Kings County Democratic Committee. In 1978, he was named assistant administrative judge of the Supreme Court in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Two years later he became the first black associate justice appointed to the Appellate Division of the Second Judicial Department in Brooklyn.

“Thompson, upon becoming a judge, left his mark on the New York State judiciary and was ever after, even upon his death, referred to with deference and respect as the Judge,” Mr. Howell wrote in an email.

But Mr. Thompson wasn’t strictly a Brooklynite. He spent some of his time on the North Fork — in his second home on South Drive in Mattituck. 

“Out here, it was an escape for him,” Mr. Edwards said.

Every August, his home, on Mattituck Inlet, was the scene of memorable parties, with roughly 100 attendees, Mr. Tillman said. 

“You had all these people from Brooklyn, who clearly thought they were out in the prairie,” Mr. Edwards recalled. “It was almost like they wanted to kiss the ring … they wanted to show up because William was such a legendary man.”

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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The daily update, a podcast briefing on what’s happening across the North Fork, is brought to you by Lucas Ford:

Get the daily update delivered straight to your inbox each weekday morning by subscribing to our newsletter. Or listen through Apple Podcasts by subscribing to Closer Look. 

Here are the headlines across the North Fork for Monday, Feb. 25:

NEWS

Greenport Village likely getting dog run on Moores Lane

Cost rises to upgrade Calverton sewer plant

Greenport, Riverhead and Mattituck GSA clubs receive LGBT Network grants

After 31-year career, Riverhead Det. Frank Hernandez retires

SPORTS

Track and Field: Carrick earns medal in elite meet

Girls Winter Track: Yakaboski grabs medal in 1,500

WEATHER

A high wind warning is in effect until 6 p.m. tonight. Expect gusts as high as 60 miles per hour. The forecasted high today is 38 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Expect a low tonight around 22.

The post Daily Update: Dog run proposed, sewer upgrade costs rise, high wind warning issued appeared first on Suffolk Times.

Injuries, injuries, injuries.

Max Pasko has had more than his share of them over the past two years. Pasko, a sprinter for the Southold/Greenport high school boys winter track team, knows only too well what an obstacle injuries can present to a sprinter.

Last year Pasko satisfied the qualifying time to compete in the Long Island Elite Indoor Meet’s 55-meter dash. The only thing was, his body had other plans. Because of a battle with Piriformis syndrome, a condition that causes compression of the sciatic nerve, the junior had to bow out.

It was a great disappointment to him.

Pasko said a cure for the condition was found, and he no longer has an issue with Piriformis syndrome. This season, however, he has been plagued by troublesome hamstring problems. Injuries, he said, have been a “major problem.”

It started with a minor hamstring strain at the beginning of the season, he said. Then, before the championship meets, he strained his left hamstring. Although Pasko said he was fully healthy at Saturday’s Long Island Elite Indoor Meet at St. Anthony’s High School, the hamstring issues had interfered to the extent that he missed several weeks of training this season.

“I understood I wasn’t going to be able to run amazing because with sprinting, I had to get like three months of training in, and if I didn’t get that three months of training, it really wasn’t going to be a really good time,” he said.

Pasko clocked 6.99 seconds in the preliminaries and didn’t qualify for the final, which was won by Brentwood senior Julio Rodriguez (6.57).

The prestigious showcase meet attracts Long Island’s best track athletes. Pasko, seeded 19th among 23 entries, finished tied for 16th against what he said was probably the best competition he has run against this season. The disruption to his training schedule hurt him, though, he said.

“I couldn’t really run anywhere near a hundred percent,” said Pasko, whose personal-best time is 6.83. He added: “Coming back from injury, I mean, it’s alright. It’s not what I want.”

Pasko wants to run faster, and to do that he needs to train regularly, and to train regularly he needs to stay injury-free. He said he needs five days a week of sprinting and seven days a week in the weight room.

Pasko took third place in the League V Championships, but wasn’t thrilled by his 6.87. In the Section XI Small School Championships, he ran 6.96 but didn’t qualify for the final. At the state qualifier, he posted 6.93, failing to qualify for the final and the state meet that will be run Saturday at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.

“Right now I don’t think I’m running good times at all,” he said. “I can run way better than this.”

Pasko, who does extensive stretching for his hamstrings, said he couldn’t even train for the small school championships.

“The small school championships, I made it way worse in that meet because I just forced myself to run,” he said. “I learned that I can’t just force myself to run when it’s just a minor tweak.”

One thing is certain: Pasko doesn’t lack motivation. He said he went to Texas last week and connected with a sprinting coach, Kevin Garrett, who taught him a lot and gave him a spring training program.

“Sprinting, there’s so many different components and I have to really like fix my mechanics because they’re just not right,” Pasko said after his final indoor meet of the season. “Every little thing just makes a difference.”

Pasko, who attends Southold High School and trains on the school’s sparkling new track (even in the bitter cold), repeatedly expressed his excitement about the coming spring season, which he plans to attack with gusto and vigor. He expects to run the 100, 200 and 400 in the spring.

“Now I’m ready to go for the whole spring season,” he said. “And then right after that spring season, I’m not going to stop training. You know, sprint training, I’m just going to keep going with that, pretty much year-round, not a single day off.”

“Next year my goal is to run 6.4, at least … 6.45 or 6.44, something like that, something around there because it’s definitely achievable,” he continued. “I have the genetics for it, it’s just that the training has to be put in and there can’t be injuries.”

Knock on wood.

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Southold/Greenport sprinter Max Pasko appears to be running on air during the 55-meter dash preliminaries in the Long Island Elite Indoor Meet at St. Anthony’s High School. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

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Mary Patricia Tuthill Goodale Mosca, known as Marypat, passed away unexpectedly at her home in Greenport Thursday, Feb. 7, at the age of 57.She was born Aug. 3, 1961, to Jean M. and Alfred W. Tuthill. She graduated from Shelter Island High School in 1980, spent many years cooking at various restaurants on the island and making many lifelong friends. Marypat spoke often of her wonderful childhood memories growing up on Shelter Island, especially swimming off the sandy point at the family’s boat yard, rummaging around the carpenter shop and boat sheds and building endless forts behind washed out bulkheads.

Marypat will be easily remembered for her love of family and friends, her generous heart and her carefree spirit. She shared her love and her faith freely.

She loved the water, the sun on her face and her toes in the sand. Marypat had a passion for music, dancing and people and she was often heard saying, “The more, the merrier.” She was incredibly creative and shared her artistic talent almost daily with her beloved granddaughter, Amara. Marypat was also well known on the island as a friendly and caring home health aide.

Marypat is survived by her husband, Chris Mosca; her daughter, Emma Anne Goodale; her granddaughter, Amara Patricia Cajamarca Goodale; her step-grandson, Alex Corwin; and sisters Louise T. Green (Jason) and Laura J. Tuthill (John); as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family will have a quiet graveside service. There will be a memorial celebration of her life at a later date, when the sun is brighter and the sand is warmer.

This is a paid notice.

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Dolores Ann Neudeck of Riverhead, formerly of Cutchogue, died Monday, Feb. 18. She was 68.

Dolores was born March 1, 1950, in Greenport, N.Y. She was raised in Cutchogue and graduated from Southold High School. After high school she became certified in computerized office technology. Dolores worked for different companies, most recently for Synergy Rehabilitation Center in Riverhead for three years as a receptionist. In her personal life, she loved music, dancing, flowers and animals.

She was predeceased by her parents, Agnes and Edward Drumm and her nephew, John Fogarty. Dolores is survived by her daughters Jacqueline Kassman of Greenport and Tammy Bourne of Merritt Island, Fla.; grandchildren Connor and Justin Bourne of Merritt Island, Fla. and Nicoletta Kesoglides of Bayside, N.Y.; sisters Georgeanna Fogarty and her husband, James, of Cutchogue and Christine Drumm of Cutchogue; her niece and goddaughter, Ellen Fogarty; and nephews James Fogarty Jr. and Daniel Drumm.

The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, March 2, at 10 a.m., at Our Lady of Good Counsel R. C. Church in Mattituck, officiated by Monsignor Joseph W. Staudt.

Memorial donations may be made to American Diabetes Association.

DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck is assisting the family.

This is a paid notice.

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Barbara Ann Benson of Orient died Feb. 12 at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Westhampton Beach.She was born in July 1946 to Alice (Franklin) and Jerome F. Daly in Pelham Bay, N.Y., where she lived until the family moved to North Bellmore, N.Y., during her high school years.

She married Bruce Benson Nov. 11, 1967, and made a home in West Islip.

Upon retirement, the couple built their dream home, which they called “Promised Landing,” in Orient.

Predeceased by her brothers, John and Jerry, she is survived by her husband; her children, Dr. Kevin Benson of Midland, Texas, Karen Ann Benson of Cutchogue and Pastor Keith Benson of Southold; and three grandchildren.

A celebration of life will take place Saturday, March 16, at 11 a.m. at True Light Church. Memorial donations may be sent to the church at 31095 Main Road, Cutchogue, NY 11935.

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My name is Kim Loper. I am the co-owner of Harbor Pet in Greenport.

We purchased the store back in 2014. We changed locations, expanded and incorporated our dog bakery, which is how we started in the industry, into one location with our retail and our grooming.

Soup to nuts, whatever you need for your cat or dog, we can order if it’s not already on our shelves. We do food, treats, collars, leashes, coats, supplements, everything you’re going to need. 

We bake all natural dog treats using the spent grains from Greenport Harbor Brewery to make one of our treats called the Growler. 

We have wheat-free, we use a lot of sweet potato which helps with digestion, we also have a whole line of decorated treats that look like people cookies. We also bake birthday cakes.

It’s like, 25 years now that I’ve been baking for myself, family’s dogs, friends’ dogs.

One of my dogs developed allergies, so it was even more important to try and get them in better health. I started with farmers markets from Montauk to Long Beach and enjoyed it. I saw there was such a demand for it. It just became a passion of mine.

Between intake of the dogs, outtake of the dogs, helping new pet owners who just adopted or got a puppy. We do a little baking everyday, trying to keep everything fresh and new.

The locals are awesome. I love being part of the community. I come from a small town, so having my business in a small town, you feel a part of something bigger than yourself.

It’s an industry where everybody’s happy.

Dogs are coming in, and out for grooming appointments all day. You get to see your old favorites, new puppies, you get to watch them grow. It’s a happy environment.

Dogs — or cats — just bring an amount of joy to your life. It’s unconditional love no matter what.

You walk through that door and you could have been gone five minutes or four hours, and that dog is so happy to see you. You don’t really get that anywhere else.

I’ve always bonded with dogs the most. There’s just something about hugging a dog or having a dog in your life that just makes you whole.

Harbor Pet is located at 120 Main St, Greenport.

“The Work We Do” is a Suffolk Times multimedia project profiling workers on the North Fork. It is made possible by Peconic Landing in Greenport. See photos on Instagram @thesuffolktimes.

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Colby Suglia and Ethan Schmidt have both been to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Wrestling Championships before — as spectators.

This time was different. This time the two Mattituck High School juniors were participants. And, yes, it’s a lot different when you’re on the mat, grappling with the best wrestlers in the state, nearly all of whom are sectional champions.

What did Suglia learn from the experience at Times Union Center in Albany?

“You got to bring it,” he said. “You can’t be afraid of these kids. Go against them with what you got.”

All out, all the time was the approach that was needed. It helped Suglia go 2-2 while Schmidt went 1-2 in Division II Friday. Neither made it to the second day.

The state tournament is quite a show. “It’s just very different [from] any tournament you’re in the whole year,” Mattituck/Greenport/Southold coach Cory Dolson said. “Everything from the warmup, the walk to the arena, the way they structure how you get on the mat, it’s just everything is very, very different from a normal tournament, even the county tournament. It’s not your run-of-the-mill wrestling tournament. It’s a much, much bigger scale in a much, much bigger place.”

And the talent on hand is remarkable. Suglia equated it to every match being akin to a county final.

Schmidt called it the most competitive tournament he has ever been involved in. “It’s great,” he said. “You just have to be ready.”

Suglia (39-9) had to be ready. His first bout at 220 pounds was an outbracket match against Lyndonville junior Mario Fidanza. Suglia trailed 2-1 in the first period before pinning Fidanza at 4 minutes, 56 seconds.

That set Suglia up in the Round of 16 against fourth-seeded Clarke junior Karl Osmono Bouyer, a 6-2 winner.

Dropping into the wrestlebacks, Suglia pinned Petrides junior Ervis Spahiu at 3:18 before losing to the No. 6 seed, Sherburne Earlville junior Alex Thompson, by a 5-1 decision.

“I think I had a good season,” Suglia said. “I was happy with it. I wish I could have ended it a little bit better, but I was not too disappointed in it. I think I can do a lot better, though.”

Dolson said: “I think he was competitive with every kid he wrestled. There wasn’t a kid he wrestled that I didn’t necessarily think he couldn’t beat. He had a taste of some success, and I think it will do a lot for his confidence going into next year.”

Schmidt (35-14), meanwhile, had a tough break, being drawn in the first round against the top seed and eventual champion at 170 pounds, Saranac senior Jacob Nolan (43-4). Nolan pinned him in 49 seconds.

“He’s the all-time wins leader in Section VII,” Dolson said of Nolan. “He’s a really tough kid. That was a tough draw.”

But Schmidt bounced back in his next bout, an 11-3 major decision over Eldred-Liberty-Sullivan senior Cesar Santiago. Then Schmidt’s tournament ended with an 8-1 loss to seventh-seeded Cam Bundy, a sophomore from Owego Free Academy.

“I didn’t get a good spot in the bracket,” Schmidt said. “I got the top seed the first match. It didn’t go very well, but [in] the second match I cleared the first match out of my mind. I went into the second match knowing that I had to win, and I got the job done.”

Mattituck has sent wrestlers to the state tournament every year since at least 2007, said Dolson. The fact that Suglia and Schmidt have wrestled some of the state’s best only bodes well for them next season.

“It’s an important step because it’s hard to go up there,” Dolson said. “Traditionally, the guys that we have that have done well up there, they don’t necessarily do well up there their first year, you know what I mean? So, it’s about kind of going through the process of being there for the first time and getting used to it, so I think it was imperative that they got up there this year to get that experience to prepare for next year.”

“I’m just proud of these guys,” he continued. “They had an awesome year and it was a big step up for both of them from their 10th-grade year and I think they’re just moving in the right direction.”

Schmidt believes this state experience will help next season.

“Now we know that we can beat top guys and we shouldn’t be afraid of anyone in our division,” he said. “Yeah, it was fun. It didn’t end as planned, but next year we’re going to go up there and get the job done and get on the podium.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Mattituck/Greenport/Southold’s Colby Suglia pinned Petrides junior Ervis Spahiu at 3:18 in the wrestlebacks Friday at Times Union Center in Albany. (Credit: Jim Franco)

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The company that owns two of the largest marinas in Greenport Village has agreed to pay the cost of dredging the entrance to Stirling Basin, which hasn’t been done in many years.

Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the village in November that it should hire a private contractor to do the work rather than wait for the Corps or Suffolk County to do so, according to Greenport Mayor George Hubbard Jr. 

He said the Corps told him it was not a big enough job for them to do, and it wouldn’t have been one of their top priorities.

“It’s such a small project that it would take forever to try and get the federal money,” Mr. Hubbard said at the time. “They are looking at all 50 states … New York Harbor is going to get dredged before they think about this.”

The village still needed to find money to do the job.

Enter Safe Harbor, the company that owns Greenport Yacht Yard and Stirling Harbor Marina in Greenport.

“It became obvious that the political will didn’t exist to get it to happen,” said Sean Gilligan, the general manager of both marinas, in an interview.

“As the company with the most to lose in Stirling Basin, it seemed like the right thing to do.”

The two marinas combined have around 400 slips, and overall, Stirling Basin houses about 586 boats, both recreational and commercial, he said. Some of those boats measure up to 80 feet long.

Mr. Gilligan said the two marinas have a customer advisory council that meets four times a year.

“Toward the end of the boating season last year, it became a problem for a lot of folks with the bigger boats,” he said. “They were having trouble navigating through the harbor entrance.”

He said when he started working in Greenport eight years ago, the passageway, near the marine monument, “could be navigated by two boats, one coming in and one going out. It had gotten to the point that by the end of the season in September, only one boat could come in through the entrance.”

And from September to January there were three heavy storms that contributed to a 30 percent loss in space at the harbor’s opening, according to state Department of Environmental Conservation numbers, Mr. Gilligan said.

Safe Harbor will contract with a private company to do the job, and Greenport Village will work on obtaining the necessary permits needed for the project, according to village administrator Paul Pallas.

Mr. Gilligan declined to say how much they expect the job to cost, but he said it’s a small job that involves less than 1,000 yards of sand and is expected to be done in less than a week.

There is debate over when the entrance to the basin was last dredged, but all estimates say it was at least 25 years ago.

The dredge spoil will be placed on Sandy Beach Point above the high tide line and used as beach renourishment, Mr. Gilligan said.

The work must be done by May due to wildlife restrictions, he said.

The dredging project was discussed briefly at Thursday’s Greenport Village board meeting.

“I was pleasantly surprised to see the plan of Safe Harbor to fund the dredging of the entrance to Stirling Creek,” said Arthur Tasker, who owns a home in the nearby Sandy Beach area.

Having the job done by a private contractor means it doesn’t have to wait for inclusion on Suffolk County’s busy dredging schedule, he said.

Mr. Tasker did have concerns about where the dredge spoil would go.

Referring to the last two times the entrance to the basin was dredged, he recalled both as being “environmental disasters” due to the placement of the dredge spoil in those instances.

Mr. Gilligan said the dredging they plan to do will be monitored by the state DEC.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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The Southold Town Republican Committee nominated a slate of mostly incumbents to run for office this year. 

Supervisor Scott Russell, Council members Bill Ruland and Jill Doherty, Trustee Glenn Goldsmith, and Assessor Rich Caggiano, all incumbents, were again nominated Monday night at the committee’s convention at the Southold American Legion.

Incumbent Justice Brian Hughes, who is not registered with a political party, had been elected with Democratic backing four years ago, but will now run on the GOP line.

Not seek re-election this year is longtime tax receiver George Sullivan, who will be replaced on the Republican ticket by Kelly Fogarty, a certified public accountant.

The committee has not yet chosen a second trustee candidate.

Southold’s Democratic Committee will pick its slate Wednesday.

Ms. Fogarty has been a CPA for 30 years and lives and works in Mattituck. She is treasurer of the Mattituck Chamber of Commerce and is involved in the Friends of the Mattituck-Laurel Library, a past president of the library board and a member of the North Fork Environmental Council.

“We have a fine slate of candidates this year that exemplifies depth of knowledge and experience in this town,” said town GOP chairman Peter McGreevy. “They have community service and past activities in our town and government.”

This group of candidates, he said, “is one that is going to carry the town forward and shape the future of our town.”

Mr. Russell, Mr. Ruland and Ms. Doherty all spoke of the need to strike a balance in interviews following the nominations.

“I will be approaching my job the same way I have done for the 14 years I’ve been there,” Mr. Russell said. “And that is to approach everything with balance.”

The big issues?

“Right now, I would say affordable housing is a crisis,” Mr. Russell said. “It impacts business, it impacts volunteer groups, it impacts fire departments, it’s impacting the schools. Young people are leaving. I’ve said in the past, I think young people are Southold’s biggest export, and that’s unfortunate.”

Mr. Russell said three years ago he set a goal for creating 50 units of affordable housing and that goal was met.

Mr. Ruland also spoke of the need for balance.

“There are people that see things differently from people who, maybe, have lived here a long time,” he said. “Striking a balance and trying to find a common ground, so you can please as many people as possible. I realize you’re not going to please everyone. But if you can get the majority, you’ve done well.”

Mr. Ruland is a farmer who has been on the Town Board since 2008 and was on the Mattituck-Cutchogue Board of Education for 24 years, including 13 as its president.

Ms. Doherty has been on the board for eight years and also works as an office manager for a landscaping company. She said she’s been working on a lot of town code issues.

“Our code is originally from the 1980s and lot of it doesn’t make sense anymore,” she said.

Agriculture is a big issue in the town, she said.

“We have to adapt to the different times,” she said. “Farmers have to get creative and they are limited by our code, so we want to make the code easier to work with and give farmers the opportunity to be flexible in their business.”

Housing is another big issue, she said. While the town banned rentals for less than 14 days, it still didn’t have a code to require rentals to get permits and have inspections to ensure they’re safe, she said. The town passed such a code in December. 

Prior to being elected to the Town Board, she was an elected town Trustee for six years, and prior to that, she worked as secretary to the trustees for 12 years.

CORRECTION: Rich Caggiano’s title was incorrectly listed in the original version. He is the incumbent assessor.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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The daily update, a podcast briefing on what’s happening across the North Fork, is brought to you by Lucas Ford:

Get the daily update delivered straight to your inbox each weekday morning by subscribing to our newsletter. Or listen through Apple Podcasts by subscribing to Closer Look. 

Here are the headlines across the North Fork for Tuesday, Feb. 26:

NEWS

After 64 years, Homeside Florist closes

Southold GOP chooses its slate; tax receiver won’t seek re-election

Greenport marinas offer to pay for Stirling Basin dredge

Planning Board approves amended site plan for West Main Street 7-Eleven

WEATHER

Expect sunny skies today with a high near 32. The wind chill, however, will make it feel closer to 15 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.  The low tonight will be around 14 degrees.

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Perhaps the most talked-about issue on the North Fork these days is how to house our working young in an area where real estate prices continue to rise and job opportunities remain scarce.

College graduates are finding it difficult to stay in the area, families looking to buy a house can’t always afford to, and business owners lament the lack of housing for their employees. So how did we get here and what is being done about affordable housing?

We’re gathering stakeholders to discuss the issue of affordable housing at our first Times Review Talks at Vineyard Caterers in Aquebogue from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27.

BUY TICKETS

Times Review Talks are panel discussions mostly on issues our communities are facing with the people who best understand the concerns and, in some cases, are in a position to make a difference. Future talks are expected to cover the topics of climate change, opioids, school enrollment, ticks and more.

For our panel on affordable housing, which will be moderated by Times Review Media Group digital content director Grant Parpan, we’ve invited members of the business community and local government to discuss the issue. Panelists include: Town of Southold government liaison officer Denis Noncarrow; Rona Smith, chair of  Southold Town’s Housing Advisory Commission; builder Paul Pawlowski; local business owner George Giannaris of Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant in East Marion; realtor Thomas McCarthy; and Allen Handleman of Conifer Realty, developers of the new Vineyard View project in Greenport. Audience members will be given time to ask questions of the panelists.

The two-hour lunchtime events will be held each month. The $30 ticket price ($20 for Times Review subscribers) includes lunch.

This month’s event is sponsored by Suffolk Security, Riverhead Ford Lincoln and Acadia Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a sponsor of Times Review Talks contact Sonja Reinholt Derr at 631-354-8050 or email sderr@timesreview.com.

Space is limited, so we strongly urge purchasing your tickets prior to the event. We cannot guarantee entry at the door.

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Cutchogue resident Gary J. Pumillo died Feb. 1, 2019, at Peconic Bay Medical Center with his family by his side after a courageous battle with ALS.

Gary was born June 10, 1960, in Greenport to Harry and Barbara (Florence) Pumillo. He married Cindy (Zimnoski) and together they made their home in Cutchogue where they raised their two sons, Kyle and Kevin.

Gary was a hard-working spackler and custom painter. He was a member of Mattituck Fire Department and in his spare time loved spending summer days with family and friends at New Suffolk Beach.

Gary is predeceased by his mother; mother-in-law and father-in-law Henry and Theresa Zimnoski; and nephew Frank McBride.

He is survived by his wife Cindy; his father; his sons Kevin and Kyle and his wife Jessica; sister and brother-in-law Cheryl and Van Vasilakos; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Debbie and Jerry Zuhoski, Diane and Richie McBride, Kathy Zimnoski and Tom Zimnoski; nieces and nephews Denise Vasilakos, Jackie Gatz, Jerry Zuhoski, Lisa Mauro, Michael McBride and Lori McBride. Also surviving are many great nieces and nephews.

Arrangements were entrusted to the Coster-Heppner Funeral Home.

Memorial donations in Gary’s memory may be made to Mattituck or Cutchogue Fire Departments.

This is a paid notice.

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Town Supervisor Scott Russell is asking the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to present information to town board members about the new state-led renewable energy initiative, Offshore Wind Energy Project. 

The state project would supply 2,400 megawatts of clean power for the state, enough to power 1.2 million homes, according to the program. The project aims to support the state’s Clean Energy Standard, which requires that 50 percent of New York’s electricity needs are met by renewable sources by 2030.

Mr. Russell met with representatives from NYSERDA a week ago to get a better grasp on the project. He said the group has already started constructing multiple wind plants throughout New Jersey and Long Island.

“This is something of regional importance, not just Southold importance,” he said. 

Mr. Russell said he is concerned that the state may wait too long to obtain proper community feedback before proceeding with the project. 

“I do not want them to wait for a public hearing,” he said. “I’m certainly in support of renewable energy, but this needs to be more thoroughly explained to the public in a way we can all understand.” 

Councilman Bill Ruland agreed: If people understand the purpose of the energy plants, he said, they may accept the changes in the town. 

“If it’s explained that there will be disruptions in certain areas, but it’s known it will sustain for years and years, they will compromise,” Mr. Ruland said. 

One of the listed benefits of the project is that it could provide construction, manufacturing and operation jobs in Southold.

Mr. Russell said he believes the proposal offers an economic opportunity for the town. 

knalepinski@timesreview.com 

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This weekend, the Greenport High School Drama Club will present Andrew Loyd Webber’s new hit musical, School of Rock, based on the much-loved film of the same name under the direction of Mrs. Laura Nitti.

The show follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who decides to pose as a substitute teacher at a prestigious private school in order to raise money to pay the rent. He turns a straight A class of students into a mind blowing all kid rock band and onto compete in the Battle of the Bands.

There are three chances to see the show: Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or reserved by emailing dramaclub@gufsd.org.

See more photos of Monday’s rehearsal by Tara Smith below:

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