After years of planning and development, The Phillips Family Cancer Center, in partnership with Stony Brook Medicine and the Southampton Hospital Association, opened its doors to the public during a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday.

“This was a journey that began with inspiration and was completed through dedication — the dedication of so many wonderful people,” said Robert Chaloner, chief administrative officer at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

The 13,800-square-foot radiation and oncology center, located on County Road 39 in Southampton, is divided into two floors. The first floor houses the radiation department and a full-time oncology social worker in the office annex of Fighting Chance, a Sag Harbor-based organization that provides counseling to patients and caregivers. The second floor is home to the oncology department, an on-site pharmacy, dual-purpose rooms and a conference/community meeting room where support programs such as yoga and group therapy sessions will be held.

Flooded with natural light, flowers and uplifting portraits, the center was lauded by each speaker for its architectural integrity.

“Medical oncology patients can choose between private or shared treatment spaces amongst glass murals of East End beach scenes with lots of skylights letting in ample sunlight and expansive windows offering wide views, including views of grounds and gardens,” said Kenneth Wright, chairman of the Southampton Hospital Association.

The head architect, Blaze Makoid, took inspiration from the potato farming history of the property, Mr. Wright said. Healthcare facilities architect Victor Famulari created the interior layout and finishes, designed to enhance healing. Edwina von Gal of Perfect Earth Project and Christopher LaGuardia of LaGuardia Design Group supervised the outdoor gardens and landscapes, visible from the center’s chemotherapy treatment rooms.

The opening of the center reduces the hurdle for East End residents who may otherwise travel miles for treatment. Previously, cancer patients had limited options to receive care, whether due to insurance restraints, distance, etc.

“Cancer treatment typically involves daily treatments for over a period of weeks or even months,” Mr. Wright said. “Now, East End residents can get world-class cancer treatment — be it chemotherapy or radiation — right here in this building close to home.”

The speakers gave a special thanks to the benefactors of the center, The Phillips Family.

“Their commitment to bringing cancer services to this community extends back over 30 years,” Mr. Chaloner said. 

Barbara Phillips spoke on behalf of the Phillips family, telling the story of her mother who used to work on the board of Saint Clare’s Hospital in Manhattan. There, Ms. Phillips said, was an AIDS wing with roughly 100 beds and staff devoted to helping and encouraging people to have hope to live.

“People used to say to my mother, ‘Why do you go there? These people are done,’ ” Ms. Phillips said. “And my mother said, ‘No, they’re not done because they have hope. They have medicine. They have science on their side.’ And in fact, today we know, they’re not done. And we’re not done.”

Radiation therapy will begin being offered in May, when the center welcomes its first scheduled patient, and medical oncology will begin in August. The new center features state-of-the-art technology, including the only linear accelerator on the East end, according to the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital website. The accelerator “provides more precise targeting of cancer cells during radiation therapy, sparing healthy surrounding tissue.” All chemotherapy treatments are formulated in the on-site pharmacy, according to the site, and an integrated computer system is being used so that patients can be seen at Stony Brook and be treated at the Phillips Family Cancer Center, or vice versa.

Patients will have access to Stony Brook’s clinical trials, too, according to Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, who serves as dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University and as senior vice president of Health Sciences.

“It’s not only the beauty on the outside of the building that counts,” said New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr., who attended the ribbon cutting along with other officials. “It’s what’s going to be going on inside of the building. And nothing strikes fear in a person or a family than to hear the word ‘cancer.’ ”

The only way to combat fear, he said, is with hope.

“And what your family has done by providing our community with this center is to provide us all — each family, each person, with hope if they ever have to hear the fearful word,” he said.

Top photo caption: Barbara Phillips spoke on behalf of the Phillips family. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

mkhan@timesreview.com

The post The Phillips Family Cancer Center in Southampton set to open appeared first on Suffolk Times.

The daily update, a podcast briefing on what’s happening across the North Fork, is brought to you by Peconic Bay Medical Center. Join PBMC for the Northwell Health East End Walk on May 19 at Tanger Outlets in Riverhead.

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 Friday, April 26:

NEWS

Judge grants seizure of property in Hexcel case against Luminati

Influx of pool house applications has Town Board considering code change

The Phillips Family Cancer Center in Southampton set to open

SPORTS

Baseball: Tempers flare when Tuckers play Mariners

WEATHER

Expect mostly sunny skies and a high temperature around 60 degrees today. The low tonight will be 46, according to the National Weather Service. There’s a slight chance of showers in the evening.

The post Daily Update: Judge rules against Luminati, pool house regulations proposed, cancer center opens appeared first on Suffolk Times.

Joseph T. Smith of Southold died April 24. He was 65.

Visitors will be received Friday, April 26, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold.

The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, April 27, at 9:30 a.m. at Saint Patrick’s R.C. Church in Southold, officiated by Father John Barrett. Interment will follow at Holy Rood R.C. Cemetery in Westbury.

Memorial donations may be made to United Cerebral Palsy Nassau School of Development, 380 Washington Ave., Roosevelt, N.Y 11575 in memory of Joseph’s late daughter Anna Marie Smith.

The post Joseph T. Smith appeared first on Suffolk Times.

Maria Zegray of Jamesport, formerly of Hicksville, died Thursday, April 25. She was 100.

Visitors will be received Sunday, April 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck.

The Divine Liturgy will be celebrated Monday, April 29, at noon at St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church, 141 Sarah Wells Trail, Campbell Hall, N.Y. 10916, officiated by Reverend Yaroslav Kostyk.

Interment will follow at Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery adjacent to the church.

Memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society.

The post Maria Zegray appeared first on Suffolk Times.

In preparation for another busy summer season, some hotels in Greenport Village are modifying or expanding their services. 

Three proposals brought before the Village Planning Board Thursday night, two of which were approved, revolved around modifications to The Menhaden, American Beech and Greenporter Hotel.

A potential expansion for Greenporter Hotel, led by Hideaki Ariizumi and Glynis Berry from Studio A/B Architects of Riverhead, would construct 20 guest rooms on the new third floor and add a lobby to connect the separated buildings on Front Street.

Deborah Rivera-Pittorino said she opened the hotel with her husband about 20 years ago. She closed the restaurant portion about four years ago after she lost her husband to pancreatic cancer. She then decided to prioritize  the lodging element of the business. The restaurant still offers complimentary breakfast to guests. 

The 20 guest rooms would appeal to families with an “accessible price point,” Ms. Rivera-Pittorino told board members. Extra storage space would be converted to a library for guests. The hotel currently offers 30 rooms for reservation. 

The hotel’s primary demographic is 28 to 55-year-olds from Manhattan or Brooklyn who do not own cars, Ms. Rivera-Pittorino said.  

“We would be able to maximize the sale of our rooms in high season and also be able to offer more rooms to companies,” she said. “In the last couple of years, we’ve done a lot of business with corporations.”

The expansion would also reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint, she said, by reducing heating usage, and adding solar panels and a permaculture garden attached to the building.

Newly appointed Planning Board chair Walter Foote said although the project is still in its early stages, the “ambitious” plan could improve the community. 

Village administrator Paul Pallas said the project may require variances depending on feedback from the planner. 

The board requested the architect submit a longform assessment form. The project will come before the board again after the Village receives feedback from the planner. 

Beginning this summer, Greenport’s newest hotel, The Menhaden, will offer outdoor seating.

Twelve seats will be added to the exterior of the building for entertainment purposes, according to the approved site plan. To comply with the site plan, contracting company Front & Third LLC is required to remove 12 seats from inside the building to make space for the outdoor spots. 

The board also approved minor changes to historic Stirling Square, home of American Beech.

The proposal, assembled through Stirling Square LLC, asked to change a now-vacant retail space into use for assembly.

The site plan, which came before the board at the Feb. 28 regular meeting, is intended to accommodate overflow seating from the main restaurant at American Beech. At a previous meeting, Mr. Foote said, the applicant told the board no food preparation would occur in the converted space.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that a public hearing would still be held on The Menhaden and American Beech. Those hearings were held April 4.

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Vincent Leone, 21, of Greenport was arrested around 4:54 a.m. last Saturday and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, along with a number of related offenses allegedly committed while he was attempting to flee police via ATV.

His vehicle was both unregistered and uninsured, according to Southold Town police. When an officer attempted to stop Mr. Leone as part of a routine check, he took off northbound toward Front Street through the Greenport High School parking lot and onto Moore’s Lane. Officers located Mr. Leone hiding in Moore’s Woods, according to a press release.

• Police responded to a report of a white Jeep Grand Cherokee driving with no tail lights and failing to maintain its lane of travel around 8:24 p.m. last Friday. The vehicle was traveling westbound on Route 25 near the BP gas station in Mattituck. The driver told police his knee hit a switch inside the vehicle which activated his interior lights and deactivated his tail lights. He said the car he was driving was a rental and told police he was not familiar with the interior controls. Police said the driver showed no signs of impairment, but they did issue him a warning.

• A Brooklyn man was driving eastbound along Sound Avenue in Mattituck around 6:12 a.m. last Friday when a deer ran across the road, resulting in him losing control of his vehicle. The man struck and caused damage to a Southold Town highway caution sign, PSEG pole and Verizon utility pole before coming to a stop. No one was injured, police said.

• A Mattituck woman contacted police last Thursday around 7:10 p.m. to report that an unknown person had broken into her home through the second-story bedroom window. She said property was stolen from her home. An investigation remains underway, police said. 

• A Greenport woman reported around 4:59 p.m. last Thursday that, while a Greenport man was in her home, he attacked another Greenport man who was there at the time. The suspect had left the area upon police arrival. Police noted that when they arrived to the residence, the alleged victim’s left eye was swollen shut. The alleged victim reported that while sitting in the bedroom, the suspect jumped over the bed and attacked him. The alleged victim refused medical treatment and refused to press charges, police said.

• The manager of Michelangelo’s restaurant in Southold reported that around 7:25 p.m. last Wednesday, an intoxicated man entered the restaurant and grew combative when he was denied service. The manager said she called the Southold man a car service and that the man was also being combative with the driver. Police spoke with the man, who then took the car service home, they said. The manager kept the man’s keys, which she told police he could pick up the next morning.

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.

The post Southold Blotter: Greenport man fled police on ATV, charged with DWI appeared first on Suffolk Times.

For their most challenging salvage jobs, the crews at Sea Tow Eastern Long Island turn to their oldest, most trusted boat: Sea Tow I.

More than three decades after first entering the water, the 24-foot vessel still operates with its original hull. The steering wheel is original. The distinctive yellow paint dates back to 1997, having received only occasional touch-ups since.

It’s estimated the tow boat has responded to 11,750 jobs and operated for just under 30,000 hours of towing.

Sea Town CEO Joseph Frohnhoefer III couldn’t recall exactly how many engines the boat has had.

“A lot,” he said.

Sea Tow I has responded to stranded boaters across the East End for 35 years; the upcoming season will be its 36th. As technology changes and boat design evolves, Sea Tow I remains a constant — a reliable workhorse that can handle just about anything thrown its way.

Sea Tow I’s captain, Bill Barker of Mattituck, Mr. Frohnhoefer and other Sea Tow employees recently reminisced about the boat, which dates back to the Southold company’s founding, after an unexpected note arrived from the son of the man who helped design it.

In North Carolina, Chuck Bower recently set out to refurbish a boat he had built. It was supposed to be a short project, but ended up taking several years. As he prepared to put the boat in the water, he realized he was no longer signed up for Sea Tow. As he filled out the paperwork to rejoin, he noted in a comment section that his father, Horace, had been vice president and part owner of Privateer Boats, the company that designed and built the original Sea Tow vessels. He had no idea at the time that Sea Tow I was still in operation today. 

In an interview, he recalled spending time at the shop as a teenager.

“I remember going over there one day and seeing the Sea Tow boats and asking the president of the company about what was going on with the boat,” said Mr. Bower, 54. “He explained the Sea Tow concept and what it was. I just thought that was kind of cool, all these years later, it’s this wonderful service that’s available and been successful. I thought to myself, our boats were some of the first boats that they used.”

Mr. Frohnhoefer, whose father founded Sea Tow, joked that he spent so much time around Sea Tow I as a kid, its tow post could have been used to chart his height.

“It was kind of a perfect design,” he said of the venerable tow boat. “It had good balance. And as Bill [Barker] always said, you knew the boat would take you home.”

Privateer Boats is now known as Radcliffe Boatworks and is located in Belhaven, N.C.

Mr. Bower said that as a teenager he worked for the company after school in the wood department. He went on to join the Navy at 18. He’s now a full-time firefighter.

Mr. Barker, who owns Sea Tow’s Eastern Long Island franchise, said Sea Tow I was the operation’s main boat up until about 2005. Nowadays, on a given weekend during the busy season, three or four boats will be working at the same time, he said, so Sea Tow I still gets its use.

Part of the evolution of newer boats is a thinner fiberglass hull. The Sea Tow I’s thicker hull makes it better suited to bump into rocks when pulling boats that end up in precarious positions.

“We’re not afraid to scratch it,” the captain said. “[The hull] been cosmetically repaired, but it’s never had structural damage to it. It’s been beached, wedged in rocks in Sag Harbor, it’s been run into by other boats.”

Mr. Frohnhoefer recalled one time when the windshield blew out of the boat. He was riding with his father en route to Sag Harbor for a rescue on a “nasty, nasty day.”

“The waves stacked up,” he said. “We got on top of a wave, dove and blew it out,” he recalled.

Asked how much longer Sea Tow I might be in service, Mr. Frohnhoefer didn’t hesitate. 

“Bill will keep it going forever,” he said with a laugh.

Photo caption: Sea Tow I pictured in 1985. (Courtesy photo)

joew@timesreview.com

The post After more than three decades, Sea Tow I still going strong patrolling local waters appeared first on Suffolk Times.

New Suffolk school board members approved a $1.01 million budget for the 2019-20 academic year Tuesday, along with one other proposition for voters to consider in May.

This year’s budget is down 28% compared to last year’s $1.3 million approved budget. Board of Education president Tony Dill said this year’s budget brings the district closer in line with budget from 2016-17. Last year’s revenue and expenses produced “substantial” one-time costs. 

The district tax levy is expected to rise 3.8% — however, it does not exceed the 2% increase cap. Under state law, Mr. Dill said, districts can use last year’s amount under the tax cap and apply it to the upcoming academic year. The district was well under the tax cap last year, with an estimated tax levy increase of 1.6%. 

New York State mandates that school budgets be divided into three categories: administrative, program and capital. New Suffolk’s budget is structured differently, however, with more categories. Mr. Dill feels this offers a “clearer indication of where the money is going.”

This year, the district is expected to spend 9.1% of the budget on reserve funds. For next year, the district plans to create a Debt Service Reserve Fund, which would pay off long-term debts in the future, and initially be used for advertising bonds. The decision to create the Debt Service Reserve Fund will appear as a separate ballot item for district voters in May. 

The district will still have debt service payments in the future, Mr. Dill said. 

The district aims to spend 28.1% of the budget on elementary instruction. During the current academic year, two teachers left the district, which reduced teaching expenditures for 2019-20. Just over a quarter of the budget — 25.5% — will go toward secondary education, covering tuition and transportation costs for middle and high school students from the district to attend Southold schools.

Roughly 12.1% of the budget goes to district administration, which includes administrative functions in the New Suffolk school building, along with BOCES fees, legal and audit fees and more.

A new science curriculum is also in the works, Mr. Dill said, which would make room for more interactive science activities in the classroom. The budget would help pay for related equipment. 

Personnel benefits account for 11.5% of the proposed budget. 

The building operations category, which encompasses the cost of building upgrades and related expenditures, is 7.8% of the budget, an increase from last year. This district aims to repair asphalt around the building and add new mulch to the playground, part of a four-year maintenance plan. 

The district also plans to repair smartboards and other technology and add three new laptops for teachers.

Other costs, including student transportation, special education, special items and student health, account for the balance of the budget.

Photo caption: BOE president Tony Dill, center, and principal Nancy Carney at Tuesday night’s meeting. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

knalepinski@timesreview.com

The post New Suffolk adopts $1.01M budget; voters to decide on one proposition appeared first on Suffolk Times.

The April 18 editorial discussing the opioid crisis touched on so many valid points that I felt a need to respond.

First off, thank you for bringing attention to the carnage that has been done in this country due to unapologetic greed. The Sackler family made $33-plus billion on one drug, OxyContin. While claiming it was less addictive than other opioids of the time, they indicated its extended-release formula only required two dosages daily. That was a baldfaced lie. They kept a full-court press on doctors to prescribe higher dosages to make up for the fact that they didn’t last for 12 hours.

A recipe for addiction.

They actually claimed in a memo to the FDA that it was safer than taking larger doses of acetaminophen. They lied their way to becoming the 19th wealthiest family in America. One particular galling email came out when a Sackler family member was told in 2016 that 59 people had died in one county in Massachusetts. His response was “It could have been a lot worse.” Pure evil!

I would love to see those responsible for this carnage to have to make amends by forfeiting every dollar earned and serving jail time. The FDA and the House have a very cozy relationship with Big Pharma. I would say this amounts to a form of bribery. The pharmaceutical lobby spends approximately $250 million a year, which, in essence, allowed this manmade tragedy to occur. Just ask Dr. Curtis Wright, who headed up the FDA when the approval was given to Purdue for the “end of life” drug, OxyContin. How ironic, that within six months, this same Dr. Wright, in clear violation of FDA guidelines, was employed by Purdue, heading up product development. The last time I checked, the FDA was founded to protect our health and safety. Really? Same with House members who accept campaign contributions amounting to tens of thousands of dollars, to do what is good for them, not us.

One last important point: Since Purdue has incurred all this negative publicity, they decided it would be wise to start a 100% family-owned subsidiary named Rhodes Pharmaceutical in Rhode Island. They are making generic forms of Suboxone and Narcan to make even more money from the crisis they helped create.

Their evil ways have no boundaries.

Rob and Fran Fox

Written in memory of Kyle R. Fox, who died Sept. 6, 2017.

The post Featured Letter: Big pharma’s recipe for addiction appeared first on Suffolk Times.

“Have you ever seen a night when the moon glowed so bright it almost seemed like daylight?”

Those words popped into Peggy Dickerson’s head late one night in 2013, as moonlight creeping through her Cutchogue kitchen window sparked her creativity.

“I walked back into a dark bedroom, pen in hand, and wrote it out,” Ms. Dickerson said last week. Her 15 initial lines would eventually become a 48-page book, “Moonglow,” which will be released next month.

“Moonglow” takes young readers into an eastern North American forest during a full moon, as songbirds, deer, raccoons and other critters play and find magic among indigenous flora.

Ms. Dickerson, who taught at Cutchogue East Elementary School for 30 years, credits her late father, Paul Stoutenburgh, with her fascination with nature. 

Mr. Stoutenburgh and his wife, Barbara, wrote the “Focus on Nature” column for Times/Review newspapers for 50 years.

“I was very much influenced by their love of nature,” Ms. Dickerson said. “My dad’s teachings were every day and every moment we were outside.”

Examining pond inhabitants or taking bird watching hikes through the woods, Ms. Dickerson’s most cherished memories are entwined with nature. “My dad’s articles were always about informing the public so they would have a love of nature and would want to protect it,” she said. 

It’s something Ms. Dickerson aspired to embody, both as a schoolteacher and as a former Southold Town Trustee. 

“I always got the kids outside,” she said, recalling local field trips to ocean, river and woodland habitats. 

Ms. Dickerson also brought nature into her classroom, once catching a garter snake for a lesson. It got loose and, to her students’ surprise, she picked the snake back up and placed it in a tank. “I think they expected me to squeal and scream and get a custodian,” she said, laughing.

“[“Moonglow”] is a place where I can continue teaching children after having retired,” she said.

“Moonglow” also features an appendix that encourages children to learn about other woodland creatures as well as phases of the moon.

The story is brought to life with illustrations created by Southold resident Cynthia Wells. The women met after Ms. Dickerson served as a town Trustee with Ms. Wells’ husband, Geoffrey. “I handed Cynthia a sheet with the sentences. Her first illustration blew me away,” Ms. Dickerson said. “Cynthia envisioned what I had in my head.”

Ms. Wells is a fine artist and animation filmmaker whose work includes Disney’s “The Fox and the Hound.”

As an animator, Ms. Wells said it was important to get the anatomy correct. “I’ve learned so much,” she said. These illustrations presented a fun challenge for Ms. Wells, since the action takes place at night. “In the dark with the moonlight, that was a really interesting creative problem for me to solve,” she said.

Ms. Wells created each drawing on a tablet in Adobe Photoshop. “I couldn’t believe how much time she spent on moonbeams and pond ripples,” Ms. Dickerson said, pointing out subtle details in each image.

Following the moonbeams on each page, she pointed out, is where the “magic” happens. Keen observers will also spot a field mouse hidden among each species.

It took three years for Ms. Wells to complete the illustrations for “Moonglow.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Dickerson was writing and sending out query letters to publishing companies. “I would write and get rejected and write and get rejected,” she said. Eventually, Mr. Wells suggested they publish her book through his production company, Ice Wine Productions.

Mr. Wells was tasked with designing the book and, after months of reviewing various proofs, the team is ready to hit the printers for a May 1 release.

Ms. Dickerson is planning a local book tour to read to children at East End libraries this summer and hopes to have a booth at the Strawberry Festival in June.

An occasional substitute teaching stint has provided the educator a trial run at how kindergarten through fourth-graders react to the story. “They have loved it. Their first comment is that the pictures are amazing,” she said.

Even fifth-grade classes have enjoyed the book, which is used as a launchpad for a lesson in creative writing. Mr. Wells created a website to expand on thematic elements of the book, including multimedia learning opportunities and ideas for family activities. “It’s been an adventure,” Mr. Wells said. “It goes well beyond the book.”

Holding a copy of her first published book in her hands represents more than just accomplishing a goal. It allows Ms. Dickerson to continue teaching science, art and writing skills to children. “I love sharing the love of the natural environment with children, the hope being that they’ll grow up loving the environment and preserve it one day.”

“Moonglow” is available for pre-order on Amazon for $23. It will also be available at several local retailers. For more information, visit moonglowkids.com.

tsmith@timesreview.com

The post Retired teacher’s book, ‘Moonglow,’ encourages kids to learn about nature appeared first on Suffolk Times.

HIGH HONOR ROLL

Grade 12: Sabrina Basel, Jonathan Baumann, Ally Boyle, Eric Connolly, Olivia Daddona, Caitria Demeroto, Samantha Dunne, Robert Elliston, Peter Franke, Justin Hanold, Van Karsten, Max Kruszeski, Anakin Mignone, Marie Mullen, Jake Okula, Joseph Owens, Emiliann Palermo, Emily Russell, Olivia Saccamano, Dante Tramontana, Michael Wineberger.

Grade 11: Walter (Cole) Brigham IV, Jacquelyn Constantine, William Dickerson, Elizabeth Drumm, Cailin Duffy, Elizabeth Jernick, Kate Jones, Kathryn Kilcommons, Olivia Lynch, Julia Mejsak, Jessica Mele, Simon Mraz, Ella Neese, Anna Yao Reilly, Steven Russell, Kaitlin Tobin, Rhian Tramontana, Molly Tuthill, Nicholas Vicinanza, Sean Ward.

Grade 10: Grace Brodarick, Andrew Clausen, Gabriela Contreras, Hanna DeSimone, Nicolas Diaz, Jack Giovanniello, Danielle Henry, Julia Jaklevic, Joseph Kneuer, Kelli McHugh, Matthew Mullen, Annamaria Napolitano, Samuel Owens, Stephen Palermo, Juliet Rand, Kaia Rothman, Bianca Secaida, Tamara Vidal Vanegas, Benjamin Ward.

Grade 9: Eleanora Alloway, Angel Grace Almedilla, Annie Antonucci, Angelina Bokina, Nikolas Cartselos, Naomi Cichanowicz, Robert Cooper, Robert Corazzini III, Emma DeTour, Lane Dominy, Brendan Duffy, Victoria Feeney, Melissa Grzegorczyk, Evelyn Helinski, Tate Klipstein, Christine Kneuer, Alyssa Kollen, Natalie Kopala, Kenny Lin, Jonathan Lopez, Isaiah Mraz, Jack Murray, David Okula Jr., Ryan Palumbo, Isabelle Penny, Katie Russell, Connor Wilinski, Gabriella Zaffino.

Grade 8: Joanna Anderson, Emily Baumann, Malena Bendik, Noah Benson, Noah Berry, Gabriella Bifulco, Quincy Brigham, Danna Duarte Giron, Kaitlyn Duffy, Holly Escalante Caravante, Luke Gibbs, Jack Goscinski, Cayla Harley-Hardnett, Erin Hoyt, Benjamin Jernick, Travis Keller, Brendan Kilcommons, Jessica Latham, Ella Luhrs, Francesca Lynch, Hunter Magnuson, Anna McCarthy, Brienna McFarland, Matthew Molnar, Gabrielle Nguyen, Jaden Olsen, Pablo Palencia Sandoval, Camille Ramone, Violet Rand, Mei Reilly, Maya Reilly, Sara Serrano, Jeniffer Serrano Campos, Nathalie Steskal, Megan Tobin, Jay Tramontana, Karly Ward.

Grade 7: Milana Albanese, Angelly Avila – Rosales, Sofia Bartolani, Kelly Bruer, Jocelin Campos – Velasquez, Jordani Chacon, Nicole Corazzini, Mae Dominy, Amy Estrada, Alexa Feeney, Aiko Fujita, Katherine Garms, Sofia Gillan, Amelia Harmon, Isabel Hegel, Bryan Henry, Jocelyn Kaelin, Caige Kaessinger, Flynn Klipstein, Mackenzie Koke, Briseyda Lopez, Rose Lopez Duenas, Evan Maskiell, Blanca Mejia, Michelle Menjivar Leon, Naomi Mraz, Nyla Olsen, Madeline Palumbo, Dylan Reilly, Ava Rose, Bernadette Scott, James (Jack) Sepenoski Jr., Thomas Sklodowski, Lindsy Taggart, Diego Umana, Skyler Valderrama, Kathleen Ward, Grace Zehil, Tristan Zugmeyer.

HONOR ROLL

Grade 12: Sergio Alburez Alvarez, Jack Antonucci, Patrick Connolly, Michael Daddona, Tyler DeFrese, Gabriella Drumm, Courtney Kruk, Jose Martinez Ascencio, Fiona Merrill, Rosanna Mollica, Marco Palencia Sandoval, Katherine Patchell, Marissa Rackwitz, Gianna Regina, Casie Vaccariello.

Grade 11: Amanda Bardsley, Jack Cosmadelis, James Duffy, Elizabeth Garcia Palencia, Ashley Heath, James Hoyt, Kenneth Latham, Elizabeth Quinones, Stephen Schill, Emma Whittington-Quarty, Anisia Yang.

Grade 10: Patrick Allen, Jennifer Canizalez Macua, Ryan Deerkoski, Caroline Koslosky, Jaishaun McRae-Carden, Alexis Merino Fernandez, Matthew Messana, Silvia Rackwitz, Magda Rodriguez, Rodezsa Ma Santillan, Reese Thompson, Samantha Tondo.

Grade 9: Katherin Alvarenga Garcia, Landon Bennett, Thomas Cardi, Dominick Giovanniello, Anthony Jimenez Euceda, Conor Kilcommons, Angela Kollen, William Laines Gatica, Diana Puluc Curup, William Ramirez Miguel, Jack Reilly, Matthew Schill, Kathryn Vitiello.

Grade 8: Wyatt Carter, Lexandra Davis, Robert Doering, William Earl, Nathaniel Girzadas, Bela Gogiashvili, Amanda Lasot, Yeimy (Jamie) McCarthy, Brendan Mullen, Jack Owens, Fernando Rodriguez, Savanna Smith.

Grade 7: Giavonna Bolletino, Daniel Cartselos, Anna Cooper, Kimberly Escobar, Tristan Healy, Alex Lopez Olmos, Anahy Merino Fernandez, Olivia Misiukiewicz, Ariana Montenegro, Luke Newman, Brian Schill, James Treharne, Maylin Velasquez-Cortave.

COMMENDED STUDENTS

Rachel Garms, Ashley Lang, Michael McFarland, Adonis Rodriguez Lima, Veny Tapia, Christos Verveniotis.

The post Southold Junior-Senior High: Third-quarter honor roll appeared first on Suffolk Times.

Before it was Goldin Furniture, the huge Queen Anne-style building at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue in Greenport was known as the Greenport Auditorium. It was built in 1894 as a theater for arts and entertainment. 

The Greenport Auditorium was conceived and funded by Sarah Adams, a community leader and active Presbyterian Church member who advocated for women’s suffrage. 

“As the village center for arts and cultural entertainment, the auditorium accommodated up to 700 guests for popular dramas, vaudeville, musicals and bands,” according to the nonprofit Preservation Long Island.

That use continued for many decades, until the building fell into disrepair after the Great Hurricane of 1938. It sat vacant for a few years, then became a furniture store, as it is today. 

Now, a group headed by Alex Aurichio — whose brother, Andrew, owns the building and the business — hopes to buy and restore the auditorium.

Alex Aurichio is president, director and founder of Greenport Auditorium Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the landmark building. 

The group received nonprofit status last month, according to Mr. Aurichio, who said the next step is to begin a fundraising campaign for the project. 

First, he would have to purchase the structure from his brother, he said, adding that the cost of acquiring and restoring the property could range anywhere from $4 million to $10 million. 

He plans to seek advice from the group that helped fund the restoration of the Sag Harbor Cinema following the devastating 2016 fire.

Earlier this month, Preservation Long Island added the Greenport Auditorium to its list of “endangered historic places” on Long Island. 

Other groups have taken notice of the plans to restore the auditorium. 

“Greenport’s remarkably intact 1894 Queen Anne-style auditorium retains the unique ambiance of a turn-of-the-century theater,” Preservation Long Island wrote. “Operated as a home furnishings showplace since the 1940s, the building’s restoration is limited by a lack of resources and capacity to fund and organize a complex preservation project. As downtown Greenport revitalizes, the surviving historical stage and other interior features are at risk of being lost to redevelopment.”

They listed the building’s status as “at risk” because Greenport has become a popular destination and “developers and real estate speculators are actively pursuing large commercial properties like this one to redevelop.”

The stage inside the former auditorium remains in place, although it now has chairs on it, rather than actors. 

The “Greenport Auditorium” sign is also still intact atop the building. 

“I’m not doing it for the money,” Alex Aurichio said. “I’m doing it to preserve the building for the betterment of the community. It would definitely be a good thing for the community.”

He envisions presenting plays, live music and movies and holding community meetings and other events at the site. 

“The acoustics in this building are incredible,” he said. “Somebody could stand on the stage and whisper to someone in the back of the theater, and they could hear it.”

“It’s a very large building and it’s going to take a lot of collaboration to make it back into an auditorium,” said Sarah Lautz, preservation director for Preservation Long Island.

Preservation Long Island doesn’t give grants, but instead provides advisory and technical services. 

“We could point them in the direction of a funding source or expertise in this type of thing,” Ms. Lautz said. “There’s a lot of options out there and a lot of resources out there.”

The building is located within the Greenport Village Historic District, she said. Stephen Bull, the head of the Greenport Village Historic Preservation Commission, alerted Preservation Long Island to the auditorium, she said. 

Ms. Lautz thinks the site could do well as a venue for live performances and music because Greenport is close to both New York City and, via Cross Sound Ferry service, Connecticut. 

“Everybody kind of agrees that Greenport could really use a performing arts center, and that it would probably be very successful,” she said. “So, we’re hopeful.”

She described the stage as “shockingly intact.”

Greenport Village recently saw another entertainment venue reopen when the Village Cinema, which has been closed in the winter for many years , began showing classic films at no charge on Saturdays. Under a program run by the Manhattan Film Institute — and after replacement of the theater’s heating system, thanks to donors and contractors volunteering their services — films began showing in December and will continue through May 18. 

MFI co-founder Tony Spiridakis is a friend of Alex Aurichio. 

“We would love to find some way to help him have his dream come true,” Mr. Spiridakis said. “The Manhattan Film Institute is a friend of the auditorium project and really hopes that Alex is able to make his dream for that space come true.”

Photo caption: The stage at the former Greenport Auditorium, home of Goldin Furniture, is largely intact. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Charles Arthur Ley of Mattituck died April 28 in East Patchogue. He was 96.

He was born Feb. 10, 1923, to Charles Julius and Martha (Albert) Ley in Brooklyn, N.Y.

He later served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

For many years, Mr. Ley resided in Lynbrook, N.Y., where he worked as a manager for U.S. Lumber. He moved to Mattituck in 1986.

He was a member of the “Tuesday Crew,” a band of mostly retired North Fork handymen and tradesmen who spend every week working, for free, at historic sites and museums throughout the area. The Tuesday Crew has repaired and restored the caboose at the Railroad Museum of Long Island, fixed up the Fresnel lens from Little Gull Lighthouse, expanded the East End Seaport Museum and helped relocate an old blacksmith’s hut in Greenport Village, among other efforts.

Predeceased by his wife, Mabel Antoinette Ley, March 2, 2019, Mr. Ley is survived by sons Richard and Kenneth, both of Lynbrook, and Warren, of Laurel.

The family received friends April 30 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. Graveside services, with military honors, will take place May 1 at Calverton National Cemetery.

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Phyllis Carol Conley of Peconic Landing in Greenport, formerly of Hampton Bays, died April 8. She was 89.

She was born Dec. 9, 1929, to Lilian (Latosky) and Norman Chadde in Rochester, N.Y.

Ms. Conley attended Sacred Heart Academy, St. Agnes High School and Brockport State Teachers College.

She married John B. Conley in Rochester July 9, 1949, and was a self-employed real estate broker.

Ms. Conley was a Girl Scout leader in Westbury, a matron of the Order of Eastern Star’s Meadowbrook Chapter, a member of Southampton Altar Guild Church of the Advent, a vestry member at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Greenport and worked with thrift shops in Westbury.

Her family said she enjoyed acting in and directing productions by neighborhood theaters including Advent Players, Westbury, the St. Mary’s Hamlet Players and North Fork Community Theatre.

Predeceased by her daughter Elizabeth Michele in 1990, Ms. Conley is survived by her husband; her daughter Cynthia Kevetan of the Bronx; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Services took place April 15 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Greenport, officiated by Pastor Garret Johnson. Interment followed at Calverton National Cemetery.

Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport assisted the family.

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Joan Ahlsen of Southold, formerly of Huntington, died April 2. She was 85.

Predeceased by her husband, Roy, she is survived by her sons, Gregg and Wayne, and her daughter, Lori. She was the grandmother of six.

Ms. Ahlsen was a volunteer at Eastern Long Island Hospital, a member of the Red Hat Society and a former Cedarette.

A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, May 4, at 1 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Southold.

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Joseph T. Smith of Southold died April 24. He was 65 years old.

He was born Aug. 6, 1953, to Dorothy (nee Carley) and Walter Smith in Brooklyn, N.Y.

After school, he went on to own and operate J’s Classic Automotive & Repairs in Valley Stream, N.Y., eventually moving out to Southold where he worked at Mullen Motors. He loved anything to do with the automotive industry. He also enjoyed boating, the Yankees and animals.

His friends at Mullen Motors put it perfectly when they wrote: “Wednesday, April 24 — we lost a good man. Joe Smith — ‘Smitty’ — a man who the only thing he loved more than his work was his family. A very colorful character indeed, as witnessed by the hat on his head — most of what made him so colorful can’t be repeated here, but also possessive of a huge heart. He helped everyone he worked with, and anyone who came to him seeking his help was never turned away. The man could repair anything automotive. He would walk around the shop, muttering the word “junk,” his voice dripping with contempt as he spoke it — because he knew that most things could be made better but all too often whatever it was that he was dealing with was constructed with some kind of cost-saving shortcut in mind. A true mechanic, not merely a parts-changer. His departure leaves a huge void in the Mullen family and he will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Joe — your codes have all been cleared.”

Joseph was predeceased by his daughter, Anna Marie in 1996. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Smith; children Catherine Smith, Thomas Smith and his wife Trisha, Jennifer Mudd and her husband Stephen, Theresa Smith and Patrick Smith; and grandchildren Damian Smith and Anna Marie Mudd.

The family received friends April 26 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. The Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated April 27 at Saint Patrick’s R.C. Church in Southold, officiated by Father John Barrett. Interment followed at Holy Rood Roman Catholic Cemetery in Westbury.

Memorial donations may be made to United Cerebral Palsy Nassau School of Development, 380 Washington Ave., Roosevelt, NY, 11575 in memory of Joseph’s late daughter Anna Marie Smith.

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Franco G. Purita of Southold died April 30. He was 53.

Visitors will be received Friday, May 3, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold.

The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, May 4, at 9:30 a.m. at Saint Patrick’s R.C. Church in Southold, officiated by Father John Barrett.

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Slow starts to seasons are hardly anything new to the Southold High School baseball team. The uncanny trend goes back for years. Bad starts have become so regular that they could be considered something of a tradition — not a desirable tradition, of course, but a tradition, nonetheless.

Former Southold coach Mike Carver was at a loss to explain it, and now his successor, Greg Tulley, has seen it in his two years in charge of the team. Southold got off to a 1-7 start last year. This year the First Settlers opened this season at 0-8.

Fortunately for the First Settlers, more often than not they kick things in gear in time to turn around their fortunes, as they did last season by rallying and reaching the playoffs.

That’s the aim again this year.

With seven regular-season games remaining, Southold is still in the playoff hunt, and that’s a testament to the team’s fight. It should be noted that the 0-8 start came with losses to three strong teams — Pierson/Bridgehampton/Shelter Island, Babylon and Center Moriches. Southold was shut out three times and outscored in those games, 103-17.

Ouch!

Then it was turnaround time. Southold swept a three-game series from Smithtown Christian before this week taking the first two games of a three-game set with Hampton Bays. The First Settlers pounded 12 hits in a 5-3 victory Tuesday at Hampton Bays High School to pull within a game of a .500 league record, which would guarantee them a playoff spot.

“I think we’re a better team now than we were in the beginning of the season,” centerfielder Michael Daddona said. “Center Moriches and Babylon made us stronger.”

That 0-8 beginning now seems like a long time ago.

“It actually does because I just feel after our games against Smithtown Christian, we’ve been a completely new team,” said Brendan Duffy, the designated hitter who drove in two runs in the first two innings and stole two bases. “I just feel like we’ve been playing better as a whole team and just everyone’s been contributing and we’ve just been working so much better.”

A bye week before the Smithtown Christian series apparently helped Southold (5-8, 5-6 Suffolk County League VIII). Tulley said he gave his players some time off to reset, and it seems to have worked.

“We had a rough start to the year, playing two of the better teams in our league in Center Moriches and Babylon, but our bats and overall game in general have been coming around the last two weeks,” he said. “We’re doing a much better job of putting the bat on the ball and just playing better baseball.”

The top three batters in Southold’s order — Daddona, Ryan Hunstein and Duffy — each went 2-for-3 while the No. 6 batter, Jake Okula, chipped in a pair of hits as well.

“As the warmer weather comes, our bats tend to come alive,” said Joe Hayes, the winning pitcher who allowed two hits over 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out six and walked six, three of those coming in his final inning. Okula and Hunstein handled the pitching the rest of the way.

“Joe did a great job,” Tulley said. “Joe’s been a big guy on the mound for us this year.”

Southold built a 5-0 lead by the third inning thanks in part to RBI singles by Duffy and Nick Grathwohl in the first and a Daddona sacrifice fly and a booming RBI double by Duffy in the second. Okula scored on an error in the third.

“We have a lot of bats in the lineup and we can always string a few hits together,” said Duffy.

Hampton Bays (4-12, 2-12) produced three of its five hits and scored all three of its runs in the seventh. Jordan Adelson smacked an RBI single and Mickey Bracken singled in two more runs.

Southold had won the first game of the series Monday in the bottom of the seventh when Grathwohl was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing Daddona home for the winning run of a 3-2 victory.

Hayes said it’s “very motivating” after the rough early season to “show everyone what we’re really about.”

How big of a carrot is the potential for a place in the playoffs?

“Oh, it’s big,” Duffy said. “Everyone wants to make the playoffs. I feel like that’s what drove us last year. It can drive us again this year.”

Photo caption: Southold pitcher Joe Hayes allowed two hits over 4 2/3 scoreless innings Tuesday in Hampton Bays. (Credit: Daniel De Mato)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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Greenport Village is taking the first step toward expanding its municipal sewer system into the Sandy Beach neighborhood. 

A resolution, approved unanimously last Thursday, authorizes village staff to work with outside entities to obtain grants to fund the expansion to the community off the southeast tip of Stirling Basin.

A 2017 engineering report from Cashin Associates  put the cost of the project at $1.1 million. The potential grants could offset the cost of the expansion and reduce the tax hike for property owners in Sandy Beach, where there are relatively few homes. 

The lack of a sewer system in the beachfront neighborhood off Stirling Basin came under scrutiny  last month after residents Stephen Bull and Terese Svoboda submitted a wetlands permit application to raise their home by three feet to protect it against future storms. Only a part of Sandy Beach is in the incorporated village of Greenport, but that area is the only part of Greenport Village that isn’t currently connected to the sewer system.

At a previous board meeting, CAC member John Saladino pointed out that about 26 homes on Sandy Beach Road are affected by flood waters. At the time, he noted that their septic systems empty into the bay and creek.

Greenport had previously considered extending its sewer system to the Sandy Beach area, although cost has been an issue.

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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After once again making it to the FIRST Robotics World Championship, the Southold/Greenport robotics team, R.I.C.E. 870, earned a semifinalist rank for the second year in a row.

At last week’s Destination: Deep Space-themed competition, more than 400 qualifying teams, which traveled from around the world to participate in what is touted as the world’s largest student-oriented STEM competition, were broken into six subdivisions. R.I.C.E. and its three allied teams competed against 68 teams in the Carson Division, achieving a tie score with the opposition, but losing due to tiebreaker rules. Out of those competing on the world stage, they were the top-ranked team from Long Island and the second in the state.

“The kids played phenomenally,” said Bob Gammon, co-adviser of the team. “They got everything they could out of the robot. In the four playoff games that we played, we had the best robot in the field.”

According to the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) website, more than 70,000 people and 1,300 robots from upwards of 70 countries traveled to Detroit and Houston “to celebrate inspiring young innovators, leaders and change makers.”The objective was for each team to navigate their bot through the imaginary deep space, attaching panels, loading the bot up with cargo — game pieces including hatches and balls — and placing that cargo in the designated “end zone” — on a rocket and cargo ship‚ before the other teams. Teams had to do all this while avoiding a simulated sandstorm, which was created to obstruct their vision.

• Prior Coverage: Robotics team set to take on the world

• Prior Coverage: Robotics team wins Long Island Regional title

The four-day competition in Detroit started off with one day of practice matches and two days of qualifiers. The fourth day was made up of sub-division playoff matches, tournaments and finals matches. Each of the competing teams was permitted a coach, a technician and drive team members who represented the overall group.

“We had 10 qualifying matches and we wound up with a record of seven and three,” Mr. Gammon said. “We wound up being seeded fifth, so in the qualifying matches we finished five out of the 68.” This put the team in the top 10%.

In the past five years, R.I.C.E. — which stands for respect, integrity, compassion and equity — has made it to the world championships three times. This year was their best showing, where they ranked 25 out of the 3,500 students worldwide. This was also the first year the team finished as an alliance captain, because they were chosen by the number three seed. Despite doing everything right, Mr. Gammon said, the team had to depend on their allies who, despite working hard, fell short.

“The rule was that if it was a tie, the tie went to the team that committed the least amount of penalties,” team adviser Christine Schade said. “You never want to do something wrong and get a penalty called against you, but we had three penalty points that were not in our favor and that’s how they broke the tie.”

Ms. Schade said the loss was heartbreaking and that it marked an abrupt halt to the team’s progress, but that once they swallowed that tough pill and took a step back, they saw how far the team had come. She and Mr. Gammon expressed tremendous pride in their team of 33, crediting also the many community members who have supported the team both financially and morally.

R.I.C.E. was given a surprise firemen’s sendoff by members of Southold Fire Department, who drove them to Pindar Vineyards in Peconic, lights and sirens running, and community members contributed by purchasing $5 paper stars that lined the walls of Greenport and Southold high schools.

Additionally, a multitude of local sponsors took much of the financial burden off the shoulders of the team’s advisers and mentors. Superintendent David Gamberg and his wife, Maryellen Gamberg, flew to Detroit for the championship, as did Greenport’s William J. Mills and Co. president, Jamie Mills. Sixteen of the team members’ parents, siblings and extended family members also went to the event, some of them taking the loss harder than some of the kids, according to Mr. Gammon.

“Our robot could not have gotten any better,” said Southold junior Stephen Schill. “That last match, we played the best we played all year … Perfect runs and everything came together very nicely.” Stephen served as the drive team’s “human player,” loading the robot with the cargo it would have to transport.

The team made history earlier this month for winning two regional competitions in one season, one at Rochester Institute of Technology — which gave them a ticket to compete in Detroit — and the other at Hofstra University.

Photo caption: Members of the Southold/Greenport robotics team, R.I.C.E. 870, at the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Detriot last week. (Credit: Christine Silvestro/Courtesy)

mkhan@timesreview.com

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