Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day in Brookhaven Hamlet

Memorial Day in Brookhaven Hamlet

Brookhaven Fire Department Sponsors Annual Service with Usual Solemnity and Honor

Memorial Plaque Dedicated for Brookhaven Participants in The War on Terror in Iraq and Afganistan

Brookhaven Hamlet again celebrated Memorial Day with a parade and the traditional ceremony at the Memorial Triangle.  A special feature of this year's program was the dedication of a new memorial plaque recornizing the men and women who served during the War on Terror in Iraq and Afganistan since 2001.
Color Party and Honor Guard
Fire Department Color Party
 
Local Government Representatives
Brookhaven Town Councilperson Connie Kepert,
NY Assembleperson Dean Murray,
U.S. representative Tim Bishop.
 
Color Party and Honor Guard
Fire Department Color Party
 
Brookhaven Fire Department
Brookhaven Fire Department
 
South Country Ambulance Company
South Country Ambulance Company
 
Bellport High School Band
Bellport High School Band
 
Bellport High School Band
Bellport High School Band
 
Bobby Stirling
Bobby Sterling Decorated Bicycle is the final section
of the parade.  To many residents, it is the highlight. 
What will he do this year?
 
Fire Department Chaplin Delivers the Invocation
Brookhaven Fire Department Chaplain Ed Sives
Delivers the Invocation
The ceremony following the parade changes little year-to-year.  It's Brookhaven Hamlet's version of "Ground Hog Day."  I commented to several folks that I could publish pictures from thirty years ago, and, unless you looked carefully, it would be hard to notice the difference.  Most responded--"That's the charm of it."  To me, however, it is more than just "charming" (allthough it is that).  It is an expression of our shared community values regardless of our specific individual beliefs.

I remember, many years ago during the Vietnam War, standing beside the cannon still on the site while the local Presbyterian minister symbolically exorised it and praying that the war end.  Surrounding us were many of the community (as there were in communities all across the country) who clearly let us know that they did not stand with us.  I still do not believe that there is a "good" war.  But there are good people who fight these wars.

Among my earliest childhood memories is that of Memorial Day (called Decoration Day back then).  The day before, we would travel to cemeteries throughout Western New York visiting rural and urban cemeteries within a sixty mile or so radius, placing flowers on family gravesites.  The entire day was spent at this task.  Then on Memorial Day itself, the entire neighborhood would gather at a local park and share a breakfast, making sure we got back home in time to walk over to Main Street for the parade.  My father would take us in tow (my mother usually did not go).  After the parade past, we would follow it along with others to that village's monuments—there were two, one for the Civil War and one for the more recent wars.  There too the ceremonies were always nearly exactly the same year to year.  The surprise of the honor volley startled us then as it does us now.  A change would come over my father (he was not a remonstrance man, and himself had little connect to any lost in the war).  We would then walk quietly back home; followed by a drive to my grandparent's for a large family picnic.  The ritual never changed until I left home to go to college.

In my occassional walks about our town, I pause at the Memorial park, and stand before the plaques placed there. I have posted on this web site our Brookhave/South Haven Honor Roll, including wars back to the Revolutionary War.  For many of the names listed there, I have included links to their personal histories.   I offer a little wish (prayer, if you will) that there be no more plaques.  But I know that this will not be so.
Chief Kinsella prepares to uncover new memorial plaque
Former Brookhaven Fire Department Chief Ron Kinsella
prepares to uncover the new memorial plaque. 
 
Chief Ron Kinsella and new memorial plaque
Chief Kinsella was instrumental in getting the plaque made.
 
Some of the Brookhaven Soldiers named on the plaque
Those who were able to be present for the dedication:
 Lance Corporal Amanda A. Litcher; Hudson A. Darrow; Margaret & Anthony Cacase, parents of Guy Cacase; Jason R Kinsella; David McCutcheon III; Clayton J. Stanek
 
Closeup of plaque
Names aon the placque:
Ryan Barnett, David M. Butler, Guy Cacace,
Andrew T. Darrow, Hudson A. Darrow,
Jason R. Kinsella, Amanda A. Litcher,
David McCutcheon III, John D. Muglia,
Scott F. Scutari, and Clayton J. Stanek.
 
Laying of Wreaths
Memorial wreaths were presented by various organizations.
Including the Brookhaven Fire Department, the Woman's Auxialary
of the Fire Department, the South Country Ambulance Company,
the Mastic Fire Department, the Brookhaven Village Association,
 and the local Boy Scout Troop and Cub Pack
 

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Brookhaven Memorial Day Parade Starts 9:00 a.m.

The Brookhaven hamlet Memorial Day parade on Monday will start at 9:00 am (1/2 hour earlier than the usual 9:30 AM.)  This is because Ron Kinsella and others made a memorial plaque for the hamlet's Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, which will be dedicated on Monday.

 

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Brookhaven Library Centennial

Community Celebrates

On May 6, 1912, 20,000 suffrage supporters marched in New York city, and a half-million supporters lined the streets.  Six day later 27 women of Brookhaven and South Haven Hamlets met at the home of Helen Child on South Country road to hear a talk by suffrage proponet Ruth Litt of East Patchogue and New York city.  This meeting was summarized as follows:  ". . . Some of our residents felt that we needed something to bring us together in this quiet place. . . .   Several of those meeting there that day were ardent suffragettes; and since woman suffrage was filling the minds of many, it was proposed that a suffrage club be formed.  Others desired a library club which would meet the needs of more residents, both of the young and old.  So it was definitely decided to form a Library Club . . . .

100th Anniversary
NYS Assemblyman Dean Murray, Brookhaven Town Councilperson Connie Kepert,
Library Director Kathleen Scheibel,  & NYS Senator Lee Zeldin
It was from that meeting, 100 years ago, that the Brookhaven hamlet library was formed, now known as the Brookhaven Free Library.  The club that formed became known as the Fireplace Literary Club, and is still active today.
This past Sunday, the library celebrated its centenial year with a lawn party.

Brookhaven Village Association Historian Marty Van Lith prepared a unattended presentation on the history of the Brookhaven Free Library.  To view this presentation (pdf format), click HERE.

The library is noted for its children's programs.  Childeren's games
were an important part of the celebration


More on the Brookhaven Free Library may be found HERE.  At the time the present page was first published, the library's site included additional pictures of the celebration.

The Town of Brookhaven also included an article on their public information page—click HERE

100th Anniversary
Anita Cohen authored a pamphlet on the history of the
library.  Marty Van Lith, historian for the Brookhaven
Village Association, researched much of the material
 (along with John Deitz, not pictured.) 
Copies of this booklet are available at the library.

"Chief" Michael Verni of the Shady Grove Antique Fire Company,
Library Director Kathleen Scheibel, Fireplace Literary Club President Jane Love

Bob Brown & Genie David

Don David & Thaddeus ONeal

Diane Hall & Rev. Tom Phillip
In background, Centennial Quilt made by community members.

Two women—one representing the 27 who founded the Brookhaven library in 1912 and one reflecting cultural trends of 2012—find common ground reading in front of the library's fireplace.  Artist Barry Rockwell created this charming artwork to commemorate the centennial of the Brookhaven Free Library, located in Brookhaven hamlet, Long Island, New York, where he lives and works.  Numbered and signed prints of his painting are available at the library.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Lesko asks the state to pre-empt the local level to protect the river.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/lesko-moves-to-protect-carmans-watershed-1.3725041

Lesko moves to protect Carmans watershed

Originally published: May 17, 2012 9:41 PM
Updated: May 17, 2012 10:19 PM
By SOPHIA CHANG  sophia.chang@newsday.com

Photo credit: Joseph D. Sullivan | A flock of Canada geese take flight above the Carmans River. (Nov. 15, 2010)

Leaving the town board out of the process, Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko has asked the state to extend the Pine Barrens Core to protect the Carmans River watershed.

The state Pine Barrens Commission unanimously passed his motion Wednesday, sending the proposal to the State Legislature for consideration.

The proposal would extend the mapped boundaries of the Pine Barrens Core to include 3,500 acres in the watershed. If approved, development would be prohibited on those acres and stricter state water quality standards applied to the river.

"The Carmans River is a precious state and federal resource and the standards that apply to the Pine Barrens should apply to the expanded core around the Carmans River," Lesko said in a statement.

He said later that town board politics and the delay in crafting a new plan compelled him to seek state help. "This is a classic case where we need state pre-emption," Lesko said. "A third of the river flows through a federal preserve. I'm asking the state to pre-empt the local level to protect the river."

Plans to protect the ecologically delicate Carmans River, stretching from Middle Island to Bellport, have been the subject of contention among Brookhaven officials. Last month, Lesko withdrew his plan to allow developers to build higher-density housing away from the river in exchange for property in the watershed.

Opponents, including board members, feared Lesko's plan would lead to overdevelopment and proposed a new $30 million plan to fund preserving "critical watershed properties" and other waterways in Brookhaven, based on input from town meetings to be held in the next few weeks.

Pine Barrens Society executive director Richard Amper, who supported Lesko's plan for the Carmans River, said this move may influence town board members to act faster.

"The town board majority has made no showing in the past 18 months that they are moving ahead with a mechanism to protect the Carmans River," Amper said.

Councilwoman Connie Kepert blasted Lesko's move, which she said was not communicated to the board and negates the point of the upcoming community meetings.

"Apparently, the supervisor is going forward without input from the community," she said. "The big problem for the folks I represent is that this plan takes away their property rights" Kepert said, comparing Lesko's move to "using a hammer where a scalpel will be the appropriate tool."

 

 

 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Brookhaven Town Politics Threaten the Future of Carman's River

Much has been said and written a
Much has been said and written about the Carmans River Plan, yet even though I've been following it since its inception it's still complicated and confusing to me and apparently most others, too.

Last Saturday I spent several hours with the senior editor of the Long Island Press, Spencer Rumsey, in a canoe touring a small part of the river. Below are the articles that came, in small part, from that interview. I think it's the best analysis I have seen to date.

--Marty van Lith

I too find the Carman's River preservation story convoluted and Machiavellian -- typical of our dysfunctional Brookhaven Town government and its leaders.  I believe that Rumsey has done a better job than any other media attempts in presenting the sad depressing story of the likely loss of a great community asset -- both locally, to the Town as a whole, and to all of Long Island.   Well worth visiting the full article at  http://www.longislandpress.com/2012/05/10/river-keepers/

Maybe the picture should be titled "River Losers" not "River Keepers."

Note that Rumsey's article is 4 pages in length (paging is at bottom of each segment).  Comments by those interviewed and readers are posted at the end, and are an important adjunct.

-- Hamlet Reporter

Brookhaven Politics Threaten The Future of Carmans River

By  on May 10th, 2012


Maybe the title should be "River Loosers", not "River Keepers."

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Town Board Chooses $ over Health

Town Board Chooses $ over Health and Welfare of Community

Don't Dump on Me
The Brookhaven Town Board voted Tuesday to extend the the life of the Brookhaven land up to 20 more years, continuing 40 years of broken promises and lies.

 In a move that affects the quality of life and health of thousands of  residents of Yaphank, Brookhaven, Bellport and Medford, the Board callously voted to request the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to approve a modification  to the Town's landfill permit allowing an additional fifty feet in height.  Only Councilperson Connie Keppert voted against the proposal.  The landfill is in Ms. Keppert's district.

The action was taken, according to Town officials, to increase revenue to the Town and avoid raising taxes.  The landfill is used by municipalities throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties for the disposal of ash and construction debris. 

According to testimony at the Board hearing, a Town waste disposal surtax averaging just $20 per year per household would more than compensate for the additional income that would accrue.  Instead, thousands of residents of south Brookhaven are burdened with offensive odors, dust, and water pollution—a burden not born by residents in other sections of the Town (or elsewhere on Long Island for that matter).  "Everyone in the town benefits from the landfill financially, but only a few suffer," said Adrienne Esposito of the Brookhaven Community Coalition. 

Community members addres the Town Board
Community members address the Board
Supervisor Mark Lesko (D) repeatedly emphasized that  his primary responsibility was as chief fiscal officer of the Town.  While occasionally indicating that he was concerned about the health and welfare of Town residents, it was clear to most participates that his first priority was no additional taxes even if it meant that some had to suffer. 

Several residents indicated that the landfill fees had enabled the election of politicians for years; the Town politicians are like those with a drug addiction; it was time for them to go into rehab.  Unfortunately, like many with addictions, they have not recognized this.

Loony Math

Several residents pointed out that the Town had repeatedly lied to residents.  In 2002, Town officials had indicated that the landfill only had 17 years left  Now, ten years later, with mountains of trash deposited, Town official indicated that there was still seventeen years of life to the landfill, even without the additional 50 feet.  . Did the Town have some magical means of beaming trash to the moon?

Town officials also admitted that the additional 50 feet would have no immediate impact on revenue, as it would take over a year to prepare the site.  The principal effect, it seems, would be to extend the life of the landfill for another two years.

Brookhaven Town Employees
Brookhaven Town landfill employees
The Town resolution also is requesting that the State Department of Environmental Conservation approve a change to the landfill permit to allow deposits be calculated as an annual moving average.  This would mean that during periods when landfill deposits are below the current permit levels, such as has occurred during the recession, , they could be increased in subsequent years to make up for the deficit.

Is the DEC an Enabler?

Unfortunately, the State Department of Environmental Conservation may be more of an enabler than a healer.  Rather than enforcing the law and ordering the Town to establish a firm date to close the landfill, it's history seems to be that of allowing the Town politicians to continue to punt down the field.

No Plans for a Phase-out

It was also clear that the the Town had no plans. or even a road map, for the inevitable closure of the landfill.  Since there are apparently no engineering reasons why the capacity of the landfill cannot be further expanded in the future, they seem to be counting on short public memories which will allow them the continued rape of the community and our environment.

Other resources:

Newday Article
Long Island (Patchogue) Advance story
Brookhaven Community Coalition, a diverse partnership of stakeholder organizations who strive to safeguard and enhance our communities quality of life. Originally formed in March 2011 as the Stop the Sludge (STS) Coalition to stop bio-solid wastewater sludge from being further disposed of at the Town of Brookhaven Landfill. its mission has expanded to concentrate on other issues that are affecting our neighborhoods' health and safety. 

Sunday, May 6, 2012

FW: please distribute widely.

Kathleen Scheibel is president of the Brookhaven Village Association.


From: Kathleen Scheibel [mailto:tomkat555@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2012 1:10 PM
Subject: Fwd: please distribute widely.

Dear Friends,

By now you have heard that Mark Lesko, Brookhaven Town Supervisor, and a majority of the Town Council intend to enlarge the capacity and lifetime of the Brookhaven Landfill. For over a year now the Brookhaven Community Coalition (BCC), which was started just over a year ago as the STS (Stop the Sludge), has been working diligently to put the brakes on the landfill and Great Gardens, or, Long Island Compost. 
As a member of the Landfill Liaison Committee, which was formed last year to meet with Supervisor Lesko in order to keep informed of plans involving the landfill, and to bring community input to the Town, I was surprised and appalled by the very sudden announcement about a month ago of the Town's intentions.

Since hearing this news the BCC and LLC have been meeting regularly to brainstorm ways to keep this disaster from happening. All of you live in this area, and all of you are well aware of the negative impacts we have had to suffer on behalf of everyone who "benefits" from the landfill.  Our private wells became contaminated by the landfill "plume", and we are now forced to drink city water. The smells are often overwhelming and our neighborhoods are festooned with plastic bags and other refuse that blows from trucks or the landfill itself.The fact is, landfilling is an outmoded form of garbage disposal, and the LLC has come up with alternate ideas that we have been trying to get the Town to listen to, in hopes of closing the landfill forever as soon as it can be done.

We are not blind to the financial benefit to the Town of this facility, and our plan is to work with the Town to find a solution that will be satisfactory to all. But the first thing we need to do is to show the Supervisor and the Town council that we are serious. And so, I am inviting--no, I am BEGGING you to read the CCE memo below, and to join your friends and neighbors at Town Hall on Tuesday evening. If you can not come, please find a friend or neighbor to come in your place. You will not be required to speak, unless you want to, but your presence will make a big impact, and can make all the difference in the world when the Town Board sees us out in full force on Tuesday. 

Pass it on, and see you there! Together we CAN make a difference!

Thanks,

Kathleen Scheibel,
BVA President
BCC Executive Board
LLC member
 
From: CCE Member Communication [mailto:members@citizenscampaign.org]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 4:10 PM
To: CCE Members and Friends
Subject: Brookhaven Landfill to Expand?
 
View this message as a webpage.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
Event Alert
Public Hearing on Brookhaven Landfill
Image of the Brookhaven landfill.
Don't just complain at home – tell your town officials how much you love the smell of the landfill!
Tired of being dumped on? Tired of smelling garbage? Sick of blowing ash? Speak out! Speak up! Join the Brookhaven Community Coalition in opposition to another landfill expansion.
Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko shocked everyone by proposing an expansion of the town's biggest monster – the landfill. This proposal comes only mere months after the Supervisor agreed to work with community members on a plan to take the needed steps to close the landfill. For decades, the surrounding community has been plagued with dust, odors, and litter emanating from the ever-growing dump. The community has been promised several times that the end of life was near, yet the closure date is continually being pushed back. Enough is enough! If everyone in the town benefits from the revenue the landfill generates, why doesn't everyone share the burden?
All community members are needed to join us at the Brookhaven Town Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 8. We need a closure plan, not another expansion.
When: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 5:00pm
Where: Brookhaven Town Hall, One Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY
BCC members, stakeholders, and affected residents are all encouraged to attend.
Thank you for joining us. We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at CCE
Image of CCE staff.
This email was sent to aesposito@citizenscampaign.org.
To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add members@citizenscampaign.org to your address book or safe list.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
225A Main Street
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Phone: 516-390-7150 | Fax: 516-390-7160
6 Regional Offices in New York and Connecticut
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--
Kathleen L. Scheibel, Director
Brookhaven Free Library
273 Beaver Dam Road
Brookhaven, NY 11719
631-286-1923
 

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Fire damages Painters' Restaurant

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/fire-damages-painters-restaurant-1.3691920

 

Fire damages Painters' Restaurant

Originally published: May 1, 2012 7:04 AM
Updated: May 1, 2012 7:09 AM
By JOHN VALENTI  john.valenti@newsday.com
An early morning fire on Tuesday damaged Painters' Restaurant in   Brookhaven Hamlet, police and fire officials said.
No one was injured in the blaze, which officials said appears to have started in the kitchen area. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Suffolk County police Arson Squad. It was not immediately clear how much damage was caused by the blaze.
The fire was reported at 3:34 a.m., Suffolk fire officials said.
Volunteers from BrookhavenBellport and Hagerman fire departments responded, as did South Country Ambulance.
Fire officials said it took about two hours for the fire to be declared under control.
Police said South Country Road was briefly closed so firefighters could battle the blaze, but said the road had been reopened by 6:30 a.m.

A History of Painters' Restaurant, aka the Better Ole', may be found here:
http://brookhavensouthhaven.org/history/BuildingInventoryForm.aspx?InventoryCode=Br04A.1-S

FW: May 8 Town Board meeting/ Brookhaven Landfill to Expand?

 

View this message as a webpage.

Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

CITIZENS CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
EVENT ALERT

Public Hearing on Brookhaven Landfill

Image of the Brookhaven landfill.

Don't just complain at home – tell your town officials how much you love the smell of the landfill!

Tired of being dumped on? Tired of smelling garbage? Sick of blowing ash? Speak out! Speak up! Join the Brookhaven Community Coalition in opposition to another landfill expansion.

Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko shocked everyone by proposing an expansion of the town's biggest monster – the landfill. This proposal comes only mere months after the Supervisor agreed to work with community members on a plan to take the needed steps to close the landfill. For decades, the surrounding community has been plagued with dust, odors, and litter emanating from the ever-growing dump. The community has been promised several times that the end of life was near, yet the closure date is continually being pushed back. Enough is enough! If everyone in the town benefits from the revenue the landfill generates, why doesn't everyone share the burden?

All community members are needed to join us at the Brookhaven Town Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 8. We need a closure plan, not another expansion.

When: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 5:00pm
Where: Brookhaven Town Hall, One Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY

BCC members, stakeholders, and affected residents are all encouraged to attend.

Thank you for joining us. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

YOUR FRIENDS AT CCE

Image of CCE staff.

This email was sent to vanlith@optonline.net.
To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add members@citizenscampaign.org to your address book or safe list.

Citizens Campaign for the Environment
225A Main Street
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Phone: 516-390-7150 | Fax: 516-390-7160
6 Regional Offices in New York and Connecticut

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