Nesconset's Gina Coletti - "I Love Nesconset"

By Dana Klosner

Gina ColettiNesconset resident Gina Coletti was honored by Republican Caucus Chairman John M. Kennedy, Jr. as the Suffolk County Woman of the year at a meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature in March.

For Coletti, former president of the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce for the last two years and board member for the last 10 years, being a community activist comes naturally.

“I’ve always been a community oriented person,” she said. “I take pride in the town I live in. I always want to improve it so I became involved in the chamber.”

Coletti has been an integral part of Nesconset. She played an integral role in the creation of the Nesconset Gazebo Park, the Nesconset Toner Water Park, the completion of the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization Project and improvements along Smithtown Boulevard, including a Decorative Streetlight Project. 

Of all these, she considers the completion of the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization Project her biggest accomplishment, she said.

“[I’m proud of] all the improvements along Smithtown Boulevards especially the decorative streetlight project.  From Mayfair to Southern Boulevard there are decorative streetlights, banners and sponsor tags which are where businesses have the opportunity to sponsor a street light and put their business name on a pole. During the holidays the downtown area is decorated with garland wraps and lights. It completely changes the ambiance on the street. It defines the downtown area, the stretch of business area in front of the gazebo,” she said.

The implementations of the gazebo and Toner Park behind the library are also accomplishments that make her proud. 

“It’s [Toner Park] got playgrounds, a water park and tennis courts. It’s really become the hub of the town where all the families go. There’s a concert series in the gazebo, and kids play ball on the field. I was a part of the planning of the park by being a member of the chamber. Senator Flanagan asked us for a vision of what we thought the land could be. Nesconset needed a park. I suggested the water park. Smithtown had one water park that was at Hoyt Park in Commack, we needed one of the east side. It’s great for people that don’t have pools and want their kids to run in the water in a safe place. The library used to be the old armory. It was just an eyesore. Now we created the whole park, with a walking and biking trail. It’s just a nice place to be.”

And after working with the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, there are now medians along Smithtown Boulevard to slow traffic down. 

“There’s so much more volume with the library and the park, it became a little dangerous, so the medians slow traffic down,” she said. 

In the future on Smithtown Boulevard there will be more work done closer to the library. Under discussion is a traffic light, a median and a handicap ramp. There might be curb cuts which would make it much easier for people in wheelchairs and handicapped people to get across the road, she said. 

Also in the future, Coletti hopes to lengthen the decorative streetlight footprint to hopefully stretch to Lake Avenue. 

Coletti also helps run the Beautification Gala, Casino Nights, Craft Fairs, 5K runs, and the Menorah and Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, all making Nesconset a better place to live, she said. 

What motivates Coletti to work so hard?

“I love Nesconset,” she said. “It’s a very family oriented community. It’s a nice place to raise a family. It’s a close knit group of people. There are so many community oriented events that create the feeling of closeness. It’s got great schools and a great neighborhood feeling.”

In addition to her role in the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce Coletti sits on three Suffolk County panels.

She represents Legislator John Kennedy for the 12^th Legislative District on the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning Downtown Revitalization Citizen’s Advisory Panel. When she won the Suffolk County Woman of the Year Award she was sworn in on the Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Board also representing Legislator Kennedy. She is on the Suffolk County Lake Ronkonkoma Advisory Board, again representing Legislator Kennedy. 

With the Chamber she runs a fundraiser for the Girls Athletic League called “LAX for M.E. and the G.A.L.S.” which benefits the Maurer Foundation for Breast Health and the Girls Athletic League of Smithtown.

She sits on the board at Stony Brook Medicine for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, where she is a committee chair.

She is the co-founder and board member of the North Shore – LIJ Health System’s Monter Cancer Center.

She has also run her own golf outing for 20 years which benefits the Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center and the North Shore LIJ Health System.

She is also committee chair and elected mentor for the Smithtown Industry Advisory Board which is part of the Smithtown Central School District. The board acts as a liaison between students, schools and companies where they offer students internships and career planning. The board works closely with the DECA clubs at the schools.  

With a 20 year successful banking and finance career with Citigroup, Coletti transitioned into the real estate industry, holding both a New York State license as a Real Estate Appraiser and a Real Estate Salesperson.  She currently works for Smith & DeGroat Real Estate who has offices in Hauppauge and Mineola.  She is also an independent consultant for Rodan & Field Dermatologists. 

Gina Coletti lives in Nesconset with her husband Robert and her daughters Jaclyn and Lauren who will both be attending Great Hollow Middle School in the fall.