Celebrity Chef Bal Arneson "Spice Goddess" At St. Johnland Nursing Center

St. Johnland Nursing Center hosted a cooking demonstration and book signing for the community featuring celebrity chef Bal Arneson, the star of the Cooking Channel’s and Food Network Canada’s show “Spice Goddess.” She came to St. Johnland as part of Morrison Community Living’s Celebrity Chef Series where she travels around the country and prepares delicious meals centered on flavors from India with a focus on fresh wholesome ingredients using herbs and exotic spices.

The program had an enthusiastic audience of staff and residents, some of whom participate in the demo along with St. Johnland’s own chefs.

Commack Students And Home Depot Transform Butterfly Garden

Community Outreach from Home Depot Transforms Butterfly Garden at Sawmill

The third grade students at Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School in Commack have been studying the life cycle of insects. They “raised” Painted Lady butterflies, and as a culminating activity, the students released the butterflies into the school’s butterfly garden.

The garden had undergone an amazing transformation just the day before, thanks to Christopher Longstreet, a Sawmill dad who noticed the garden needed some loving care. Mr. Longstreet also is an Assistant Manager of the Freeport Home Depot. The garden was badly in need of “More Savings, More Doing,” so Mr. Longstreet paired up with Smithtown Home Depot Operations Manager, Miguel Pichardo, and associates, Kristine Lomardie and Gloria DeJesus, to transform the garden just in time for the third grade students to release butterflies.

After ripping out all the weeds that had taken over, beautiful plants and trees that attract these flying beauties were planted, also courtesy of Home Depot. The garden will provide a wonderful place for teachers to take their students out during the warm weather to read, write, and learn.

Sawmill was so appreciative of this donation. The student council created thank you care packages for the team filled with orange drinks and orange treats with a note that read, “Orange you glad you helped us out? We are!”

“Let’s do this!” was music to the ears of Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School Student Council. The Student Council Advisors, Tara O’Grady, Kathi Woolley, and Laura Keen, would like to send a special thank you to all the students that came out to help the Home Depot team get the job done!

Commack - Kings Park Rotary Club Visiting Mindanao Phillippines

Members of the Commack - Kings Park Rotary Club are visiting Mindanao, Phillippines. The club is organizing a water project to provide clean drinking water to the residents. John Washington and Elsie Service (third and fourth from the left) are Commack - Kings Park Rotarians.

We arrived in Cebu on the 28 of May. We took a boat to Mindanao. There is a portable WiFi we bought Saturday and can use for one month, at a flat rate.  We met many of the members  at their 3850 district assembly  meeting.  Rotary club from Dipolog and Oroquieta have agreed  to work together on the water project.  Member’s of the two club’s met at Elsie house and proceeded to see the current water spring source. Lindon SeeDiet having worked previously on a water project is taking a lead on this. We will update more in the coming week. Sorry for the delay .

St. James - CVS Application Draws A Standing Room Only Crowd

By p.biancaniello (click on photos to enlarge)

They came, they listened and they don’t want it. That was the message  expressed by the 100 or so St. James taxpayers who attended the Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) meeting Tuesday, June 9, 2015. The topic was the CVS application to build a store on the corner of Lake Avenue and Woodlawn Avenue. 

In 2014 CVS Albany LLC, filed an application in the Town of Smithtown to build on the corner of Woodlawn and Lake Avenues in St. James. The proposed site is a lot zoned residential. At that time CVS was asking that the property be rezoned to Commercial Business. The residents attending the 2014 hearing roared  that they didn’t want it.  CVS withdrew its application.  

CVS is back before the BZA asking for variances and a special exception that would allow them to construct their store. A BZA public hearing is the forum where the case for the application is made first by the applicant followed by public comments.   Vincent Trimarco is the attorney for CVS.  Also representing the applicant was traffic expert Patrick Lenihan, Director of Transportation at VHB Engineering. Mr. Lenihan offered assurances that the traffic issues would be addressed by “rearranging timing on traffic signal” at the Woodlawn/Lake Ave. intersection.  Mr. Lenihan does not anticipate much additional traffic stating that the majority of the traffic will not be CVS specific but rather cars already on their way to or from a location.  Courtney Reily, also from VHB Engineering, requested that the BZA grant relief from the parking requirements. Under current code, CVS is required to have 124 parking spaces and one loading Bay. CVS is looking for relief that would permit 57 parking spaces and one loading bay.

The CVS application seeks: 1 - A parking variance of approximately 54%, 2 -  Special permit for parking in R10 Residential Zone, 3 - Relief for parking greater than 50 feet into the residential district, 4- Relief for a buffer, 5 -Relief for the prinicpal building not conforming to parking requirements, 6 - Relief for requirement related to parking greater than 15 feet from Lake Ave.

The Planning Department was asked to comment on the application. Long time Senior Town Planner David Flynn, who was recently appointed Director of Smithtown Planning Department, read comments from the planning department’s report in which he offered the Planning Department’s official recommendation that the application be denied. The audience, a filled to capacity crowd, was pleased and met his comment with wild applause. Mr. Flynn explained the decision by stating that the applicants request for variances were substantial and that collectively they would have an impact on the character of the neighborhood. He stated that the lot is residentially zoned and to grant the relief requested “is tantamount to rezoning and not eligible for a special exception.”  “Any alleged harship in complying with the ordinance is self-created,” said Flynn. “This zoning has been in existence and for CVS to pick a property that is not suitably zoned, they’ve created their own practical difficulty.” 

St. James resident Denise McMahonIf there was a message the residents wanted to hear it was the message Mr. Flynn delivered. Resident Denise McMahon delivered petitions to BZA members with 1,200 signatures in opposition to the application. “I don’t think anyone here objects to a CVS in St. James: what we are objecting to is trying to squeeze a 10lb. saussage into a five lb bag.” Speaker after speaker stepped-up to the podium to state their concerns about traffic, parking and the impact on the community should the application be approved. “Mr. Flynn, dig your heels in.” said one speaker. 

Rev. Miguel Pagon - New Jerusalem ChurchNot every speaker opposed the application. At the end of a long line of speakers opposing the CVS application came Pastor Miguel Pagan from the New Jerusalem Church On Woodlawn Avenue. Rev. Pagan supported the application saying it would provide better access to health care and prescription needs. Rev. Pagan also spoke about the deterioration of the buildings on the proposed site. A long line of parishoners from the New Jerusalem Church stepped up to the podium in support of the CVS application.  

Assemblyman Fitzpatrick - Felony Convictions Must Result In Forfeiture Of Pensions

FITZPATRICK: PENSION REFORM ESSENTIAL TO THE ECONOMIC HEALTH OF NEW YORK

A statement from Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick (R,C,I-Smithtown)

            “My Assembly Minority Conference colleagues and I have proposed a number of significant reforms since the beginning of the legislative session, one of which is legislation (A.4643) that would amend the New York State Constitution to strip public servants, including elected officials, of their taxpayer-funded pensions if convicted of a felony directly related to their job duties. A similar measure (S.4611), agreed upon by the Assembly, Senate and Gov. Cuomo, was minutes away from being passed as part of the New York State budget before being removed from consideration.

            “The Majority has now put forth its own heavily watered-down version of this bill, (A.7704) which may not apply to most of New York’s public’s servants, including some members of the New York State Public Employees Federation as well as the Civil Service Employees Association. Those unaffected by this legislation would be allowed to collect their pensions even if convicted of these felonies. We must end the practice of corrupt state officials cashing in at taxpayer expense.

             “Once we have properly addressed this issue, we must go a step further and transition all elected officials into a 401(k)-style defined contribution platform to save taxpayers millions while alleviating the conflict of interest that exists in the state legislature. With six-figure pensions on the line, elected officials are more likely to take action that guarantees reelection rather than action that will save taxpayers money. We must end this practice.”