Summer And Baseball - Commack North Little League Team Moves Into Finals

By Dana Klosner

The Commack North Little League Team has done it again. This team of 13 twelve and thirteen year olds has won the District 34 Williamsport Championship for the second year in a row. They have a 6-0 record beating Bayshore on July 7^th in the championship game. They are now in the Eastern Regional Finals, in which they made it to the semi-finals last year, losing to the eventual US Champion.  The Eastern Regional Finals will be played locally at Commack North’s Cedar Road Baseball Complex. They will be competing against 9 teams from Maryland to Massachusetts and all states in between. If they win the Eastern Regional Finals they will go on to California to represent the East Coast in a chance for the US title, where they will play teams from the Mid-West and the West. If they go on to win that they will be the US champions and go on to play in the Little League Baseball World Series. 

“The team is made of up 13 boys who love baseball for what it is,” said Team Manager Doug Silverman. “They just love to play the game. Last year we had 9 thirteen year olds and 4 twelve year olds. This year we have 10 twelve year olds and 3 thirteen years olds. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. They are confident and assured of themselves. This is a fun game regardless of how competitive this tournament can be. Of course they want to win, but they just love playing this game. They also love it that the community is behind them. Lots of people from the community come out and support them and they love the attention.” 

This is the first time the boys have been playing together as a team. They’ve only been practicing together since June.

“There’s lots of camaraderie among them,” Silverman said. “Each one plays his role. No one thinks they stand out. Their motto is thirteen for one. Everyone plays their own role and do the best they can. I have a lot of fun coaching these boys.”

The boys agree with Doug Silverman. It’s all about the game.

“I was six years old when I started playing,” said Nick DeCicco, now 13, who plays short stop and pitcher “My parents started me up with it. I got into it. You always push yourself to do better.”

“Getting to play is good,” he went one. “And the amount of fans that show up is great. I love the excitement of all of it. We’re all motivated to win. Everyone’s goal is to go to California.”

For Drew Silverman, Doug Silverman’s son, who plays pitcher and catcher, baseball is just fun.

“It’s a good time,” Drew said. “It’s fun, anything can happen. It’s a great time to hang out with the guys.”

Drew, who has been playing the game since he was three years old, is motivated by watching sports.

“I love watching them do really good.”

Drew’s advice to other kids: “It’s fun, it keeps you active, and it’s a good chance to hang out with your friends.” 

And what do the boys think their chances of winning are?

“I think we have a strong chance,” said Nick. “We have pitching depth, a great amount of hitting and our fielding is good.”

“We’re just as good as last year,” said Drew.  “Anything’s possible.”

Local And State Officials Meet With KP Bluff Advocate Pamela Schmidt

By Dana Klosner

(click on photos to enlarge)

Pamela SchmidtLooks like good news for those interested in restoring the Kings Park Bluff. Last Monday, representatives from the Town of Smithtown, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, State Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick and several community associations all met to discuss the remediation plans for the Kings Park Bluff. The meeting was called by community activist Pamela Mary Schmidt who recently started a web page called, “A Voice for the Bluff.” Schmidt and her web page advocate for federal and state funding to restore the Kings Park Bluff and prevent further erosion.

“It was a highly productive meeting,” Schmidt said. “It clarified that the Bluff is part of Sunken Meadow State Park, minus a ‘dead’ area that nobody owns, apparently. All who were present agreed to pursue identification of all agency stakeholders so that a view can be established to develop a comprehensive management plan for the mouth of the Nissequogue River.”

Kings Park Bluff photo submitted by P. SchmidtBut just because it’s been deemed part of Sunken Meadow Park doesn’t mean it is known exactly who is responsible for maintaining the Bluff.

“We have to look at the agreement with the Town of Smithtown,” said Wayne Horsley regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation. “There was an agreement with Smithtown that they would have responsibility. We don’t know what exactly those responsibilities are.”

The result of Monday’s meeting is yet another meeting that will be held in September. That meeting will involve Assemblyman Fitzpatrick, Senator Flanagan, the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife and all the different constituencies involved in maintaining the Bluff, Horsley said.

“We all care to restore the Bluff,” Horsley said. “Whatever decision is made, Russell Barnett (director of Smithtown’s Department of Environment and Waterways) said the public brought five or six ideas to him on how to maintain the Bluff and they are all very different.”

For Schmidt, the idea that everyone is working together to save the Bluff is very good news. 

“I’ve been going to the Bluff my whole life as many of us have that live in Kings Park,” she said. “We have so Erosion prevention methods include rocks and a cage like barrier to hold rocks in placemany memories that define our identity. We watched the erosion and attempts at restorations efforts. We saw the devastating effects [Superstorm] Sandy had on top of years of erosion. It’s not just the effects of Sandy. Sandy just put it over the edge. I wanted to try to do something to protect what we have left. That’s why I built my Facebook page which has been getting community support via organizations and individuals.”

For the last 11 years, Schmidt has been King Park Bluff Beach Captain for the International Coastal Cleanup day.

“I wanted to advocate for funding to preserve what we have left of the Bluff.”

There has been $7.5 million in federal funding allocated for coastal resiliency projects on Long Island, including $2.5 million for Sunken Meadow State Park, she said.

The funding comes from Sandy coastal resiliency grants program that’s administered by the US Department of the Interior – DOI. 

“My question is why can’t the Bluff get part of that,” she said. “I want the Bluff to get part of that funding.”

“We want to reduce our community’s vulnerability to increasing occurrence of coastal storms flooding and erosion,” she said. 

Schmidt questions decisions that have been made regarding the restoration of the Bluff in the past.

In June 2002 the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) agreed to approve a geotube to stabilize the Bluff, she said. A geotube is a hard structure as opposed to soft stabilization such as sand and planting. In 2003 a notice was given that a geotube would be excessive and not necessary. Later in December of 2003 a permit was granted for stabilization of the Bluff with no geotube, just soft attempts at remediation. Although the town was required to remove some boulders in order to receive the permit.

In March 2004 a grant of $112,000 was provided by the Empire State Development Corporation to regrade the slope, put plantings in and move the parking lot back.

But the erosion continued due to the fact that there was not enough hard structural remediation, plantings, some rocks and sand has not helped. All that washed away with Sandy, she said. 

“This is not just about money,” she said. “It’s about preserving memories of generations, past, present and future. “

The bluff project is not Schmidt’s only passion.

Schmidt is a Special Education and English teacher at Freeport High School. She also writes curriculum for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and the Center for Gifted Youth at Long Island University/C.W. Post College. 

Several years ago after writing curriculum for the Robert F. Kennedy Center she created a project called “The Voice of Potential.” It is an educational program that facilitates human rights education and art to promote self-sustainability between the collaboration of students in the US and children removed from exploitative labor in Nepal, Africa and Haiti.

photo courtesy of P. SchmidtShe’s been to Haiti 10 times in the last four years. This summer will be her 11^th trip to Zami-Beni Orphanage in Port Au Prince Haiti and the third trip to the Hamor Ghar Transit Home in Katmandu, Nepal with children recently removed from exploitative labor in the rug industry. 

“When I return from Africa I’m going to have them [her students] do the bracelet project in all three locations,” she said. 

In the bracelet project students raise awareness about the specific global issue and sell bracelets, each person who purchases a bracelet receive their name on a “drop” of water. Each drop represents one dollar. If bracelets are sold for 5 dollars each, then that person has their name written on 5 drops. The drops build a “wave” on a hallway in the school to represent Robert F. Kennedy’s “Ripple of Hope” quote stating that each individual coming together can make a difference in the world. 

The project has helped to fund a Hydroponic Fish Farm at the orphanage in Africa. In Haiti it helped build a bakery and in Nepal it went to children’s education.

Schmidt’s students at Freeport High School won Newsday’s Future Corps award for selling the bracelets. The money they raised went to children rescued from exploitative labor in Nepal and to the Interfaith Nutritional Network of Freeport. 

Schmidt has recently been accepted into the Doctorate program of Interdisciplinary Education at LIU/CW Post College.

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. 

Smithtown Dish - Small Bites Of Foodie News - Openings And Closings

Smithtown Dish – small bites of foodie news

By Nancy Vallarella 

Openings and Closings

Azafran, 430 N. Country Road in Saint James, has opened, and the word on it in town is positive.  Residents are pleased with their Columbian fare.  It looks like this family restaurant offering rotisserie chicken; steaks and seafood dishes is worth a visit.  The décor has remained from prior occupants Attilio’s and Sweet Tomato.

Fairway Market will open their Lake Grove location July 23^rd.

Spuntino, 420 N. Country Road, has rescheduled their opening date to mid-August – early September due to delays.

Sadly joining Café Istanbul in the closings of food establishments on North Country Road is New York Stuffed Cone.  On the bright side, this is a brick and mortar closing only for New York Stuffed Cone. Their artisanal ice cream products will become available on-line. Owner Dave Saracino thanks all of the people who patronized his establishment and will continue to make his products available through on-line ordering. Check NYSC facebook page for updates on new on-line ordering site!

Smithtown Is Grape Territory - Harmony And Whisper Vineyards

By Dana Klosner

(click on photos to enlarge)

Everyone knows the East End of Long Island is home to some world class vineyards, but did you know we have two world class vineyards right in our own backyard? Harmony Vineyards located on Stony Brook Harbor in Head of the Harbor, and Whisper Vineyards in St. James.

Harmony VineyardFor David Acker, owner of Harmony Vineyards, the vineyards give meaning to his life. Not only does it sell wine but all of the profits go to five non-profit organizations all devoted to ending hunger and education. 

“People shouldn’t be hungry,” Acker said. “That’s why we need to teach them the skills to have better lives.” 

The non-profits the winery benefits are: Island Harvest, CITY Harvest, The PinkRock – which funds uninsured and underinsured women being treated for or surviving breast cancer, The Stony Brook Foundation – which provides scholarships for students attending Stony Brook University, and a school in East Africa called The East African Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children (EAC). The EAC helps communities achieve empowerment by increasing literacy for women and children, improving health status and eradicating poverty. Currently the EAC is building a school building in Eastern Kenya called The Harmony Resource Center.

Harmony VineyardThe vineyard got its start in 1999 when Acker purchased a historic mansion, circa 1690 and moved it to the street.

“It was meticulously restored from 2010-2012 by Harmony with Harmony staff,” he said. “It now serves as a pastoral backdrop for the vineyard and a seating area. It overlooks the Chardonnay block.” 

“We planted a prepatory crop in 2001 and had our first harvest in 2005,” he said. The four acres of grapes included Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In 2002 Chardonnay was planted. 

The vineyard opened in 2012 with 11 vintages between reds and whites, he said. His signature wines include a White Chablis style Chardonnay and a Bordeaux style red blend from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Being the only vineyard on Long Island on the waterfront has its advantages, he said. 

“Our buds break about two weeks earlier than the North Fork because it is slightly warmer,” Acker said. “And it is windier which means we don’t have to use as many drying agents as are applied on the East End. 

 The Harmony Vineyards tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday year round. There is live music offered on Saturdays and Sundays year round, on Fridays guests can enjoy trivia night and in the summer on Thursday nights a movie is shown on a three story high screen. The tasting room also serves as an art gallery. 

Whisper VineyardWhisper Vineyards owned and operated by sisters Laura Gallagher and Barbara Perrotta and Laura’s husband Steve Gallagher can trace their family’s farming roots back to 1945 when the sisters’ father Joseph Borella rented the 53 acre farm currently known as Borella’s farms. He purchased the property in 1950. 

Currently the farm has 18 acres of ground allocated to the vineyard and 14 acres of those are planted. The vineyard grows Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and others. 

“We have climate conditions to produce world class grapes,” Stephen Gallagher said. As a matter of fact the vineyard took a bronze medal in the Chardonnay division in the International Finger Lakes Wine Competition, Gallagher said. That competition includes over 3,756 wines from 887 wineries, from 20 countries, 6 Canadian Provinces and all 50 US states. 

Whisper Vineyard“The Borellas were originally potato farmers,” Gallagher said. “But when it came to the point where a bag of ice cost more than a bag of potatoes they realized they needed to diversify. They started growing all the other vegetables.”

Stephen Gallagher joined the family farm in 1986.

“We were looking to diversify because of changes in the economic structure,” he said. He began extensive research into vineyards, wine and winery production. 

“After six years of research of clones and the climate and the varietal of wine grapes the family planted their first clones in 2004,” he said. The first harvest was in 2007 and the family has been bottling wine since 2010.

The Whisper Vineyards tasting room is open Wednesday through Saturday 12-7, on Sunday until 6 and on Friday 1-8.