Archery Hunting For Deer In Kings Park - Good Idea? Depends On Who You Speak With

(Click on photos to enlarge)

It is called Kings Park Unique Area, it is 67 acres located on Meadow Rd. and archery hunting for deer is permitted. To many who live in the area, the idea that this DEC site which includes a newly constructed foot trail, a bench and is handicapped accessible, is also an active hunting area is ludicrous. 

Oct. 2 - Residents show up at DEC site to check out the new useCompatible is the term the DEC uses. According to the DEC, they have properties throughout the Long Island region where hiking, mountain biking and other recreational activities occur during the archery season without conflict between the uses. Not a good idea for Kings Park say many residents, the Kings Park Civic Association and Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio.  

Phones have been ringing almost non-stop at the offices of NYS Senator Flanagan and Assemblyman Fitzpatrick. They have requested that the DEC revisit its decision. 

The DEC uses hunting as the primary tool to manage deer populations. Until this year the setback for archers was 500 feet in the 2014 budget bill the setback was reduced to 150 feet. According to the DEC there have been no incidents between a bow hunter and another person in all of New York State due to archery hunting over the past decade.  Deer-motor vehicle collisions in NY are estimated to be be around 1,000 per year with a large number of incidents in areas where the 500-ft setback prevented deer management opportunities. The 150 foot setback allowed the DEC to evaluate properties that would benefit by controlling the deer population but could not be considered before the setback was changed. The site according to the DEC is in an area where they have received many questions about the burgeoning deer population. It is the DEC’s position that the cost and danger to motorists outweighs the perceived danger from bowhunting.

The Kings Park Civic Association (KPCA) worked closely with the DEC in creating an area at the site for walking, hiking, birding, dog walking etc. According to KPCA President Sean Leahmann “The Kings Park Civic Association is not taking a stand on hunting, or the State’s decision on whether to or how to control the local deer population. This issue is about the safety of the residents that use this particular trail for recreational purposes, and the close proximity of housing and school fields.”

According to KPCA Vice President Linda Henninger the comparison to other DEC sites is unfair because other sites are larger comprising thousands of acres. The Kings Park site is 67 acres, there is a school, athletic fields and there are homes in the immediate area. “DEC’s policies must change as the typography and demographics change. They can not safely treat Kings Park the same way they treat land upstate or out east. The statistics are like comparing apples to oranges and Kings Park should not and will not be a test case for them.” 

KPCA worked with the DEC to improve and promote the site which members call the Meadow Rd. Trail. “We promoted its use, no one ever hinted that there would be the use of firearms at the same site where people push strollers and walk their dogs, we feel manipulated, said Henninger.  

The DEC has posted signs alerting users that hunting may be occurring and posted restricted areas for the sections of the parcels that lie within 150 ft. of a dwelling or public structure. Hunters are limited by the allocation of a single parking space. It is the DEC’s position that the property is far enough from the school to allow safe and legal discharge of a bow.  

Town Supervisor Vecchio is never one to mince words. He is not a fan of the DEC’s decision to allow archery hunting in Kings Park. “A patently stupid idea.  No guns, arrows or any other weapon that could cause harm to people should be permitted.” Said Vecchio.

The DEC is expected to revisit its decision early this week. The archery hunting season began October 1 and ends December 31.

 (updated Oct.6 7:46 am)

George Boyd Of Kings Park Takes 2nd Place In Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off

George BoydGeorge Boyd of Kings Park won second place for his 453 pound pumpkin during the Giant Pumpkin weigh-Off at Hicks Nurseries today. He received a $300 prize as well as a ribbon for participating.

The competition, held each October at the nursery, encourages homeowners and children to bring their pumpkin, no matter what the size, to the nursery to be weighed. It is a fun day for the growers to show off their skills and for families to enjoy hayrides, roasted corn, Otto the Ghost and much more.

First place was awarded to Scott Armstrong of Commack for his 1,059 lb. pumpkin.

Smithtown's 2015 Tentative Budget Online

Supervisor Patrick Vecchio presented his 2015 Tentative Budget to the Town Council on Friday.  Vecchio’s budget message is (as in years before) simple and to the point. “The 2015 budget is unique and different from previous budgets in that it consolidates and integrates blue-collar employees to achieve greater efficiencies and I want to thank Highway Superintendent Glenn Jorgensen for his cooperation in this endeavor. Also, a new method of recycling is introduced (see Appendix I and Appendix II),” Supervisor Patrick Vecchio. When asked for additional comments after the Town Board meeting, the Supervisor said his budget message says it all.

It will take some time to examine the Supervisor’s budget which is available online on the Town’s website. Some highlights include a tax increase around $11.66 for the average assessed ($5,500) house. The Town is restructuring departments and removing 21 employees from the Highway Department and transferring them to the Solid Waste Department. The employees will be available to work with the Highway Department when needed on the removal of snow.

Responsibility for the  collection of leaves and brush has been removed from the Highway department and will now become a function of the Sanitation Department which has historically been responsible for the recycling of the materials.  According to the Supervisors message, “consolidating the collection and recycling of leaves and brush within a single department will improve efficiency by allowing manpower and equipment to be easily shared by the two operation. 

Included in the budget is a major environmental initiative, “single stream recycling”.  The town is facing major expenses ($2-$4 million) to replace outdated equipment used in the recycling of our paper/metal. The explored options and determined that a single stream recycling program would be more convenient for residents and likely to increase participation.  Once a week pick-ups of recyclables will continue, but residents will no longer need to separate the materials.  In addition, there will be an increase in the materials that will collected. The single stream initiative is likely to begin January 1, 2015.

Town Board members will now have the opportunity to examine the budget and to make recommendations and or changes.  The Town Board is expected to vote at the Tuesday, October 7th Town Board meeting to schedule a public hearing for later this month.

Car Theft In Nesconset - Wanted For Grand Larceny

Wanted for Grand Larceny

Release Date: October 2, 2014

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and located the person(s) who stole a car in Nesconset.

Sometime between 9 a.m. on August 28 and 8 a.m. on September 22, 2014, a person or persons stole a 2-door copper-colored 1979 Chevrolet Malibu from the garage of a residence located on Midwood Avenue in Nesconset. The vehicle’s license plates are New York State FXK8591. It has a Ford 9” rear, Weld Magnum 2.0 rims and a fiberglass hood with a 4-5” cowl-type scoop and roll-bars. The interior is light brown vinyl with two-tone brown and beige tweed fabric on the seats. 

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

Authority: D/Sgt. Terence Mawn CC# 14-563030 - Fourth Squad Detectives CW# 14-253/JJ

Theater Review - "The Boy from Oz"

Theater Review - “The Boy from Oz” - Produced by: Theatre Three – Port Jefferson - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

Like many show business terms that almost surely began as wisecracks, ‘Jukebox Musical’ might have been a fairly apt description at one time, but it no longer works. In the first place, people who’ve been born since the phrase was coined (forty years ago) now walk around with their own three-by-five-inch ‘Jukeboxes’ in their pockets. They’re known as cell phones. And just as Polaroid cameras have become passé largely because of the omnipresent devices, so too has the once-iconic jukebox pretty much fallen by the musical wayside.

In theater parlance, the term ‘Jukebox Musical’ was applied to a play that features previously released songs with a common connection to a particular musician or group. Currently, “Jersey Boys” is a high-riding show in the genre—forty years ago “Elvis” was the most prominent Jukebox Musical of its day—and in between, perhaps the best such example arrived with the new Millennium: It was “The Boy from Oz,” based on the life of Australian singer/songwriter Peter Allen, and the show has been masterfully re-incarnated at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson.

This play always was a tour de force, but it’s far from a one-man show. Created in Australia, “The Boy from Oz” had its American debut on Broadway in October of 2003 and closed the following September when Hugh Jackman’s contract ran out. So overpowering was he as Aussie Peter Allen that some critics dismissed the musical as merely an obvious star-vehicle for the immensely gifted singing/acting/dancing Jackman—also Australian. Had Long Island’s master performer, Steve McCoy, been featured in “The Boy from Oz” at the Imperial Theater, the play might still be running there. That’s how superb McCoy is in the title role with his big voice and all-around command of the Theatre Three stage!

Actually, there are two ‘Boys from Oz’ appearing on Main Street in Port Jeff through November 1. The Young Peter Allen (variously a 12, 13, and 14-year-old) is played by hugely talented Andrew Timmins of East Islip. The remarkable pre-teen acts, sings, and dances up a storm throughout this poignant play as he is featured in key flashback segments detailing Allen’s formative years. Incredibly, the Theatre Three venue is host to Andrew’s professional stage debut, and unless we miss our guess, the youngster’s unveiling will prove an award-winning one.

Not to be outdone in their roles as Judy Garland and Allen’s short-time wife Liza Minnelli, are Lori Beth Belkin and Sari Feldman respectively. Under Director Jeffrey Sanzel, the actresses have cultivated both women’s physical characteristics and vocal styles to a T. Cast as personalities that might have easily become caricatures, Belkin and Feldman know exactly when to stop prodding the audience (who loved them) in search of that extra giggle.

Essentially, this is a tragic-comedy about the scourge which is AIDS, and it tells quite effectively of those in Peter Allen’s life whom the disease affects in some way. As Allen’s initially reluctant lover, Greg, the convincing Brett Chizever could hardly have been more empathetic. His stoic acceptance of the hand that fate has dealt him is truly memorable theater.

Ditto Allen’s all-suffering Mother, played by Mary Ellin Kurtz. From her stage-struck son’s first indications that he is greatly talented … to the disclosure involving his gay lifestyle … and finally the revelation of his incipient demise … she is behind him foursquare. That expression of support reduces attendees to tears when Kurtz mesmerizes us with the show’s signature ballad, “Don’t Cry Out Loud.” Lovely!

So, if we must categorize “The Boy from Oz” as a ‘Jukebox Musical,’ let it be said, at least, that the show is as worthy a standard in the genre as we are likely ever to see. Accordingly, those who absorb the play’s many charms (and heartaches) at Theatre Three during the next five weeks will have done themselves a never-to-be-forgotten favor.

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Award-winning Smithtown writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of eight novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s next thriller, “Harvest” due next month, an American doctor is ordered to perform illegal surgeries for a gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans.