Nursing—One Day at a Time—for 44 Years - Dottie Schultz

For Dottie Schutlz,10-weeks of psychiatric rounding while in nursing school could have been the module that halted her chance of ever becoming the “baby nurse” she dreamed of since she was just a little girl, playing with her dolls.

In 1968, as a student at St. Clare’s School of Nursing, situated just walking distance from her apartment, Dottie had a second chance of fulfilling her first career passion. Years prior, Dottie, started a four year nursing program after graduating high school at the age of 17. A year and a half later, she fell in love, married and started a family. However, the nursing bug was still one that she thought of and when she learned that St. Clare’s School of Nursing offered an intense two-year program, she weighed her options and decided that working at the phone company, while a good job, was not satisfying for her.

At the age of 28, with the support of her husband and mother, she took on the challenge—after all, during those years, married women with 3 children to care for, did not typically juggle home and career. Dottie was on her way to becoming a new era woman. After passing the entrance exam, nursing school was on her radar, until she learned that she might have to participate in a 10-week away tour at the Psychiatric Hospital in Central Islip, during  the final year of the program, more than 40 miles from her Manhattan home. After sitting in orientation, she felt defeated, because there was no way she could complete the 10-week tour away from home. She had other responsibilities—her family. She went to the registrar with the intention of withdrawing from the program, and it was the woman there that said there was a strong chance the tour would be moved to a closer hospital, which would offer a commuting option, as opposed to 10 full weeks away from her family. The woman at the registrar’s office also gave Dottie advice that she still keeps with her until this day, “take it one day at a time”.  Comforted by this new possibility, without further hesitation, Dottie excelled in her courses and managed life at home. She even sat for her licensed practical nurse (LPN) exam midway through the program, which she passed with high marks. Things were going very well and her dream of nursing was promising.

The last year of the program was underway and Dottie learned there would be no change to the psychiatric tour in Central Islip. With anxiety and tears in her eyes, Dottie went to her mother, who was helping her with the three children, to tell her for the second time, that she was not going to be finishing nursing school. And with the most consoling voice her mother said, “Don’t you worry, everything will be fine—I will take care of the kids until Bill comes home at night.” She said that was something she never forgets. “I did it, and I was finally able to make my mother so proud,” said Dottie.

In 1970, Dottie started working as a registered nurse at St. Clare’s Clinic. She worked in several units from allergy, gynecology and surgical to name a few, but her love for pediatrics is where she flourished. She moved to Holbrook with her family and worked as a nurse manager of pediatrics at Smithtown General Hospital. She fulfilled the same role at the medical center as nurse manager of pediatrics for a few years and eventually transitioned to the maternity department as a staff nurse, where she has been for more than 14 years.

“Pediatrics was a whole different ball game—you had children who had all sorts of alignments—so the transition to the maternity department was an adjustment,” said Dottie. “I have always liked pediatrics—you are like an investigator with the doctors trying to figure out what is going on with the patient—I loved the challenged, but I have also loved working in maternity as well.”

Every nurse has a different story of how they become to be the “compassionate care giver”—Dottie’s is one that leaves you encouraged with a sense of perseverance and balance. She never gave up on her passion to nurse, found a love in pediatrics, a fulfilling career, loving wife and proud mother of three children, one of which is also a nurse.  “If I did not have such a supportive mother and husband, 10-weeks could have changed the course of my life,” said Dottie.

The Ridge resident will retire on August 1, 2014, after 44 years of nursing. She is sad to be leaving the maternity department, she says it is bittersweet, but is looking forward to spending time with her husband and children, traveling and organizing the house. She passes on the same words of encouragement that has and continues to help her throughout her career and life, “take it one day at a time”.

For more information about St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, please call (631) 870-3444.

An Act Of Love - KP's Jill Glazer Fundraises To Save Kaleidoscope

By Dana Klosner

Jill GlazerJill Glazer, a recent Kings Park High School graduate and former Editor-in-Chief of Kaleidoscope Magazine has a goal. She wants to keep Kaleidoscope Magazine a viable entity for the next school year. Kaleidoscope has been recognized for the past four years as a top-ranked high school magazine by American Scholastic Press Association.

The literary arts magazine has about 25-30 students working as staff members, but the entire school body is welcome to submit art, photography, poetry or short stories. 

The magazine, which recently published its 37^th issue, comes out annually in February.

However, due to budget cuts, the school board had been concerned that this is a program that might be cut. 

According to Glazer the organization pays for 20% of the magazine for printing. “We asked if we covered 30-40% would we have a better chance. They continuously shot us down.”

Fortunately, many people, including the school board, continue to work to find the funds to keep Kaleidoscope.

Glazer has started a T-Shirt campaign to try to raise money and awareness to get the club reinstated next year. The magazine has been ranked number 1 in the nation for at least the last four years by the American Scholastic Press Association, Glazer said. 

“What we are taking to the superintendent is the fact that it costs $8,000 for printing and we pay up to 20%” The district has to pay a teacher about a $4,000 stipend for supervising the group,” Glazer said. “The board added an extra $2,000 into the budget and said we need $14,000 for Kaleidoscope when we only use $12,000 for a teacher and printing.”

Glazer said she needed to raise $10,000 but mostly her goal is support. She has raised $500 since June 22.

“I love the sense of community within the High School with this magazine,” Glazer said. “It’s about the athlete who writes an amazing poem and it makes the first page. It’s about the girl who never speaks who writes an awesome poem or the kid who is really good at math that turns out to be really good at photography. It’s about seeing everyone who contributes to this magazine, who are not all artists per se, but who make this a gorgeous magazine.”

It turns out this story may have a happy ending. An email from Susan Agruso, Superintendent of Schools shows that she believes Kaleidoscope will be restored.

“During budget development, the Board had to cut spending,” the email reads. [There were] a number of spending reductions for clubs, sports, and music. When identifying these reductions we tried to balance the three areas together across all our schools and ensure that students had other choices if we had to make these cuts. At the budget adoption meeting, we clearly stated that the spending reductions were dollar amounts and that we would be working over the summer to identify alternate ways to realize the savings without having to make these cuts. We have made progress in identifying other savings, and I have every confidence that Kaleidoscope and some other activities will be restored prior to the start of the school year.”

If you would like to support Jill Glazer’s effort to save Kaleidescope by purchasing a t-shirt click here for the link.

There will be an update on this issue at the Board of Education meeting on July 15. 

Construction On Rte. 347 - A Huge Investment By NYS

By Dana Klosner

westbound traffic on Rte. 347 during constructionIf you live in Smithtown you probably have noticed the construction project on NY Route 347 between Route 111 and Mt. Pleasant Road. The project is the second in a series of NY Route 347 corridor projects planned to improve safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians and to reduce travel delays. According to a 2013 press release from Governor Cuomo, the plan calls for transforming NY Route 347 into a modified boulevard and suburban greenway for 15 miles through Smithtown, Islip and Brookhaven.

This is a big project requiring an investment in time and money. According to the Governor’s press release, the project, between NY Route 111 and Mount Pleasant Road, is the largest transportation design-built project on Long Island. 

The history of the project is simple.

The current features of NY 347 are inadequate to handle the significant volumes of motorists and trucks that now use the roadway, which was constructed in the 1960, according to Eileen W. Peters, Public Information Officer for NYS Department of Transportation Long Island, Region 10. In 1969, an average of 48,000 vehicles per day used NY Route 347. Presently there are an estimated 71,000 vehicles per day using this road.

When the stretch between NY Route 111 and Mt. Pleasant Road is completed there will be three full travel lanes in each direction, a multi-use “greenway” for pedestrians and bicyclists, a planted, decorative center median, new high visibility crosswalks, signals and pedestrian countdown timers and LED traffic signals, according to NYSDOT Region 10.  

sound barrier (wall)The first project between the NY Routes 454/347 split and NY Route 111 was completed last year. Work already completed on this second project between NY Route 111 and Mt. Pleasant Road includes the completion of about 50% of the drainage improvement work, clearing of vegetation, relocation of utilities, substantial installation work of sound walls on the north side, some curb work and sound wall construction begun on the south side.

The constuction of sound walls from Rte. 111 to Mt. Pleasant Rd. on the North and South sides has begun.  Eastbound (south side) sound walls end at Plaisted Avenue, and the westbound (north side) sound walls end just west of Mt. Pleasant Rd. and the 7-11 store.

Still to be done includes road widening, installation of center medians similar to the section to the west, construction of the greenway, landscaping, construction of the shared-use path on the south side and sidewalks on the north side, installation of new bio-retention basins on the south side and a “green stop” resting area similar to the section to the west.

To minimize the impact on commuters, lane closures are permitted only at night and during off-peak, midday hours. Access to business is being maintained. 

All of this will cost $30.5 million and will be completed in about one more year. 

Sports Complex In Kings Park On BZA Agenda For Public Hearing July 8th

By Chris Biancaniello

The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) will be in session Tuesday evening at 7pm at the Smithtown Senior Citizen Center, 420 Middle Country Rd., Smithtown. On the agenda is a public hearing for Prospect Sports LLC’s proposal to build a sports complex in Kings Park. Prospect Sports is proposing the complex on a 44.45 acre parcel of previously sand mined property. The site is accessible on Old Northport Rd. and is located in an area zoned for LI (Light Industry).  The proposed sports complex is an acceptable use as a special exception in LI. Special Exceptions are granted by the Town Board. 

The property now vacant has been sand mined by its previous owner. To the north of the property are single-family dwellings, to the east a golf driving range and townhouse development. To the south is the Town’s landfill and a precast concrete manufacturer and to the west is an uncapped landfill. In addition to the Special Exception, Prospect Sports requires several variances which make a public hearing by the BZA necessary. 

Prospect Sports is requesting:

A variance to reduce minimum lot frontage at setback line from 100 ft to 52 ft.

Waive standards that requires recreational uses to be in permanent structures and that such activity not exceed the area of the principal building.

Waive the standards that requires adequate parking and that requires compliance with the height requirements (proposed buildings-60ft.& 52ft height)

Waive the standard that outdoor lighting does not exceed 18ft. in height-to 60ft. for 55 light poles

Variance to increase the height of buildings from 35 ft. to 60 ft. (two 52 ft. bldgs. & one 60ft bldg)

Increase height of accessory structure from 18ft. to 65ft. (55 proposed light poles)

Increase height of accessory structure from 18 ft. to 25 ft. (proposed 25 poles)

Increase height of accessory structure from 18 ft. to 25 ft. (proposed 25ft. high fences)

Reduce min. required parking spaces from 2,476 to 1,038

Reduce number of parking landscape islands from 126 to 0

Increase the height of retaining walls from 6ft. to 23 ft.

Reduce the setback of a 23 Ft. high retaining wall from the lot line from 23 ft. to 3 ft,

Reduce the min. required number of truck loading spaces from 5 to 0

Front yard landscaping from 80 percent to 30 percent

Variance to the requirement that any outdoor lighting shall be limited to the illumination of buildings for security purposes and the lighting of parking areas and accessway. (5 ball fields).

The site, which once housed a sand mining operation, is considered blighted by many.  Currently there have been reports of people using the site with dirt bikes, atv’s etc. At the April 25, 2014 Public Hearing for the Special Exception, Kings Park Civic association leader Sean Lehmann supported the proposal stating “We believe that recreational, training and office use is a much more benign reuse of the site than the surrounding heavy industrial type uses in the area. We acknowledge that there are some concerns such as lighting, noise and hours of operation, but we are confident that our town representatives and the applicant can work on a reasonable solution. The potential to protect local residents from another obnoxious use, create local jobs, and increase in our tax base, stimulus for our local businesses and much needed playing fields and training for our youth leagues are all positives.”

There are issues that need to be addressed before everyone is comfortable with the sports complex proposal. Although the Planning Department has not received a lot of calls on the proposal, lighting, traffic and noise are areas of concern for some nearby residents. One resident who preferred not to be named stated, “There are concerns about the traffic, noise and lighting at the site that concern me.  I will reserve judgement until I hear how the town is planning on dealing with these concerns.” 

Tuesday’s BZA meeting begins at 7pm on Tuesday, July 8. The public is welcome to attend and there will be the opportunity to proffer comments and questions.  

Information about the cancellation/postponement of the meeting is available at Smithtown’s Planning Department 631-360-7540. 

Editorial - Supervisor Vecchio Show Us The Money

As expected there has been some outrage over Supervisor Vecchio’s proposal to eliminate two elected positions (Receiver of Taxes and Town Clerk) and to replace them with appointed department heads.  Supervisor Vecchio has acknowledged that some people would see his proposal as a political move eliminating the positions of two people who didn’t support him in his reelection campaign in November. The reaction from those most impacted by the proposal was as swift as it was vitriolic.

The battles at Town Hall are legendary and not unique to this board. Over the years the players have changed, but the two constants have been Vecchio and the fact that Smithtown politics is tough and not for the faint of heart. Machiavelli could probably learn a thing or two from our long-term supervisor.

Politics aside, it is worth noting that the Supervisor’s proposal does not affect the current term of the Town Clerk or Receiver of Taxes. Presumably legislation, if approved by voters in November of 2014, would become effective at the end of the term of office which for Receiver of Taxes would be 2015 and Town Clerk in 2017. 

The Supervisor’s proposal, whether it is political or purely economical, is irrelevant at this point as Pandora’s Box has been opened exposing to voters and taxpayers that recommendations for streamlining government exist. The New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness is one of the many organizations identifying how we can make government more efficient, responsible and cost effective. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is proposing to take the pensions of those elected who violate their positions, NYPRG advocates for transparency in campaigns, good government organizations are calling for an end to cross endorsements, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is pushing for the consolidation of positions at the county level, Legislator Lindsay has called for removing the automatic salary increase for Suffolk County legislators.  All of these proposals have the potential to save taxpayers money and to restore trust in government.

Proposals to reduce the tax burden need to be examined, and if warranted, deserve the support of the public. Push back from political people should not be enough to squelch proposals that could bring relief for residents.  This cannot be about Deanna Varrichio or Vincent Puleo, it is about efficiency and economy in government to best serve its people.

Supervisor Vecchio has incredible political acumen; he has been on the job for thirty-six years and is well aware of the reaction his proposal would evoke from partisan political people. He also knows that these are tough economic times for Smithtown residents who are paying high taxes at the same time they are feeling that their quality of life is declining. He is willing to put his proposal before the voter in a public referendum. A smart move from a man with decades of experience.  

As Tom Cruise said in the movie Jerry Maguire “Show me the money”.  Supervisor Vecchio, you’ve got our attention, now tell us how we save money.

Pat