Groundbreaking Ceremony For Kings Park Branch

The end is in sight.  The Kings Park Branch of the Smithtown Library is now temporarily closed for renovations. The groundbreaking ceremony on May, 13^th marked the beginning of its remodeling. 

Flanked by elected officials, Supervisor Patrick Vecchio, Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick, and library board members, Joseph A. Vallone, Library Board President, announced the start of the Kings Park Branch remediation project and the re-opening of the Commack Branch.  Vallone acknowledged the different people who played a role in bringing an improved library into fruition including former board members whom he thanked for their work and commitment to the Smithtown Library.  

Library Director, Robert Lusak began the program by calling on Father Sean, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, for an opening prayer.  Lusak went on to talk about community and the bridging of the past to the future.  He spoke about the library’s development into a community resource providing programs and technology as well as books.

The program included presentations by Legislator Nowick,Town Supervisor Vecchio, Director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library system, Kevin Verbesey, as well as Community groups. Kings Park Civic Association was represented by Michael Rosato and Kings Park Chamber of Commerce was represented by its president Charles Gardner.

Mr. Gardner, was the most compelling. He touched on the importance of libraries and reminisced about the first library in Kings Park.  He spoke of the library as the “Crown Jewel” of Kings Park and also called on business owners to do their part to ensure that their buildings become a source of pride in the community.

James Cress Florists Closing - Thanks For The Memories

The Store Is Currently Closed; if you have a PRE-PAID please knock.  If you are an existing Event customer please call 631-807-2040.  Thank you. James Cress Florists.”

And then a second note below the first – “We Are Retiring!  Thank you for your business these 47 years. It’s been our pleasure to serve the people of Smithtown.”

These simple words end the presence of James Cress Florists in Smithtown.  The closing seems to be a shock to everyone who hears about it.

A call to the posted number was answered with “Elegant Events”.  The woman answering the phone didn’t give her name and said “Mr. Cress was not taking calls at this time.” The woman politely declined to answer any questions.   She did, however, say that James Cress Florists in Port Jefferson was also closed.

For forty-seven years James Cress Florists has been a part of family celebrations and it will be missed.  More than a florist it is part of the memories associated with past weddings, proms, anniversaries, births and deaths. 

To the James Cress Family and its staff, thanks for the memories.

Commack - Meet The Candidates

No surprises at the Commack School District’s candidate forum held Thursday evening. There are three candidates and two trustee positions in contention:  Mary Jo Masciello is an incumbent running unopposed, Michael Chacon and Peter Wunsch are vying for the vacant trustee position. The term of office for a trustee is three years.

Mary Jo Masciello has served on the Board for thirteen years and has been president of the Board for the past ten years.   She is an educator who has raised her children in Commack.   She hopes to continue her work on the school board to ensure academic excellence for the students. “In this economy our utmost priority is the funding of quality education. We must attack this issue from every angle by lobbying for our fair share of state aid revenue, by challenging the burden of unfunded mandates, and by continuing to seek additional revenues as we have successfully done this year. Of course, we must continue our efforts to control spending with a “zero-based” budget development process and to communicate with all bargaining units for possible solutions.” (Commack Courier May 2011)  

The two candidates seeking the open seat, Michael Chacon and Peter Wunsch, are both long-term residents of Commack.  Both feel they are uniquely qualified to serve as a trustee. 

Michael Chacon has been a resident for sixteen years and currently has children who are students in the district. Michael has a BSN in Nursing and works for the New York State Nurses Association.  Michael feels that his experience in negotiating contracts will help steer the district through these tough economic times.

Peter Wunsch has been a resident in Commack for twenty-nine years. He has one child, a graduate of the Commack school district. He has a BBA in accounting and is a financial consultant for not-for-profit agencies. Peter has served on the Board before and has held the position of Vice President and President.  He also feels his expertise in negotiating contracts is a strength that will benefit the district. 

The forum allowed the residents of Commack to submit questions to the candidates through a moderator. The candidates were unanimous in their concern for the cut backs in state funding. All candidates replied “NO” to a tax cap, emphasizing that a cap would have a negative impact on the educational experience the students receive. They were in agreement that a tax cap would not address the areas most costly, including pensions and state mandates.  They were also in agreement that there are adequate reserves at this time, and they shared the concern about using reserves and putting the district in a position where it could not meet unanticipated expenses.

On the issue of term limits for trustees all candidates said voting is the appropriate forum to address the issue.  A question was asked about seniority and “first in, last out” hiring policies. Mary Jo Masciello and Michael Chacon expressed the concern that teachers in the district with seniority are very passionate and knowledgeable and salaries should not be the basis for dismissing teachers.  Chacon stated emphatically “salary cannot be a factor for layoffs.  Seniority has a role, absolutely has a role, and there must be a value placed on employees.” Peter Wunsch suggested that there is a role for evaluations and internal reviews.

A question was raised about the candidate’s perspective on what weaknesses there are in the district. Masciello responded that she would like to focus a bit more on the children who are in middle academically.  Wunsch and Chacon thought community apathy and using technology for outreach was an area that could use strengthening.

All candidates agreed that it is important for everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday, May 17.

Smithtown West breezes past East in LAX schoolyard rivalry

By Anthony Vertucci

Smithtown West lacrosse has been rolling all season long and not even their rivalry with Smithtown East was enough to slow their momentum, as they cruised to a 17-7 victory Saturday evening. 

The game marked the return of star senior Kyle Keenan who showed zero signs of rust on the field. The Duke bound attacker had three goals and three assists on Saturday after being sidelined for the last four games with a concussion.

“It feels good to just get everything going and be with my team,” said Keenan, whose first quarter goal gave his team a 4-0 lead. “We’ve got Northport on Monday and then we just have to get prepared and come out strong for the playoffs.”

West took an early lead on East and never looked back, with two quick goals from seniors Ryan Joseph and Frankie Reda in the opening three minutes of play. East tried to rally late in the first with goals from Jimmy Tenbrink and Gary Watson, but West attacker James Pannell killed any remaining East momentum, scoring off the faceoff to open the second. This made it a 5-2 game and West proceeded to score eight unanswered goals.

“Usually it’s a much closer game,” said West head coach Sean Keenan. “We’re a very senior-laden team and they are just very young. They’re going to be very good in the future; I just think my kids were playing really well today.”

Matt Schultz and Ryan Joseph each played remarkably well for West, contributing four goals apiece, while Pannell’s two goals set the tone in the first half. Joe Varello, Pat O’Brien, and Alex Dodge each scored a goal, while Craig Madarasz had two assists. Dylan Senft attempted to stop the bleeding for East with a breakaway goal at 2:39 in the third, but O’Brien’s goal a mere 15 seconds latter was the final dagger, giving West a commanding 14-3 lead.

“A nice positive about the game is that it’s a big rivalry between East and West and all the kids played great,” said Smithtown East athletic director Pat Smith. “West, today just had the better day but East is still a good team. West got up early and it just rolled in their favor but you could play this game tomorrow and it could go the other way.”

West (12-3, 11-2) will receive a first round bye in the playoffs with a likely number three seed. Their first postseason game will take place at home on May 24. East (8-7, 6-7) could earn a playoff berth with a win over Longwood on Monday, but would need several other teams to lose their respective games in order for that goal to come to fruition.  

“You’re just trying to get out of here healthy and go into the playoffs with everyone back, said coach Keenan. “We’re almost at 100 percent and we will hopefully be at full strength in time for the first round.”

Game Notes:  Matt Hobby, Ryan Desimone and Cole Anderson each had one goal for Smithtown East…West’s starting goalie Ryan Adler had six saves versus four goals allowed, while East starting goalie Brian Balkam made seven saves against 14 goals allowed.

Marion Carll - The Old And The New

This 1960 first grade class photo from Marion Carll School is a small part of Commack’s history.  There are thirty-three students in this photo and this was a morning session.  In 1960 Commack was growing quickly and as it developed, new schools opened and eventually the Marion Carll School closed. 

Marion Carll’s legacy was not the Marion Carll School, her legacy was community involvement, commitment to education, love of Commack, its residents, and  the Marion Carll Farm.  It was in this spirit that Marion Carll left her farm and its cherished possessions to the Commack School District. 

The Commack – Kings Park Rotary Club’s essay contest was created to foster an understanding of Marion Carll and what role the Marion Carll Farm has in 2011. The winners were announced at a luncheon at the Bonwit Inn.  The students read their essays and explained what they learned from their research. 

The winners of the essay contest are:Pres. Richard Rafle, Barbara Kruger, Arielle Horowitz,Mike Mackay, Fred Kruger and Ken Darragh

1. Arielle Horowitz ——— Winner Commack High School

2. Ken Darragh —————— Winner Commack Middle School

3. Mike Mackay —————- Runner up

Barbara and Fred Kruger were the Rotarians responsible for the contest and its success. They had this to say about the event, “Woman’s History Month provided the Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club with the perfect opportunity to recognize a woman who was not only instrumental in early Commack education, but who also left the Carll family farm to the Commack School District to be preserved as a historic site and used as a great educational resource.”

A great deal has changed in Commack since the days of Marion Carll. The Farm is a reminder of how much times have changed and what that change looks like.