R-E-C-Y-C-L-E - It Just Got Easier For Smithtown Residents

Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio and Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine

By p.biancaniello

Town Supervisors Patrick Vecchio and Edward Romaine met at Smithtown Town Hall on Monday to sign an agreement about recyclables.  The agreement is an apparent win-win for both towns. 

Smithtown residents will benefit in several ways.  Beginning January 1, 2015 residents will no longer have to separate their paper goods from cans and glass. Smithtown is moving to a single stream system. Pick-ups will still occur on a weekly basis but all recyclables can be combined in a single container.  Brookhaven’s facility collects almost all types of recyclables, whereas Smithtown’s collection was limited to #1 and #2 plastics and limited paper goods.  Statistics show that more people recycle with a streamlined process and the amount of material recycled increases when there is a combined collection. 

According to Supervisor Vecchio, shipping recyclables to Brookhaven is more cost effective and better for the environment.  The town’s recycling equipment is old and in need of an update. The cost of replacing the equipment would run into the millions of dollars. The agreement with Brookhaven negates the need for replacing the worn out equipment.

The single stream recycling agreement with Brookhaven is expected to save taxpayers more than $600,000 annually. It is a five-year commitment.

Brookhaven will be paying Smithtown $15 a ton for the recyclables which is expected to generate revenue of approximately $180,000 annually.  This is lower than the $900,000 currently being generated, however the savings in electricity, maintanence, personnel costs, disposal costs etc. is expected to  result in savings of $600,000 annually. 

When single stream recycling begins in January residents will continue to place their recyclables at curbside on Wednesdays.  There is no limit to the number of containers a resident puts out for collection but the containers must not exceed 32 gallons in capacity and 50 pounds in weight. Trucks will bring the materials to the MSF yard where it will be unloaded and reloaded onto municipal vehicles and driven to the Brookhaven facility.  

Employees who are currently working in Smithtown’s recycling division will be reassigned.  There will be no layoffs. Recycling Facts

Appendix II

Smithtown Planning Board Mtg. Wednesday, Nov. 19

The CVS Application for St. James has been withdrawn. There will not be a public hearing at this evening’s Planning Board meeting.

APPLICANT IS REQUESTING THAT THE APPLICATION BE WITHDRAWN

13. #2014-05 CVS Albany, St. James R-10 to CB - Adjourned to 11/19/14

Planning Board - Agenda

11/19/2014 8:00 PM 

Eugene A. Cannataro Senior Citizen Center

420 Middle Country Road   Smithtown, NY 11787

Theater Review - "A Christmas Carol"

Theater Review

“A Christmas Carol”

Produced by: Theatre Three – Port Jefferson

Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

There’s a trio of Jeffrey Sanzels on display at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson for the next five weeks … the Playwright; the Director; and the Actor … and it is unlikely that any of us shall see such a storehouse of theatrical talent demonstrated in a single evening again in our lifetime.

Jeffrey Sanzel as Ebenezer Scrooge © Theatre Three

Clearly, Sanzel the playwright is keenly aware that 12-year-old Charles Dickens, as a result of his father’s imprisonment in 1824, was forced to sell his beloved books and go to work in a shoe polish factory—a filthy job that he loathed. And even when his debtor father was released from prison, the humiliated Charles was compelled to continue the degrading labor. Accordingly, in later life, the boy trained much of his accumulated hatred on the father whom he both pitied and loved.

One would need to have a working knowledge of the unfortunate background that plagued the true-life Dickens family, in order to have adapted Charles’s novella, “A Christmas Carol,” so insightfully for the stage. Indeed, while most such adaptations emphasize the five words of poor Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one!” as if they alone define the play, it was, in fact, a love-hate conflict brewing within the breast of Dickens the novelist, that caused him so memorably to depict the two radically different ‘Scrooges’ in his story. They are, of course, the stingy recluse, and the generous, outgoing man into whom he is transformed at the tale’s conclusion.

All plays, though they are indebted for their existence primarily to the playwright, owe their interpretation to the director. In this regard, Jeffrey Sanzel shines with a brilliance that is truly dazzling. The veteran’s directing vision is revealed most vividly in his timing and that of his players … and when it comes to pace, the Sage of Long Island Directors is unsurpassed. Sanzel’s tempo puts his actors (and therefore his audience) in lockstep with this exciting show’s exquisite material.

Which brings us to Sanzel, the actor.

Every performing company is led by one individual, whether intentionally or otherwise. We see the phenomenon in gatherings from kindergarten classes … to jury rooms … to family reunions. When Jeffrey Sanzel is on stage, he is the actor from whom all the others take their cue. The spectacle is played out definitively, and begins before a single word has been spoken. What’s more, the observable fact seems to have won the unanimous approval of the cast … to everyone’s benefit.

And all the players in “A Christmas Carol,” while turning in remarkably synchronized performances, seemed to have been enjoying themselves immensely during the show’s 2014 debut last weekend. From the unforgettable Brett Chizever, lounging on a staircase while chortling and playing ‘The Ghost of Christmas Present’ perfectly … to Douglas J. Quattrock, whose heartbreaking ‘Bob Cratchit’ was appropriately empathetic … to ‘The Ghost of Christmas Future’ (James D. Schultz), who brings a 15-foot ‘Grim Reaper’ figure frighteningly to life. All are outstanding.

Long Islanders should see for themselves the miracle wrought in Port Jeff by such as Randall Parsons (for an amazing set), Robert W. Henderson (for incredible lighting), to Randall Parsons & Bonnie Vidal (their period costumes are superb), and Neil Creedon (whose sound design makes ghosts reverberate as ghosts should).

So, then … the Christmas season has been officially launched. Feast on it. Bring some friends to Theatre Three between now and Dec. 27^th. They’ll love you for it!

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Award-winning writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of nine novels. His theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s new thriller, “Harvest,” an American doctor is ordered to perform illegal surgeries for a gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans. Mr. Ladouceur will introduce the novel at Huntington’s Book Revue on Nov. 25^th.

Smithtown Board Of Ethics - Councilman/Deputy Supervisor McCarthy Violated Town's Code Of Ethics

by p.biancaniello

It’s official, the Smithtown Board of Ethics has determined that Deputy Supervisor/Councilman Thomas McCarthy’s vote to increase the amount of the stipend he receives violated Smithtown’s Town Code. On September 9th Town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio put forward a resolution increasing the salary of the Deputy Supervisor from $5000. 00 to $35,000 a 600 percent increase.  The resolution needed three votes for approval.  Councilman Creighton and Wehrheim voted NO and Councilwoman Nowick, Supervisor Vecchio and Deputy Supervisor/Councilman Mc Carthy voted YES.  

The Board of Ethics was asked to determine whether Mr. McCarthy violated Smithtown’s Code of Ethics (conflict of interest) when he cast a vote in which he was the sole beneficiary .The answer from the Ethics Board was yes. “Smithtown Code of Ethics Section 30-4 requires Town officials and employees not to engage in any act which is in conflict or gives the appearance of conflict with the performance of the official’s or employee’s duties.” According to the decision McCarthy’s vote gave an appearance of “conflict of interest”. 

In its letter the Board of Ethics recommended that the Town Board “clearly identify the manner in which salary increases for Town Board positions be voted upon so that this issue does not recur.”

Mr. McCarthy rescinded the resolution at a Special Town Board meeting in September.  Supervisor Vecchio has included the $30,000 stipend increase in the 2015 Town Budget. The Town Board will vote on the budget at the Thursday, Nov. 20th Town Board meeting. 

Read the Board of Ethics letter below.

 

St. James Man Pleads Guilty To Securities Fraud - $17 Million Ponzi Scheme

Defendant Deceived 74 Investors for Nearly Ten Years to Pay for Lavish Estate, Luxury Vehicle and Other Personal Expenses

On Monday, November 10, 2014, James M. Peister pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, to securities fraud for operating a $17.9 million Ponzi scheme. Peister deceived investors about the stability and performance of their investments in a fund that he founded and managed to prevent them from seeking to redeem their interests. Pursuant to his plea agreement with the government, Peister agreed to pay $9,657,218.65 in restitution to the victims of his fraud and consented to the forfeiture of $17.9 million, which includes his residence in St. James, New York, and his Hummer sport utility vehicle. When sentenced, Peister faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000,000. Read more