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BY ARLENE [email protected]

Celebrated artist Alfred Zerries died last Th ursday, succumbing to traumatic head injuries aft er being found uncon-scious on the ground not far from his Lloyd Neck home.

He had been out running with his dogs on the morning of Feb. 25 and was found by a woman in front of a Target Rock Drive residence.

Police are investigating the cause of death, Second Precinct Detective Lieu-tenant Tom O’Heir said. “We’re still trying to determine how his injuries occurred. Th ere a number of diff erent possibilities. ... We’re relying, quite a bit at this point, on the medical examiner’s offi ce.”

His wife, Jean, noted the irony that Zerries had re-cently passed the six-month mark of recovery from triple bypass surgery and his doc-tor had just advised him to go out and “Do whatever you want to do, no holds barred.”

Jean said, “Th e sad thing is, he had to endure the op-eration, the pain and heal-ing, which wasn’t easy. … He had such determination and strength of spirit that he was back running with the dogs in about fi ve or six weeks and he got up to his three-and-a-half or fi ve-mile run just a couple of weeks aft er that.”

Her husband died a day shy of his 69th birthday. Jean described him as a “complex, passionate man who was very honest, always spoke his

mind and tried to do that through his paintings.”

He specialized in portraiture, using oil, watercolor and pastel media.

“My husband was into painting peo-ple,” she said. “He found nothing more fascinating or varied than the human face and tried to fi gure out what made everybody tick.”

Born in New York City, Zerries grad-uated from Pratt Institute with a major in advertising, then served in the Army as a fi rst lieutenant airborne ranger. He spent the next 20 years working as an art director, TV producer and creative director at several New York advertising agencies and teaching advertising at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Volume 2, No. 17 March 5, 2009 75¢

HUNTINGTON • HUNTINGTON BAY • GREENLAWN • HALESITE • LLOYD HARBOR • LLOYD NECK • COLD SPRING HARBOR

Edition

The TIMESHUNTINGTON

For breaking news, visit www.northshoreofl ongisland.com

Tornadoeshold onGive Devils a bumpyride on way to titlePage A5

Fallen artist was multifaceted man

Continued on page A7

Women’s quest for equalityAnd at LIM, ‘A Shared Aesthetic’ debutsPage B1

‘Two Gray Dogs,’ oil painting by Alfred Zerries. It was a self-portrait the artist fi nished just before he died. ‘Al could not have given me a more uplifting or cherished gift,’ Jean, his wife, said.

Courtesy Jean Zerries

Courtesy Susannah Mrazek

Ceremonial bestIslanders goalie Joey MacDonald presented Councilman Stuart Besen with an offi cial team jersey at Town of Huntington night Feb. 28. Earlier, Besen met with the team’s vice president of operations, Tim Beach, about how the town might work with the Islanders’ franchise as the Dix Hills ice rink undergoes renovations. ‘I have followed the Islanders since I was a child and now so are my children,’ Besen said. ‘I hope that tonight is the continuation of a great relationship with the Town of Huntington and the franchise.’

BY ARLENE GROSS AND PATRICIA [email protected]

In its audit of Cold Spring Harbor schools, state Comptroller Tom Di-Napoli today said he found a handful of shortcomings in the district’s inter-nal controls.

He took issue with the board not publicly advertising for competitive bids; for payments to vendors totaling $80,778; and for contracts to three ven-dors totaling $607,791 that have yet to be paid.

In addition, quotes were not ob-

tained for payments to three vendors totaling $6,147, he found.

Th e comptroller additionally ad-vised against the district’s purchasing policy, which “does not require district offi cials to use RFPs when procur-ing professional services,” he stated. “Th erefore, district offi cials continued to use the same professionals year aft er year without the benefi t of competi-tion.”

Finally, DiNapoli recommended that the district strengthen its internal


Cold Spring Harbor responds to audit report

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A Huntington man who lost control of his vehicle on an icy road fell victim Sun-day night to the biggest snowstorm to wal-lop Long Island this winter.

Just aft er 9 pm, Jose Fuentes, 57, slid into oncoming traffi c at Broadway and East Sanders Street in Greenlawn, police stated. His 1990 Toyota was broadsided by a northbound 2002 Toyota van driven by Lois Molloy, 48, of Centerport.

“Th e roadway was slippery due to in-clement weather – freezing, a little icy, a little snow,” Second Precinct Detective Lieutenant Tom O’Heir said. “Apparently

it had snowed shortly before that.”Fuentes, Molloy and her daughter,

Kerry, 13, who was a passenger in her car,were taken to Huntington Hospital, whereFuentes succumbed to his injuries. Molloywas treated for a foot injury; her daughterwas not hurt.

On Monday, Molloy said she had beenreleased from the hospital aft er two hours.

“It was a very traumatic and unfortu-nate event, but I’d rather not really com-ment on it,” she said.

Family members of Fuentes could notbe reached by press time. Th e phone num-ber listed at Fuentes’ known address wasnot in service.

Man dies in icy road crash

News

Leisure Arts & Lifestyles

Classifi edsSection C

Art Exhibits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B11Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B18-B19Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B22-B24Cooking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B12Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B15Father Frank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B21

Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B13Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B3-B9Investing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B18Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B25-B29Religious Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . B20-B21SBU Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B30-B31

Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A7Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6

Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5

Inside this week

The TIMES (USPS 003-952) is published Thursdays by TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWSPAPERS, 185 Route 25A, Setauket, NY 11733. Periodicals postage paid at Setauket, NY and additional mailing offices. Subscription price $35 annually. Leah S. Dunaief, Publisher. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.

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When Christopher Manganello’s pag-er goes off in the middle of the night, he quickly gets dressed and heads to the Hun-tington Manor fi rehouse where he has vol-unteered for the past 13 years.

But Manganello, 39, never made it to the fi rehouse when he was paged the night of Jan. 24. Rather, he walked out the door of his Huntington Station home, heard a strange sound from up the block and no-ticed it was coming from a pickup truck driving in his direction.

“As the car passed me, I see the front of the car was smashed and the air bags were hanging out, so I knew it just happened,” he recalled. “It’s a little bit too much of a co-incidence at that time of the morning and the direction the car was coming, so I just fi gured it had something to do with that ac-cident.”

It turns out that the truck had struck the vehicle of Melissa Scherr, 25, of Valley Stream, who had been driving on Route 110 in Melville at about 4 am, according to police. Scherr died of her injuries.

Th e driver of the pickup, Douglas Da-vis, of Centerport, was later arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident. He has since been released on $450,000 bond. A woman answering the phone at Davis’s home this week declined to comment on his whereabouts or the case.

Hauppauge defense attorney James O’Rourke described his client’s remorse.

“In the precinct it has been clearly iden-tifi ed that [Davis] attempted to take his own life when told that this woman had died,”

he said. “I have never in my years in thecriminal justice system — both as a pros-ecutor and a defense counsel — ever seenanyone more aff ected as a result ... upon therefl ection of that which has occurred andthe incredible pain that he has visited uponthis complainant’s family, her friends, andher fi ancé.”

Th e night of the incident, Manganellohad rushed to his truck and followed Davisfor about three-quarters of a mile beforeDavis pulled over to the curb.

“I thought he was parking in front of hishouse,” Manganello said.

Instead, Davis got out of his truck, Man-ganello claims. “He shrugged his shoulderslike ‘What am I doing?’ and he starts walk-ing toward me.”

Manganello backed his truck away andDavis approached closer. “Now I’m like,something’s up with this guy.”

Davis got back in his truck and droveaway, again with Manganello on his tail.Aft er a couple miles and now in Green-lawn, Davis stopped, got out and looked atManganello, who observed that Davis wasunsteady on his feet.

“Either the guy was drunk or he was al-tered from the accident. ... maybe he hit thewindshield but I knew something wasn’tright with him,” Manganello said.

Manganello started yelling at Davisto walk to the front of his truck. “I didn’tknow what I was going to do. I wanted toget him far enough away from his truckthat I could get out of mine and take thekeys out of his truck.”

As Davis walked, Manganello fol-lowed alongside him; when a car passed,

‘Heroic’ fi rst responder


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BY MARJORIE [email protected]

Th e Cold Spring Harbor school board held a special open forum Feb. 24 to discuss the code of conduct with the community.

Although the code addresses students’ behavior rang-ing from dress codes and vulgar language to harassment and fi rearms, the better part of the evening was spent hearing suggestions on its inability to enforce prohibitions of alcohol, tobacco and drug use.

Two and half years ago, through an initiative by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, athletic director Jim Amen brought to Cold Spring Har-bor schools an athletic code of conduct “to emphasize the health and safety of students,” he said.

Although high school Principal Jay Matuk acknowl-edged problems with enforcing the code, he said, “I want to thank Jim for bringing a code of conduct here, because

Trouble enforcing code among CSH athletesit started a necessary conversation.”

Th e board and administrators, however, were dis-tressed that the code was not enforceable; it was nearly impossible, for instance, to prove that a student had been drinking alcohol over the weekend unless they admitted it. Amen said while accusations and suspicions abound, only a handful of students in the past two and a half years have been disciplined.

Problems with enforcing the code Amen blamed on parents and coaches: “Parents have allowed things to hap-pen in their homes … and enable the behavior of their children and do not support our fi ndings.”

He continued, “Coaches do not pay enough attention to the code of conduct. Th ey are too concerned with wins and losses. Something should be said everyday.”

But some coaches do underscore the importance of proper behavior and not just winning.

Baseball coach and physical education teacher Chris

Manganello tried to catch up with it to have the driver call 911. As he did so, Davis jumped into his truck and droveaway.

Following him a third time, Manganello watched as Davis parked his car in a driveway on Hofstra Drive. Th efi refi ghter rang the bell of a nearby house and a woman an-swered, letting him call police.

“Th e cops got there within a few minutes. ... As we’re talking, we noticed three yards away backyard lights went on. Th ey guessed that someone in the backyard set off motion lights. Th ey found him hiding behind a tree a fewhouses over.”

Huntington Manor Fire Department Chief Robert Hur-ley said everyone at the fi rehouse is proud of Manganello’s astuteness. “For him to take action was heroic and brave— to follow someone in the middle of the night,” Hurleysaid, “not knowing what that person was capable of doingto him and consistently following him until he could leadthe cops to him — was a great job.”

All the accolades don’t sit well with Manganello, though.“I don’t look at it as being a hero,” he said. “I look at it asmaybe being a good Samaritan who was at the right placeat the right time. I didn’t save somebody’s life.”

Without his help, however, police might not have caughtthe driver, they told Manganello. Th e only information they had was from witnesses who saw a dark-colored pick-up truck fl eeing the scene. One thing Manganello learned that fateful January night was to keep his cell phone withhim during emergency calls. “If I had my cell phone, thatwould have made things a hundred times easier.”

Full story at www.northshoreofl ongisland.com

‘Heroic’ responderContinued from page A3

Phelan said, “Defi ning ourselves by wins and losses takes us out of the educational system. And we came into the educational system to help children.”

Nonetheless, while he will bench a student for suspicionof drinking, he still encounters diffi culty in enforcing thecode. “I believe in the code of conduct but I don’t think weare able to enforce it because our hands are tied,” he said.

Alumnus and resident Jim Schubauer said, “Let the coach do what they’re going to do. Coaches need some latitude and leverage to bench a kid.”

Th e athletic association’s stu-dent representative Max Brenner suggested that problems among student athletes should not be dealt with by the athletic director or principal, but rather by coach-es and the team as a whole.

“It is better to be punished by the coach and team than by the principal or by the athletic direc-tor because the students have developed such a respect forthe coach and teammates,” he said.

When asked if his coaches have used infractions asteaching moments, he replied, “Certain coaches have doneit and certain have not.”

Resident Patty Mahder said, “I have an issue with some of our coaches. I think they need a code of conduct. Th eyare not all good role models.”

Matuk suggested that teaching the pitfalls of alcohol,drugs and tobacco become a bigger part of secondary leveleducation. “Th e issues go far beyond athletes,” he said. “It should be part of the curriculum.”

Resident Sandy Mogul added that educational pointsshould be written into the code of conduct.

But resident Lynn Dischmann suggested that the schoollisten up to students like Brenner and Talar Angacian,who also spoke at the board meeting. “All the programsthe board might bring in won’t have the impact that these two students would have,” Dischmann said.

Resident and district communications director KarenSpehler agreed with Dischmann about the student rep-resentatives’ eff ectiveness: “Take what we have. It doesn’tcost anything. Get these kids to talk.”

Board President Anthony Paolano had this to add: “Justlike it is unwritten that it is OK to be smart in CSH, we needto get the students to think that it is OK not to drink.”

‘It is better to be punished by the coach and team than by the principal or by the athletic director ...’

— MAX BRENNER,STUDENT REP.

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BY JOHN [email protected]

At St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue on Friday, Feb. 27, the fi rst-seeded Har-borfi elds Tornadoes and the third-seed-

ed Huntington Blue Devils girls’ basket-ball teams faced each other for the third time this season. Th e prize this time? Only a Class A county championship, a berth in the small-school title game against Wyandanch at 5 pm on March 6 at St. Joseph’s, and a ticket to the Class A Long Island championship game. Har-borfi elds won the regular season meet-ings, but both those games were close, 2- and 5-point spreads. But this time it was Harborfi elds again in a 40-36 fi nal.

Huntington knocked off second-seed-ed John Glenn to reach the fi nals, and fans expected another close game. Th ey got one, but it took a while. Th e Torna-does pressured the Blue Devils into a nightmare fi rst quarter and Huntington looked up at an 18-5 defi cit at the end of the period.

Give credit to the Blue Devils and their head coach Brad Reminick. Th ey never panicked or got fl ustered. Th ey toughened up their defense and nibbled the Harborfi elds lead down to 13 at half-time and 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter.

Blue Devil senior guard Kerry Hicks scored 9 of her game-high 15 points in a frantic fourth quarter that saw the Blue Devils pull to within 2 points at 35-33 with just over three minutes to play. A chance to tie rolled off the front rim.

Harborfi elds senior co-captain Kim Goidell grabbed the defensive rebound and sank a clutch free throw. Tornado freshman forward Kasey Stolba fi nished a fast break layup and senior forward Dom-inique Hendricksen sank two last free throws. Huntington’s Hicks nailed one last bomb with 19 seconds left to make the fi nal score a 40-36 Tornado win.

“We knew they’d get on a run,” said

Harborfields beats Blue Devils for county title

Courtesy Jim Hoops

Huntington’s Meredith McCourt, top, andHuntington Head Coach Brad Reminick, above.

GIRLS’ HOOPS

Courtesy Jim Hoops

Huntington’s Julie Forster (upper right on the left) looks to stop Harborfi elds’ Dominique Hendrickson, who led her team with 10 points. Huntington’s Kerry Hicks, upper left, signals the play. Hicks led the Blue Devils with 15 points. Harborfi elds coaches Russ Tietjen and Pat Mena, above, are optimistic before game time.

Goidell, who scored nine points for Harborfi elds. “We just had to play tough defense. Th at’s what earned us a county championship.”

Harborfi elds head coach Russ Tietjen said, “It came down to defense and re-bounding. In the second half Hunting-ton did a better job of it and came back on us. We knew they had Kerry Hicks and Julie Forster. Th ey are a great team, and they are never out of a game.”

Hendrickson scored 10 points work-ing the off ensive glass to lead the Har-borfi elds off ense. Eighth-grader Bridgit Ryan chipped in 7 points. Senior Kristen Inocco added 6 points, junior Isabella Favre 4, senior

Casey Bishop and Stolba 2 each. Senior Maria Marascia scored 10

points and played tough perimeter de-fense for Huntington. Senior Julie For-ster added 9 points and senior MatteScully 2.

Aft er the teams shook hands Hen-drickson walked off the court with the championship plaque in her arms and awide smile on her face. “We lost in thisgame last year,” she said. “We knew thisyear we had to come back harder andplay with confi dence.”

Huntington @ Harborfields girls’ hoops

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th FinalHarborfi elds 18 8 5 9 40Huntington 5 8 8 15 36

SPORTSRTS

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A municipality with purposeSometimes we wish the Suff olk County Legislature would

focus more on repealing laws than passing them. For if zoning falls under each town’s purview and criminal and education law are the state’s domain, with what do the representatives of Suff olk — consisting of 10 townships, each governed by its own elected offi cials — concern themselves?

Oft en we see the Legislature pass ‘feel-good’ measures; that is, rules that may not be enforced and don’t eff ectively address a problem but help people feel as if someone is doing something.

But there are times the Legislature truly shines and reminds its constituents of its pioneering track record as a watchdog of our health and safety. True to its trend-setting reputation per-petuated by Legislator Jon Cooper’s (D-Lloyd Neck) ground-breaking ban on the hazardous dietary supplement ephedra, Suff olk became the fi rst municipality in the nation this week to pass a bill, introduced by Legislator Steven Stern (D-Dix Hills), banning Bisphenol-A (BPA).

BPA is a synthetic estrogen found in hard plastics from which many baby bottles and “sippy” cups are made and is just one of many toxins with which children are bombarded regu-larly. Exposure to BPA cannot be construed as an unhealthy lifestyle choice, as the consumption of sodas and high-calorie meals might be. On the contrary, chemicals like BPA are om-nipresent and many people are not even aware of the chemicals contained in their household products.

In Stern’s words, “Th is legislation will help reduce unneces-sary exposure to a substance linked with multiple health risks.”

Scientifi c studies show BPA’s link to hyperactivity, learning disorders, disorders of the prostate and uterus, links to heart disease, abnormal liver function and diabetes and increased susceptibility to breast and prostate cancer, offi cials note.

Ideally, with proper labeling as required by the FDA and enhanced public education, prohibitions of certain toxins won’t be necessary; everyone will just know enough to avoid them.

Until then, we congratulate the county for doing its part in making BPA products unavailable in Suff olk, deterring their potential health risks and thereby compelling product develop-ers, manufacturers and retailers to off er safe alternatives for young children and their families.

We urge the Legislature to further educate our residents about this danger even as they take their bows.

EDITORIAL OPINION

TO THE EDITOR:I write as a member of the Concerned Citi-

zens of Huntington in support of changing the way we elect our town council members from an at-large system to a council district system. Council districts are better for four main reasons:

1. Better representation: Our four town council members represent the whole town, but no one repre-sents your community. With council districts, you will have a town council member accountable to your com-munity.

2. Takes the big money out of town politics: Town council mem-bers raise over $200,000 in each election cycle. Th at is legal and necessary, but they rely on big donors while challengers and “citizen legisla-tors” cannot raise those funds. With town council districts, community ties matter more than money. Candidates win on shoe-leather (knocking on doors), handshakes (attending community meetings) and what they do for your community.

3. More openness: Under the current sys-tem, almost every town board vote is unani-

mous. With council districts, we will have more public input, more debate and decisions that refl ect all our communities.

4. It’s what we do at every other level of government: We use districts at the county, state and federal levels; shouldn’t we bring Huntington in line with the rest of the country?

Th is change requires a ballot refer-endum so that the voters can decide how we want to be governed. We have formed a nonpartisan group, the Concerned Citizens of Huntington, to campaign for council districts and collect petitions to put the issue on the ballot. We will kick off the petition

process at a community meeting on Tuesday, March 31 at 7 pm at Huntington High School. Please join us to support this eff ort.

Th e Concerned Citizens of Huntington is a nonpartisan group formed to support the change to council districts. We do not sup-port or oppose any candidates, parties or other issues. We are not trying to unseat any elected offi cials, nor put any candidates in offi ce. Our members come from all parts of Huntington and all walks of life. We are Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Progressives and people unaffi liated with any party. We have been brought together by one simple idea: that changing to council districts will gives us a more representative, open and accountable government and will make Huntington an evenbetter place to live. To learn more, visit our web site: www.concernedcitizensofh untington.com.

Mark CroninHuntington

Inspire, infl uence and provoke — write!

Letters to the editor should be no longer than 400 words, should arrive by Monday the week you wish them to run and may be edited for length, libel and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include your phone number and town of residence for confi rmation. Email your letter to [email protected] or send it to Th e Times of Huntington, PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.

Th e opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. Th ey do not speak for the newspaper.

File photo

Mark Cronin

Why a ward system works

Read more community letters atwww.northshoreofl ongisland.com

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Despite his talent and accumulation of awards in numerous national and inter-national exhibitions, Jean said that gal-leries seeking more “outré” output oft en snubbed Zerries’s artwork. His paintings were realistic, she said. “Th at’s not exactly in vogue. He’s not what you would call a ‘hot artist.’”

Still, Zerries received high praise from his mentor, Burton Silverman, a Manhat-tan painter with whom he studied from 1998 to 2000. Silverman had called Zer-ries the best student he had ever taught, Jean recalled.

Th e couple, who would have celebrated their 43rd anniversary March 12, worked together in the advertising industry and collaborated on three thriller novels un-der their combined names, “A.J. Zerries.”

“Th e Last Van Gogh” (2006) and “Stealing From Th e Dead,” their latest and nearly fi nished opus, both deal with the theft from Holocaust victims.

“I did the actual writing but we would collaborate on the basic message of the book, the plot. He was sort of my editor. If he didn’t like something, we’d argue over it. He’d read it over and we’d fi ght, and then we’d come to a consensus and I’d change it and we’d go on to the next chapter.”

Just days before the accident, Zerries completed his last work of art, “Two Gray

Dogs,” a self-portrait of him running with Zeus, his Weimaraner. He had his son Morgan take a photo of the two of them running down their driveway.

“Al found the best dog shots with the dog’s ears sort of fl ying through the mo-tion. It’s almost life-size. It’s a remarkable likeness of Al and Zeus.”

Th eir son Zachary, 32, who came in from his home in Los Angeles, is an avid runner who plans to run a half marathon next month in his dad’s memory. He cred-ited both his parents for instilling sound principles in his brother and himself.

Th e lessons he learned from his father — about making the most of each day — are particularly poignant now.

“You just don’t know when your mo-ment’s going to be your last. I think you have to live life to the fullest,” Zachary said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone more gift ed an individual than he in my lifetime,” said Morgan, 29, of Forest Hills. “He always said the right thing. He was the most honest person I’ve ever known and I was just very proud to have him as my father.”

Jean spoke with adoration of her hus-band’s multiple talents and interests.

“He had an incredible eye. He had an incredible mind. ... He was a macho guy but he was a sensitive man and loving man. Th at’s what I’d like people to know, that you could be all sorts of things mixed together.”

Fallen artistContinued from page A1

TIMES BEACON RECORDNEWSPAPERSWe welcome letters, photographs, comments and storyideas. Send your items to PO Box 707, Setauket, NY11733 or email to [email protected]. Or drop by our news offi ce at 67 Main Street, Northport. Th e opinionsof our columnists are not necessarily those of the paper.Times Beacon Record Newspapers are published every Th ursday. Address: PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733. Telephone: 631-751-7744Web • www.northshoreofl ongisland.com Con tents copyright 2009.

EDITOR AND PUBLISHERLeah S. DunaiefGENERAL MANAGERJohness KuiselEXECUTIVE EDITORLee LutzEDITORPatricia ProvenLEISURE EDITOREllen BarcelSPORTS EDITORKatherine ConsorteONLINE EDITORPatricia Proven

ASSOCIATE EDITORAlyssa CutlerEDITORIALJohn BrovenJennifer ChoiJoseph DarrowMichael DownerArlene GrossRobert LeunerElise PearlmanLisa SteuerJohn WestermannDave Willinger

PHOTOGRAPHYJohn GriffinRobert O'RourkAlan PearlmanRichard PodlesneyART AND PRODUCTIONDIRECTORDavid R. LeamanART AND PRODUCTIONJanet FortunaBeth Heller MasonWendy Mercier

ADVERTISING DIRECTORKathryn MandracchiaADVERTISINGMary ChirichellaRobin LemkinBarbara NewmanElizabeth ReuterLaura SatchwillNancy SolomonTed TaylorLynn TunneyMinnie Yancey

CLASSIFIEDS DIRECTOREllen SegalBUSINESS MANAGERSheila MurrayCREDIT MANAGERDiane WattecampsCIRCULATION MANAGERAlyssa CutlerBUSINESS OFFICESandi GrossMeg MalangoneSUBSCRIPTION MANAGERTerri Caruso

controls over the district’s IT system.“While the Board has adopted policies

and regulations to safeguard computer equipment and data, the policies and regulations do not eff ectively address re-mote access and server room security,” he stated.

CSH’s assistant superintendent for business, William Bernhard, said the district plans on implementing the comptroller’s fi ndings.

To the criticism of not putting out RFPs, Bernhard responded that the dis-trict’s policy has always been to guaran-tee that the taxpayers are protected. “Th e board establishes these rates annually,” he said. “We set the rates. We don’t go out and ask these providers to tell us what they’re going to charge us for services.”

However, having accepted the comp-troller’s recommendation, Bernhard added, “We are going to get the quotes. But we also feel that the procedure we followed by establishing these rates was suffi cient.”

As for criticism of its bids, Bernhard explained that the district’s architect, who is not an employee of the district, prepared bid specifi cations. “What we failed to do — what they cited us for — was put the legal ad in newspapers. Th e bids were advertised but not in the legal school newspaper. Th ey advertised in

trade publications. We did get bids … wegot very good prices but, again, techni-cally we failed to run the legal ad.”

Th e bids actually were $184,000 un-der the district’s projection, he said. “Soeven though the comptroller cited us fornot advertising, we felt that we did prettywell,” he added.

Th e most important outcome of the audit, Bernhard said, was that they“found no evidence of misappropriationof funds, no fraud, no theft , no misuse,no inappropriate payments to any em-ployees. … Th e areas where we were citedhad to do with technicalities involving purchasing and bidding. And, again, wefelt that what we did was prudent and asa school district, we are very conscien-tious about the use of public funds.”

For the 2007-08 school year, the dis-trict tallied over 8,000 purchase orders,Bernhard reported. “And to think thatevery one would be technically perfect in terms of all the laws and requirements isunrealistic,” he said. “But we do the best we can.”

DiNapoli remarked, in his statement, that his audits are meant to help schooldistricts, BOCES and local governmentsimprove their fi nancial managementpractices. “Th ese audits are tools for them to make sure proper policies andprocedures are in place to protect tax-payer dollars and provide students withthe best possible education and citizenswith the best possible services,” he said.

CSH auditContinued from page A1

Vacations are great. Getting back on track aft er vacation is the pits. I never met anyone who disagreed with either of those statements. As you might be surmising, I have recently returned from a wonderful trip with my children and grand-children, and I fi nd that I still walk too slowly, talk too slowly, and worst of all, think too slowly. It’s nicely symmetrical that it takes me fi ve vacation days before I fi nally put down thoughts and responsibilities from the offi ce, and it takes about the same amount of time to pick up the pieces and move forward again — as I try to hang onto that lovely vacation feeling.

My family and I attempt this every year, and every year the logistical challenge becomes harder. We have to work out the schedules for my three sons, my three daughters-in-law and now all four of my grandchildren, who range from eighth grade to kindergarten. Th us far the pros-pect of fi nding some sunshine and warm beach are suffi cient

incentive to tackle the logistics.I’ve been asked by a num-

ber of my friends how we manage to get away together — and survive. In theory it sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Surrounded by one’s grown children and grandchildren with no agenda other than to enjoy each other and hang out. Besides the scheduling consid-erations, there are a couple of important facts to be aware of. For example, while my three sons grew up together, my three daughters-in-law did not. Th is means that each one is entitled to privacy and to man-age her family as she wishes. So in making our reservations, we always make sure that not only are there enough beds for everyone but also that there is enough separate space within which to function.

Sharing is great when it is by choice. And having a quiet place to withdraw to at times is a necessity.

Another fact is that not everyone wants to do the same activities at the same time

— and that applies even to such basics as eating. My middle son and his wife have the younger children, who tend to get up earliest and eat fi rst. My young-est son and his wife do not have children, and when they are on vacation they like to sleep in. But somehow we manage to catch up with one another, even if it means one family’s lunch is another’s breakfast. Or not, and that’s OK too. Again, togeth-erness is prized when it is by choice, and we have no defi ned schedules once we arrive.

Th e grandchildren dig in the sand, swim in the ocean and chase each other up and down the beach in high glee. Th e adults don fi ns and masks and snorkel over to a nearby reef, where the underwater world is incredibly peaceful and the fi sh are as outrageously colorful in the sea as birds are in the air. I can see why some people are “birders,” keeping life lists of what species they have seen and which they hope to get a glimpse of. Th eir ma-rine counterparts buy cards de-

picting local tropical fi sh, mark off which ones they have seen each day and are constantly on the lookout for the others.

Fish, unlike birds, do not seem to scatter as you ap-proach them but rather swim with you as you lazily kick along. Maybe they have been trained to look for a hand-out from the snorklers. One purple guy seemed to swim over to greet us each day. We named him “Pete,” as in, “For Pete’s sake, here he is again!” He had tiny teeth and a fetching smile and seemingly performed for us, fl uttering his gills almost like wings and modeling his lithe body, show-ing us fi rst one side, then the other. We hated to leave him when we returned home, but

we’re sure he won’t lack for an admiring audience.

My family gets together at other times in the year. We tend to have “ganged” birth-days, such as three in the third week of July and two and an anniversary during the third week of August. We also try to visit at holidays if the days fall close to a weekend and there’s enough time for everyone to make the trip. I love it when-ever we are all together, but my favorite is the improbable re-union in the sun during winter that somehow we manage each year to pull off .

Togetherness well worth the logistics

BY LEAH S. [email protected]

Between you and me

We have to work out the schedules for my three sons, my three daughters-in-law and now all four of my grandchildren.

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-PROUD-It’s kind of hard to fi nd too many things to get excited about these days. Everything is pretty tough both business-wise and personally for lots of people in our community and around the world. Of course, it would be nice if the media would stop pounding everyone over the head with negative news over and over again. It’s becoming a self-fulfi lling prophecy. But we felt pretty good the other day when, aft er announcing some pretty tough fi nancial results for the end of the year, Ford still sees no need to ask for government loans. In fact the CEO of Ford Motor Company said “Right now, I think with everything planned in the fi scal and monetary policy, I am very comfortable that we are going to start to turn things around through the second half of the year.” Th is doesn’t mean that Ford isn’t using lines of credit. But they have done it the old-fashioned way; they went out to banks and found fi nancing. Ford is doing it! Ford is fi nding a way to make it through these hard times. Th is is the type of auto manufacturer that wants people to feel confi dent when buying one of their products.

With all that being said, Ford is putting out GREAT vehicles! Our new Ford vehicles are safe (more top safety-rated vehicles than any other manufacturer), high quality (now in a virtual tie with Toyota and Honda), good looking and fun to drive. In fact, Ford GAINED market share in the last three months of 2008. And there’s a lot more coming soon! Ford has said that, despite the economic challenges out there, they’re not pulling back on the most important thing of all; product.

We are proud to be a Ford dealer and we feel fortunate to be part of such a great community! Th e entire Ford network is pulling together to bring the best products and services to you, our customer.

If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, I hope you at least stop by and check out all of our award winning Ford line up.

Th ank you for your time and attention! We hope to see you soon!

-Th e RAMP Ford Family

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631.473.1550

Family Owned & Operated For Over 64 Years

4869 Nesconset Highway • Port Jeff erson Sta.www.rampford.com


It’s round two for residents of Spring Street in Cold Spring Harbor.Aft er fi ghting Tom Hogan, who owns the property next door, about putting the

fi rehouse museum on his Spring Street property, Lili and Tom Cavallo hope to stophim from expanding his parking area and putting up a two-story garage.

“We’re trying to preserve the residential nature of this street,” Lili Cavallo said.Yet the residential nature of Spring Street has always been eclipsed by commercial

zoning. Th e winding U-shaped road starts at the eastern tip of Main Street in ColdSpring Harbor and curves around to run parallel, or north, of Main. Most of the street north of Main is split-zoned: 150 feet from Main to Spring is commercial and the last50 feet is residential, Hogan said and Steve Haber, of the town’s planning department,confi rmed. Th e Cavallos’ home, on Spring Street, is right on the border of the twozones.

Hogan, who owns 147 and 153-157 Main St. and 15 Spring St., wants to knock downthe garage between the two Main Street properties and put up a new two-story garageon Spring.

Parking lot pits neighbor against CSH developer

Th e Cavallos contend that by changing the lot line, their side yard would be exposed to commercial property.

“He’s pushing it back to the commercial line on the resi-dential property, which is going to shrink the already un-dersized lot to the house,” said Cavallo. “So when you walkout that back door, you’re going to be right on the propertyline. For the town to approve this on an already defi cientlot, I think is crazy.”

Yet Hogan maintains that the larger parking area is nec-essary, and within his rights.

“What we’re trying to do is provide room for our ten-ants, the employees and the occasional customer who might want to park back there, rather than having them park on the street or the municipal parking fi eld, so that there’s room for people when they come to town to park.Th ere is a huge defi ciency in Cold Spring Harbor and this addresses it in a small way.”

But Cavallo contends that the supposed parking prob-lems in the hamlet are over exaggerated. “I’m starting to

think the parking is a cha-rade,” he said. “I don’t knowif the need is so hard core as they say.”

Built in the mid-1800s asa residence, 15 Spring St. hadstables on the property at onepoint but never a garage, Ho-gan said. He plans on using the second fl oor for storage

for the businesses in his Main Street buildings.“All of the construction is within the C-6 zone. Th ere

is no construction whatsoever proposed for the residential portion of the front 50 feet that faces Spring Street. Th ere’s a house there, and now there’ll be a garage for that house.”

Th e Cavallos have already appeared before the ZoningBoard of Appeals. Four years ago, they sought and wonapproval for a $400,000 renovation to their historic 1867home, which they have lived in for about fi ve years. Nowthey fear their property value will drop due to commercial-ization of the lot next door.

“So I’ll have a parking lot and a commercial building to the side of me,” said Lili. “We’re hoping that the zoning board will do their job and … protect our values.”

Hogan, a real estate lawyer based in Locust Valley, chal-lenged the couple’s assertions.

“We want to help celebrate its history by keeping it vi-able for residential and business uses,” he said, noting thatall of the homes on Main and Spring were devoted to dualuses.

“At 147 it was the fi rst telephone exchange, with some-body living upstairs. Th en it became the fi rst pharmacy,again with somebody living upstairs. 153 and 157 Main St. were called the honeymoon cottages, because when peoplefi rst got married in town, they happened to live there. … Soreally, it was a very mixed-use type of community which Ithink is in the back of the mind of the planning commis-sioner of the town when they adopted this comprehensiveplan — to return it to mixed use because multiple useswork well.”

As in their last fi ght with Hogan, the Cavallos havehired Caputo, Weintraub and Neary, a Huntington lawfi rm. Th ey prevailed the last time and Hogan moved his museum to another one of his properties: 84 Main St.

Th eir lawyer, Brian Neary, did not return a phone call by press time.

Having passed the hurdle of Historic Preservation and aFeb. 10 hearing by the Town Board, Hogan hopes to get onthe ZBA’s calendar by May.

Photo by Arlene Gross

From left, Hogan’s home and the Cavallos’ home and garage.

They fear their property value will drop due to commercialization of the lot next door.

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