A Message From the Board  

January  2006 

A Message From the President

Dear Neighbor,

Last January and February our general membership meetings were snowed out so we were a bit hesitant to schedule speakers during snow season this year. We have decided instead  to hold an open forum this month because we do want to hear from as many of you as possible regarding the issues you’d like us to address as an association with the Town of Brookhaven and/or Suffolk County. We will update you on unfinished projects initiated in the past year or two. Those of you who have lived here a while know it takes patience to see most projects through to fruition. Some areas you may want to discuss are affordable housing, code enforcement, development projects, ethics, infrastructure, open space purchases, parks, planning/zoning, traffic safety, and traffic-calming. Please attend or email your ideas.                  Kathy Rousseau

New Businesses     by Kyle Markott                                                                      Bagels, Italian food or a quick cup of coffee? I recommend you try all of these at three new retail stores located right here in Miller Place.  Let’s start with the bagels.  It was a long time in the making but the new Miller Place Bagel and Deli store has finally opened in the Party Hardy shopping center at the corner of Pipe Stave Hollow Rd & Route 25A.  I have personally been there twice and the bagels are great, prices reasonable, and the staff is on the ball.                                      Now if you’re in the mood for some great Italian food then look no further then the new Casa Piccolo.  They are located at Landing Rd and North Country in what used to be called Calucci’s.  I ate there recently and the food was excellent.  Service was right on the money, and speaking of money the food was very reasonable priced.  The new owner, Silvio Grenga, greeted us at our table and stayed for a  friendly chat.                                                                                       And finally if you need that quick cup of coffee in the morning or last minute milk run on the way home then Express Mart is your best bet.  They are at the corner of Echo Ave and Sylvan Ave.  Owner Mark Allard and his family have transformed the Express Mart giving it the clean, open, and refreshed atmosphere that it desperately needed.                                                                                                  All three of these new retail stores to Miller Place have done their absolute best to build stores that blend in with the community and make every community member feel welcome at their establishments.  I ask that every member of the community give them all a chance and see for yourself the great places to eat and shop right here in our own back yard.

Membership It is time to renew your membership for the year 2006. Check your mailing label for the year you are paid up through. Some of you still owed for 2005 therefore your recent  payment  was applied to bring membership current through Dec. 2005. New residents are added to our mailing list for several months which is indicated with an * after your name.  We hope you consider learning about and joining our association.

GreenwayTrail The 3.3 mile Greenway Trail running from Setauket to PJ Station  will soon be a reality.  Construction of the path should begin by 2007.  It will be for biking, hiking, and jogging, connecting three park areas along the way. $7 million has already been allotted for it’s planning and creation.

Beautification  Actually, this month’s “beautification” info is just the opposite. Graffiti bandits have once again damaged  our town.  We did not make an issue of it in the local papers because  attention is what those who leave their disgusting  mark want. We do want residents to be informed so you can keep on the lookout and report further graffiti if you observe it happening.  In December the TOB had the Sylvan Ave. Park handball court totally repainted.  Within a week it was covered once again with profanity.  The same initials and symbols appeared on our welcome sign on MP Rd.  Frank Klement took on the responsibility of cleaning that paint off. A police report was filed in Dec. and  messages have been left with the COPE office.  We’re requesting that an officer be assigned to work with us on this. It may be a cyclical problem but it is one we want to end ASAP.

Request  from a member The Murphy family have been  Miller Place residents for almost 14 years. Their oldest son, who  is a sophomore at Miller Place High School, has recently been given the opportunity to study abroad for his Junior year. The Rocky Point Rotary Club made a presentation in October to his History class and the  process began. The Rotary Club works with ESSEX( Eastern States Student Exchange) which is an organization with over 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 156 countries that provides youth exchange programs all over the world. Their son  is going to be spending his Junior year in Italy this coming August. In order for the program  he is involved with to send him, his family must receive an inbound student from another country for the school year 2006-2007. At this time it is not know if they will be hosting a male or female exchange student. The exchange student needs to live with three families during his or her school year here in Miller Place. They will be hosting the first part of the trip from August to Dec. 3 and are looking for two additional families for the following two periods which are Dec.3 to March 18,  & March 18 to June when the student returns home.  

If you are interested or know of a family that would be, please contact Lori at skbmurph@optonline.net.

FIVE WEDNESDAY EVENINGS

                                Setauket Neighborhood House 7:30 PM                                

95 Main Street (by the Setauket Mill Pond)

The following schedule of Wednesday evening community dialogues sponsored by The Three Village Community Trust  will begin with either a talk and/or video presentation followed by an open discussion.

These are of interest to all in our area.

 January 25  “Observations on the Evolution of the Three Village Community” Robert Reuter, Industrial Designer and adjunct faculty member in the School of Architecture at Virginia Tech.

February 8   “Conservation First” Video Presentation of “Preserving Open Space with Conservation Subdivisions: Part I,”   a Center for Community Environmental Management production featuring Randall Arendt, noted land-use planner and site designer, current Vice President of Conservation Planning at the Natural Lands Trust.

February 22  “Coastal Zone Management Issues in New York State”Sarah Graham Newkirk, Esq., Coastal Program Director, The Nature Conservancy Long Island Chapter, Cold Spring Harbor.

  March 8  “Green Architecture: Toward an Integrated Design Process”Peter Caradonna, Principal of Peter Caradonna Architecture and Planning in East Setauket since 1996; Founder and Chair of the US Green Building Council Long Island Chapter.                    March 22 “Community Involvement in Land Conservation”  John v.H. Halsey, President, Peconic Land Trust, conserving land on Long Island for over 20 years

The cost will be $2 per person only to cover room rental at the Neighborhood House.  For information, please call 689-0225.  Walk-ins are welcome!

Of interest to golfers and campers: USedirect has been awarded the bid for Suffolk County to develop and implement a new and improved golf and campground reservation system.  Improvements include better detailed campground maps, on-line credit card transactions and photo identification green cards which will become immediately available to the patron upon purchase. Check www.suffolkcountyny.gov/parks for further information.

General Membership Meeting Dates for 2006

Jan 23th   Open Forum                        

Feb. 27th                                              

March 27

April 24th   Sarah Anker    CHEC

May22nd    Marc  Alesi                                 

JANUARY GENERAL MEETING

 Monday January 23, 2006

7:30-9:30 PM

Miller Place HS Library

 Open Forum

How would you like  the MPCA

to represent you in 2006?