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The Diocese of Rockville Centre revealed it’s close to finalizing a sale of the property that had been home to Bishop McGann-Mercy High School in Riverhead for six decades, according to Bob Terry, who met Monday with diocese officials.

Mr. Terry and Shawn Leonard, representing the organization The Friends of the East End Catholic Education, had planned the meeting to discuss a comprehensive plan to open an independent Catholic high school at the site. Mr. Terry said that Thomas Renker, the chief operating officer and general counsel for the diocese, informed them that the diocese had received an offer for the property in excess of $10 million in June.

They did not reveal the potential buyer.

Officials from Peconic Bay Medical Center next door and the nearby Riverhead Charter School both denied involvement in the purchase.

Mr. Terry said Tuesday it was “very disappointing” to hear that the diocese would be moving forward with a sale.

“I don’t really know how to respond yet,” he said. “I’m so shocked. We were told the property was available. It sounds like in June they changed their mind and neglected to tell us.”

A message left for Mr. Renker was not immediately returned Tuesday and Sean Dolan, director of communications for the diocese, could not be reached.

A group of parents, alumni and community members came together in the days and weeks following the March 12 YouTube announcement from the diocese that Mercy would be closed at the end of this school year.

Disappointed that there would be no Catholic high school on the East End, they began working on a plan that would allow them to open a STREAM school in the former Mercy building. STREAM stands for science, technology, religion, engineering, art and mathematics.

Mr. Terry said the group had been trying to secure a meeting with Bishop John Barres for months and were finally able to secure a meeting with the diocese for Monday. The bishop, however, wasn’t in attendance. Thomas Doodian, the chief financial officer for the diocese, and The Rev. Edward Sheridan, also attended Monday’s meeting, Mr. Terry said.

They were told during the meeting that the diocese’s education corporation makes the decision, but weren’t told who was on it. Ultimately, they were told, the bishop has the final say.

“They did acknowledge at the end of the day it comes back to the bishop. He is the one that calls the shots and makes the decisions,” Mr. Terry said. “He’s been unavailable. He told me my door is always open and I believed him.”

Mr. Terry said he and Mr. Leonard were not told who made the offer.

They then asked if they still had a chance to establish an independent school and were told that the sale could close soon.

“We asked them why they didn’t give us the opportunity to buy it and could we and they said ‘well, I guess but it’s more than $10 million and it could close very quickly. There is a scenario where it could close within 24 hours.’ ”

The property at 1225 Ostrander Ave. is 24.81 acres, according to online records.

Raymond Ankrum, the executive director and principal of the Riverhead Charter School, said he has not had contact with the diocese.

“We reached out, no one ever got back with us,” he said in an email.

In March the school received approval from the New York State board of Regents to offer ninth and 10th grades starting in 2020-21 and the long-term plan is to add grades 11 and 12.

Andy Mitchell, the president and CEO of PBMC, said in a statement that “at this time, we are not aware this property is (or was) for sale.”

Last week, the Riverhead Town Board unanimously approved a resolution to change the sewer rent calculation for the property for the 2018-19 tax year. It rescinded a 1991 resolution that had stated “Mercy High School shall not be charged for sewer usage based upon water consumption applied toward irrigation of the sports fields.”

A spokesperson for Riverhead Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said the supervisor was unaware of any details related to a sale of the property.

Mr. Terry is the oldest of 10 children, all of whom attended Mercy. He also sent his three children to Mercy, the youngest graduated last year.

He said it was important to the group to keep Mercy open as a Catholic school because it is the only Catholic high school in eastern Suffolk. The other nine Catholic high schools are out west, with the most eastern being St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip. The partnership with Mercy and the Diocese of Rockville Centre began in 2002 and the school was officially renamed Bishop McGann-Mercy High School in 2003.

He and Mr. Leonard met with the members of the group who are trying to preserve the high school last night after their meeting with the diocese to deliver the news. He said the group has no plans for the future as of yet.

“We’re all kind of shocked,” Mr. Terry said. “We’re still reeling from the news. It’s almost like the March 12 YouTube video of the Bishop telling you he’s closing the school. It’s strange.”

Photo caption: McGann-Mercy High School pictured in March. (file photo)

nsmith@timesreview.com

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After Matt Millheiser stepped down as head coach of the Shoreham-Wading River High School football team and the post was awarded to Aden Smith, Smith was asked if Millheiser left any words of advice for him.

He sure did: “Good luck.”

Those words, as Smith remembers them, were well chosen. Smith has a tough act to follow. Millheiser resigned after last season as the coach who had guided the Wildcats to three straight Long Island Class IV championships, from 2014-16. In that time, Shoreham twice won the Rutgers Trophy, which goes to the top team in Suffolk County, regardless of class. North Babylon (1997 in Class III, 1998-99 in Class II), William Floyd (2005-07 in Class I) and Lawrence (2012-14 in Class IV) are the only other teams to win three straight Long Island titles. No team has ever won four in a row.

Shoreham went 7-3 last season, losing to Miller Place in a Suffolk Division IV semifinal and leaving Millheiser with a 61-22 record for his career.

So, how does one follow up on that record of success?

“Pretty huge shoes to fill,” said Smith, who had served as an assistant coach on Millheiser’s staff for the past two years. “I mean, they have made a lasting impact on Long Island football, on Long Island football history.”

At the same time, Smith doesn’t sound daunted by the task that lays before him. On the contrary, he’s excited. So excited that he was in his office well before the start of the team’s first preseason practice on Monday afternoon.

Smith, 37, a product of Malverne High School and a former inside linebacker for Stony Brook University, began his 28th year in football as either a coach or player on Monday. But it was also his first day as Shoreham’s head coach.

Smith was taken by surprise by Millheiser’s unexpected departure.

“It definitely caught me by surprise,” he said. “It sure caught the community by surprise. It definitely caught the kids by surprise.”

And so, a new era begins, a new chapter in the program’s proud history.

The difference between being an assistant coach and a head coach, Smith said, is a “big change. You know, everything stops with you.”

Smith brings a great deal of enthusiasm to his new job. “I think enthusiasm is important, not only for interscholastic sports, but just in life in general,” he said. “Nothing great can be accomplished without enthusiasm.”

And there’s more.

“I want to instill discipline, structure, toughness, a sense of family togetherness for the team,” he said. “Those are core values.”

Pointing out that Shoreham’s five-week offseason program included five competitions, Smith said: “Competition and competing is definitely important to us as a staff. I think those ingredients translate into a successful program.”

As Suffolk Division IV’s No. 2 seed, Shoreham once again has a target on its back.

“I think that the core, the nucleus of kids, they’re committed,” Smith said. “They’ve made a tremendous sacrifice over the summertime, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it done.”

What would make this a successful season for Smith?

That’s an easy one to answer.

“Obviously, win the last game,” he said. “That’s everybody’s goal … I want kids to walk away and have a positive experience, to say, ‘Hey, I want to come back and be a part of this program.’ That would be the ultimate compliment for me.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Shoreham-Wading River’s new head coach, Aden Smith, shares a laugh with his players during the team’s first practice on Monday. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

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Get your dancing shoes ready, because the Polka Dance Festival is returning to Polonaise Park Saturday.

Mike Costa & The Beat and Polka Method will be on hand playing music. Admission is $13 for adults and free for children under five.

The Polka Dance festival, which is from 5 to 11 p.m., is part of the 43rd annual Polish Town Fair taking place Saturday and Sunday.

The festival is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days and offers booths with crafts, Polish food and more.

The fair will also feature this year’s Polish Town Queen, Lilly Whitehead, as well as the traditional Polish wedding.

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We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this. We know some of you have heard some of it before. There have been other reports of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. But never on this scale. For many of us, those earlier reports happened somewhere else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere.

— from the Pennsylvania attorney general’s grand jury report

The latest bombshell in the continuing, long-running saga of the sexual abuse of boys and young men by Catholic priests exploded into public view this week when the Pennsylvania attorney general issued a scathing grand jury report. With every nauseating paragraph, the report is as powerful an indictment of the priesthood and the Catholic hierarchy that has been put forth since the sex abuse scandal in the church erupted in Boston in 2002.

A reading of this document, large parts of which are stomach turning, can bring even a supporter of the Catholic church to the only conclusion possible: that the priesthood has long been home to hundreds of warped men who have lived out their criminal sexual desires while ruining lives all around them, all the while lecturing their parishioners about how they should follow the Gospels.

And, while this deranged group of predators pursued their victims, their superiors ran a protection racket to make sure — even as they were paying out millions of dollars in settlements to victims — that the pubic never found out how truly sick so many members of the priesthood really are.

Before I go into some of the details in the report, let’s bring this story closer to home: Sacred Heart Parish in Cutchogue was home to several predator priests who were exposed in a grand jury report prepared in January 2003 by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office that was based on the diocese’s own records. A reading of the report shows that “Priest A” and “Priest H” were both assigned to Sacred Heart. Based on accusations against, both were monsters masquerading as Roman Catholic priests.

These men of God were sent to Sacred Heart by the Diocese of Rockville Centre without telling the priest who was in charge of the parish at that time about the accusations against them. That priest would later be removed.

Everyone but a few high-ranking insiders in the diocese was kept in the dark while these predator priests worked in this parish. The parents of young boys surely didn’t know. These priests didn’t wear cowbells around their necks to warn everyone where they were — the way lepers were treated at the time of Christ as told in the Gospels.

The Pennsylvania attorney general’s report shows that, over the course of 70 years, more than 300 ordained priests in that state raped and abused more than 1,000 boys and some girls. The details of these rapes are graphic and horrific. The number is staggering: more than 1,000 victims. In one state.

In the report, there are accounts of rapes of all sorts, mostly of boys, but also girls; there are accounts of pregnancies and even abortions. The Church that can’t stop talking about its high and mighty objection to the practice of abortion in this country covered up for priests whose victims had them.

The nearly 900-page report is a litany of the sick and the depraved: a priest raped a young girl while she was in a hospital bed recovering from surgery. Another priest impregnated a 17-year-old girl, and then forged documents to show they were “married.” A priest sexually abused a 9-year old boy — cleaning the boy up afterward with holy water. One boy was made to act out the crucifixion in the nude — while priests took photographs of him. Some boys were given gold crosses to wear that identified them to other priests as victims.

All of these crimes were committed with impunity. The predator club within the church hierarchy covered it up. If caught, suits were quietly settled without public disclosure. Priests were transferred to other parishes, where they could then resume their behavior.

Last month, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick resigned his post in Washington D.C. as allegations swirled around him that he molested young seminarians and a teenage altar boy. He is the first cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church to resign because of allegations of this kind. Instead of sitting in a prison cell where he belongs, he will be allowed to live out his life in some sort of Catholic retreat home where he can contemplate his sins. Hopefully he won’t be provided with a laptop computer.

One of the diocese’s named in the Pennsylvania AG’s report is the Diocese of Allentown, where the current bishop of Rockville Centre, John Barres, served as bishop from 2009 to 2016. The grand jury report lists Bishop Barres by name.

The report lists crimes committed by the priests of this diocese and states: “The evidence also showed that diocese administrators, including the bishops, had knowledge of this conduct and that priests were regularly placed in ministry after the diocese was on notice that a complaint of child sex abuse had been made. This conduct was enabling to offenders and endangered the welfare of children.”

In an interview with Newsday on Wednesday, Bishop Barres and his spokesman disputed the accuracy of the grand jury report, arguing that the account within the report that Barres personally recommended to the Vatican that one priest with complaints against him be allowed to remain in retirement and not be removed as a priest was “misleading.”

In regard to complaints against another priest in the Allentown diocese, the grand jury report states: “The Diocese elected to rely [on the priest’s word] rather than the word of the victims and the determination of law enforcement. No attempts were made to remove [the priest] from ministry. He was granted retirement, resides in Boca Raton, Florida, and assists with a local parish.”

In response to Bishop Barres’ comment to Newsday that the AG’s report contained “errors,” a spokesman for the Pennsylvania attorney general said this in response: “We stand fully behind the Grand Jury’s report, unanimously approved by 23 Pennsylvanians, cataloguing decades of sexual abuse by priests and institutional cover up by senior church leaders…”

Supporters of the shuttered Bishop McGann-Mercy High School in Riverhead know Bishop Barres as the man who abruptly closed the high school, informing parents with a series of robocalls to their homes. By all appearances, the bishop could not be bothered to stand up before them and explain his decision. Many parents of Mercy students, including some who had generously donated thousands of dollars to the school over many years, said he showed nothing but contempt for them.

Now there is the Pennsylvania grand jury report.

There no end in sight to the wreckage that the abuse scandal has made of the Roman Catholic Church, which, as the AG’s report confirms once again, has been a comfortable home for hundreds of men who sexually abused children.

Pope Francis, hailed by supporters as deeply pastoral and a breath of fresh air, will see his historic papacy ruined by the continued scandal. The Irish Times editorialized in the wake of the AG’s report that the pope’s record on protecting children “has been a dismal failure.”

Wednesday morning, Pope Francis stood in the window of his elegant palace in Rome and, according to one account, talked about saints and prayed for the victims of an Italian bridge collapse.

He said nothing about the AG’s report, which, in its introduction, said this: “We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this.”

Later Thursday a Vatican spokesperson characterized the accusations in the report as “criminal and morally reprehensible.”

At best since 2002, the Catholic hierarchy has only pretended to listen. The time is long past for a thorough cleansing of a broken institution.

The author is the executive editor of Times Review Media Group. He can be reached at swick@timesreview.com.

Interim Redacted Report and Responses by Timesreview on Scribd

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On Aug. 18, 1918, the first Lutheran service was held in Riverhead, officially marking the congregation’s formation in the town.

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Aquebogue is celebrating its 100th anniversary this Saturday with a special Mass, including a guest preacher, Pastor Derek LeCakes, the Atlantic District President for the Lutheran Church.

The church building is recognizable by its large banners proudly displayed on the front the building that say “Jesus Lives.”

“That’s what we’re all about. We’re about claiming the gospel of Jesus, because he is our salvation,” said Pastor Charles Byer, who has been with the congregation for 20 years. “We’ve been here for 100 years, we’ve served our community for 100 years, first and foremost with the proclamation of the gospel.”

In October 1920, land was purchased on the corner of what is now Pulaski Street and Griffing Avenue, and the first church building was erected. Due to the growth of the church, the ministry purchased six acres of land on Route 25 in 1969. That same building that stands today had a groundbreaking ceremony and dedication on Nov. 17, 1974.

The congregation has survived multiple moves and tragedies.

A former pastor who was responsible for moving the church into its current building was killed, along with his wife and friend, in a plane crash while travelling to a friend’s wedding.

“That kind of rocked the congregation for a number of years,” Pastor Byer said. “The congregations have had their tragedies.”

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Aquebogue. (Credit: Rachel Siford)

He said that over his 20 years being a pastor in Riverhead, he has seen so many changes within the church and community, especially more of a disconnect between the community and church.

“But that doesn’t mean we have stopped trying to reach out,” he said. “We still want to try to serve our community, other than just having people come here to worship, we want to serve our community. Show hospitality and kindness.”

To do this, multiple organizations have used Our Redeemer’s facility, like the Peconic Community School. There is also a food pantry, which for over 20 years has been open every Friday 10 a.m. to noon. For six months out of the year, the church houses the homeless from Maureen’s Haven.

“It’s kind of like, how can we use our facility,” the pastor said. “It’s a blessing to us, how can it be a blessing to others?”

The parish has been going by the saying “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever,” for the theme of the celebration Aug. 18.

Although the congregation is excited about the anniversary, the celebration will be low-key and casual with the focus on keeping its teachings centered on the gospel.

“We’re not the center of this, Jesus has to be the center of this, or else we’ve missed the mark,” Pastor Byer said. “When you come into this place, you should be able to feel a difference from any of the businesses you go to, any of the educational institutions you go to. There should be a difference because of who you are and who we serve.”

Top Caption: Pastor Charles Byer of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Aquebogue. (Credit: Rachel Siford)

rsiford@timesreview.com

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More than anything else, Maxwell Tuthill relished making other people smile. His wit, infectious smile and timing for a sarcastic joke could turn even a cheerless moment into a round of laughter.

Those closest to him could always count on him in times of need. When his brother Nick May needed someone to confide in, Max was there. When his friends were going through a rough patch, Max was there.

“It didn’t matter what time of day it was, what was going on in our lives, we always had time to listen to the other one talk,” said Mr. May, who is 10 years older. “We were always there for each other.”

Max was remembered as a loving uncle and a caring friend who always had a smile on his face. He died just past midnight Friday when his 1998 Suzuki motorcycle left the roadway and struck a tree on Hubbard Avenue near Jackson Street, according to Riverhead Town police. He was 23.

Max was rushed to Peconic Bay Medical Center by members of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps and he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, police said.

“It’s a big loss for all of us,” said Jesse May, Max’s sister-in-law. “All of us are still reeling from the shock of it.”

Nick and Jesse were vacationing in Canada when they were woken up around 4 a.m. by a phone call alerting them of the devastating news.

“We all lost someone very, very important to us and it’s going to take a long time to find a new normal in our lives,” Ms. May said. “It’s almost like everything now is going to be looked at before Max and after Max.”

Max cherished his role as an uncle. He loved his nieces and nephew like they were his own children, Ms. May said. When her daughter, Willow, was born, Max, who was in high school at the time, would help any way he can, even changing diapers. Max was Willow’s godfather.

Willow is now 8 and Mr. and Ms. May’s son, Nathan, is 7. Max would often take them to the beach or take them on rides around town.

“It didn’t matter what they were doing as long as they were with Uncle Max,” Ms. May said.

Max graduated from Riverhead High School in 2012 and was attending Suffolk County Community College. He was working for Creative Environmental Design as a foreman for a landscaping crew, his brother said.

Corinne Smith of Riverhead said she knew Max for 10 years. She recalled one time when she felt distraught about something she had done. Knowing his friend was upset, Max immediately visited and brought her favorite tea with lunch for them to share.

“He stayed with me for hours to make sure I was going to be OK,” she said. “He was just the type of person that would do anything and everything for those he cared about.”

While their lives took them in different directions in recent years, Ms. Smith said she will always remember the memories they shared.

Tyler Person, another friend, said he will always remember the laughter Max provided.

“The whole community is mourning, which just goes to show how many lives he truly touched,” he said.

Aly Milner of Riverhead said she met Max through a youth group at Mattituck Presbyterian Church. They became close friends as Max began dating her friend, Paulina Dudojc, nearly eight years ago.

“I’ll always remember Max as a human with no boundaries,” she said.

Ms. Dudojc recalled how Max loved to cook. There were nights she’d come home from work around 11:30 p.m. and Max would be wearing a chef hat and cooking her dinner. He would refer to everyone he met as “sweetheart,” she said. And he had become part of her family.

“We need a lot more people like Max in this world,” she said.

Max was predeceased by his mother, Loretta Trojanowski, who died Aug. 9, 2013, at 58. In addition to Nick and Jesse May and their children, he is survived by his father, Todd Tuthill Sr., and stepmother, Dawn Tuthill; his siblings Todd Tuthill Jr., Josh Mentesana, John May, Paige Molinari and Bethany Solinger; his niece Bianca May; and his grandmother Jackie Trojanowski.

The family received visitors Tuesday and Wednesday at Tuthill-Mangano Funeral Home in Riverhead.

joew@timesreview.com

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For several elected officials from Riverhead and Southampton towns, the former Howard Johnson’s that stood at the south side of the Riverside traffic circle brings back memories of yesteryear.

Riverhead Councilwoman Catherine Kent recalled how her first job was to scoop ice cream at the Howard Johnson’s. Councilman Jim Wooten remembered how it once served as a meeting place for many families who would gather for bagels after church. State Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I-Sag Harbor) said every trip to downtown Riverhead as a child always ended with ice cream at the restaurant.

For the younger generation, though, the site has represented emptiness — a vacant, run-down building that has sat unused and became to symbolize an area in desperate need of revitalization.

“Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to enjoy a meal at the [Riverboat] diner that used to be here,” said Sarah Huneault, 21, the vice president of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association. “As long as I can remember, it has been rundown and abandoned.”

The long push toward revitalization finally gained traction with the demolition last month of the former Riverboat diner to clear the path toward construction of a medical office building that will include two workforce apartments on the second floor. The project, spearheaded by developer Paul Pawlowski of Mattituck, represents the start of a new chapter for the area and illustrates what can be accomplished when a community, its elected officials and the private sector work together toward a common goal, officials said at groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning.

“The last 15 years it’s been just sitting there, boarded up building, graffiti, broken windows, a real eye sore,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. “A lot of us who drive through this area all the time going, ‘We have to make something happen.’ It’s such a prime location … How can we get this in motion? And we did it.”

Developer Paul Pawlowski. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Several excavators on site have already begun digging the hole to form a foundation for the 8,000-square-foot building. Mr. Pawlowski, under the name 20 Riverleigh Corp., acquired the property in November. Developing the project with input from community leaders at FRNCA and Riverside Rediscovered — the group working under the Southampton Town appointed “master developer” Renaissance Downtowns — the foundation of the new building quickly began to take shape.

Mr. Pawlowski said the time between buying the property and construction beginning has been faster than he could have imagined. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2019.

“It’s been a thoughtful process, everyone looking at the details, but getting to work,” he said. “We’re fortunate for that. People just got to work.”

A third floor on the building will be attic space, but could eventually be transformed into usable space when a new sewage treatment plant is implemented. The Southampton Town Board in June announced it planned to buy land in Riverside as a site for a new plant to help spur development.

An excavator on site. The former diner was demolished last month. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Mr. Pawlowski said it was always surprising to him seeing the area go undeveloped for as long as it has.

“First, the location is great,” he said of his decision to pursue the project. “Second, the support behind it is even better. We just look for properties that have good visibility and it doesn’t get better.”

An artist’s rendering of the building shows a tower in the middle above the third floor that county Legislator Bridget Fleming (D-Sag Harbor), a former Southampton Town Board member, described as a “gateway to this wonderful community.”

“I really applaud the architect from Renaissance Downtowns and the developer for following the vision of the community,” she said.

An expansion of the Riverside traffic circle into a roundabout that features two lanes in some parts is expected to be completed soon, the chief engineer for the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, Bill Hillman, said last month.

State Assemblyman Fred Thiele. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Riverhead Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said the building will be a “wonderful improvement over to what was a blighted area that marred this location.” She also thanked the county for its efforts to secure funding — $4.6 million — toward the roundabout.

Looking ahead, Mr. Pawlowski envisions a “completely revitalized” area in Riverside in the years to come. He said he’s “keen on the entire area.”

“The vicinity around the circle headed east could look new, in my opinion,” he said.

Top photo caption: Officials from Riverhead and Southampton towns and community leaders celebrated the groundbreaking of a medical office building in Riverside Thursday morning. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

joew@timesreview.com

A rendering of the what the building will look like.

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Larry Simms’ brief tenure as a member of the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency has come to an end.

Mr. Simms, an outspoken critic of the IDA who was appointed to the board earlier this year, submitted his letter of resignation.

Mr. Simms recently sold his home in South Jamesport, where he was registered to vote in Riverhead Town, and moved to Pittsburgh, Pa. Although he owns several properties in Riverhead, IDA members are required to live in the town, not just own property within it, according the IDA’s attorney, Richard Ehlers.

Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said at Thursday’s Town Board work session that the board will begin looking for a replacement member and will advertise the position. Those interested can apply online. The board hopes to close applications within the next few weeks, she said.

“I think the board seriously needs some outside perspective and I feel I was very well qualified to do that,” Mr. Simms said in a phone interview. “Yeah, I was disappointed I didn’t have more time to contribute, but it’s not a big deal. It’s easier for me not to do it, that’s for sure.”

Mr. Simms attended the Aug. 6 IDA meeting after commuting from Pennsylvania. He offered to remain on the IDA if that was acceptable. He said there were no issues with his participation in that meeting and he described it as a “productive” one where he made motions that passed.

The IDA gives tax incentives as a means of encouraging businesses to come to Riverhead. As a private citizen, Mr. Simms frequently attended the meetings and often spoke out on applications or asked questions.

He was appointed to the IDA by the Town Board, which voted 3-2 in favor of his appointment. Councilman Jim Wooten and Councilwoman Jodi Giglio had both said at the time they felt better candidates were available and voted no. The opening came after longtime IDA member Lou Kalogeras stepped down because he was moving to Florida.

Mr. Simms said he informed IDA chairman Tom Cruso in early June that he was “leaving town” and intended to continue to serve.

“It took more than a month for him to get an opinion,” he said. “The opinion said that public officers law doesn’t allow it and I had defacto resigned the moment I moved out of Riverhead.”

Mr. Simms said he informed the supervisor and Councilman Tim Hubbard, who serves as deputy supervisor, that he serves on the IDA board “at their pleasure” and if they preferred he resigned, he would do so.

“They didn’t have to go to the board for a vote, I offered to resign if that was their preference and they said they thought it would be easier, so I did.”

Photo caption: Larry Simms pictured at the Aug. 6 Riverhead IDA meeting. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

joew@timesreview.com

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The Riverhead Town engineering department suggested the town invest in energy efficient lighting throughout town-owned buildings, which could save the town approximately $200,000 or more in lighting expenses.

Riverhead Town Hall, the Riverhead Senior Center, the municipal garage, the police department, the highway department and street lighting would be the focus on the project.

Town engineer Drew Dillingham said at Thursday’s Town Board work session that that there would be no out-of-pocket costs, because the savings from switching to LED lights in one part of the town will pay off the cost of switching in another.

“One of the main objectives of the program is it’s self sufficient, so whatever money we save will pay for it,”assistant town engineer Ernesto Rosini said.

The first phase of the energy project will be replacing Town Hall’s boilers hopefully by October, because the two working ones they have left require constant maintenance and are nearly unusable, Mr. Dillingham said. He said switching from a gas burner to an oil burner will save the town money as well.

Board members said they all support this endeavor.

rsiford@timesreview.com

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Calverton Aviation & Technology has provided Riverhead Town with the additional financial information it promised, including three letters from financial institutions who are willing to finance construction and updated renderings showing the first phase of construction, according to Stuart Bienenstock, the director of business development for Triple Five Group, which is the majority owner of CAT.

“We believe that our submission will provide the board the comfort needed to move ahead with the project,” Mr. Bienenstock said Friday.

The documents are publicly available on the town website.

Two weeks ago officials from CAT notified the town to say they would provide additional financial information — although not everything — that the town had requested and would need 14 days to do so. The town had imposed a 4 p.m. deadline for Aug. 3 for CAT to agree to submit the financial information.

Those documents, CAT says, shows it can secure the $40 million needed to complete the purchase of 1,640 acres of town-owned land at Enterprise Park at Calverton.

A letter dated Aug. 14 from Grant Thornton LLP states that they are independent accountants and advisers for the Ghermezian family, who are the founders of Triple Five. The letter states that Triple Five Group of Companies has in excess of $40 million available cash equivalent balances as of Aug. 14.

Another letter dated July 31 from Liberty Mutual states that the insurance company is prepared to issue $120 million performance and payment bonds as performance security for the EPCAL project. A separate letter dated Aug. 15 from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC states that the company is “highly interested” in working with CAT on arranging and structuring debt financing.

“These lenders have expressed interest in financing the full construction costs based on our contribution of $40 million in equity and our established track record with projects of an even greater size and scale,” an Aug. 3 letter from CAT attorney James Catterson noted.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said Friday afternoon that she’s done a preliminary overview of the documents and she’ll be spending the weekend giving them a more thorough look.

“It’s a lot of information to digest,” she said.

Included is a 28-page budget proposal dated Aug. 8. The construction pro forma outlines projected costs, which shows a total budget estimate of $109.7 million.

“That was one big piece of the puzzle,” Ms. Jens-Smith said.

The roof of the main building would be green and also feature solar panels. (Courtesy rendering)

Mr. Bienenstock added: “We have taken the supervisor, deputy supervisor and the entire boards concerns to heart and believe that our submission clearly demonstrates we are fully qualified and eligible to execute our regional economic development plan.”

The document showing the renderings lists several iconic destinations in Riverhead such as the Suffolk Theater and Vail-Leavitt Music Hall and boasts how Riverhead doesn’t need to change.

“Our goal for CAT is to create a considered catalyst for Riverhead and Long Island that creates an economic and cultural center for the region while still maintaining the heart and soul of what makes Riverhead special,” the document says.

The proposed building would feature a green roof “planted with a combination of native grasses and wild meadow plants.” It would help retain rainwater, provide insulation to the building and serve as a protected natural habitat for native birds and other animals, the document says. Non-reflective solar panels would also be on the roof and adjacent to the runways.

The rooftop would be accessible to the public for community events, according to the plan.

“Times will be designated for the community to access ‘pick-your-own’ events on the rooftop berry farm areas,” the document says.

Ms. Jens-Smith said it was the first time officials have seen the renderings.

The existing airstrip would be used for development of aviation and aerospace technology, “bringing this industry back to Riverhead in a robust and effective way.”

The pitch also promises educational outreach in the community with classes that utilize the outdoor walkways and green roof. Programs within the facility can be used for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes. A vocational program will also help train workers for the various industries that will reside in the facility.

Also included in the documents is a 20-page economic benefits analysis.

The town needs the additional information in order to determine if CAT is a “qualified and eligible sponsor,” a designation required in order to sell town land in an urban renewal area like EPCAL.

In Mr. Catterson’s letter, he wrote that if the town requires further information on CAT’s finances, they would require a “comprehensive non-disclosure agreement.” A nationally recognized auditing firm would be required to conduct the review of that information, Mr. Catterson wrote. And if the town wishes to propose terms, CAT would willing to work with town officials to come to an agreement “as soon as possible,” the letter states.

Ms. Jens-Smith has said the auditing firm, if needed, should be paid for by CAT. Some town officials said that cost cost anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000. The auditing firm would not make any decision for the town.

Top photo caption: An aerial view of the proposed building in Calverton. (Courtesy rendering)

joew@timesreview.com

CAT EPCAL by Timesreview on Scribd

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Wendy Prellwitz paints in the same Peconic studio where her great-grandfather Henry Prellwitz painted early in the 20th century. The adjoining studio is where her great-grandmother Edith Prellwitz painted.

Next to the studios is the house Henry and Edith had moved to the wooded site, which overlooks Peconic Bay at the end of Indian Neck Lane, in 1914. Entering the house is stepping back in time. In one corner is a self-portrait painted by Edith; on a table nearby is a can that holds some of her paintbrushes.

The feeling a visitor gets walking into the house is that Edith and Henry have just stepped out for a swim, or a walk along a sandy lane to the nearby home of a painter friend, Irving Wiles, where they will sit and chat about their work and how summer goes by too quickly and how lucky they are to live in a place this grand.

“So much of what is here was theirs,” said Wendy Prellwitz, who is also a painter, and an architect as well, as she tours the home and studios with a visitor on a sunny afternoon. “I’ve kept it like that, even though I live here and I paint here, too. But it’s very much still the place they knew, and the place I knew growing up.”

In the years after the Civil War ended in 1865, a group of artists from New York City began to venture east to the North and South forks of Long Island, seeking remarkable landscapes, solitude, open air in which to paint and a very different lifestyle. Artist William Merritt Chase started an art school in the Shinnecock Hills in 1891, and his followers — and those artists who modeled themselves after French plein air painters like Monet and Renoir — began to realize what a remarkable place eastern Long Island was.

By the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th, a group of New York City artists began to settle into old farmhouses on Indian Neck in Peconic, drawn to the area by its great beauty, farm fields and woods, Richmond Creek and the soft, “wet” light — sunlight that bounces off salt water — made possible by Peconic Bay on the south and Long Island Sound on the north.

Walking around Ms. Prellwitz’s Peconic property, the bay in front of the house aglow in the warm afternoon sunlight, the home seems frozen in a particular time and place. Henry and Edith painted right here; they sat on that bench overlooking the bay; they walked on that beach.

Ms. Prellwitz can, with a casual wave of her hand, point out what drew her great-grandparents to Peconic and what makes it so special all these years later. She can look at their paintings — Edith’s “East Wind” or her “Sailboats, Peconic Bay, Long Island” or Henry’s “Moonlight Bay” — and almost point out where they stood when they painted.

“This is the place they loved,” she said. “And look around — it’s still extraordinary.”

As the North Fork became home to a school of artists some would later call the “Peconic Impressionists,” the area also developed a gifted group of locally born painters whose art celebrated the area’s natural beauty.

Cutchogue was the home of Julia Wickham, born in 1866 in the Wickham farmhouse, whose art up through her death in 1952 showcased the salt creeks, woods and farm fields she grew up with. Mattituck was home to the studio of Caroline M. Bell, who was born in 1874 and died in 1970. She and Ms. Wickham often painted together, and they traveled widely, including to Europe.

Greenport had a number of prominent artists working in studios along Stirling Harbor. Albert Latham, born on an Orient farm in 1906, painted what he saw around him — Village Lane on a snowy morning, the scallop fleet in Hallocks Bay.

“So you had the New York City artists like the Prellwitzes, who first came out in summer before settling here full-time, and you had these very talented artists who were born in the hamlets and who developed on their own,” said Geoffrey Fleming, former director of the Southold Historical Society and co-author of “A Shared Aesthetic: Artists of Long Island’s North Fork.”

Wendy Prellwitz stands next to a portrait of her great-grandmother Edith Prellwitz. (Rachel Siford photo)

“It was all happening during the same span of years,” he added.

Many of the artists socialized together, with the New York City expats a particularly tight group. They showed their work at the first major North Fork exhibition, which was a 1913 benefit for Eastern Long Island Hospital. The exhibition was held at the Masonic Temple on Main Street in Greenport. Mr. Wiles was in that show, as was Ms. Wickham.

“This was the first big show on their own turf,” said Mr. Fleming. “It was a wake-up call to the local artists that you could show your work right here.”

And, Mr. Fleming said, people took paintings of the area back to New York City, which drew more people to the North Fork. “The light here was so perfect — you hear that a lot about the painters,” he said. “To many of the artists, this became their home. It was a place they didn’t want to leave and it drew them back when they did leave. … They could paint so beautifully here.”

An attitude developed along the lines of: Why are you going to Europe to paint? You can find whatever you are looking for on the North Fork.

The concept of plein air painting — painting outdoors in natural light — began in France. “Many French painters were going outside to work and paint,” said Alicia Longwell, a chief curator at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton. “The artists out here were following in those footsteps. Monet was the poster boy for this kind of Impressionism.

“This caught on with the Americans,” she added. “They were looking for outdoor scenes when they came out here.”

The Parrish has a painting by each of the Prellwitzes and recently hung one by Wiles called “Scallop Boats, Peconic Bay.”

East Hampton gallery owner Terry Wallace bought his first Caroline Bell paintings in the early 1980s in a barn in Mattituck that she had once owned. Mr. Wallace is an expert on the Peconic Bay Impressionists. He remains deeply fascinated by their work.

“The New York City artists whose world was centered on Indian Neck had celebrity-like status,” he said. “They were different from the local artists. Julia and Caroline would sometimes paint together in the Bell studio, which had a great view of Mattituck Inlet.

“I think what brought them here and kept them here was the solitude,” he added. “People always say, ‘It’s the light, it’s the light.’ But, really, it was so many things.”

swick@timesreview.com

Part I: Before anything else, there was ice

Part II: Long before the ‘first families’

Part III: When English arrive, Indians disperse?

Part IV: So, who was really here first?

Part V: Slavery, an ignored part of our history

Part VI: Slavery on Shelter Island, a story not hidden away

Part VII: When was Cutchogue’s Old House built?

Part VIII: The Revolution ‘tore families apart’

Part IX: For one loyalist, all would be lost

Part X: From growing divisions within Southold, River Head town is born

Part XI: An epic saga of East End whaling

Part XII: Murders in 1854 shattered a hamlet

Part XIII: The Wickham murders part two

Part XIV: A Civil War on the North Fork

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For Riverhead High School’s appropriately named quarterback, the issue now isn’t keeping the pace so much as setting the pace.

Things have changed for Cristian Pace. He’s a senior now, after all, and that makes a difference.

“Just got to be a leader, show everybody the right way to do everything,” he said following Thursday morning’s practice.

Since becoming Riverhead’s starting quarterback last season — after taking a year off from football — most of what Pace has done has been the right way. He was right more often than he was wrong last year, earning selection as an all-division first team player.

Riverhead coach Leif Shay raved about the way Pace performed, helping the Blue Waves improve from 1-7 in 2016 to 3-7 last year, finishing one place in the standings away from a playoff spot.

“Last season he was unbelievable for us,” Shay said. “He’s such a gamer. He makes throws that you don’t think he could make. He’s got a really uncanny ability to find the open guy. He lets the receivers make plays.”

“He’s an awesome kid,” the coach continued. “He’s a great quarterback. He listens. He’s smart. He offers intelligent questions. He offers intelligent insights sometimes. He sees things that we don’t.”

Riverhead is looking at eight quarterbacks in training camp. Shay said he would ideally like to have three quarterbacks on the varsity team — a solid starter, a backup and an emergency guy.

The solid starter, of course, would be Pace, who has a lock on the position. The leading candidate for the backup job appears to be junior David Squires, who played for the junior varsity team last year.

Through three and half days of practice, Shay has already liked what he has seen from Pace.

“If it’s possible, he’s actually more accurate this year than he was last year,” Shay said. “Every throw’s on the money.”

Pace played in all eight of Riverhead’s games last year, completing 90 of 152 passes for 1,212 yards and 15 touchdowns. He had five interceptions. And Pace could run with the ball when he had to, picking up 260 yards and two touchdowns from 51 rushing attempts.

Pace, who said he gained a greater appreciation for football as a result of his year away from the sport, has spent these opening days getting his timing down with receivers. He said his job is to keep the Riverhead offense on the field as much as possible.

What’s the most valuable thing Pace learned from last season?

“Learn from mistakes and definitely don’t play afraid [of making] mistakes,” he said. “Just play loose and just have fun.”

“I think I’m definitely more confident as a player,” he added. “I got a lot of confidence in my teammates, which is a big thing. Definitely, the year of experience is going to [allow] me to read defenses better and stuff like that.”

Pace spoke highly of the receivers he had to work with last year, including Darnell Chandler and Tommy Powers. Those two have moved on, but Riverhead still looks to be in good shape when it comes to the skill positions.

“I like the new group a lot,” Pace said. “I think we got a lot of kids that want to get out on the field. Everybody’s ready to go. Everybody pushes themselves and everybody’s looking to get better.”

Pace will pass to people like Squires, Isiah Barbieri, Liam Egan (a tight end from Bishop McGann-Mercy) and Dennis Lowe. He will also hand the ball off to running backs like Albert Daniels and Isiah Brunskill.

“He’s got some weapons out there,” said Shay.

The real question, though, is who will be doing the blocking to give Pace time to throw? At this point, what the offensive line will look like is anybody’s guess.

“Right now I couldn’t even tell you who they are,” Shay said. “We’re so thin and so devoid of linemen.”

“The hard deal for us is how much time can we give him? Our line is a work in progress, and that’s really the story of our camp is who is going to be on the offensive line to protect him? We have a good quarterback, but if he has no time to throw, it’s not going to make much difference.”

That makes Pace’s ability to improvise on the run particularly valuable. “When the pocket collapses, I can get out of the pocket and make plays outside of the pocket, throwing on the run and stuff like that,” he said.

Pace is eagerly awaiting the start to the season when Riverhead visits Newfield on Sept. 7.

“I can’t wait. I’m so excited,” he said. “I definitely have high expectations. I just want to keep getting better.”

And setting the pace.

Photo caption: Riverhead quarterback Cristian Pace was an all-division first team player last year, passing for 1,212 yards and 15 touchdowns. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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President Donald Trump arrived in Westhampton Friday afternoon en route to a fundraising luncheon in Southampton.

Air Force One was scheduled for an 11:50 a.m. arrival at Francis S. Gabreski Airport and touched down around noon.

Local officials including Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) and Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore greeted Mr. Trump as he stepped off the airplane. They were also joined by John Raguso, whose son Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso died in a helicopter crash in Iraq in March, Doon Gibbs, Director of Brookhaven National Lab, and Rocky Point teenager Quentin Palifka.

A crowd of supporters from the 106th Rescue Wing, which is stationed at Gabreski, gathered near the tarmac for the president’s arrival. After shaking hands and stopping for pictures with some of the crowd, Mr. Trump got into his limousine and escorted by motorcade to Southampton Village.

A group of protestors was also gathered across from Gabreski Airport.

President Trump and Congressman Lee Zeldin. (Credit: Tara Smith)

Roadways from the airport to Southampton were closed from around 10:30 a.m. Friday morning and the Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary restriction for planes flying below 18,000 feet in the Hamptons that will expire around 3 p.m.

According to Blair Ellis, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, Mr. Trump is set to attend a fundraising luncheon with RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in support of the Trump victory Committee. Approximately 60 guests are expected to attend, raising about $3 million to benefit both the RNC and Mr. Trump’s 2020 campaign, she said.

The White House did not release further details on his visit to the East End.

President Trump arrives in Westhampton Friday on Air Force One. (Credit: Tara Smith)

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the fundraiser would be held at the home of Manhattan developer Howard Lorber, the executive chairman of Nathan’s Famous Inc. and chief executive officer of the Vector Group, a parent company of Douglas Elliman Realty.

Mr. Lorber served as an economic adviser to his 2016 campaign.

Mr. Trump gives a thumbs up to supporters at Gabreski Airport. (Credit: Tara Smith)

Katie Vincentz, communications director for Mr. Zeldin, said the congressman would be traveling with Mr. Trump to the fundraiser.

This marks Mr. Trump’s first visit to the East End as president. He hit the campaign trail in Southampton and Patchogue in 2016 and returned to western Suffolk County twice in less than a year to discuss MS-13 as president.

Perry Gershon, the Democrat who will face Mr. Zeldin, a Republican, in November’s election for the 1st Congressional District, criticized the fundraiser.

“Lee Zeldin and President Trump showering themselves with rich people’s money is a reminder that Zeldin is working for the interests of the corporations those people run,” he said in a statement. “While Zeldin attends fancy parties, I’m traveling all over NY-1 listening to working Long Islanders who I’m going to fight for in Washington to guarantee access to health care and restore property tax deductions.”

tsmith@timesreview.com

Supporters hold a Trump sign at Gabreski Airport Friday. (Credit: Tara Smith)

Air Force One touches down in Westhampton Friday. (Credit: Tara Smith)

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As tennis observers around the world gather together at Flushing Meadows in a few weeks for our approaching National Tennis Championships, an older observer of the scene keeps returning to a collection of chapters and essays in an outstanding and historical narrative about the sport, written by an extraordinary reporter of champions.

In an age that boasted such writing stalwarts as Damon Runyon, Grantland Rice and Heywood Broun, Al Laney in “Covering the Court” assists the reader on a sentimental journey back through the mirrors of time. Laney was the night editor at the Paris Herald during most of the 1920s and later became associated with the New York Herald Tribune as an enriching correspondent in the realm of tennis and golf.

Turning to the pre-World War I era, focus is directed toward the fabulous Maurice McLoughlin, our own champion in 1912 and 1913. He was billed as the “California Comet” and stung the ball in those days better than most. The “Comet” became the author’s hero and tennis then became a natural outlet for this writer.

The book’s many touching and dramatic moments center on such unusual champions, men and women who were able to maintain a level of professional style and grace while facing tremendous pressures.

Post-World War I introduced the flamboyant William “Big Bill” Tilden of Philadelphia, who was the finest practitioner of the game between 1920 and 1930. Tilden won six consecutive U.S. titles, from 1920 through 1925. He was upended by one of the four French Musketeers, Henri Cochet, in the semifinals at Forest Hills in 1926, but came back a few years later and won again in 1929.

Tilden viewed the court as a stage and accepted the plaudits of his public more often than his many contemporaries. He was by far a very intelligent player who perfected the cannonball service, which always helped him during difficult moments. Tilden scored more important victories coming from behind than many other competitors of his day, although no historian has yet been able to explain one of his heartbreaking defeats in the 1927 Wimbledon final after leading, 5-1, in the concluding set.

The rise of the four Frenchmen in 1924 — Cochet, René Lacoste, Jean Borotra and Jacques Brugnon — brought viewers sensational matches over the rest of the decade as Tilden faced them 18 times between 1927 and 1930, winning eight while coping with birthdays that slowly nudged him to the back side of the hill. His last amateur title, at 37, included a stunning Wimbledon semifinal match over Borotra in 1930 en route to an easy winning final over Wilmer Allison, who later became our national titleist in 1935. By the way, most champions of this era realized that failure at Wimbledon, the holy of holies, dims beautiful triumphs elsewhere.

Women champions, as well, play a significant role in this book, especially in 1926 at Monte Carlo, where “glamorous people wandered about pathways decked with flowers.” Cocktail and dinner parties became foundations for social and business success. This enclave of aristocracy, centered at Cannes, produced one of the most memorable ladies’ matches in 1926, between world champion Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills (later Moody), a rising young player from California known as “Little Miss Poker Face.” The unusual description of this pulverizing match must be read to be appreciated in its fullest drama. The author reports that the French champion arrived at center court “unusually dressed in a bandeau of many colors.” Mademoiselle Lenglen placed women’s tennis on the map and barely prevailed in this confrontation. By 1933, Wills had won Wimbledon six times and was French and U.S. champion four times, losing only one set during that run.

The writer addresses eloquently the eras of Fred Perry, the exquisite English champion, and J. Donald Budge, who by the late 1930s was the highest-ranked men’s player in the world. Budge may have had the finest backhand the game has ever seen. If it weren’t for a training camp mishap in the early 1940s, Budge might well have achieved additional laurels. His triumphs during his playing days led to the distinctive Grand Slam in 1938, an enviable achievement that moved him close to the top of our century’s distinctive champions.

Laney discusses the so-called “big game,” i.e., serve and volley made popular by Jack Kramer during the 1940s that really was utilized by the better players of the late 19th century. There is a wonderful chapter on the difference between a first-class player and a champion. A champion maintains greatness without touching it and sets up an opponent with a series of shots before the final error or winning point.

For later-day historians, there is additional commentary on Ken Rosewall, Lewis Hoad, Richard (Pancho) Gonzales, Gottfried von Cramm, Rodney Laver, Alice Marble, Helen Jacobs, Maureen Connolly, Maria Bueno and Margaret Smith Court. This is a book about singles and brings to interested readers the historical achievements of these wondrous players and their fine contributions to a sport first called lawn tennis in 1874.

The writer played varsity tennis at Boston College from 1948 to 1952.

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The lights went down after the youth cast of “Seussical” took their bows Sunday, Aug. 5, marking the end of the North Fork Community Theatre’s 60th season. A week later, to celebrate, the theater’s board president Mary Kalich grasped a sledgehammer, took a deep breath, and swung at the stage.

As she took the first swing, several board members joined Ms. Kalich with their own hammers.

As the groundbreaking began, a group of the theater’s supporters — performers, board members and donors — were gathered to say goodbye. For now.

When the building reopens in 2019, actors and audiences will be met with an upgraded theater which still has lots of charm.

“We really want to make this a premier theatrical destination and in order to do that, we need to have the right facilities,” Ms. Kalich said on a recent walkthrough of the church-turned-theater.

Anyone who’s seen a show at the theater can probably attest: sound is a major issue, especially when a musical uses a live pit orchestra. Currently, the pit is set up on the house floor, and despite efforts to contain the sound, it bounces around with uneven distribution.

“It’s really loud,” Ms. Kalich said. “You can’t hear the actors.”

The pit orchestra will find a more suitable home beneath the stage, which will be dug out to create a true ‘pit.’

Ms. Kalich is co-chairing the renovation committee with Mike Hipp of Westhampton. Mr. Hipp, who got his NFCT start in the 1992 youth production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” now works in the estimating department at Riverhead Building Supply. “With such an old building, there were concerns” about structural integrity, he said.

The North Fork Community Theatre in Mattituck. (Credit: Tara Smith)

The orchestra pit will eliminate the first row of seats, but the seating chart will be reconfigured to eliminate a center aisle, bringing cramped corner seats into the center.

Both wings will be extended out, and Ms. Kalich noted that the backstage areas will all be leveled out, resulting in more space. Currently, the poorly lit areas are made up of a series of narrow staircases and confusing entrance and exit points, sometimes requiring performers to exit the building to get from one side of the stage to the other.

New rehearsal space is also planned for the theater’s basement, along with new lighting and rigging technology and a new HVAC system.

Working with a theater architect to develop the plans and sound design, local architect Rob Stromski will be undertaking the $950,000 project, funded almost entirely by community donations.

The interior upgrades build on earlier fundraising efforts that helped them purchase the theater and complete some exterior upgrades.

The building was purchased from the Mattituck Presbyterian Church in 2012 after a 20-year lease expired. The NFCT had been performing in the building for more than 50 years.

“They asked us to purchase or leave and all of a sudden we had to raise $500,000 to buy the building,” Ms. Kalich recalled. They raised $500,000 to purchase the building outright. “Since then, it’s been really clear that people care about this space.”

The troupe became homeowners and the to-do list grew.

First came exterior upgrades, including installing an outdoor covered patio and box office window that Ms. Kalich said has cut down on wait times to purchase tickets.

As crews adorned the building with a fresh coat of paint, they discovered a hidden stained-glass window behind the marquee on the north side of the theater.

The glass has since been restored and a new free-standing sign was put up on the lawn.

Keeping the theater’s charm intact was key for the board of directors, many of whom have been performing there since they were kids. “The point of this renovation is to do core infrastructure stuff, so we’re starting from the ground up,” Ms. Kalich said.

Though the theater will remain closed for the rest of the year, there are plans to put up a fall show and annual variety show at to-be-determined locations. Theater officials are hoping to reopen next spring with a production of “The Producers.”

A fresh coat of interior paint and replacing the 166 seats, Ms. Kalich said, will come after the bare-bones work is completed. “The pretty, shiny stuff we can do afterwards. It’ll look and sound different because we want to improve the way you see, hear and experience live theater.”

Ahead of Sunday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Mr. Hipp reflected on what the NFCT means to him. “It’s where I met my wife 26 years ago,” he said. May’s production of “Oliver!” marked the first time Mr. Hipp was joined by his wife, Kimet Speed, and their two sons on stage for a show.

He admitted to being a bit nervous about tearing the place apart. “You become attached to the place, the people, the experience,” Mr. Hipp said. “I don’t think it’s an accident that [the theater] has been here for 60 years. There’s something special about it.”

Photo caption: Mary Kalich, president of the North Fork Community Theatre, took the first swing at the stage during a groundbreaking ceremony Sunday. She is co-chairing the renovation project with Mike Hipp, right. (Credit: Tara Smith)

tsmith@timesreview.com

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