On Monday, Dec. 1, from noon to 6 p.m., community members can start the month of giving by participating in Riverhead Free Library’s blood drive, held in its Grand Room and Lobby, located at 330 Court St. in Riverhead. 

Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, go to nybc.org.

On Friday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 7 p.m., community members can also donate blood in the Banquet Room of the Riverhead Fire Department, located at 540 Roanoke Ave. in Riverhead. 

Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, go to nybc.org.

On Thursday, Dec. 11, from 1 to 7 p.m., members of the community are encouraged to donate blood in Riverhead Cider House’s Barrel Room, located at 2711 Sound Ave. in Calverton. 

 
Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, go to nybc.org.

On Monday, Dec. 29, from noon to 6 p.m., community members can donate blood in übergeek Brewing Co.’s Barrel Room, located at 400 Hallett Ave. in Riverhead. 

Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, go to nybc.org.

On Tuesday, Dec. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., you can round off 2025 with one final good deed by donating blood at Shoreham-Wading River Central School District, in the building’s cafeteria, located at 250B Route 25A, Shoreham. This blood drive is in honor of Ruby and Everett. 

Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, go to nybc.org.

Each of the above drives gives donors the opportunity to donate either whole blood or double red blood cells. The New York Blood Center recommends first-time donors to select a whole blood donation appointment. 

In order to be eligible to donate blood, eat and hydrate well beforehand, bring photo ID, feel good and be symptom-free, and meet the minimum weight requirements of 110 lbs. Donors must also be 17 or older, or 16 with parental consent. To see additional eligibility requirements, go to nybc.org.

The post December blood drives in the Town of Riverhead appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

“We were able to open it Memorial Day weekend. It was our kickoff, and we had an excellent turnout,” said Kerrie McMullen-Smith, the library’s director. “I think there was a large concern in the community that the barn wasn’t going to reopen because of what’s been going on between the library and our Friends group.”

One of the changes this year is to lower the prices of the books to make them more accessible. The inventory has been priced at $4 for 2025 releases, $2 for 23-24 releases, and then all other hardcover adult book is $1. 

“The point is for people to be able to get their hands on a book that they are interested in reading and not pay almost the same amount of money that they would pay for a book online or at a bookstore,” said Ms. McMullen-Smith.

Part of the new direction for the space included adding a large-print section and converting the attic of the barn into the science fiction and mystery stacks, depending on the number of donations they receive. 

“It really depends on donations. We might say, ‘Oh, we’d love to put a big couple of stacks of mysteries here,’ but if that’s not what we’re getting in, then we have to wait until we have the inventory,” said Ms. McMullen-Smith.

They are also stocking more children’s books to make titles available to young readers and foster an early love of reading. 

“I think we have a larger children’s collection in the barn now than we had in previous years, and we’re trying to maintain that,” said McMullen-Smith. “We get feedback from grandparents who like to stop in and pick up stuff for their grandkids, or bring their grandkids in to browse.”

The barn recently welcomed classes from Roanoke Avenue Elementary School to the barn for a book fair-style shopping experience. The staff let the teacher know in advance, so the children would have money available.

“They were very happy to come in and be able to browse and purchase books,” said Ms. McMullen-Smith.

Besides book donations, the library also accepts monetary donations towards the Yellow Barn. Individuals can have their name added to a leaf on the donation tree plaque or purchase a memorial brick for the courtyard. Donation forms are available in the Yellow Barn. Additionally, the library is currently welcoming general volunteers to staff the barn. 

The Yellow Barn is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Oct. 10. It is also open on the following Saturdays: June 14, July 12, Aug. 23 and Sept. 13.

The post Riverhead Free Library’s Yellow Barn opens for 2025 season appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The purpose of the scoping session was not for officials to respond, they said, but to use the comments as directives to be included in the environmental impact statement. Riverhead Town officials recently approved a resolution to hire environmental consultant Jeffrey Seeman, who will advocate on behalf of the town to have it listed as an “involved agency” rather than an “interested” one in the SEQRA review process of the project.

Mr. Seeman attended the scoping session and said the SCWA has been invited to Town Hall to present its plans to pursue the Monroe Balancing Test — a nine-part process used to assess the nature of a proposed project, its impact on the local community and how the public would benefit. All of these components factor into determining whether or not the project should be exempted from land use regulations and local zoning rules. The consultant added that a public hearing will take place on this matter at Riverhead Town Hall at a later date.

If SCWA is required to go through Riverhead’s process, the county agency may need approvals for easements along the town’s roadways and undergo site plan review by the Riverhead Planning Board, which would encompass not only the transmission line outlined in the project, but also the booster station.

“Riverhead’s primary concern is that, to date, we haven’t seen any preliminary engineering plans, and while we have commented on the scope, and we were hoping to limit those comments for you in order to keep it as narrow as possible, it’s difficult for the town to really assess what potential impacts there might be that they would like to have addressed,” Mr. Seeman said at the session.

The pipeline would augment existing water supplies in the Flanders area to meet demand in Southold, ensure water quality and availability, increase system reliability and recharge the aquifer with fresh water, according to SCWA documents. 

The proposed pipeline project will span 11.94 miles and disturb 6.51 miles with trenching, directional drill test pits and a booster station site. A majority of the water main installations will be located within street rights-of-way along the identified routes, consisting primarily of county roads. 

In the first phase of the project, the main from Riverside and Flanders in Southampton to the Riverhead-Southold town line in Jamesport and Laurel would be 8.15 miles. It would draw water from existing wells in Flanders. A 24-inch diameter transmission water main would begin at the intersection of Flanders Road and Cross River Drive, continue north along Cross River Drive under the Peconic River and north along Cross River Drive to its intersection with Northville Turnpike. 

From there, the pipeline would extend northeast along Northville Turnpike to the intersection of Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue, then east along Sound Avenue to Pier Avenue at a proposed booster station north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection. 

The 405-square-foot booster station would be built on a 1.5-acre property owned by SCWA. Two 16-inch mains will be installed to and from the booster station to service the pipeline. The SCWA property is 200 feet north of the Pier Avenue and Sound Avenue intersection on the west side of Pier Avenue in Jamesport. The booster station would be set roughly 97 feet back from the street and about 40 feet from the closest adjacent property line. 

From the booster station, the Riverside to Laurel main would continue east along Sound Avenue for 1.39 miles to the Jamesport Wellfield and Pump Station at the Town of Riverhead and Town of Southold municipal boundary between Jamesport and Laurel. 

No customer service connections will be made within the Riverhead Water District service area. 

Part of the project would involve installing a water main with directional drilling beneath the Peconic River and estuary near Cross River Drive bridge between Flanders and Riverhead. The drilling, per the full environmental assessment form submitted by SCWA, “is not expected to affect aquatic plants.”

Mr. Seeman said without a preliminary engineering plan, particularly around the historic buildings and number of utilities around the Sound Avenue corridor, there is a concern about how property owners and the town would be impacted by construction in that narrow shoulder.

If SCWA is not granted the zoning exemption, the town would like to address these concerns in their review process early in order to make sure the agency does not fall behind on its EIS review schedule.

“This is just my observation, I think the benefits to Southold are fairly obvious — you talked about saltwater intrusion and the reduction in wells that are possible — but we have yet to see any significant benefit to Riverhead,” Mr. Seeman said. “My concern here is that at the end of the SEQRA process you’ll have to prepare a findings statement, and that findings statement will have to balance what the environmental impacts are going to have to be on a regional basis, against the benefits, which appear to be primarily for Southold.”

Many Riverhead residents who attended the scoping session urged SCWA officials to consider conducting a traffic and noise study of the residential areas that are going to be directly impacted by this project.

Barbara Blass of Jamesport expressed her concern about the Monroe Balancing Test consideration and said Riverhead Town’s “discretionary authority” in the project has already been removed due to it not being listed as an involved agency.

“If you were some other entity, there would be a whole list of permits that you would be required to and review process, but by the very nature that in this document that we are commenting on now, we are an interested agency,” Ms. Blass said. “I hope it’s something more than an FYI on a sticky note that says we’re about to begin. I think it’s inappropriate for us to be operating right now [as an interested agency] until the Monroe Test has been conducted.”

The environmental impact statement will be created based on the comments submitted during the scoping period and can take as long as the SCWA decides it needs to take. Between now and the final environmental impact statement, the project could be changed slightly throughout the process, but the public will have the opportunity to review a draft before it is finalized. 

The next scoping session will be held Thursday, June 12, at 6 p.m. at the Southold Recreation Center, 970 Peconic Lane. Comments on the North Fork Pipeline draft environmental review can also be submitted online at scwa.com/nfp-comment/. The comment deadline is Wednesday, June 25.

The post Riverhead residents, officials pose their pipeline concerns appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Riverhead Free Library

The total budget tax levy for the 2025-26 budget year was $5,200,000. The proposed tax levy pierced the state cap by $201,667. The overall operating cost for the budget year is $5,537,500.

$138,000 of the budget will fund capital improvement projects, including Browsing Room renovations and a new coffee bar. 

The budget passed with 200 votes in favor and 193 votes against. 

The average home in the Riverhead Central School District, assessed at $47,075, will pay roughly $308.25 in taxes toward the new budget. This amounts to an estimated $17.15 more in taxes for the average homeowner over last year.

A new $10,000 budget line was also created for a “library of things” in Riverhead this year. It will allow Riverhead Free Library to build a collection of equipment and gadgets like musical instruments, backyard games, hand tools and fishing poles that patrons will be able to borrow with their library card. 

Three seats were filled on the library’s Board of Trustees. Incumbents Carlos Alvarez and incumbent William Sandback retained their seats, and newcomer Mike Dubois, a former trustee for the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library, was elected to the board. 

North Shore Public Library

North Shore Public Library’s proposed 2025-26 budget tax levy was $3,780,690. The overall proposed operating budget was $4,016,008.

The budget passed with 117 votes in favor and 33 votes against. 

Board of Trustees president William Schiavo retained his seat for another five years, having run unopposed for the board. 

Cutchogue-New Suffolk Free Library

The library’s proposed tax levy was $1,984,814. The overall 2025-26 budget, which includes revenue from other funding streams like donations, fundraising and state grants, is $2,049,157. 

No capital projects were included in the budget. There were no open positions on the library’s board of trustees. 

The budget passed with 121 votes in favor and 12 votes against.

The post Riverhead Free, NSPL and Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library budgets pass appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

And area library directors are growing concerned.

“Libraries are constantly doing more with less,” Mattituck-Laurel Library director Shauna Scholl said April 1. “But there will come a point when we simply won’t be able to continue doing so, especially if the state and federal programs that support us locally are eroded.”

Executive order

An executive order signed March 14 by President Donald Trump called for the reduction of the Institute of Museum and Library Services — an independent government agency, created in 1996, which is the primary source of support for the nation’s museums and libraries. The president’s order deemed the institute an “unnecessary” element of the federal government. 

The institute’s 2024 fiscal year budget was nearly $295 million, with roughly $211 million accounting for the Office of Library Services. Approximately $8.1 million of that funding is funneled through the New York State Library in Albany by the institute’s Grants to States Program — a $180 million budget line in 2024. 

On April 3, the nonprofit organization known as the American Library Association reported that “several states received written notification from IMLS Acting Director Keith Sonderling that their grants were cancelled.” As of 7 p.m. April 3, California, Connecticut and Washington were the only states that received notice of grant cancellation.

The monies allocated by IMLS to New York have helped support the state’s 7,000 local libraries, 72 library systems and the state library itself. These funds help cover costs for library resources, construction aid, technical assistance, administration of legislative and discretionary grant programs, oversight of trustee education and public librarian certification processing, among other initiatives. 

Ms. Scholl said while the library is funded primarily through local taxes, the support and services it receives through the federally funded state library “are now at immediate risk.”

Crucial resources like construction aid, access to online databases and coordination of summer reading programs are financed in part by federal funding funneled through the state, according to both Ms. Scholl and Cutchogue-New Suffolk Free Library director Rosemary Winters. 

Floyd Memorial Library director Ellen Nasto, Southold Free Library Caroline MacArthur, North Shore Public Library director Laura Hawrey and Riverhead Free Library director Kerrie McMullen-Smith echoed these concerns. Ms. Hawrey described the uncertainty of federal funding as a “gnawing concern” for local libraries.

The executive order called for the elimination of the institute’s “non-statutory components and functions” as well as reduction of “the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” 

Heads of each of the various agencies impacted by the order were required to submit a report to Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russel Vought confirming compliance with the order and explaining which functions of their entity are “statutorily required and to what extent.” 

The IMLS media contact did not respond to requests for comment about what plans the agency has to conform with the executive order. 

Suffolk Cooperative Library System 

More than $5 million of federal funding from the IMLS trickles down to local libraries in Suffolk County through the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, which offers a variety of support services to its member libraries throughout the county with an annual budget of $20 million. 

SCLS helps support the county’s local libraries by coordinating distribution of shared services like Libby — a mobile app that gives library patrons access to millions of ebooks and audiobooks, which draws from a $7 million budget line. SCLS director Kevin Verbesey said 3.6 million items were borrowed from Libby across Suffolk County in 2024.

The library system also coordinates internet bandwidth services for local libraries and a countywide “lending library” service for books and events. 

“There’s a wealth of different things that we work at the cooperative level,” Mr. Verbesey said in a phone interview Friday, March 28. “All of which are at some level of risk with the loss of state support and federal support.”

Federal E-rate program

The executive order affecting the IMLS is one of several things Mr. Verbesey is concerned will have a “deep and troubling impact on libraries and, quite frankly, on all public services.” A bigger issue, he believes, are efforts to upend the $4 billion federal E-rate program that helps schools and libraries offset the costs of internet bandwidth. 

The program “was authorized by Congress as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and created by the Federal Communications Commission in 1997,” according to the System for Award Management website. 

The effort to undercut the E-rate program is being spearheaded by Washington-based conservative advocacy group Consumers’ Research in U.S. Supreme Court. Its concern is that, “the Universal Services Administration Company makes quarterly recommendations to the FCC for how much telecommunications companies must contribute to the fund,” and that the FCC effectively “rubberstamps the recommendations,” according to a March 26 Education Week report.

The U.S. Supreme Court “signaled that it is unlikely to upend” the program, the report noted, with Justice Samuel Alito Jr. questioning “the broader impact of a sweeping decision [to undo] the program.”

Across Long Island, roughly $30 million helps ensure access to stable, high-speed internet. Mattituck-Laurel Library receives roughly $5,000 a year from the E-rate program and , depending on the program’s fate, could have to find the money elsewhere in its budget. 

“[The E-rate program] obviously makes sense from an education, economic development and personal enrichment [perspective],” Mr. Verbesey said. “But it’s also critical to public safety. [Schools and libraries] are made of cement and steel … [where] cellular service doesn’t work as well. So without these internet connections, it’s hard to contact the outside world.”

When libraries aren’t able to provide free access to information, Mr. Verbesey added, they will have to turn to private sources “which will put a strain on local library budgets.”

“In general, government thrives on stability,” Mr. Verbesey said. “And when somebody commits to giving you funding and you put it into your budget for the next year — the expectation is it will come to you so you can undertake your plans.

“When all of a sudden… somebody changes their decisions on things that have already been set in stone — or at least set in the law — it just makes it very difficult to function,” he said.

Area library directors urged residents to reach out to their federal representatives and let them know what public services are important to them.

“That’s really the only way that a message is going to be sent,” he said. 

“If you love your library, advocate for what you love,” Ms. Winters said.

The post Fed policy changes could impact libraries appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

“The library has had a long-standing relationship with our Friends group, but they are an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization, separate from the library,” said Library director Kerrie McMullen-Smith. “It seems that over time, their focus has gradually shifted away from fully supporting library programs in need. And the library has made numerous attempts and efforts to realign our priorities and reconcile our differences, but unfortunately, those efforts were not successful.” 

Ms. McMullen-Smith stated that, because of this breakdown in communication and shift in priorities, the board had decided to find a different nonprofit that would support their goals.

“After consideration, the Board of Trustees determined that the best way to make sure the community support [through the Friends] directly benefits library patrons was to transition away from this relationship and seek one with a new nonprofit that was fully aligned with the library’s mission and services.”

Generally, the majority of donations to any “Friends” of a library organization go to support their library directly, often through supplemental programs, equipment and other items.

“Most of the community believes that when they’re donating to the Friends, that it is going to go to the library … [for] a lot of libraries, the Friends group there may solely raise money for their library,” said Ms. McMullen-Smith. “[With] our Friends group, that’s not the case. So that’s why we’re seeking to form a partnership with a new nonprofit who is in alignment with us that understands that their sole mission is to fundraise for the library.”

Ms. McMullen-Smith stated that the library has been having issues with the Friends for about two years. Each year, the director and library staff would compose a wishlist for the Friends to fund, with varying degrees of success.

“Sometimes the Friends picked what they wanted to fund, not what the library saw as priorities,” she said. “It wasn’t a negotiation or a discussion leading to a compromise on both sides. It really was [what] they decided, and we could take it or leave it. That’s not a partnership.”

Possibly the biggest problem between the organizations seems to be the amount of money the Friends reported to have in their bank account. In a recent email rebuttal from the Friends to the group’s email list, the group claims to give the library 90% to 95% of their money to support the library. However, in reports obtained from the library by the News Review, the Friends had more than $90,000 in total assets as of October 2024. The Friends donated about $30,000 for 2024, according to Ms. McMullen-Smith.

“So by the president of the Friends’ math, the library should be getting $81,000 if they’re saying we get 90% of what they have, but we’re not,” said Ms. McMullen-Smith. “I think that when it became clear that we just couldn’t get an alignment together, the Board of Trustees determined that a transition was necessary to ensure all fundraising efforts and resources directly support the library and its community.”

The Friends of the Riverhead Free Library did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

According to the group’s website, the Friends of the Riverhead Free Library was founded in 1958, and “through its programs, fundraisers, and membership drive, the Friends of the Riverhead Free Library enhance[s] and supplement[s] the varied cultural, literary, aesthetic, and humanitarian services offered by the Riverhead Free Library.” 

The portion of the bylaws included in their email rebuttal states that “the organization is established primarily to support the Riverhead Free Library,” with a secondary mission to “promote a love of reading, the Arts, and to promote cultural programs offered to the Riverhead community served by the library.”

Ms. McMullen-Smith said that the Yellow Barn, which sells used books to benefit the library and has previously been operated by the Friends of the Riverhead Free Library, will be open after a short delay. 

“It is the library’s primary goal to ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption to the community. We are committed to maintaining and enhancing the programs and services that the patrons rely on, including and continuing the availability of affordable, gently used books at the Yellow Barn,” said Ms. McMullen-Smith. “I think that we want the community to know this is very important, that we know the Yellow Barn is important, and while there will be a temporary pause in operations, we are committed to reopening it as soon as possible.”

The post Riverhead Free Library in rift with ‘Friends’ nonprofit appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Riverhead Free Library

The total budget tax levy for Riverhead Free Library for the 2025-26 budget year is $5,200,000, an increase of 5.61%. The proposed levy pierces the tax levy cap by $201,667. 

The overall library operating cost for the budget year is $5,537,500 — a jump of $350,845 over last year. 

The average home in the Riverhead Central School District, assessed at $45,075, will pay roughly $308.35 in taxes towards the library budget. This amounts to an estimated $17.15 more in taxes for the average homeowner over last year. 

Capital improvement projects at the library — including Browsing Room renovations and a new coffee bar — account for $138,000 of the budget, according to director Kerrie McMullen-Smith. The same amount was allocated last year for capital improvements. 

Three seats are open on the library’s Board of Trustees. Incumbents Carlos Alvarez, current treasurer, and William Sandback, current secretary, are running for reelection, alongside newcomer Mike Dubois, a former trustee for the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library. 

A new $10,000 budget line was created for a “library of things” in Riverhead. “Many other libraries in Suffolk have these popular non-traditional items available for checkout to their patrons,” Ms. McMullen-Smith said. “We plan to build a collection of equipment and gadgets such as musical instruments, backyard games, hand tools and fishing poles that you can borrow with your library card.”

The vote will be held at the library Tuesday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For registration information, call the district clerk at 631-369-4724. 

North Shore Public Library

The 2025-26 proposed budget tax levy is $3,780,680, a hike of 2% over last year’s budget. The overall proposed operating budget amount is $4,016,008.

Library director Laura Hawrey said the proposed increase will support programming for children, teens and adults, upgraded technology, an improved children’s play space, an expanded makerspace and overall facility maintenance. Separate budget lines will help bolster online resources such as eBooks, movies and music. 

Museum passes and discounted tickets, available through the library, allow patrons to explore local attractions and learn more about the world without concern about financial strain. This, Ms. Hawrey said, is something that families appreciate and enjoy.

“The library board and staff recognize that this institution is not only a place where you can pick up a novel or get help printing out forms,” Ms. Hawrey said. “It is a community hub where people meet up with friends for their local knitting group, attend an exercise class with supportive companions or decide to take an art class for the first time while connecting with other human beings.

“As dedicated as we are to providing a variety of materials, popular programs, and technology, we are equally dedicated to the well-being of the residents who use this space as a means to reach out to those around them,” she said.

Board president William Schiavo’s seat is the only one up for reelection. He is running unopposed.

The budget vote will be held April 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., in the library’s young adult room. For more information, call 631-929-4488.

Cutchogue-New Suffolk Free Library

The library’s proposed tax levy comes to $1,984,814 — a 4.01% increase — for the July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, budget year, according to library director Rosemary Winters. 

The overall budget, including not only tax revenue but revenue from other sources such as state grants, donations and fundraising, is $2,049,157, an increase of 4.21%. No capital projects are included in this year’s budget.

Cutchogue-New Suffolk Free Library offers a robust downloadable collection in addition to its traditional library services.

“We pride ourselves in offering a wide array of programming for all of our community members of all ages,” Ms. Winters said. “Each year, we work to expand our reach by finding new talents, new points of interest and new collaborations with our surrounding community organizations. Community input is key to our success, and we always welcome it.”

She added that the library will launch a podcast in the near future. 

There are no open positions on the library’s board of seven trustees this year. Voting for trustee positions occurs at the annual board meeting in June rather than during the community’s annual budget vote.

The budget vote will take place at the library Tuesday, April 8, from 2 to 8 p.m. For more information, call 631-734-6360.

Southold Free Library

The proposed tax levy is $1,236,872, which falls within the 2% tax increase cap. The total operating budget is $1,260,454, an increase of $14,467 from last year. 

No capital projects are slated for 2025-26.

Southold Free Library offers a variety of programs, including museum passes, a library of things and a vibrant collection of downloadable materials for reading, viewing and listening, as well as year-round programs on a variety of interests. 

“The library is a meeting place for all age groups, with children and teens using the spaces for games, play, work and social engagement,” said library director Caroline MacArthur said. “Adults enjoy using the computers, reading the papers, studying and much more.”

No library trustees will be elected during the annual budget vote. New board members for the Southold library are instead elected at the annual meeting of the association, which will occur Aug. 13. 

The budget vote will be held Tuesday, May 20, from 3 to 9 p.m. in the Southold High School gymnasium. For more information, call 631-765-2077.

Floyd Memorial Library

East Marion, Greenport and Orient residents will have the opportunity to vote on Floyd Memorial Library’s 2025-26 budget on Tuesday, May 20, at Greenport High School or Oysterponds Elementary School.

The final draft of the library’s proposed budget had not been finalized by press time, but will be available after the Board of Trustees’ April 7 meeting. 

Library director Ellen Nasto said the library staff are looking forward to a year of concerts, book discussions, art classes, art exhibits and a summer chock-full of children’s programs — all of which are free of charge for the public.

“We’re proud of the services that we offer the community and are grateful for the support of the residents of Greenport, East Marion and Orient,” Ms. Nasto said. “In these uncertain times, our patrons are our best advocates; please tell our lawmakers that libraries are important and deserve the funding they receive!”

The post Local libraries prepare for 2025 budget votes appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

What: 3^rd Annual Community Volunteer Expo

When: Saturday, January 11, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Where: Riverhead Free Library, 330 Court Street, Riverhead

Admission to the event is free, and the hosts invite potential volunteers of all ages and abilities to explore dozens of organizations to match every interest, from getting hands dirty gardening and snuggling up to pets awaiting adoption to taking tickets at a favorite local event. Participants can sign up to volunteer for a single afternoon, choose to make more of an ongoing commitment or anything in between.

Cindy Clifford of the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association said the Volunteer Expo was designed so “people have something to do for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. If they can give back to their community, they get to feel satisfaction and a sense of belonging [working with others].”

She also said that due to its popularity and past success, a majority of last year’s local not-for-profits are returning to the Volunteer Expo.

“I’ve had three more people sign on,” she said, since she finalized the exhibitor list. Corchaug Repertory Theatre, Hallockville Museum Farm and First Baptist Church of Riverhead’s Open Arms Food Pantry will all be on hand with opportunities to volunteer.

“This will be our third year at the Volunteer Expo,” said Dr. Kerry Spooner, president of Sound Justice Initiative. “This is a proud collective commitment to local service that not only strengthens the fabric of our communities, but is a recommitment to the legacy of Dr. King, who notably stated, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?’ ”

Ms. Clifford explained that part of the work the Heart of Riverhead Civic does is to give people a voice, and strengthen that voice by connecting them to others who feel similarly. The Volunteer Expo is in alignment with that work.

“The goal is to assemble nonprofits in as wide a range as I can. The foundation of the [Volunteer Expo] idea was that people will volunteer if an opportunity strikes them,” Ms. Clifford said.

Here is a list of groups that will be in attendance and what some of their needs are, with links for potential volunteers who can’t make it on Jan. 11, but still want to volunteer on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service or throughout the year.

North Fork Animal Welfare League needs volunteers to walk, train, socialize and foster the animals waiting to be adopted.

River and Roots Community Garden provides garden plots for local residents and shares the bounty with the community in need. Volunteers needed for gardening and organizational tasks.  

Butterfly Effect Project invites you to help empower young members by sharing your knowledge in a workshop, assisting with events and activities and more.

Hope and Resilience Long Island (HARLI) is looking for help in event planning, Excel skills, community outreach and graphic design to help support domestic violence victims.

North Fork Environmental Council (NFEC) is calling for residents interested in the care and protection of our precious land and resources, promoting zero waste, water conservation, community building and more.

Riverhead Community Awareness Program (CAP) will provide training for volunteers to teach Drug and Alcohol Prevention to our district’s 5^th– and 6^th-graders.

Sound Justice Initiative offers options for social media skills, career coaches, grant writers, mentors and more in their ongoing liberal arts program at the Suffolk County jails.

East End Arts can always use team members for the Mosaic Street Painting Festival, concerts and more special events.

Corchaug Repertory Theatre has opportunities behind and in front of the stage for the multiple shows presented throughout the year.

Surfrider Eastern Long Island invites you to join in to help protect beaches, coast and climate, help with water sampling, environmental campaigns and community beach cleanups.

Open Arms Care Center at First Baptist Church of Riverhead, an emergency food pantry since 1994, is seeking drivers, pantry assistants and more.

Hallockville Museum Farm has several volunteer committees always looking for help, including the Tuesday Crew, the gardeners, school visit helpers and the events committee.

The post Riverhead civic, library and local organizations team up for Volunteer Expo appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Arthur Rast remembers visiting the library as a kid, and now the firm he works for as an architect, Sendlewski Architects P.C. on Roanoke Avenue, is building the new entrance. 

“We’re a local firm and we’ve done several projects for the library, some of which have been pro bono, and everyone in the firm grew up in Riverhead, so we consider this a personal project,” he said. 

Mr. Rast predicted with new housing nearby, the second entrance will be a draw to bring more people into the library. New landscaping will go up along the walkway to freshen up the current aesthetic. At the new entrance there will be an additional circulation desk area to supplement the primary one at the main entrance. “There will also be a new set of automatic sliding doors for the new entrance vestibule,” he said.

“When you come to the library from Center Drive and see the front of the library, people think — where is the entrance?” said Kerri McMullen-Smith, Director of the Riverhead Library. “We do have a sign there, but now we’ll have a new entrance with a welcome center that will tell people about all the goings-on at the library and in town.” She estimates the construction project, which broke ground in October, will be finished by the end of the year. 

The $215K grant for the project is part of a $10 million grant Riverhead Town received from New York State as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).

“It’s such a pretty building in the front, and you’ll soon be able to walk there if you live nearby as opposed to getting in the car. A lot of foot traffic is being generated throughout downtown because of the grant,” said Dawn Thomas, director of Community Development for the town. 

The project may wind up costing about $430K; the library’s capital improvement fund will provide the remainder of the funding according to Ms. McMullen-Smith. 

“It is not an expensive project and it will have a big impact on bringing in more people,” Ms. Thomas said. “The new entrance is prominently located, and it’s good advertising of the library’s programs.”

The post New entrance, welcome center in works at Riverhead Library appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, one by one, members of the Riverhead community rose to the podium at Riverhead Free Library Monday night to read sometimes devastating passages from the diaries, letters and poems of Holocaust victims and survivors, interspersed with durable observations  about the genocidal Nazi campaign. The event was sponsored by Heart of Riverhead Civic Association. An audio recording of the readings is embedded below.

Riverhead Board of Education president Colin Palmer read from the diary of Klaus Langer, who, at age 14, documented a first-hand account of Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” a vicious 1938 pogrom against Jews in Germany and Austria.

“At three o’clock, the synagogue and Jewish youth center were put on fire. Then they began to destroy Jewish businesses. During the morning, private homes were also being demolished. Fires were started at single homes belonging to Jews. At 6:30 in the morning, the Gestapo came to our door and arrested mother and father. Mother returned after about one and a half hours, Dad remained and was put in prison.”

Klaus went on to describe walking over “glass splinters” into his ransacked home that morning. About a week later, he wrote, “I received a letter from school with an enclosed notice of dismissal. This has become superfluous since that same day an order was issued that prohibited us from attending public schools.”

The boy was ultimately spirited out of the country. “Klaus changed his name to Jacob,” Mr. Palmer said. “None of his family survived.”

Rabbi Michael Rascoe of Temple Israel of Riverhead, read a quote from Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi: “Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men ready to believe and act without asking questions.”

Adele Wallach, whose namesake grandmother was killed in the Holocaust, read a March 1944 passage from Anne Frank’s diary, in which the young girl writes to her imaginary friend, Kitty.

“Imagine how interesting it would be if I would publish a novel about the secret annex,” she wrote of where she and her family were hiding from the Nazis. “The title alone would make people think it was a detective story. Seriously, though, 10 years after the war, people would find it very amusing to read how we lived, what we ate, and what we talked about as Jews in hiding … You know nothing of these matters, and it would take me all day to describe everything down to the last detail.”

Anne Frank died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on March 31, 1945, two weeks before its liberation by Allied forces. She was 15.

Kerry Spooner, a Suffolk County Community College assistant professor, read from a Time magazine article about the “999,” a little-known story about hundreds of teenage girls who were rounded up and placed on the first official transport to Auschwitz.

“At the end of February 1942, a rumor began circulating around a small town in eastern Slovakia, and soon the town crier was announcing that all unmarried Jewish girls had to go to the town’s registration office for reasons which would become clear in due course. Teenage sisters Edith and Lee Friedman were worried, but complied with the order, registering for what they thought was a ‘work opportunity’ and believing that they were doing their duty for their country.

“The reality was more sinister than anyone in town could have imagined,” the article continued. “Hundreds of young, unmarried Jewish women joined the girls from Humenne from other small towns and villages across Slovakia, forced to stay in the inhumane and traumatizing Poprad barracks, where they were fed starvation rations and ordered to clean the barracks on their hands and knees. At 8:20 p.m. on March 25, 1942, the girls that had been rounded up in Poprad — numbering 999 in total — boarded a train that would take them to Auschwitz.”

Riverhead resident Harley Abrams, a member of the Temple Israel board of trustees, read a passage from Elie Wiesel’s 1995 speech marking the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Mr. Abrams introduced the passage with a personal story.

“The last Sunday in June 1969, I was 12 years old. My sister was graduating from Riverhead High School as co-valedictorian … That morning, somebody painted a swastika on our driveway and on the road in front of our house. I understood World War II, or at least I knew about it. I knew about the Holocaust. I knew what a swastika was. But I never really understood this symbol until many years later.”

He then read a passage from Wiesel’s speech.“In this place of darkness and malediction we can but stand in awe and remember its stateless, faceless and nameless victims. Close your eyes and look: Endless nocturnal processions are converging here, and here it is always night. Here heaven and earth are on fire.”

The post Holocaust Remembrance Day event underscores the power of words at Riverhead Library appeared first on Riverhead News Review.