The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 7
August 2022
The Trail Mix is the monthly newsletter of The Friends of the Greenway. We established this bulletin to keep the Friends and users of the Greenway current on some of the “goings-on” regarding our Trail and to dispense a mix of bits and bytes of flavorful information. Hopefully, The Trail Mix will help to enlighten, inform, and entertain our readers. The Friends of the Greenway is a committee of our parent organization – The Three Village Community Trust.
And, don’t miss this year’s Summer Fundraiser for the Trust and the Friends of the Greenway –
The Annual Chicken Hill BBQ and Country Picnic – See below!
Where Did All the Greenways Go? (A Three Part Series)
So, why are our roads so dangerous, why are so many bicyclists and pedestrians in danger, what can be done to make our roads safer, and why are there so few greenways? We call this series: Where Did All the Greenways Go?
Part III B:
Make the Roads Safe for Everyone!
In our past issues of The Trail Mix we examined a number of facets about the rise of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities on our roadways. We detailed the growing number of deaths, detailed the reasons behind the statistics and began to discuss some possible solutions.
In July’s issue, we wrote of the need for each of us to be part of the solution, how infrastructure planning matters, and the importance of law enforcement.
Continuing on the theme of solutions, greater driver training and education is a necessary step in making our roads safer. The process of qualifying for a license needs to be more rigorous and demanding. And, driving licenses should not be issued for a ‘lifetime,’ but should be renewable through a comprehensive relicensing procedure, perhaps every 7 or 10 years. “Retraining” drivers in the latest laws, highway crash trends and preventive/defensive strategies make common sense.
Technology needs to meet the dilemma of so many drug and alcohol-related crashes. Cars with automatic ‘touch or sense’ disabling systems would have a far-reaching impact on traffic deaths. Issuing summons for excessive speed via traffic cameras isn’t an invasive overreach of government – it is a safeguard against those too irresponsible to share our roads.
Demanding more from automobile manufacturers to use their advertising platforms to promote safe driving and not ‘speed antics’ and ‘performance tricks’ would dial down some of the crazed behaviors on the highways. For too long, manufacturers have delivered a dangerous message to the public – speed and performance are fun. Well, they may be fun, but they are also deadly!
Reducing the mayhem on our roads will not be easy. Suffolk County’s roads are particularly dangerous. Focusing on the problem and possible solutions is vital to saving lives.
And remember – The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway and the North Shore Rail Trail has undoubtedly saved numerous lives by creating safe corridors for walkers, runners, and bicyclists.
Update: Lawrence Aviation Property
In the past we have written about the history and issues surrounding the Lawrence Aviation site. Undoubtedly, anyone who has traveled the length of the Greenway has seen the rusting and deteriorating buildings of the now closed manufacturing site. The property is not only an eye sore, but because the site is unsecured and lacks any real security it attracts vandals, squatters, and a criminal element.
At one time, Lawrence Aviation was a leader in producing metal components for the aeronautics industries. The company specialized in the manufacturing of super-light, and ultra-strong titanium products -requiring the use of lots of caustic compounds, and chemicals.
Lawrence Aviation’s dirty little secret was that it dumped, stored, buried, and hid the toxic manufacturing byproducts. Using barrels, tanks, lagoons and unlined cesspools, all types of deadly chemicals were stored away on the property. The leaking chemicals polluted the soil and underground water. A cleanup program by the EPA cost tens of millions of dollars over recent years. Now the property is a Federal Superfund site.
Today, thirty years after the closing of Lawrence Aviation, there is real movement to repurposing the property. The cleanup of the property is nearly complete, and asbestos has been removed from most of the buildings. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has obtained an estimate for the demolition of the decaying buildings. And, the Suffolk County Landbank Corporation has announced it will contribute funds to help demolish and remove the buildings.
There is also a plan to utilize the 126 acre site. About 40 acres would be set aside as open space. Another large portion would be used as a solar farm. At the western end of the property, the LIRR could build a new station house and rail yard. The LIRR facilities located west of Route 112 would be removed, and the grade crossing at Route 112 would be eliminated.
It is encouraging that there is hope for a new future for this blighted property. Certainly, the Greenway would benefit by having more responsible, and responsive neighbors!
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Our Monthly Cleanup: July
It was HOT! Yet, the July monthly cleanup took place on Saturday, July 23. Helping in the effort are members and stewards pictured below from left to right are:
Dennis Brennan, Brian Cohen, Charlie MacAteer and Dave Wang.
Also lending a big hand in the cleanup were Madden Mones and Pascal Girard. Thank You.
Why not join the Greenway Team? Email Herb or Charlie:
HJMones@gmail.com
cfmcateer@gmail.com
Missed the July cleanup? Well, we have more coming up
- Saturday, August 20th at 9am, Starting locations: The Port Jefferson Station and Setauket Trailhead.
- Saturday, September 17th at 9am, Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead
Don’t Miss This: The Annual Chicken Hill Country Picnic and BBQ: Want to support the Friends of the Greenway and the Three Village Community Trust? Well, please attend our annual Chicken Hill Fundraiser –
Missed an issue of the Trail Mix? Check out threevillagecommunitytrust.org to view past issues!
Remember This: The Three Village Community Trust is our parent organization and is now holding its Annual Membership Drive! Without the Trust, the Friends of the Greenway would not have the needed financial support and the organizational capacity to effectively maintain our stewardship of the trail.
So, if you are a Greenway user, a trail advocate, or simply someone committed to the community, please consider joining the Trust today to “Protect the Places You Love.”
Wow, it was a great idea!
If you remember, back in the Fall of 2021, we announced we are running advertisements and messages to fund Greenway projects. We wrote:
Want to advertise your business or service, and at the same time help the Greenway?
With the wild popularity of The Trail Mix (or at least we’d like to think so), we have decided to give businesses and individuals an opportunity to advertise in our newsletter. At the end of The Trail Mix, we’ll post advertisements and personal messages for the whooping sum of $25 per issue. All proceeds will go to the care and maintenance of the Greenway – gloves, tools, trash bags, cleaning supplies, and other basic necessities for the Trail Stewards and volunteers.
Interested in advertising: Contact hjmones@gmail.com with your content, and the payment method and other details will be emailed back to you!
Well, here are some of our advertisements:
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Bagel Express at 15-5 Bennetts Road in Setauket. Owned and operated by David Prestia, Bagel Express generously donates the catering of our Trail Steward breakfasts. Delicious bagels, hot, steaming coffee – sooo good! For the second year in a row, The Trail Mix has voted Bagel Express #1 for breakfast and lunch, and all of your catering needs. Thanks, Dave.
A Big Friend of the Trust is Swan Cove Landscaping (631-689-8089). Swan Cove does a whole line of services – lawn maintenance, pruning, stone walls, firewood. Dave Fortuna, owner/operator, donates many, many of his services to the Trust. The result – our properties always look great! Thank you, Dave!
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn is our Trail booster! Kara can be found running on the Greenway, picking up litter on the Greenway, and ‘talking up’ the Greenway with her constituents. We thank Kara for her support!
And, we would like to recognize a special donor to the Greenway:
Emerald Magic Lawn Care’s horticultural consultant, Craig den Hartog has been providing flower bulbs for the Greenway over many years at “no cost.” We planted a big bulk of these bulbs at the kiosk on Gnarled Hollow Road, Setauket.
Craig generosity is part of his beautification effort known as Old Town Blooms. And, Craig was a driving force behind the recent Great Daffodil Dash benefiting the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville community! Why not support Emerald Magic who supports us!
www.EmeraldMagic.com
631-286-4600
631-804-9205
194-4 Morris Ave
Holtsville, NY 11742
Want to help the Friends of the Greenway. Here are three ways:
A. Become a member of the Three Village Community Trust! Join by clicking here
B. Go to threevillagecommunitytrust.com and donate during our parent organization’s $50,000 Challenge Grant, still in effect, though we have broken the 50K mark!!!
C. This really Helps: Please consider the “Care to Share Program” at Investors Bank on Route 25A in Setauket. If you have an existing or newly established account at Investors Bank, simply by designating the Three Village Community Trust as your favorite not-for-profit, we will receive regular donations by Investors Bank to our organization!
Editor-in-Chief: Herb Mones
