This morning LIMBA had one of our off-premises meetings
Occasionally we will find a gem that we that want to display. Patchogue Village is one of those gems. Due to actions taken by a series of good mayors cost effective capacities were baked into the pie. As each public servant steps up to the leadership challenge he makes a decisions that are often made possible by his predecessors. It takes vision and the ability to withstand the critics that argue against infrastructure costs that will not be immediately seen. However not making those hard choices makes the job of the new leader more difficult when they do become imperative   The current mayor is Paul Pontieri. He is presiding over changes in the village landscape that are creating a great living space, as well as commercial and residential facilities. According to Pontieri his initiatives would be more difficult to achieve if it weren’t for the stewardship exercised in the past.

The village of Patchogue is in the midst of a dramatic change that is providing a vibrant and much needed refurbishment. The village has in the past few years rescued the Patchogue Theater from the wrecking ball, or as village attorney, Victor Yannacone, put it. “It was saved from becoming a parking lot” Mr. Yannacone was very instrumental in the restoration of that beautiful theater

As many of Long Island’s people left the city they forgot the convenience of living in a walkable village. Today the isolation and expense of living in single family homes does not meet the needs of many of our young and single residents. In many cases it does not meet the needs of older residents either. While single-family homes will not, and should not, become a thing of the past; we should have the denser alternative that makes living more sociable

Robert Loscalzo COO, of Tritec Development made the presentation on the structures that will be in place when the work is completed. With the computer graphics we were able to have a virtual tour of the village giving the audience the experience of “seeing” the completed work. In the past thousands of dollars would be spent on models of the project, and when changes were required, the models had to be modified as well.

The event was conducted in the lobby of the Patchogue Theater. After the presentation the group was invited to a tour of the restored and modernized showplace. Looking at the interior of the theater today you will see exactly what you would have seen when it was in its heyday. The gold leaf painted fancy plasterwork has been meticulously restored. Acoustical wall fabric was reinstalled and high quality seating has been reupholstered and installed. But the electrical systems are modern and can support theater requirements that are otherwise found only in Broadway level establishments. The sound and lighting is state of the art. Victor Yannacone conducted the tour and made it clear that the theater was available.

The theater is managed by a not for profit group that has made the Patchogue theater solvent by virtue of good management and the ability to attract enough productions. It was a great morning.