News

This week in North Fork history: North Fork Bank opens Mattituck headquarters

Page 4 of the Jan. 22, 1987 issue of The Suffolk Times.

The following were excerpted from Suffolk Times issues published between five and 30 years ago this week:

25 years ago …

Now it’s official

The new $4 million North Fork Bancorp headquarters in Mattituck was dedicated Jan. 20, 1987, we reported in that week’s issue of The Suffolk Times.

The 43,000 square-foot facility was formerly an abandoned Bohack supermarket, we reported.

Postscript: Twenty-five years later and the bank company has left the building. We tried following up recently on future plans for the facility, but didn’t get very much information. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the situation. Perhaps Bohack is poised for a comeback.

Accident kills sanitation worker

A 30-year-old Greenport man was killed Jan. 17, 1987 after a large trash container jumped loose from a hydraulic lift and pinned him against a truck, we reported in that week’s issue of The Suffolk Times.

Todd Corazzini of Albertsons Lane, was an employee at North Fork Sanitation Service, and he was using the lift to dump trash from the container into a truck.

“He jumped off the truck, but the container hit the ground, spun around and caught him against the truck,” business owner Roy Schelin told The Suffolk Times.

30 years ago …

It’s a busy time for area oil dealers

Want to take a guess how much home heating oil cost on this date in 1982? According to a report in the Jan. 21, 1982 issue of The Suffolk Times local companies were charging about $1.24 per gallon, up from $1.15 the year before.

20 years ago …

Joy, heartbreak at House Lottery IV

A total of 54 people entered into a lottery to win the chance at purchasing an affordable home in the Southold Villas subdivision on Jan. 21, 1992, but only 17 lucky souls could win the right, according to a story in that week’s issue of The Suffolk Times.

Of the 17 winners only four were present at Southold Town Hall that night, but they were ecstatic at their opportunity to realize a dream.

“We entered hoping that with a little luck we’d have a place to live right away,” said self-employed carpenter Mike Anasagasti, who was chosen No. 15, the third-to-last spot guaranteed a chance to buy.

Not everyone was so lucky. Engaged couple Kern Swoboda and Judith Huelle entered separately, but their names were pulled 31st and 45th.

“We’re planning a marriage based on this,” he said. “If we don’t get picked, who knows when we can afford it.

Board snubs the view

An Orient woman seeking a scenic conservation easement that would have given her a 50 percent reduction in property taxes, was denied by the Southold Town Board on Jan. 21, 1992.

Town attorney Harvey Arnoff said it would have set a “bad precedent.”

“What is the benefit of the town giving a 50 percent reduction in property taxes,” he said.

Cuomo budget means good news and bad news

The good news: Governor Mario Cuomo’s proposed 1992-93 state budget released Jan. 20, 1992 provided $1 million in landfill-closure assistance to municipalities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, we reported.

The bad news: The proposal called for aid cuts of $73 million for Long Island schools. Most North Fork districts lost 20 percent in state aid, we reported.

Postscript: Twenty years later, his governor son took a different approach, securing an increase in aid to three local districts.

15 years ago …

Megan’s Law list makes debut

Seven men convicted of sex crimes are living on the North Fork, according to the recently released New York State Registry of sex offenders, we wrote in the Jan. 23, 1997 issue of The Suffolk Times.

There were five level 2 and 3 sex offenders in Riverhead and two in Southold, police officials confirmed to us then.

“Megan’s Law is a good thing in my book and a long time coming,” said Riverhead Det. Sgt. David Cheshire.

Postscript: A search of the Parents for Megan’s Law website now shows more than 100 level 2 and 3 sex offenders living in North Fork zip codes, though the vast majority reside at the county jail in Riverside. There are just three living in Southold Town zip codes.

10 years ago …

New leader for Southold Democrats

A wave of optimism prompted by the 2001 election success brings a changing of the guard for the Southold Democratic Party, we reported in the Jan. 24, 2002 issue of The Suffolk Times. Chairman Joe Gold has announced he’s stepping down after 4 1/2 years and former chairman Larry Tuthill is slated to succeed him, we wrote.

Mr. Tuthill is taking over at a time when the local Democrats are really on a roll, having won five elected positions, including the supervisorship, in the last election.

“Having a two-party government in Southold is  extremely important,” he said. “The town really benefits from a vigorous system.”

Postscript: Ten years later, just one Democrat is on the Town Board.

5 years ago …

A tail-waggin’ ending

One week almost until the minute after he disappeared, a  5-month-old puggle lost in Southold was returned to his owners, according to the Jan. 25, 2007 issue of The Suffolk Times.

The pup ran out the front door of the Minnion house on Main Road in Southold about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 9 and the family received a phone call alerting them of his safety at the same time Jan. 16. A man who worked at a nearby pizzeria had found the dog and taken him home, only to later find fliers indicating the dog’s owners were searching for him.

“I had really lost hope,” said Chelsea Minnion. “It was a miracle, he’s back. He came running to me and I was, like, in awe.”

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