Greenlawn Firefighter 'Jumps For Goose'

Greenlawn Fire Department Lieutenant Eric Proctor completed a 24,000-foot HALO jump on July 7 in honor of Christopher Raguso.

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

The death of Commack resident and Air Force Master Sergeant Christopher Raguso on March 15 during what was to be his final tour of duty battling ISIS near the border of Iraq and Syria sent shockwaves through his community.

In addition to his service in the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing, Raguso, called “Goose” by his friends, was a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department at Engine 302 in Queens and a Lieutenant for the Commack Fire Department at Station 4.

Fire departments from around the Town of Huntington found different ways to honor the 18-year veteran of the volunteer fire service, but one fellow firefighter decided to take honoring Raguso’s sacrifice to new heights.

Greenlawn Fire Department Lieutenant, Eric Proctor, completed the “Jump for Goose” on July 7, a 24,000-foot HALO, or high altitude low opening, skydive event that fundraised for Raguso’s wife, Carmela, and two young daughters.

Eric Proctor, 31, of Greenlawn, wore Master Sergeant Christopher Raguso’s uniform shirt during the “Jump for Goose” fundraiser.

Proctor, who worked as an FDNY EMT with Raguso’s brother-in-law Anthony Dichiara, said he wanted to find a way to help the Raguso family after witnessing the positive impact that Chris had on so many people.

“In the fire service we’re all family, so I wanted to do something to help,” Proctor said.

The avid skydiver decided to combine his passion for jumping out of airplanes with his love of the fire service to create the fundraiser.

Master Sergeant Christopher Raguso, a Commack and FDNY firefighter, was killed in action on March 15 in a helicopter crash near the Iraq-Syria border.

“I wanted to take the HALO jump and make it about something bigger than just a bucket list item to check off,” Proctor said. “Chris gave so much to us that it felt really good to give something back.”

Proctor met with Carmela Raguso to make sure that the family was comfortable with the idea.

“Everything was about her, her family and Chris, and I wanted to make sure that this would be a respectful and honorable event,” Proctor said.

The extreme altitude of the HALO jump meant that Proctor needed to wear specialized oxygen equipment, something he had never done before in his more than 200 previous skydives.

“It was a long way down,” Proctor laughed. “The unlimited visibility was unbelievable… it really puts things into perspective for you.”

In addition to the specialized equipment, Proctor was presented with Raguso’s uniform shirt by Carmela to wear during the jump, along with another veteran’s purple heart.

“Putting on that uniform before the jump was a humbling and chilling experience… buttoning up that shirt was probably the most serious part of the day,” Proctor said.

Christopher Raguso with his wife, Carmela, and two young daughters.

Proctor said he would continue to raise funds to support the “Jump for Goose” event until Nov. 1, and that 100 percent of the money raised will go towards helping with the education of Raguso’s daughters.

“Something terrible happened, but it brings people together,” Proctor said. “The best thing that we can ask for is to be there for Chris’ family in the years to come and remember and honor an American hero.”

Anyone who would like to donate to “Jump for Goose” can visit Gofundme.com/jumpforgoose for more information.

Commercial Space Planned Where Washington Dined

The proposed 10,064-square-foot commercial building seen from Main Street at Park Avenue. Rendering/Wharton Pryce Realty

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

Neighbors and historic preservationists opposed a developers plan to construct a 10,064-square-foot commercial building on the corner of Main Street and Park Avenue in Huntington at a public hearing Tuesday night.

Developer, Dominick Mavellia, is requesting that the Huntington Town Board rezone the 1.06-acre property at 400 Park Avenue from a R-15 residential to C-1 commercial zone to allow for a commercial building “with space intended to be used for medical office,” according to town documents.

Earlier this year, Mavellia re-submitted a zone change application that closely mirrors his original 2014 plans for the site, with the only difference being plans for a wider westbound left-turn lane to reduce traffic on Main Street.

Mavellia’s previous plans for the property, which is located within the Old Huntington Green historic district, stalled before a prior town board administration in November 2016. Twice the board did not vote on the zone change application before deadlines hit.

Paul Warburgh, a member of Old Huntington Green, who had previously opposed Mavillia’s plan because of the size and architecture of the proposed building, said at Tuesday’s town board meeting that the group opposed the current zone change application.

Lucie Blohm, president of the Huntington Historical Society, urged the town board to deny the zone change for commercial use in the historic district, which still contains many of the most historic homes in the Town of Huntington.

Oyster Bay-based historic preservation consultant, John Collins, said the proposed commercial building was “way out of proportion” with the buildings in the surrounding historic district.

Neighboring property owner, Loretta Guglielmino, argued that Mavellia’s plans for the property represented a “seismic change” for the neighborhood.

“We don’t have to feel sorry that he has waited years and spent money on this endeavor because we have also spent money, paid our taxes and spent time on our home,” Guglielmino said. “It’s not the job of the citizens of the Town of Huntington to create wealth for a developer who took a chance.”

Huntington-based attorney, John Breslin, who is representing Mavellia, argued that the discussion of the proposed building and its design are “premature.”

“We’re here for a rezoning application,” Breslin said. “The nature of the building will have to go through site plan approval, then come back to you for architectural review under the historic district.”

Breslin also said that the property, which previously housed a gas station and a deli, has always had commercial uses.

“The proposed use is the perfect transition use with respect to land use… The residential use is clearly inappropriate,” Breslin said.

If the town board decides to vote on the zone change application, four of the five members will have to vote in favor of the application in order to achieve the necessary supermajority required, after neighboring property owners sent an official protest regarding the zone change on April 12.

Volunteers Give Vets A Day On The Water

Sean Duclay, left, holds nametags representing 219 veterans who lost their lives as a result of suicide and PTSD, with veterans and volunteers at the “Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing” event.  Photos courtesy of Stacy Aslan and Phil Sweeney

By Connor Beach
beach@longislandergroup.com

A fleet of 43 sailboats set sail from the Centerport Yacht Club on July 29 for the fourth annual “Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing” event.

The event, sponsored by Huntington Station-based charity SailAhead, brought together around 140 veterans, their families and guests with 100 volunteer skippers and crews for a therapeutic day of sailing in the waters off Huntington.

Brothers Kilian, 21, and Sean, 19, Duclay, founded SailAhead in the winter of 2013 as a way to combine their passion for sailing and desire to help struggling veterans.

From its humble beginnings when the Duclay’s would take one or two veterans sailing, SailAhead will this year host six events and give hundreds of veterans the opportunity to sail.

In 2015, the brothers, both graduates of Walt Whitman High School, decided they wanted to host a big event that would help us spread awareness of veteran suicide and PTSD.

Sean Duclay said a friend, Bob Slingo, helped them pitch the idea to the members of the Centerport Yacht Club.

The sailors are all smiles at the fourth annual “Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing” event in Centerport.

“It’s funny because we were kids essentially asking the Centerport Yacht Club’s commodore if we could use his yacht club members, his yacht club’s money and his yacht club facility to host an event with veterans we didn’t know, and they said yes,” Duclay said.

Over the last four years hundreds of veterans have taken part in “Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing,” an event Duclay said would not have been possible without the help of American Legion Greenlawn Post 1244.

“The commander there helped supply us with the bulk of the veterans that we took sailing with us this year,” Duclay said.

Duclay said that each year the feedback for the event has been unanimously positive from both the veterans and the volunteers.

Duclay credits sailing’s “inherent mystery and magic” for the therapeutic feeling that many people experience while out on the water.

A fleet of 43 sailboats sail the waters off Huntington to provide therapeutic relief to veterans and their families.

“Anything to do with nature, the elements and the rawness of the wild has an inherent feeling of relaxation to it,” he said. “When I go from the dock to the sailboat, the way I describe it is like an there’s an invisible net that divides me from all my stressors.

They stay on land and it really just lets me live in the moment when I’m at sea.”

As part of SailAhead’s mission, the Duclay brother’s carry with them the nametags of 219 veterans who lost their lives as a result of suicide and PTSD. When SailAhead began in 2013, it was estimated that approximately 220 veterans committed suicide every 10 days.

“We say that the 219 symbol represents the one veteran that we as a community are trying to save,” Duclay said.

This year SailAhead flew several families of veterans from across the county to Centerport so they could speak on behalf of their loved ones who lost their lives from suicide.

Duclay said the emotional event garners so much support from the community and local military groups that work together to make it a success.

“It’s not meant to be depressing, it’s meant to be an emotional slap to the face that we need to wake up and help our veterans and active duty soldiers get help,” he said.