Full Transcript

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, before we go any further, I just want to announce that we have a hard stop of this meeting at 5.30 today. Should it go that long, we will adjourn and have to meet at another date, but we do have to be out of here by 5.30 today. Okay. Thank you. Dr. Manuel, how are you? I'm well. Thank you so much. Good afternoon. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Jazz Loft, I'd like to thank the members of the Riverhead Town Board, community members, and others who are in attendance today for the opportunity to be a part of this community hearing. It's been just about two and a half years now that we've been collaborating and working on the acquisition, renewal, and revitalization of the Vail-Levitt Theater. It's been a long road with some great successes as well as a few complications and challenges. But I'm here before you today with what I believe is a solid and successful plan that will mean great things for our community at large and place the Vail-Levitt Theater once again as one of the crown jeweled Riverhead. So thank you for this opportunity. I did want to share that some might question or critique the length of time this collaborative partnership has taken, but let me be clear, the time that has passed does represent much careful concern, research, homework, due diligence, and a lot of other things. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. consultation Local ! all the individuals who sacrificed and contributed to this vision to the riverhead town board most of whom who are present today in this room i do offer first and foremost my sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks so thank you our goal today is to both clearly communicate our plan to revitalize the vale levitt theater and also to show that the jazz loft is both qualified and eligible to do so as we have many individuals present to speak to numerous points of interest regarding this topic i'm going to keep my comments brief but what i would like to share though before we get started is a quick reminder as to why we are here we are here today because just a brief walk from where we are now stands the vale levitt theater built in 1881 it's the oldest theater on long island as well as the oldest performance venue in downstate new york it's listed on the national historical and cultural heritage board of the state of new york and the national historical cemetery cemetery cemetery cemetery cemetery cemetery cemetery cemetery cemetery 144 years. Despite changes on its main floor, the important theater upstairs has proven to be a survivor. Belle Levitt has survived hurricanes, floods, and fire. It survived being used as a Chinese food restaurant, a roller rink, a cold storage facility, and decades of minimal and idle use. It has survived many owners, countless town boards, and I have a feeling it will outlive all of us too. So the reason why we are here today is because we collectively and collaboratively, we have the opportunity to be the next stewards of this very special important theater. We have the chance to embrace its history and to ensure that its future is more active, more vibrant, more inspiring, and more meaningful in our community than it's ever been before. It was important to me that I shared that. Of that, I am most confident, and with that, I'd like to transition into our presentation. I know there is a lot of talking points that were shared with me, which we will address. I have provided all of you a folder that have supporting documents that I will mention. We have a few videos as well and a slideshow that we will show. But first, to address the topic of legal capacity, we are the Jazz Loft Inc. We are a 501c3, not for private. We are a 501c3, not for private. We are a 501c3, not for nonprofit organization. The principal owners of that entity is the board of directors of the Jazz Loft. There is a copy of our board of directors within your folder. It lists all of the individuals on our board, as well as a brief bio so you can see their roles and what they do. We are registered and authorized to conduct business in New York State. To address and speak to the topic of past performance and integrity, just to be clear and state on the record, none of us of the principals connected with the Jazz Loft have ever been cited for violations of local codes, that being building, fire, or zoning codes. We have never been subject to any litigation. There are no pending tax liens or foreclosure actions or bankruptcies or anything associated with us as an organization. To speak to our site control and our legal ability to acquire and develop this property, as the board is aware, but just to state for the public that is here, we do currently have a contractual interest and option, a purchase agreement for the property that we've been negotiating with the Riverhead Town Board. There are no encumbrances or legal issues associated with the property to our knowledge or that has been shared with us that would affect our ability to redevelop it. Moving on and speaking to the financial resources, we would like to address the sources of funding for the proposed project. And there are copies of financials in your folders. There is a copy of our most recent 990. There is a statement from our accountant. There is also a two-page document that is a bit of a Cliff Notes, if you would, that was provided by our treasurer at the Jazz Loft. And I'd like to introduce to the microphone and the podium one of our board members, Mr. Chris Parry. CHRIS PARRY, RANCHO RANCHO RANCHO RANCHO RANCHO RANCHO RANCHO RANCHO RANCHO Thanks, Tom. It's nice to see you all again. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Nice to see you. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: It's a shaped room, but it's nice to see you here. In the last meeting with some community members, we had a chance to talk about the Vale Levitt in the glowing terms you just heard from Tom. And now having some time pass, we also have that in the context of the Jazz Loft. Summer has gone by, shows have gone by that have been very, very successful. And I will be completely honest and say every single one of those we all said, how would we bring the Vale Levitt into those venues, into those series? How do we take the energy and this positivity and the inspiration that we've been getting over the two years to the Vale Levitt? So on the financial side, can we support it? And some of the questions you've asked hit right at that series of questions. And one of them really was born out of that very casual 98 degrees and 100% of the audience. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. Tom Sarkarowicz, Jr.: Yeah. means to acquire a building, what it means to be in a community, what it means financially to have an organization thrive. It is not a one-off. We never saw this as anything other than something that has a very long life on top of the years that it has. So to answer your direct question, the funding sources for the transaction predominantly from the Jasloff side come out of operating capital. The operating cash flows of the organization can very much support the acquisition, the $150,000 purchase price, as well as the renovations and the beginnings of that. And I represent the finance committee here to talk some more about that. So from a Jasloff point of view, we have the 10-year success story of year-over-year growth, both financially from a revenue point of view and from a profit point of view. The last five years, we've continued to grow. We've grown on that. And in fact, ticket revenues have exceeded $3 million in the last five years. So we're continuing to grow the interest and the community support. And we hope to bring that also, of course, to Riverhead. So this is a big part of the financial side of how do you invest in something, not just acquire it. We see it not as an acquisition. We see it as a relationship with the community and building that through this fabulous music that we're able to do. And we're able to bring to the people here. So the sources of funding, that is the Jasloff side. Reminded to that, we've been able, through that very casual, steaming hot day, have other members in the community step up and support as well, and the town of Riverhead additionally. So to get to that, Emily Corey, who's from the community, Brian Stark, brings very generous support and his relationship with the Rotary. So the Rotary is stepping in as well, which we're thrilled about, because that immediately gets us into the community. Dee Munya, I'm sure you know her, in her restaurant. She too, I spoke to her yesterday afternoon, she may even be here at some point in time and said she might step in. So she too has stepped up. Alan Fishbein, who is here, is in the room and has been the first to raise his hand to say I will support a concert series. Now, what we haven't shared with Alan is that. That concert series is five days a week for six months. I hope that's okay. You're good with that. Okay. And it's just violin. So we're thrilled about that. He has a great sense of humor. He loves jazz and he goes to jazz all over Long Island. So as a Long Islander too, for 25 years and a jazz guy, we're thrilled to have Alan as part of the community that we're looking to build. And of course, the Riverhead town board and the support that you've been giving us throughout this relationship. So far and the financial support we appreciate. In terms of documentation and in terms of that support I just named as well as others, we anticipate those deposits going into the bank over the next month. And we also are securing letters from those that are still and there's two in particular in the process of deciding what the dollar amount will be. They're not questioning their participation. And so the documentation is very much. The support behind that as well. In terms of the working capital. Currently the jazz loft today has $256,000 in cash and $850,000 in equity. So the ability to fund an acquisition as well in our regard and certainly something capable we're capable of doing and getting it going off the ground. And so we can start these renovations and be able to start the work and get the money in the right direction. And we're going to have to keep the support. We need to be able to do that. That really is the end of my questions I wanted to address, but give you some context too, because the financial side is of course underpinning the opportunity, the ability to turn it into a success story is also dependent on Riverhead. Thank you. Thank you, Chris. I would like to just say what a privilege it's been over these last months and years. To connect with so many people in the community and really develop some great relationships. It was an honor to be a guest speaker at the Rotary Club meeting just this past month and to meet so many business owners and individuals who I did not know. I would like to invite up Brian Stark to speak briefly in line with what we were just speaking on. So Brian, if you'd come up, that would be great. Thank you. Brian Stark. Do I have to say where I'm from? I'm from the United States. I'm from the United States. I'm from the United States. I'm from the United States. I'm from the United States. James Ford. I met Tom and the group from the Jazz Loft earlier in the year and I didn't know a lot about them. I know a lot of my friends have been up to Stony Brook and I know they have good programming. I know that they are a viable organization and as my Uncle Jimmy said when we were at some obscure family function one time he goes, if you put a product downtown that people want, they'll find it. And I think these guys and Uncle Jimmy's wisdom has one of those products that can complement what the town is doing down there and it's going to be a destination so if they have the financial ability which they clearly do the product is something that i believe people will come to riverhead for because it's a it's a great organization they'll work with the schools i was on the school board we're always looking for real world applications to have kids be able to participate in um i i wholeheartedly support the jazz lofts endeavor downtown thank you thank you brian i'd also like to ask alan fishbein if you'd come up and just speak briefly so much of our success at the jazz loft is due in part to donors and concert series and volunteers and any not-for-profit organization would tell you that's absolutely essential to your success and your viability and and i think alan speaks to the newest relationship and collaboration we've made since we've ventured out here to the east end into riverhead and so alan if you'd come up and just speak briefly that would be wonderful thank you

hi my name is alan fishbein i'm a resident of riverhead uh for 30 years which means i'm a newcomer i miss jazz when i'm out here i've imported musicians and paid wineries to support them because i wanted to hear the music when i heard that uh tom was bringing the jazz loft here i'd never been to the jazz loft i don't drive at night very far and it's just a little bit too far for me but i read every one of his emails since since last october and they plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea plea They put out two or three. They have a great marketing program. I know many of the musicians that have performed there. In fact, Stoney Brook has just hired a musician that I sponsored during the pandemic. She and her husband, Roxy Cross and Lucas Pino. And I did check out the jazz loft through some of my friends in the city. And when I found out they had a Southampton series, I went to just about every one. And I'll be going to the Christmas show, and I think they're going to have a Thanksgiving show. And they've done a great job down in Southampton campus. And the stuff is well attended. And, in fact, I've seen people from the North Fork there. So, you know, while I occasionally will schlep to Sag Harbor, and I tried to get the Hamptons Jazz Festival to get interested here, you know, their marketing program is really concentrated on Sag Harbor to Southampton and Amagansk. They even have a big concert. They're not going to come here. I don't know if you know about it or if anybody attended it, but I'll be, this will be my last comment. Donald Harrison was like a big chief in New Orleans. But I know him as a tenor saxophonist in a legacy group called The Cookers. They played all over the city, and I see them as often as I can. And Donald got together with some guy in Greenport and brought a jazz festival up to Kutchog this year. So, I don't even know what's going on. They even have a big concert. And I went two out of the three nights because the other night I had something going on, and it was quite well attended, and that's mostly North Fork people. So I think that something has been missing here, and I'd really be happy to support it once it's up and going, which is what I told them I'd do. Thanks for your time. Thank you.

Thank you, Alan. To speak to our experience and capability to take on a project like this, when we took over the Jazz Loft, there's a lot of similarities with the Jazz Loft and the Vale Levitt. People ask, how old is this building? And I always ask them how much time they have, because the main part of the Jazz Loft dates to 1920 and was the first Stony Brook firehouse. But the second part that's attached to it is actually one of the oldest structures in Stony Brook that was a quarter mile up around the road. And it dates to 1770. They were put together and completely reimagined when Stony Brook Village was built in 1941. And so really we had three years happening. We had a structure that was as old as 1770. We had a building that was old as 1920. And we had a building that last had been touched in 1941. The beauty of the building was that a lot of the original character from 1941 was in place. The bad part of the detail was that it was a building that was built in the early 1970s. And it was built in the early 1970s. And it was built in the early 1970s. And it was built in the early 1970s. And the big deal was that a lot of the things that were in place were from 1941, which you don't want to be in place, like electric and plumbing. And so to speak to our ability to take on a project like this, we oversaw a half million dollar renovation project. We got our building permits on May 21, 2015. We had our grand opening one year later, May 21, 2016. As the general manager with Groupon, great help from a wonderful team. We oversaw everything from the roof to cesspool to electric to HVAC to restoration to you name it. And I would like to show you on the screen here exactly what we did. So you could, they say a picture speaks a thousand words. So this is the exterior before. And there's our opening day after. There's the exterior as well. And I wish I owned one of those cars. This is our performance room when we walked through the space. And if you go to the jazz loft today, that is the room that you will sit in. That's one of our display rooms downstairs. We call it the Hinton room because it houses the collection of the most recorded jazz bassist in the history of jazz, Milt Hinton. And there's what that room looks like now if you walk through it. Really inspiring, all original. Our gallery room before. And again after, currently housing the first ever museum collection celebrating Bobby Darin, which is really exciting. And John Coltrane, a Long Island native. We call this the Parker room. The jazz loft has the world's largest and only collection of Charlie Parker memorabilia, one of the most important figures in jazz. Before, that's the 1770 part of the building, original flooring. And that's what the room looks like now if you were to go in. And another view from the other side. That was our library. It wasn't much of a library. It was actually more of a workroom. And now it serves as our actual library green room and where interns work on many projects. That's the main lobby. That was the first view you saw when you walked through the doors. And now it looks quite different and is a bit more inspiring. It also now houses the

collection of Miss Ella Fitzgerald, which is really inspiring to our patrons and visitors. Last but not least, we're calling it the Tony Bennett room because that's the collection that's in it now and after.

So we do have the ability to take on projects like this. We worked with five trade unions. We worked with government municipalities. We worked with the fundraising and everything that went along with it. And to be very clear, we also navigated all the hurdles and challenges that go along with navigating a renovation. If any of you have ever redone your bathroom or your kitchen, you could relate and sympathize. But we do feel that we are quite qualified and able to take that on. To move on and speak to the proposed use and what we would like to do, I would like to share a video that gives you a bit of an idea of what we would do. If I could be just very direct, I would say that we have found in our ten years at the Jazz Loft great success in collaborating with our community and communities beyond just Stony Brook and not only presenting jazz, but other genres, or I should say, styles of music that align with our mission. So it's not always just one very specific type of music. You might come and hear a Frank Sinatra show. You might come and hear a jazz version of The Nutcracker at the holidays. You also might come and see a dance ensemble. You might experience lectures. You might come and see曲�류까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지까지 You might see a dance ensemble. You might experience lectures. You might come and hear something that's quite modern. You also might hear something that's quite traditional. Country music, the blues, these are all styles of music that align with jazz. And I feel it's important to share that so you understand at the heart of jazz is collaboration and acceptance. And one of the most beautiful opportunities we have is to be able to collaborate with other organizations and groups. So this is just a short example of what the Jazz Loft is about.

We are here on our weekly Wednesday night jam session. This room is about to be filled with folks of all ages from all over Long Island that will be here to perform and play music.

Every week is different, which keeps it really exciting and fun. You never even know if someone famous might stop in and sit in and join the ranks. As musicians might have gotten a little bit older or wanted to have a family or just maybe wanted to live in a place outside of the city, a lot of them emigrated out to Long Island. So there's a really rich history of jazz musicians living in Long Island. People who like listening to good music are going to enjoy listening to jazz. We've been coming here for about at least ten years. It's a museum. It's not just a, you know, a venue to hear jazz. So I like that about it. You'll see parents here with their kids that are six, seven, eight, ten, twelve years old. You'll see high school kids. You'll see college kids. You'll see individuals in their twenties and thirties. It is incredibly democratic what we do on the bandstand. So it's really exciting. So those deeper lessons are what I'm really passionate about championing. If you haven't been out, if you haven't experienced jazz live, go on out and check it out. I would like to introduce to the microphone one of our board members who is in charge of our educational outreach, Dr. Laura Landor. And I think it would be wonderful for her to come up and just speak about. How this proposed use serves the public interest specifically in regard to our public schools and students out here. So Dr. Landor, if you'd come on. Laura Landor Thank you, everyone. It's a pleasure to be here today. We have been able to offer so many opportunities to public school students, private school students, college students, adult students in jazz, as well as for educators. This is my 29th year. And I'm very proud of that. I'm very proud of that. We're also proud of being able to reach and reach public public schools and public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public public loft that I am very confident knowing public schools in Suffolk County that we could definitely bring out here to to Riverhead. We offer PD programs for music educators through NISCAME Suffolk which is the Council for Arts Administrators. We do that on the election day which is coming up. We have 100 teachers that will come and spend a whole day doing workshops. We do after-school workshops for educators that they can get CTLE credit so that they can move forward in their certification especially younger teachers who need that to stay certified with the state. We've offered performance opportunities for school groups at least 20 different groups from across Long Island both Nassau and Suffolk including the East End visit the loft. They do master classes. They perform and the joy that their parents have when they come out and don't have to sit in the school auditorium to hear their little jazz band play and they get to actually hear this in a venue that was created for these ensembles and looking at the kids faces light up. One time there was a young man was sitting in the saxophone section on the bandstand with the the music in front of him and he looked out and I heard him say to his friend this is like a real club we're gonna play here. It made me so happy that they got to take their ensemble and play in front of the kids. I'm so happy that they got to take their ensemble and play in front of the kids. I'm so happy that they got to take their ensemble out of their school auditorium and put it in a venue that's designed for that music. We have been able to provide master classes with famous musicians who are wonderful educators. We've provided tours. We would love being out here to collaborate with East End Arts which we've done before as the loft but now being so much closer now we have a we could have just a very short bridge to get from one place to another. I've done so much for the music industry and I'm so happy that we're able to do that. I've done so much work with Skamea our Suffolk County Music Educators. We would love to tap into Hamea the Hamptons Music Educators Association to see what we can do to bring more out here. We provide tickets and opportunities for students and educators to hear performances to come join in some of those performances and certainly as you just saw with our jam session we have students in middle school who come sit in the halls of the Hampton Music Educators Association and they're really excited to be here. They're really excited to be here and they're really excited to be here. We have a lot of great musicians who come sit in and learn how to jam, learn from some of these other musicians and get over the fear of playing without some music, learning to improvise. That's how so many of these students have learned how to how to elevate their musicianship and we offer that on Wednesday nights for a very very low fee and their parents come and it's just there's nothing like watching a jam session with a 12 year old, a 20 year old, a 50 year old and an 80 year old all playing some sort of jam. We have a lot of great musicians who come sit in and learn how to play some sort of jam. It's exactly what jazz is meant to be and we've also been able to offer community service and some employment for many of these students. We've had young people sort of I say grow up in the loft coming to the jam, their school was there and they need to get community service hours for honor society or whatever organization they're working with and they say you know how can we volunteer? Of course. So we currently have 10 regular high school volunteers and we're working with a lot of them by regular weekly to bi-weekly coming to do all sorts of different tasks and they get to learn sort of the back end of this organization. They meet some of our musicians, we'll ask them to help out in the green room. They might help with inventory, with stocking, with setting up displays, with selling tickets, with greeting guests, none of which requires a screen, a phone or a computer. They're actually talking to people and and making wonderful music and enjoying that. And a few of them have gone on to become our employees and you know students that when they get into college we entrust with you know setting things up, greeting the band and they've become a valued member of our community. So we are we're thrilled to be able to offer this to our students that are closer to the east end and make it a little bit more accessible for them just like we have for the students in the Stony Brook area. So thank you. Thank you Dr. Landor. In your packet is a document that we had shared in one of our earlier meetings but I do want to draw your attention to it again where it lists a lot of quotes from many of our supporters who are running organizations throughout New York State, Discover Long Island, the list I will not try and remember off the top of my head, but there's also some important data in there that speaks to the funds and the money that having an organization, a performing arts organization in your packet, can bring to the table. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I would like to invite up one of our board members, Michael Artolino, and he would like to just speak briefly on how arts organizations strengthen communities and specifically actually increase home values. So Michael, if you'd come up for a moment, that would be wonderful. So I've been on the board from the very beginning before it even opened. And I've had the privilege to do community things where I would talk about all these things that we're doing now and I would share it all over the communities. And I mean everywhere. Patchogue, Three Village, West, East, out to the North Fork, out the entire South Fork. I happen to own a real estate company, but that's not the point. The point for me is the community is the most important part of what we do. And we get every walk of life. I think that's what I'm trying to do. I think that's what I'm trying to do. We get every walk of life that walks in the door and I sit back and think of all the things that they've wanted to do that we're now doing every single day and if we get to do that here, I think we can even increase it faster for the rest of the island. So I just wanted to share that. Thank you. Michael Feigen曲 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. present and say that that was very much so on purpose, not just to have a collaboration continue, which we already have established with Stony Brook University. I'm on faculty there and very honored to be a part of the music department, but it was also a way for us to see how successful would the jazz loft be if we were out here in this area. We have a jazz dispatch program that has brought what we do inside the walls of the jazz loft throughout Long Island, but we haven't ever ventured so far east, so it was really wonderful to see that success. I would like to introduce someone to speak to that, but first I'd like to share this video, which really gives you a taste of what we're doing out there. Every night we play is a miracle. You never know what's going to happen. One thing you know is that you're going to be there a hundred percent every night. It's really a spontaneous, it's alive, and it is a feeling of like, what's going to happen next? Like, who's going to play next? What's going to happen with the solo? Where is the arrangement going to go? So I'm sure for the audience it must be like, what's happening? So for me, it's very, very exciting to be a part of that. I love the improvisation of it. I love that every concert, every event is unique. It's a wonderful experience that is shared with an audience. I always think of the audience as that last member of the band. And every place has a vibe. The Avram Theater here has incredible acoustics. It's an intimate space. It's just a great vibe. For me, jazz does something to you in that it relaxes your mind. And you just sit there and it just kind of washes over you. Watching a live jazz performance is like, oh, I'm going to go see a jazz performance. It's like having a cold drink of water when you didn't know you were thirsty. And that's what it feels like for me. And so I'm so excited to bring that experience to other people. Today we're in the Avram Theater at Stony Brook, South Hampton. This concert is called The Art of New, featuring Grammy Award winning drummer and composer Dan Pugach and the Dan Pugach big band. First time we've had a big band in the Avram Theater. Super excited about that. And the lovely vocalist, Alison Rumley. This is a big band. It's a big band. It's a big band. It's a big band. It's a big band. This is our second concert of a five concert series, a collaboration with the Jazz Loft and Stony Brook Southampton. They all have really wonderful themes, exploring new music, Latin jazz, different cultures and genres that have influenced our American-born art form we call jazz. And we're really excited to be out here in Southampton and to be presenting these world class performers to a new audience and just expanding our reach as far as what we do on campus at Stony Brook University and also at the Jazz Loft. It's kind of a dream to be able to do that, to bring talent like this to underserved communities, to folks who may not have an opportunity to go to the city and to experience this. I love playing on Long Island. There's a sense of craving for music. People who are out here don't get to always go to the city. It feels special every time we play out here or anywhere on Long Island. It feels special to us and the audience. These opportunities are very, very special. Some people don't always have access to jazz at Lincoln. They can't go to the hot jazz clubs in the country. So it's great to be able to bring this kind of music, the diversity of the music, making it jazzy, making it cool and doing it in our own way. So this next show we have coming up is really exciting. It's called Project 464. There are six members of the band. Collectively their ages equal 464 years. And they are all legends in jazz who played and recorded with people like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday and Benny Goodman. Uh. They are literally the forefathers whose shoulders we are standing on. So we're really excited for that show coming up on June 19th. And then we have a wonderful performance with Carlos Jimenez and his Mambo Dolcette. And that's going to bring the Latin side of jazz out to Southampton. And then we close the series in August with the Jazz Loft Big Band. A 17-piece big band that will be presenting a rather diverse and eclectic program of music. So we've got a little bit of everything out here. And you should. You're mine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Woo, woo, woo. Thank you so much. So I'm very happy to say that what was supposed to be a five concert series was so successful that is now continuing indefinitely. And we are. We are in the beginning of our fall season. I'd like to invite up the VP for Strategic Initiatives and the Executive Director of Southampton, Miss Wendy Pearson, to speak briefly. Oh, that's quite the intro. I don't sing like that. But it is a pleasure to be here to talk about the impact that working with the Jazz Loft has had for us at Stony Brook Southampton. You know, that's our East End Regional Campus for the university. Obviously, it's struggled over many years. We have some pretty ambitious plans to revitalize that campus. But engaging the community was something that I knew had to be kind of the top priority for us. Re-establishing that relationship, building credibility, building a need for what we were hoping to do there. And so we've been treating the Avram Theatre as kind of our front door. And I think that's what we've been doing. I think that's what we've been doing. And working with the Jazz Loft has really kicked that off in a big way. I will say, it's always fun to watch that video because that was only the second concert in the series. And it has really grown from that. The beautiful thing about the atmosphere that's created in the Jazz Loft, especially through a series, is that people come back again and again. And it's funny because I see you sitting there and I see him at every concert and it's like a family environment. And I would... what that can do for the Vale Levitt Theater in this community where you're building housing and you're creating new communities here, it can really be that gathering place that brings it all together. So I'm happy just to talk a little bit about the impact that working with them has had on our campus. They've been an extraordinary partner for sure, really bringing high quality talent to the East End through the summer, which we thought, you know, this was our first time really launching an event season in the Avram Theater for Southampton in the summer. We didn't know if we would be able to attract or even compete with what was happening in the Hamptons from, you know, May through August. But because of our price point at, you know, for us it's $36 for a high quality jazz concert. It was that accessibility that drew people. And then it was the experience that they've created where it's not just music. He sprinkles in the music. It's the music. It's the music. And then these moments of education throughout each of the performances that really add to the moment. At our last concert, it was the art of the guitar. He brought in John Monteleone, the luthier, I learned that word like last month, guitar maker, who talked about his work. He brought some of his guitars. It was standing room only. And for us as educators, that's what you want to see, right? It's not just a performance. It's also education. It showed me that there is a thirst for that aspect as well. It's not just coming to a concert. It's learning. It's connecting. It's community. And I believe that that's what you're trying to build here in Riverhead. So I would really urge you to work with him. He's a dream to work with. He's one of the few people that being a type A person, when he says he's going to do something, he actually does it. And I can rest assured when Tom says he's got it, he's got it. And so I'm happy to answer any questions. But I think that this is really the right move for Riverhead. Thank you. Thank you. I have just one more person I'd like to invite up just to speak to the proposed use and what we could do with this opportunity. And that's Miss Judy Griman, who is one of our trustees on our board. And she is formerly from Stony Brook University and served as a board member. And she's a member of the board. And she's a member of the board. And she's a member of the board. And she serves as the point person below the president. And I've had the honor and the privilege throughout my career at Stony Brook of working with a lot of collaborative projects with the university and with the jazz loft, which now have become really traditions in our community. And so, Judy, if you could speak to some of those, that would be great. Hi and thanks for having all of us and listening closely. So for ten years, I was Chief Deputy to the president at Stony Brook until about a year a year ago and was really deeply engaged in all things Stony Brook, but also oversight a lot of community relations and government relations. And so we worked hard to develop relations. When I first got there, there were less than successful relationships in our community, and we really worked hard to develop much stronger relationships. And one of them was with Tom and was with the loft and. They really are key community partners for developing for joint programming, for performances. And frankly, we use the loft to help recruit and retain employees. When I would be interviewing people, I would tell them, in fact, drive by the loft, if there was a show, I would bring them in. When they first started at Stony Brook, I would make sure that they went, because people see it as something that is exciting and interesting about what can be a sleepy community. And it has a life and a vision around it that I think made people excited and helped them to say, this is where I want to live. And I see the same thing happening in Riverhead. We've really worked on a number of projects that both expanded what was going on with the broader university community, but also our broader community. And some of these included, we're right now working on creating a place at Stony Brook for Jazz Loft. Our company is called the Jazz Loft. We're a big part of the Jazz Loft. We're a big part of the Jazz Loft. They even have archives to allow them to be more accessible to researchers, but also to community members. So, student performances at the loft, expand programming and, as Laura said, give that opportunity to perform in a real performance space. Stony Brook faculty often perform at the Jazz Loft, often help with the K-12 programming, often help with outreach. You just heard about Southampton. If you haven't been, you have to go. It is remarkable. and fun and exciting. And we created, Tom and I, I think, dreamt up a summer swap, which was, I think, around four concerts outside at the loft. I think it started during COVID. And free, free to the community, free to anybody. And what really started to happen was people were bringing food. People were bringing their office family. People were bringing their family family. And it was, they're exciting, they're fun, and they're great jazz nights, but it's really a great community-building opportunity. And Stony Brook sponsored it to make sure that people in the community had the ability to go to the Jazz Loft for free and hear this great music. There's also an annual big performance that is one night at the Stoller Center, which is Stony Brook's big performing arts center, and one night or two nights at the Jazz Loft. And so all of these kind of show what I would say, is kind of the creativity around figuring out what works in a particular community. The other big thing that we've embarked on together, very recently, is the development of an endowment program to ensure a really strong future for the Jazz Loft. And this is a special moment and opportunity to have this endowment created because the state of New York has matching funds for a few more, I don't know, months. It's a program that was created by the legislature a couple of years ago. And Stony Brook came and said, hey, we will help you create an endowment for the Jazz Loft. You will be able to access these state matching funds. And at the same time, Stony Brook will be able to access another set of matching funds. It's a win-win, frankly, all around. And again, it helps to keep the Loft going forever. It will really, it will really create that beautiful foundation that will spin off money and keep some money in the bank forever. It's really a true collaboration. So why did I throw all of that at you is really to give you a sense of, again, the ways in which the Loft, it is not just come for a concert on Friday nights. There is so much else going on and so much that the Loft, I think the board supports, Tom supports, the staff support, the artists support. It's really about creating these relationships with the broader community and understanding what works in that community. And that's what we want to do here. So I urge you to support this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have one last person to introduce and then just one more topic point to speak on. So much of what we do is trying to focus on balance. And that would definitely be an important thing as a community. We would love to see how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much 曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much曲o comes out and how much And when I think of all of our incredible donors, there's one man who has been so wonderful, along with his family, in supporting not just our performance endeavors, but our education endeavors, as well as our museum endeavors. And that's our trifold mission of preservation, education, and performance. It's a recipe that I think serves us well and would certainly serve our efforts here with the Vale-Levitt Well. And so I'd like to just introduce him to speak very briefly. And that's Mr. Dan Oliveri. So, Dan, if you'd come up, that would be wonderful. And I promise he's the last person I brought. I ran out of people. I ran out of people. Hi. Good afternoon. Thank you for having us here today. Just wanted to speak briefly, like Tom said earlier, what a gem the Jazz Loft is. And, you know, it's not only a museum, but a live music venue housed in the Stone Jug, which was built in 1880. It was built in the early 1800s, like Tom said earlier. We have done remarkable things there. We've assembled an amazing team with diverse talents. I myself started out driving a parts delivery vehicle. I own several businesses in the New York area, employing over 300 people. We are very, the team is very familiar with construction projects, managing design, permitting construction, and what it takes to run a business. And I know we've been talking about community and education and all that, which is wonderful and amazing. But obviously, to be around, we need to run a business and be profitable. The team at the Jazz Loft is just an amazing group of individuals with diverse backgrounds and talents. We've achieved many remarkable milestones over the years, our commitment to celebrating music and the arts. Projects like the coal bin. We fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed and fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed We successfully acquired one of the largest Charlie Parker collections in probably the world, and it was achieved through traveling to London to make it happen. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the generous support of our community, special groups, and special individuals who believe in our vision. And together, I truly believe that we have the creative, we have the potential to accomplish almost anything. I have no doubt that we can transform the Vale Levitt into one of the premier venues on Long Island, a place where music and culture can thrive, enriching the lives of all who walk through the doors. So I'm honored to be part of this journey. I look forward to working alongside with everyone here in the room, our team, and everyone, and I think we can make the Vale Levitt a beacon of creativity and inspiration here in Riverhead. Thank you. Thank you. And I should add that restoration of the 1770 portion of the jazz loft was through a Gardner Foundation grant, and that grant was a matching grant, which would not have been possible had it not been for the Oliveira family. So last but not least, I do want to just speak to the timeline and the development schedule. In the documents I provided for you is a rather extensive restoration plan that was created by Joel Snodgrass, Joel is without question the authority for restoration of historic buildings in New York State. He is the one individual that is used actually by the Gardner Foundation that needs to put the stamp of approval on any plan before work is begun for a Gardner Foundation grant recipient. He is the person that signs off at the end. He was incredibly gracious in providing and creating a meticulous report on exactly what was going on. He was very kind and very thoughtful and very thoughtful about what was going on. And he has been very kind and very thoughtful about exactly what would be needed to restore the Vale-Levitt Theater. He has prepared that report into two phases. The first phase is what is considered rather, I won't use the word dire, but of time is of the essence and quite necessary to make sure that it is structurally sound. Phase two is more aesthetic and more of the things that are not necessarily needed for the venue to be open, and operational, but certainly for it to be much more pleasing to the eye. That is the report that we are basing the restoration on. You will also notice and I don't want to get too deep in the weeds, but you will notice that there is the actual number. There is also, we've taken into consideration a percentage for overage for costs rising. We've also taken into consideration a percentage for overages for things taking longer. So we have planned not only for the work that needs to be done, taking longer so we have planned not only for the work that needs to be done but for two to three hurdles that may present themselves or may not so it is a absolutely exhaustive and thorough report and I'm really grateful to Joel for for putting that together with that being said there is a timeline and that is on the back of the document that I provided the cover has the logo of the jazz loft and the Vale Levitt music hall but if you look on the back you will see that there is a proposed schedule to opening the jazz loft that is rather contingent upon what has transpired in the last I would say less than 48 hours of us figuring out some grant funding that got a little confusing but assuming that that gets ironed out first and foremost I see no reason why what follows which is a purchase and open to the public and I'm not going to be able to get that done in the future but I do believe that we have a very important and very important process that we need to take into account and that is to ensure that we are able to continue to open the doors and get our community in there so that they can see and hear what is happening of course then we would secure our contractors for the renovation the the words that were shared with me from Joel Snodgrass is that being that we're not doing all we're doing renovation we're not taking down walls we're not taking down the walls we're not taking down the walls or adding on additions there should really not be the need for work permits for this but if they were needed I would certainly hope that the town board would support us in getting those moved along quickly and swiftly and then of course we would commence renovations and have a wonderful grand opening that we look forward to so that concludes my presentation and I just like to thank everybody here and note that I finished a minute after 5 I just I would just like to say thank you very much for the presentation very thorough and just so the public is not aware that the soft opening you're talking about would be January January of 2026 that's correct and doing the renovations within six months time to July of 26 that correct yes so where we would hope that if all goes well that we would commence renovations at the start of the new year and we would expect those renovations when I asked Joel I said you know it's fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed fixed theater to our knowledge and from the the work we've looked into the elevator is actually an in functional working condition it's it's up to code so we don't really see a need to change that and like I said our desire is to absolutely keep that theater that has survived all these years intact we don't want to change anything we just want to update it and make sure that you know the main work is really the roof and the exterior the building is not watertight there's leakage there's a problem with the roof but that is all stuff that'll be done outside inside we want to retain the historical character of the building

any question you mentioned the grant when do you think you're going to know you you have some concerns about the grant when do you think you'll know to be very direct and frank we will know about the grant as soon as you all get back to us which I was which I was told by dawn Thomas would would be very soon and I'm sure she could speak more in detail to that than I can

or do you have any other questions

Tom I want to thank you very much for the presentation and thank everybody for coming in it was very nicely done I think it's an in an exciting point that we've reached in the town of Riverhead especially in the arts entertainment and culture aspect so I wish you much luck and we will get back to you with a decision we'll close the hearing today oh yes I'm sorry almost forgot we will now open it up to public comments before I try to shut this down I apologize anybody who would like to come up and make a public comment state your name and where you're from

there's Brian to look I'm from patchogue but you all know me as the executive director of the Long Island Aquarium and the beautiful Hyatt Hotel and our future town square hotel project I am NOT part of his distinguished guest list he doesn't know me very well Tom I met him one time I had the opportunity to visit the jazz loft at the !

! you don't sitting back from my perspective and seeing how he's making things happen and the Val Levitt being an opportunity for Riverhead now putting on my hospitality and tourism had as you know I'm the president of the East End Tourism Alliance I still play a role on discover Long Island and you know any time that we can get a point of interest in attraction or something for the East End is just another feather in our cap and another thing for us to market and take advantage of and having multiple hotels on Main Street and the ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya and I think it's something that should be well supported by this board. Supervisor, am I allowed to speak at this point? Absolutely. Brian, just to your point, I see a big distinction between Stony Brook and Riverhead in that you're in the hospitality business. Stony Brook, where they perform, does not have a lot of restaurants in that immediate vicinity. I know from personal experience, there's nowhere to go to before a performance or after a performance right in the immediate vicinity to have a drink or a dinner. We have that right here in downtown Riverhead. Yeah, and it's just another important piece. For us to promote packages with hotels, it just is a good fit. And to restore that building is just another great thing. And I've seen what they've done, and I think it's a good decision for this town board to support. Thank you. Thank you, Brian. Would anybody else like to comment?

Justin, do we have anybody online? Nobody online? Okay. Going once, going twice. Sure. I'm an attorney in Stony Brook for over 35 years, president of River Village Community Trust, where we restore and take care of old buildings. And I've been involved with the jazz law since their inception. It's an incredible person. He can get things done. He's the energizer bunny. He just keeps going. And the development and the things that they've done in the community is incredible. Concerts on the lawn for free. They're packed. Okay? If you haven't been to the jazz law, I grew up as a kid, rock and roll. One thing I had a little link to the horns in the back. And then I went to the jazz law. Blew me away. I saw swing dancing night. I'm a pathetic dancer. It was the most entertaining thing. I went to Frank Sinatra night. The big bands. The Monteleone guitar nights. Packed. Every night. But not only just the venue. It's what they do in the community. Whenever there is a not-for-profit that has an event, they'll be there. Either Tom will send us a musician to help out. It's what creates the binding in the fabric. And the other community, not-for-profits in the community, they all join in and work together. You have the jazz loft in one section. Now you have the Ramboli Art Center right down the block. You have the new venue behind the shopping center, which now has the Billy Joel exhibit. It's a big art exhibit building. It becomes infectious. This area opens up. They get this theater. It'll be something you'll be very proud of yourselves for approving. And there will be shops opening up around this venue to eat, to have entertainment at night that will grow from this. And I think that all I can say is to approve this thing, it's a great idea. And I think that all I can say is to approve this decision. It would be the best thing you can do. Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else? Okay. We're going to close the public hearing, but we will keep it open for 10 days for written comment. So if anybody wants to write in comments, they're welcome to do so. And we will take those comments until October 24th. Okay. I want to thank everybody for coming in. I'd like to make a motion to approve this. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to close the public hearing. Second. So moved. All in favor? We will keep it open for written comment until October 24th. Thank you.