TIMES HERALD The Village
Stony Brook • old Field • Strong’S neck • Setauket • eaSt Setauket • South Setauket • Poquot t
Volume 40, No. 12
Kullen’s Closin’
May 21, 2015
$1.00
east Setauket supermarket prepares to close its doors By Phil corSo
A day of reflection on Memorial Day Also, Memorial Day parades on the North Shore; local actor lands lead in ‘Oliver!’ at Theatre Three
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Ramp revamp on 25A
County considers traffic proposal with pedestrian safety in mind
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A North Shore grocery chain is shuttering one of its locations next month just as summer breaks into full bloom. Joseph Brown, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer for King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc., said the East Setauket location on Route 25A will close its doors for good on June 11, answering to rumors that have been swirling through the Three Village area over the last several weeks. The chain’s workforce, however, will be taken care of, Brown said. “We do not anticipate a layoff of employees, as they will be offered relocation to other stores, including our nearby supermarkets in St. James and Selden,” Brown said. The East Setauket King Kullen opened back in 2005 in the same shopping vicinity as two other grocery chains — Wild by
the king kullen supermarket on route 25a will close its doors next month.
Nature and Super Stop & Shop. The former grocery chain also operates under the King Kullen brand, which Brown said was not going anywhere. “It has been a privilege to serve the Three Village community and we remain committed to the area through our East Setauket Wild by Nature,” he said. Andrew Polan, president of the Three Village Chamber
of Commerce, said his group was sad to see the supermarket chain go after several years of service to the community. He said it was likely that oversaturation in the area could have made it difficult for King Kullen to prosper as it stood alongside two other major chains. “Anytime something closes down, it’s a cause of concern for us. King Kullen is a longtime Long Island company
Photo by Phil Corso
and we’re sorry to see this happening,” he said. “I’m sure the increase in competition in the area has made it difficult for businesses to survive.” King Kullen operates several other locations in communities near the North Shore area including Mt. Sinai, Lake Ronkonkoma, Middle Island, Commack, Northport, Huntington and Huntington Station among others.
Three Village nature preserve gets state funding boost By Phil corSo
The North Shore region is cashing in on its green pastures thanks to $6,000 in grant funding, the Three Village Community Trust said this week. Three Village was one of three Long Island trusts to be awarded the money through the state’s Conservation Partnership Program, administered under the Land Trust Alliance, and will utilize the money to bulk up its conservation management of the roughly 10-acre Stephen D. Matthews Nature Preserve, Trust President Cynthia Barnes said. “The grant will help tighten up the way we look after
the preserve and will provide for more targeted control of the invasive species that threaten its native flora and fauna,” she said. “This grant represents an investment of $8,000 in the Stephen D. Matthews Nature Preserve.” Barnes said the money would help enhance monitoring and management protocols at the preserve while also estabPhoto from Three Village Community Trust lishing a volunteer training and State funds should help bolster the Stephen d. Matthews nature Preserve. stewardship program. The end result, she said, should make of the consulting firm known local civic association meeting for a more volunteer-friendly as Conservation and Natural last month, primarily to hear atmosphere to attract residents Areas Planning, said interest in about the preserve,” she said. in the nearby communities of the area has been at an all-time “They had plenty of questions high among Poquott natives. for me. We’re looking to recruit Poquott and beyond. “Poquott’s citizens turned volunteer stewards who want to Louise Harrison, a conserFUNDING continued on page A12 vation biologist and principal out in large numbers for the