Concerns over development lead Ronkonkoma residents to form civic group

Concerned about the impact of development projects slated for Ronkonkoma, area residents recently formed a civic group to advocate for community interests, members said.

The Greater Ronkonkoma Civic Association, which met for the first time in February and has nearly 50 members, was formed to tackle issues ranging from potholes to the impact of development. 

“The community needed a voice,” said Matt Miller of Ronkonkoma, the group’s vice president. “And rather than being on social media and complaining about things, we wanted to give them a format.” 

With two major locus points for Suffolk County transit — Long Island MacArthur Airport and a Long Island Rail Road station — Ronkonkoma has been the focus of major developments, including the $2.8 billion Midway Crossing proposal, the $1 billion housing-retail-office project known as Station Yards and millions in improvements at the airport. 

The looming prospect of Midway Crossing, which calls for 2.7 million square feet of new construction, including a convention center and a 300-room hotel, was one of the factors that spurred a small group to reform the Ronkonkoma civic, which had disbanded during the pandemic, civic president Sal Napolitano, 72, of Ronkonkoma, said.

"We're like, wait a minute, this is a monster of a project," Napolitano recalled. "[Miller] said to me, and a couple others, we need to get a civic back together."

The plan, he said, is to pull in local legislators and developers who are building in Ronkonkoma to speak directly with the community. He wants to create more opportunities for dialogue. 

“We don’t pretend to have all the answers. That’s why we try to bring in some people who can give us the answers,” Napolitano said. 

Suffolk County Legis. Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville), whose district includes part of Ronkonkoma and who is slated to be a guest at the next civic meeting, said he’s glad the civic group has reformed “so that the people of Ronkonkoma have an organization that can bring in elected officials, local businesses and speak about projects that will directly affect their quality of life.”

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter said the town works closely with many civic groups within the town, "who share the same goals of maintaining and improving residents’ quality of life in our hamlets."

"The working relationships we have with our civic associations here in the Town of Islip are an essential part of the effectiveness of local government, and keeping that ‘small-town feel' we cherish in our town,” she said.

Some civic members speaking to a reporter after a March meeting lamented that the hamlet — positioned between three different townships, Islip, Brookhaven and Smithtown — has been "forgotten."

"We were a small beach town many, many years ago, and it's no longer our little town anymore," one said.

At least three other Ronkonkoma residents, however, expressed concerns about Napolitano's sympathies for extremist groups such as the Long Island Loud Majority. 

Napolitano's daughter, Jackie Napolitano-Furno, was endorsed by the Long Island Loud Majority for the Connetquot Board of Education, and Napolitano has liked Loud Majority posts on Facebook.

"My concerns with the civic is their ties with the Long Island Loud Majority," said Sarah Smith, 23, of Ronkonkoma, who ran for the Connetquot school board against Napolitano's daughter. "From what I've heard, community members are very concerned and don't feel like it's a safe space for them."

Another Ronkonkoma resident, Alison Depina, 38, said when she found out Napolitano was president of the civic, she was "hesitant" to participate because of his "extremist values."

Napolitano said Thursday nobody in the civic group is a member of the Long Island Loud Majority and the civic does not have a political affiliation. 

The goal is to "make sure all voices are heard," he said, a sentiment he echoed at the March meeting.

“Whatever your problems are become our problems. We want to solve them together,” Napolitano said to an audience of about 40 people.

Even if those problems are potholes.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.