Landlord: No food business should exist in Center, nitrates in drinking water a danger

Fedi’s, then Schmidt’s, in the Center has stood empty for years. Recently, owner Dan Calabro placed a sign in the window of the empty store advertising the premises for rent providing the tenant agrees to install a nitrate filtration system.

A similar sign two blocks away on North Ferry Road is on the window of the building Mr. Calabro owns and had rented out to a family running a pizza shop.

“All I can tell you is nobody should be serving food in the Center,” Mr. Calabro said.

When Schmidt’s, the popular South Fork deli expanded to the Island in 2013, taking over Fedi’s old location on North Ferry Road, the town’s Building Department required the septic upgrade since the deli was preparing food on the premises. Schmidt’s and the landlord had a long-running dispute on payment for the upgrade, before the deli shut down for good.

Other businesses in the Center have signs up relating to their concerns about nitrates in the water.  Mr. Calabro said he offered the previous Town administration a “free well spot with no nitrates” that could pipe clean water into the Center, but it was refused.

A statement issued by former Supervisor Gerry Siller at the time said the offer was not without cost.

Former Town Engineer John Cronin said he knows there are at least 38 public buildings required to test their water regularly, explaining he’s not simply referring to buildings owned by the Town. The Suffolk County Department of Health Services defines public suppliers as any place where unrelated people use the premises. That would include office space where unrelated people work regularly, he said.

Town Engineer Joe Finora has told the Town Board that the mandate to correct its system in the Town Hall complex is, that while water is treated, there is not a complete disinfection process there. Town officials have to examine their options for responding to the Health Department mandate.

When results of testing of private property owners’ water were revealed, there were a number of comments indicating the public didn’t view the problem as being serious.Mr. Cronin said of 500 properties that could have been included, there were results from 169 properties. He called that a “viable sample” that should have been taken seriously. There were nitrate readings that should have raised real concern for owners of those properties. Actions to reduce nitrate levels are critical, he said.

Landlord: No food business should exist in Center, nitrates in drinking water a danger