May 19 will Sachem Central School District residents hit the polls to approve their budgets and elect members to the Board of Education.
On the backs of their ballots, voters will find a proposition of whether to approve funds for the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society. State Education Law says that school districts can place local historical societies on funding propositions for museums, programs, and other forms of cultural enrichment and education. Societies must meet certain criteria, such as being a registered not-for-profit and a New York State Board of Regents-designated and approved society.
The Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society has held that charter since the 1980s, and for fourteen-year president Evelyn Vollgraff, the move is about preserving local history, offering programs to local students, and simply trying to make ends meet in a trying time. They’re looking for voters to approve a transfer of $45,000 from the Town of Brookhaven to the Society. The tax hike would account for an additional $1.15 per year per household.
“All the money we raise comes from our eight-to-ten fundraiser a year and member dues. We probably raise about $18,000 a year, but insurance alone on our two properties is $7,000,” Vollgraff told The Messenger, adding that insurance rates – for liability only – has nearly doubled in the last three-and-a-half years. The Society insures its museum on Hawkins Avenue and the Fitz-Greene Hallock Homestead on Pond Road.
“We’re private; everyone is a volunteer. We’ve spent so much time trying to fundraise that the programs start to slide. It’s the overhead that’s killing us.”
Vollgraff, also co-president and founder of the Lake Ronkonkoma Improvement Group, says that maintenance of the homestead is both tricky and costly. The house was built in 1888 and retains its plaster walls, which have needed replacement to host the two annual Victorian teas that complement the property’s original time period. Volunteers currently maintain the property and grounds every Tuesday voluntarily.
Local history is also important, and Vollgraff says that most schools don’t teach local history anymore. The Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society boasts many artifacts and timelines, but chief among them is their “extremely rare” collection of Indian arrowheads, some likely tens of thousands of years old.
“The museum itself has a history going back to when the Agnew and Taylor Building was the only building on Hawkins Avenue, which was a dirt road at the time,” said Vollgraff. “We want to get the kids in here to learn about their local history, but it just gets harder and harder with costs going up.”
Miller Place was able to fetch $250,000 for their similar projects, while the Whaling Museum was funded to the tune of $100,000 through the Sag Harbor School District, as examples cited by Vollgraff.
“We’re not asking for that much money. We just want to fund our programs, spread the word, work with our Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. It’s sad; we spend less on programs and more on maintenance.”
The budget vote is on May 19. The proposition needs a majority of the vote to pass.
