Town Purchases Historic St. James Theater

Nicholas Cipollo

Dec 15, 2024

The Town’s $900,000 Purchase of St. James Calderone Theater


Earlier this week, I was surprised to read in Newsday that the Town of Smithtown planned to purchase the St. James Calderone Theater for a total of $900,000—a massive expense for a town that has, in the last three years, made unwise decisions in spending.

Although supporting key historical locations and businesses is vital to a community like Smithtown, the Town Board's 5-0 decision to spend almost a million dollars should have been a last resort.

A Missed Opportunity for Community Involvement

Although this decision does save the St. James Theater, the Town Board should instead have:

  • Worked with the people of St. James and the rest of Smithtown.

  • Offered to match any donations raised to save the theater.

This approach would have:

  • Reduced the town’s cost to $450,000.

  • Lowered the impact on future taxes.

  • Involved the entire community in the project.

Many people, myself included, would have contributed financially to this cause.

Poor Financial Decisions Continue

This purchase continues the trend of poor financial decisions. Following continued raises for the Town Board and the Supervisor—including a 22% raise almost two years ago—our leaders should begin saving and rebuilding their coffers following this increased spending.

Furthermore, key questions remain unanswered:

  • Does the town benefit financially from this purchase?

  • Will the $900,000 be recouped through a percentage of income made by the theater?

  • Or is this simply an investment into one of our historic businesses?

The Town Board has not been transparent about this either.


A Call for Alternative Solutions

In the future, our town leaders should:

  • Seek alternative solutions to the problems we face.

  • Be more transparent about what that spending means.


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