Port Jeff Locale For LI Music Hall of Fame Not a Done Deal, Just Yet

Negotiations over the agreement to house the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in the old Brookhaven Town Tax Receiver’s office building at 250 East Main Street in Port Jefferson are still ongoing, according to officials involved in the deal.

A representative for the village of Port Jefferson said that it was “not a done deal” and Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant said that she hopes it goes before the town board soon. Garant is very excited about the prospect of having the Long Island Music Hall of Fame headquartered in Port Jefferson.

“All of us in Port Jefferson want it. The president of the village, the president of the Chamber, the president of the Historical Society and the president of the Business Improvement District all support this effort," she said in when the agreement was first given to the museum.

Everyone seems to want a deal but negotiations drag on.

“The will is there on both sides but the agreement is not yet in place,” said 1st district Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld in an interview on Wednesday night, referencing the Hall of Fame and Brookhaven Town. 

According to Fiore-Rosenfeld–who has been a strong proponent for the museum over the last few years–the agreement between the town and the museum was worked out earlier this year and in a meeting a few weeks ago, the museum presented the town with four amendments.

Currently the town’s bond council is analyzing the amendments to make sure they are acceptable. After the bond council makes its decision, the law department will put language into the agreement regarding the amendments.

“As soon as they work something out we’ll put it up for a vote,” Fiore-Rosenfeld said.

Brookhaven Town used bonded money to refurbish the building getting it “up to snuff,” said Fiore-Rosenfeld.

The town had some exterior brick work done, repaired the front doors and did some construction on the interior including mold and asbestos abatement, a new paint job and “a few other odds and ends.” They also did emergency work to the roof.

“Some parts of the building have a brand new roof,” Fiore-Rosenfeld said. “It’s in better shape than when we had town employees in there.”

Although the work is completed by the town, Fiore-Rosenfeld said that additional construction may need to be done by the Hall of Fame that it will have to pay for if they plan to install special music equipment and make the building suitable for exhibits and educational facilities.

If the agreement is finalized then the Hall of Fame can come to the next Brookhaven Town work session to make a presentation and then the Town board will vote on the agreement. 

“Then, at the next meeting they can make a presentation,” said Fiore-Rosenfeld. “Hopeful it will all be resolved by the next Town Board meeting on June 28."

Patch left messages for Long Island Music Hall of Fame chairman, James Faith, at his office and by email.

We will update this story when further information becomes available.

The LI Music Hall of Fame was established to preserve the musical history of Long Island music and musicians, including Queens and Brooklyn as part of the Island geographic areas. Since it began in 2003, it has inducted performers such as Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand, Pat Benatar and Eddie Money. For more information, please visit www.limusichalloffame.org.