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Suffolk Theatre renovation will begin Monday

Work on the Suffolk Theatre restoration project will begin Monday at 8:45 a.m., according to former Councilman Vic Prusinowski, who is working as a consultant on the project.
Suffolk Theatre owner Bob Castaldi applied for and has now received building permits to begin work on what will be the office and ticket booth for the theater. It will be located in the building immediately west of the  theater entrance, according to Mr. Castaldi.
That building once housed a candy store and a smoke shop, among other things. Mr. Castaldi said he’s hoping to submit the building permit application to restore the rest of the 77-year-old theater sometime next week.
Mr. Castaldi purchased the theatre from Riverhead Town in 2005 for $707,000, but the restoration stalled and he became involved in litigation with the town in 2007. That litigation was settled earlier this year, when the newly-elected Town Board members said they had no interest in re-acquiring the theater through a reverter clause in the contract. That clause allowed the town to take back the building is work wasn’t substantially completed within three years of the sale, which it was not.
Mr. Prusinowski said Mr. Castaldi and Supervisor Sean Walter will take part in a “ceremonial sledge-hammering of the wall” to kick off the job on Monday morning.
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