Various village discussions ensued on how to honor former Patchogue trustee Joe Keyes, the quiet maverick of change, who passed away at age 73 just before he was set to march as Grand Marshal in the village’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year.
“We talked about the ball fields,” Patchogue mayor Paul V. Pontieri told FIN, referring to the new softball fields at Waldbauer Park, which he championed. “But when you talk about recreation, it all happens in that building. As Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, I’ll bet he was there at least five times a week.”
Resounding applause echoed at the 380 Bay Avenue building as officials unveiled the sign reading Joseph E. Keyes Jr. Parks and Recreation Center at the Nov. 22 event.
Over 100 people attended, including Suffolk County, state, and town officials, Patchogue Village trustees and employees, and family and friends. And if there was any indication of how Keyes’ life touched Patchogue Village and beyond, it was evident in the avalanche of comments expressed.
“I never thought about recreation,” Pontieri said frankly. “But between Joe and [Director] Maria Giustizia, that leadership was important. It was never arguing; it was always a deep discussion.”
Besides serving as Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, Keyes was also Commissioner of Waterfront Development, liaison for Protecting the Environment in Patchogue (PEP), which he started in 2014, and chairperson of the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Task Force.
In 2015, he championed the ban on plastic bags and polystyrene for village retail and eating establishments.
“He put together the PEP Committee; they cleaned up the parks, worked with St. Joseph’s University on microplastic research in bivalve populations, and pushed for electric vehicles,” Pontieri said. “Electric charging stations were installed in January 2020.”
When the village introduced its Clean Fleet Policy in 2020, the first Suffolk County village to sign on, it purchased a Chevy Bolt EV that November.
Several Department of Public Works (DPW) trucks are now electric, and there are six charging stations.
Keyes also worked on the Johnson Controls initiative for a comprehensive energy audit in 2020. Among other things, it resulted in solar panels on the Patchogue Theatre roof and its parking lot, as well as portions of the Village Hall and the DPW. Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul placed a personal phone call to Pontieri: the village was awarded a $3 million New York State grant to put solar panels in the LIRR parking lot, which the village owns.
There were hugs and tears as people reminisced.
Keyes’ sense of humor was legendary.
“He had this corny sense of humor, and that’s what I miss,” said his sister Debra Canavan.
His son, Jonathan Keyes, stood with his daughter, Charlotte. “We were honored to hear the impact my father made on so many people,” he said as people came up to him.
Steve Fuoco, who took Keyes’ place as trustee, said, “No one stood out like Joe Keyes. He was a class act, humble and funny.”
Sincere words were also expressed from Suffolk County legislator Dominick Thorne, New York State Senator Dean Murray, and Brookhaven deputy supervisor Neil Foley; they all knew and worked with Keyes.
But the surprise of the day was former Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, who stood quietly in the back among the crowd as a participant who simply wanted to come and honor a friend.
Pontieri spotted him and called him up.
“Joe was a great man,” Bellone said. “He lived a servant’s life and stood for decency and for the principle, stand up for what you believe in.”
