Joe Arico
Born in Staten Island, NY in 1961, Joe Arico grew up in Nesconset where he attended Smithtown East High School. From there, he went on to receive his associate's degree in Architectural Technology from the New York Institute of Technology. A St. James resident today, he and his wife of 39 years Kathy, a phlebotomist and medical assistant, raised two sons. His oldest son, Joseph, works as an English teacher at Ward Melville high school and resides in East Setauket with his wife Stephanie and their two daughters, Arya and Andi. His youngest, Michael, is preparing to attend St. Joseph's College as he pursues his degree to become a social studies teacher.
Mr. Arico's career began at CoCo and Baldasano Architects in Hauppauge as a draftsman. He transitioned to local government in 1987 as an assistant chief building official. In 1996 he left his position with the Town of Smithtown to pursue a career in construction management. For more than a decade through the early 2000s, Mr. Arico owned and operated his own business, Up-Rite Construction. Based out of Ronkonkoma, the company focused on completing expansive, commercial and residential projects throughout Long Island. Mr. Arico would eventually rejoin the Town of Smithtown as its Building Director, before moving into his position as the Director of Parks, Buildings and Grounds in 2015. Additionally, Mr. Arico has also worked as a building inspector for the Village of the Branch, the Village of Nissequogue, and the Village of Old Field.
Throughout the years, Mr. Arico has worked towards making Smithtown a better place through his expert supervision of capital projects throughout the town. Some of these projects include state of the art renovations at the Daniel J. Flynn Memorial Ballpark in Kings Park, along with extensive work on the interior and exterior of Smithtown Town Hall and the Smithtown Landing Country Club. Most recently, he has planned and overseen the addition and renovation of the Constable Building at Long Beach and the Oasis building, which will now function as a Welcome Center for the town of Smithtown. He and his department at Parks are also expecting to soon complete work at the Armory at Toner Park, which will now be home to two all turf football fields and a brand new
press box.
Mr. Arico's most recent project comes as part of a partnership between the town of Smithtown and Celebrate St. James. This includes the renovation of the Calderone Theater at the town's Cultural Arts Center.
In addition to his work on the town's capital projects, Mr. Arico is also a member of the board of ethics committee at St. Catherine's Hospital.
All of his work is rooted in his love of the town of Smithtown, and a desire to create environments that the youth and future generations can enjoy and thrive in. In his personal life, Mr. Arico can be described as a man of great faith in Jesus Christ, a lover of his family, "Gramps" to his two granddaughters, and an avid bass fisherman.
Mr. Arico's career began at CoCo and Baldasano Architects in Hauppauge as a draftsman. He transitioned to local government in 1987 as an assistant chief building official. In 1996 he left his position with the Town of Smithtown to pursue a career in construction management. For more than a decade through the early 2000s, Mr. Arico owned and operated his own business, Up-Rite Construction. Based out of Ronkonkoma, the company focused on completing expansive, commercial and residential projects throughout Long Island. Mr. Arico would eventually rejoin the Town of Smithtown as its Building Director, before moving into his position as the Director of Parks, Buildings and Grounds in 2015. Additionally, Mr. Arico has also worked as a building inspector for the Village of the Branch, the Village of Nissequogue, and the Village of Old Field.
Throughout the years, Mr. Arico has worked towards making Smithtown a better place through his expert supervision of capital projects throughout the town. Some of these projects include state of the art renovations at the Daniel J. Flynn Memorial Ballpark in Kings Park, along with extensive work on the interior and exterior of Smithtown Town Hall and the Smithtown Landing Country Club. Most recently, he has planned and overseen the addition and renovation of the Constable Building at Long Beach and the Oasis building, which will now function as a Welcome Center for the town of Smithtown. He and his department at Parks are also expecting to soon complete work at the Armory at Toner Park, which will now be home to two all turf football fields and a brand new
press box.
Mr. Arico's most recent project comes as part of a partnership between the town of Smithtown and Celebrate St. James. This includes the renovation of the Calderone Theater at the town's Cultural Arts Center.
In addition to his work on the town's capital projects, Mr. Arico is also a member of the board of ethics committee at St. Catherine's Hospital.
All of his work is rooted in his love of the town of Smithtown, and a desire to create environments that the youth and future generations can enjoy and thrive in. In his personal life, Mr. Arico can be described as a man of great faith in Jesus Christ, a lover of his family, "Gramps" to his two granddaughters, and an avid bass fisherman.
Q & A
What is it about St. James and this organization that prompted you to do so?
St. James is a beautiful hamlet in the town of Smithtown with a great history. I've worked with "Celebrate St. James" in the design and construction of Celebrate Park on Lake Avenue, which hosts concerts and many different events. When I was asked to do work at the Calderone Theater, I saw it as another great opportunity to invigorate the hamlet and bring a beautiful space back to life.
How would you describe your personal feelings about your involvement in the infancy in this project?
I consider it an honor that Supervisor Wertheim and Councilman Lohmann asked me to get involved in this project. I always enjoy getting involved and the renovation and redesign of existing buildings like this one so that we can honor and extend an already great legacy.
How do you envision the future of this endeavor?
As I stated before, it's really about preserving and honoring the legacy of the past and making sure the Calderone Theatre remains a go to destination for generations to come. It's for people like my young granddaughters Arya and Andi to go and enjoy the theatre as patrons, and maybe even be up on the stage themselves one day.
St. James is a beautiful hamlet in the town of Smithtown with a great history. I've worked with "Celebrate St. James" in the design and construction of Celebrate Park on Lake Avenue, which hosts concerts and many different events. When I was asked to do work at the Calderone Theater, I saw it as another great opportunity to invigorate the hamlet and bring a beautiful space back to life.
How would you describe your personal feelings about your involvement in the infancy in this project?
I consider it an honor that Supervisor Wertheim and Councilman Lohmann asked me to get involved in this project. I always enjoy getting involved and the renovation and redesign of existing buildings like this one so that we can honor and extend an already great legacy.
How do you envision the future of this endeavor?
As I stated before, it's really about preserving and honoring the legacy of the past and making sure the Calderone Theatre remains a go to destination for generations to come. It's for people like my young granddaughters Arya and Andi to go and enjoy the theatre as patrons, and maybe even be up on the stage themselves one day.