When Richard Jernick of Jernick Moving and Storage in Greenport came into possession of a spectacular Yamaha grand piano, he set out to find the best home possible for it. Mattituck Jr. Sr. High School was the lucky recipient.
“We were emptying a house out on Shelter Island and were notified by the client that he was no longer in need of the piano and a few other items,” said Jernick. “He asked us to try and find a home for them. We donated some high-end kitchen cabinets to the North Fork Housing Alliance and then set out to determine what would be the best thing to do with the piano.”
After a little research, Jernick discovered that Mattituck High School was in need of a piano; they had been using a small spinet in their chorus room.
Mattituck High School assistant principal David Smith was overjoyed.
“This is definitely the highlight of the summer,” he said.
Smith did some research online and believes that the piano was built around 1992 and said that a ballpark figure for its value was about $12,000. He also discovered that the piano has a MIDI hookup that will allow it to become a player piano.
Jernick donated the labor to move the piano into the chorus room and the high school is restoring the bench and will have the piano tuned.
“We’re so grateful,” said Smith.
Jernick said that they often come into possession of items that they will work to find a good home for rather than just take to the landfill.
“We love giving back to the community and of course the last thing we want to happen is to have something like this end up in the garbage.”
