Good Works By Good Builders

The East End is oftentimes thought of as a place where ego, money and success are driving forces. But there are also those who exhibit exemplary generosity. Among them are a handful of men who make their living in one of the most luxurious industries in the Hamptons—custom building.

Last month, Residence caught up with three such builders: Anthony Bonner of Sea Level Construction in Westhampton, Joe Farrell of Farrell Building Company in Bridgehampton and Joseph Andreassi of Pert Construction Corporation in Water Mill, plus Bob Dieckmann of BD Custom Builder’s Corporation. All business owners have both done their fair share of pro bono work—a rare find in a community that thrives on all-things real estate, they said.

“It’s just a way of life. It’s what we need to do, especially when programs can’t pay for these services,” Mr. Andreassi explained during a telephone interview. “And these days, they can’t. So why not? We have experience. We have energy. We have intellect. So why can’t we give it back?”

Mr. Andreassi’s first taste of pro bono work on the East End was 25 years ago. The circa-1906 Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Roman Catholic Church on Hill Street in Southampton was falling into disrepair, he said, and the parish did not have the money for improvements.

He took the matter into his own hands. Literally.

“We raised $1.2 million to get that project done,” he said. “I had to take everything inside, out, bring it down to its original structure and then rebuild it. I was in charge of all the construction and I’m proud of being the one who coordinated all the work.

“When we were up in the bell tower, we found bay owls, three babies,” he continued. “We got the Southampton Fire Department, their large bucket truck, to take us up there. We removed the nest, relocated it during construction and put it back up there after construction. That was great.”

Next door on Hill Street, Pert Construction and nearly 60 volunteers helped rehabilitate a school building that contained lead five years later. Today, it is used as a community center that houses the Southampton Food Pantry, senior citizen programs and the St. Charles Educational and Therapeutic Center, Mr. Andreassi said.

Another five years later, Mr. Andreassi was instrumental in slashing a proposed $6.8 million renovation of the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton down to $5.2 million, and he donated his company’s time to construct, he said. But the feather in his cap, by far, has been Southampton Youth Services, Mr. Andreassi said, which he helped found 10 years ago.

“I think the church was probably the best thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I think as we see what Southampton Youth Services has developed into, it’s the project I’m most proud of,” he said. “I remember growing up in Central Islip, my father, who was a carpenter, he’d take me along when I was a little guy and we’d go to the local Baptist church and help fix a roof leak. He always got involved. It’s just the way I was brought up.”

Mr. Bonner, who grew up in East Quogue and Westhampton, does not hail from a family of builders, he reported. The industry simply fits his personality, he said, and puts him out in the field is where he loves to be, especially when it’s in his own community.

In 2010, Jim Zizzi of Quogue-based James V. Zizzi Contracting approached Mr. Bonner and his partner, Mr. Dieckmann—whose BD Custom Builder’s Corporation manages the back-office work for Sea Level Construction—with a proposition. He needed help renovating two buildings that had been recently acquired by the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. The buildings would house the children’s program and administrative offices.

The catch was that the work needed to be pro bono.

“They were trying to get a team together of local contractors and each contractor was going to take a piece,” Mr. Dieckmann explained during an interview at the company office. “‘You do the painting, you do the roofing, you do the framing,’ so everybody would pitch in a little bit. But for whatever reason, a lot of the guys backed away. [Mr. Bonner] was standing there alone and did everything.”
“I was given a list and just did everything on the list,” Mr. Bonner said, “and kept at it until everything was done.”

“We feel very strongly that the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is an anchor for the community,” Mr. Dieckmann added. “It really does raise the level and image of the whole community. So when they ask for help, we don’t hesitate.”

Later that same year, the duo received another call in the early fall. That time, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge was in need of help.

The Outdoor Animal Complex was falling apart. The job would cost at least $50,000. And nobody at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge had the money to fix it.

Sea Level Construction—with the help of a half-dozen contractors—built the refuge a new, 700-square-foot facility, complete with heat, a cement floor, slop sink, washer and dryer, and work station. There was no charge.

“It was to feed the animals. They were doing it outside in a building that was all dilapidated with no heat, no nothing. Leaky roof. So we gave them a whole new building,” Mr. Bonner said. “I do this stuff because I want to, you know what I’m saying? I don’t want it to be like, ‘Now I’m patting myself on the back.’ I just like to do it.”

Mr. Bonner’s desire to improve his community is not a new thing. About four years ago, Sea Level Construction renovated the Quogue Historical Society’s Pond House, donating both time and materials, according to Village Trustee Jeanette Obser, who oversaw the project.

“He’s a top quality builder,” she said. “He goes in, he gets the job done with no excuses. I always call him a mover and a shaker because that’s basically what he does. And he’s always upbeat. He always has a positive spin on things. It’s refreshing.”

And, in the not so distant future, according to Westhampton Beach St. Patrick’s Parade Committee member Dick Herzing, Mr. Bonner might need a new title in addition to being called “a mover and a shaker.”

“I think he’s going to be a future Grand Marshal,” Mr. Herzing said, noting that Mr. Bonner annually donates his cars and materials for the parade floats. “His name always comes up.”

Currently in Bridgehampton, Mr. Farrell has his hands full—with sand.

Following the lash of Hurricane Sandy in October, Mr. Farrell has agreed to help rebuild Mecox Beach and Scott Cameron Beach—both destroyed by the storm—at no cost to Southampton Town, he explained during a telephone interview.

The pro bono workload will include hauling the sand from the parking lots, reconstructing the dunes, building new fences and replacing the septic systems and the shredded buildings, such as the bathroom pavilions, he said.

“There was a need and we stepped in,” the builder said. “Scotty’s is where I go with my kids all the time and I went down there and it was just, if you saw it, it was just sad, you know? That’s why I asked [Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst] if I could help her. The town was overwhelmed with what happened and they needed help. It’s that simple. We’re gonna bring it back better than it was.”