About KCA
Explore Kismet
About Kismet
Real Estate
Kismet has about 260 private residences, which include primarily single family homes and two multiple dwelling structures. There is a small “downtown” bayfront commercial district including the ferry dock, 3 restaurants, pizza shack, Food Market, boat marina and the Kismet Fire House. Development of Kismet began in 1925 when the Kismet Park Corporation, owned by Frederick Weis, built two streets bay-to-ocean. Thereafter, the hurricane of 1938 and then World War II curtailed further development in Kismet until the 1950’s and 1960’s, during which time three more bay-to-ocean streets were added for a total of five streets, known as “walks”. Kismet has a small public park with a children’s play area and two public tennis courts.
Size
Less than one square mile. Ocean beach: less than 1,200’.
Distance
About 47 miles by car from Manhattan to the ferry dock in Bay Shore, NY, and six miles across the water by ferry to Kismet.
General Administration
The KCA funds basic but limited municipal services not provided to our Hamlet by the Town of Islip. Each year, the KCA expends its annual dues income, supplemented by carry-over funds from previous years, to keep the community clean and litter free. This includes sidewalk street cleaning, landscaping, and maintenance and repairs.
The KCA contracts with Sam Wood Inc. for community maintenance services. Sam’s work crews clean the walks, tennis courts and playground and undertake projects and repairs as needed for the common areas. JMA Industries (John Altieri) provides container carting services required to remove the debris and trash collected to the mainland landfills. RK Landscaping provides and maintains the common area community plantings downtown at the flagpole, police hut and miscellaneous downtown sites and at the tennis courts. (Downtown businesses do their own landscaping at their expense.)
Coordination
The KCA coordinates with the Town of Islip Department of Parks and Recreation with respect to equipment and repairs and services for the Town’s tennis courts and children’s playground in Kismet. The KCA also initiates and coordinates improvements to the infrastructure such as, the new sidewalk construction completed in 2007. The KCA also communicates on a regular basis with the Islip Town Board, Town Attorney, Town Engineer and Comptroller’s and Assessor’s Offices; the Suffolk County Legislature and Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau, and with NYS elected and appointed officials and staff.
The KCA is represented on the Board of Directors of the Fire Island Association, representing all 17 Fire Island communities. Kismet’s Liaison Officer, Marsha Hunter, represents Kismet on the FIA Board and also serves as an Officer of the FIA and is a member of its Executive Committee. For general information about the FIA, go to the FIA link.
Board Members
- Gary Leone, President
- Frank Boulton, 1st Vice President
- Tom Licari, 2nd Vice President
- Jane Mooney, Treasurer
- Wendy Schou, Secretary
directions
How To Get Here
David Brothers Car Service (631-665-1515) run vans to and from Manhattan. Call for details.
The drive takes about one hour and 20 minutes from Manhattan to the ferry dock. Take the Long Island Expressway East to Exit 53, then the Sagtikos State Parkway South to the Southern State Parkway East. Turn off at Exit 42 South and follow signs through Bay Shore to the ferry. The ferry dock has overnight parking, but it’s often full on weekends between Memorial and Labor Day.
It’s a 25-minute ferry ride from Bay Shore to Kismet and ferries run about every 90 minutes or longer.
Round-Trip Fares
• Adult: $25
• Child: $13 (Ages 2-11)
Fire Island Ferries
99 Maple Ave.
Bay Shore, New York 11706
Phone: 631-665-3600
www.fireislandferries.com
The FI Ferries also handle freight. Check their website or call for details.
How It Works
Keep Kismet Clean & Safe
These guidelines help keep our community beautiful.
Our worst problem is deer tearing bags open and knocking cans over.
- Put your garbage bags in garbage cans and seal the lids tightly.
- Put the cans in a secure rack.
- Put your weekend trash out Sunday night, NOT Monday morning.
Call the private trash carter who picks up your regular trash. You must call. He will not pick up large items unless you call.
Please carry-on carry-off your trash on the beach.
Nearly all of the KCA’s annual dues go to trash collection and clean up of public areas. In addition, the KCA has led the community’s effort to put in new sidewalks, tennis and basketball courts, playground equipment, the dockside police facility and protective sand dunes. Many of these services have been funded partially by KCA funds, highly leveraged through setting up special tax districts and obtaining matching municipal grants.
The vast majority of Kismet homeowners and businesses pay their dues. Pitch in and pay your fair share as well. It is an important part of keeping Kismet a clean and safe place to live and enhancing the value of your property.
Equip every floor of your house with a smoke alarm and dry chemical fire extinguisher. Replace all smoke alarm batteries at the start of the summer. Cut vegetation back at least five feet from the side of your house. Report fires immediately. Do not assume someone else has. Do not crowd the walks at the scene of a fire.
This is not “the country”. It is a busy residential community. The Town of Islip Dog Ordinance is in force in Kismet:
CHAPTER 12
All dogs must be on a leash and licensed at all times. Violators shall be liable up to $250 in penalties. Please respect your neighbors. Keep your dog out of private yards. Always clean up after your dog.
Riding the walks at night without a light is an unfortunate tradition that is dangerous to you and pedestrians. let’s start a new tradition of bike safety.
All bikes must be equipped with a bell or a horn.
At night, all bikes must be equipped with reflectors and a working headlight.
Bikes are often stolen at night by people leaving Kismet to head to other towns, and sometimes turn up abandoned around the island or in Robert Moses Field 5. You should secure your bikes at night and report all bike thefts to the police. To aid in getting bikes returned, please visit the Red Wagon and register your bike.
Passenger Ferry: You may carry 2 pieces of hand luggage, 25 lbs. total free of charge for each adult fare paid. You can also pay an extra fee to bring on cartons, grocery bags, shopping carts and luggage carriers subject to space and weight limitations.
Freight Ferry: All other items including large cartons, plants, furniture, all bicycles (even little ones), wagons, scooters and heavy baggage must be shipped on a freight boat, which leaves Bay Shore at 10AM Monday-Friday year ’round and on Saturdays during the spring and summer. No lumber is accepted on Saturdays. If you are having merchandise shipped to you, have it addressed to: YOUR NAME, Kismet, c/o Fire Island Ferries, 99 Maple Avenue, Bayshore, NY 11706. IMPORTANTLY call the ferry to let them know it is coming.