Long Island briefs

OCEANSIDE

Curran sets outreach event at library

Assemb. Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook) has announced that he will host an "Officially Speaking: Coffee and Conversation" constituent outreach event at the Oceanside Library on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

He said he will field questions and concerns about local issues that residents have and tell them what is happening in Albany.

"Officially Speaking: Coffee and Conversation," is a new program at the Oceanside Library designed to let constituents meet with public servants in an informal setting.

The library is at 30 Davison Ave.

For more information, call 516-561-8216.

VALLEY STREAM

Tour set to raise school bond support

Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 officials will hold a final walk-through Monday at Wheeler Avenue Elementary School to raise awareness about a Dec. 8 bond measure to fund safety and security repairs and renovations at the district's four schools.

The district has held previous tours at Willow Road, Howell Road and James A. Dever Elementary schools to discuss plans at each of the buildings.

District officials said the tours give parents and residents a preview of what is needed at the schools and where improvements can be made.

The bond measure would add infrastructure, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and outdoor playgrounds at each campus.

School district officials are also pursuing energy-performance improvements to offset project funding and taxes on residents.

The Wheeler Avenue walk-through is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m.

The Board of Education will also discuss bond measure details for Dever and Willow Elementary during its Nov. 24 meeting at James A. Dever Elementary School, 585 N. Corona Ave.

For more information, residents can visit the district's website at www.valleystream13.com.

COPIAGUE/

LINDENHURST

Candlelight vigil for addiction battles

Two Copiague and Lindenhurst community groups on Saturday will host their second annual candlelight vigil in honor of those lost to substance abuse.

The Copiague and Lindenhurst Community Cares groups are sponsoring the "Lights of Hope," which will also pay tribute to those who are in recovery and those still fighting substance abuse. In addition to the candlelight vigil, there will be guest speakers and a video montage of loved ones who have been lost and those who are in recovery. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 1 Molloy St., Copiague.

EAST NORWICH

Tour weekends set

at Chelsea Mansion

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano has announced the "Come Home for the Holidays" tour at Chelsea Mansion for the following three consecutive weekends: Dec. 4-6, Dec. 11-13, and Dec. 18-20. There will be two tours per day, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

"I invite residents to enjoy the traditional decorations, music and refreshments offered at Chelsea Mansion this holiday season," Mangano said.

Visitors are encouraged to enjoy holiday tours of Chelsea Mansion adorned with the finest holiday decorations. There will be traditional holiday music and light refreshments.

Admission is: $15 per guest, $10 for seniors and children under 12 years old. Guided tours are limited to 25 guests per tour. Reservations are required. Please call 516-572-0200 to reserve a spot on the tour.

The mansion is at 34 Muttowntown Lane on the 550-acre Muttontown Preserve. It is a 40-room site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was built by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Moore in 1924 and is an example of the design ideas prevalent during the latter part of Long Island's Gold Coast era.

The ruins of the mansion once owned by King Zog of Albania can still be viewed in the wooded area just north of Muttontown Road.

For more information about Nassau County parks and museums, call: 516-572-0200 or visit the website at www.nassaucountyny.gov/parks.

EAST END

LI Farm Bureau chooses officers

The Long Island Farm Bureau has re-elected two of its top leaders and selected three new board members, the organization said yesterday.

Board president Karen Rivara and vice-president Karl Novak were re-elected last month to one-year terms leading the organization, an influential lobbying group for the region's farmers.

Board members at the Calverton-based organization come from a variety of agricultural sectors, including vineyards, nurseries, horse farms, vegetable farms, a poultry farm and a vodka distillery.

Rivara, a North Fork shellfish farmer at Aero's Cultured Oyster Company, is entering her third and final year as the group's first female president. The position has a three-year term limit.

Novak, general manager of Half Hollow Nursery in Laurel, is entering his second year as vice president.

Three new members were also elected to the 17-member board: Dominick Bruno of Bruno Farms in Manorville, Juan Micieli-Martinez of Martha Clara Vineyard, and Ian Wile of North Fork Oysters, the group said.

"It's always exciting to have people coming in with new energy and new ideas," farm bureau executive director Robert Carpenter said yesterday.

Farm bureau members held the election at the organization's annual meeting on Oct. 26 at Stonewalls Restaurant in Riverhead.

Seven board members were re-elected to two-year terms. Former board members Alex Balsam and Kristina Reedy retired this year.

EAST WILLISTON

Village removes solar-panel ban

Residents can now install solar panels, thanks to a local law passed by the village board of trustees.

At a meeting last month, the board of trustees voted 5-0 to lift a five-month moratorium started June 25 on the installation of solar panels and to introduce a new set of guidelines.

Solar panels must be "aesthetically appropriate" for the intended location, and the local law includes parameters for both installation and application submission.

The law requires solid-colored panels that match the color of the roof they are affixed to and must be mounted as close as possible to the surface of the roof.

The panels should not be visible from an abutting or nearby street.

Tree removal or trimming in order to accommodate installation is forbidden.

Residents must submit a building permit with detailed information, including site plans, photographs, drawings, layout plans, colors, finishes and more. There is also a $250 fee.

Applications must be certified by a state-licensed engineer or architect.

Installations must be handled by qualified solar installers and electrical connections will be inspected by a licensed electrical inspector before operation.

CENTRAL ISLIP

Conference to look at homelessness issue

Local leaders will gather today at the 27th annual Keys for the Homeless Conference to call for state funding as the increasing number of homeless -- including homeless veterans -- continues to exceed the number of available supportive housing units, which offer affordable housing with on-site services.

Ralph Fasano, executive director of Amityville-based Concern for Independent Living Inc., the largest nonprofit provider of supportive housing for individuals and families on Long Island, according to its website, said he has been campaigning for a year to get state legislators to include funding for 35,000 units statewide.

Concern for Independent Living, which has been providing supportive housing for the past three decades and currently operates 220 sites on the Island, has recently focused on eradicating veteran homelessness, Fasano said.

A year ago, the nonprofit opened Liberty Village in North Amityville with 60 units of housing for veterans and their families, Fasano said. Still, there are about 160 homeless veterans on Long Island in need of housing.

"There are several thousand homeless people on Long Island," Fasano said. "We see a lot of people living in cars, living in the woods, doubling up with people, living in garages."

Many chronically homeless people suffer from mental illness, substance abuse and illnesses that perpetuate the cycle of coming in and out of shelters, institutions and hospital beds, Fasano said. He said this type of housing proves to be cost-effective for those who would otherwise have to be in a hospital or a supervised setting.

Local elected officials, including state Sens. Tom Croci (R-Sayville) and Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore), Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Bay Shore), Suffolk County Legis. Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) and Suffolk County Veteran Services director Thomas Ronayne are expected to attend the news conference scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Touro Law Center on Eastview Drive.

"I am proud to join my Senate colleagues to advocate for an additional 35,000 units of supportive housing throughout New York State. By working together, we can identify solutions, like supportive housing, to address this urgent issue facing our region," Croci, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Veterans, and Military Affairs, said in a statement.

Fasano said he had hoped to have the money earmarked for the 2015 budget. He said he has been gaining support in the Assembly.

"The will is there," Fasano said, "to come up with a solution and it's just finding the funding and a plan that makes sense for the entire state."