Long Island briefs

SOUTHAMPTON VILLAGE

Southampton Village resident Susan Stevenson has been appointed to the Board of Architectural Review & Historic Preservation to fill the unexpired term of former member Esther Pastor.

Pastor resigned from the board in the fall and Stevenson will serve out Pastor’s three-year term, which expires June 30, 2017.

Stevenson is a retired editor who worked at Woman’s Day and Ambiance magazines. Currently she writes news releases for Janet Borden Inc. in Manhattan, an art gallery that features fine art photography. She is also the treasurer of the Southampton Association, a non-profit community organization founded in 1963 to provide a voice for residents in local village affairs.

Southampton Association members are proponents of setting specific design standards for new buildings and strengthening architectural review procedures.

Village board members announced Stevenson’s appointment during a special meeting held on Dec. 30.

Mayor Mark Epley said in a telephone interview that he recommended Stevenson to the village board after he considered four other candidates.

“She’s been very involved in the village and attends a lot of different board meetings and she’s an active member of the community,” Epley said of Stevenson. “She understands architectural plans and drawings and is familiar with the process. I think she will do a good job.”

Stevenson said in a telephone interview that she is joining the board at the right time because of concerns about the future of historic properties in Southampton Village and the surrounding area.

“I feel it’s becoming somewhat of a crucial time for historic villages on the East End,” Stevenson, who has been a full-time resident of Southampton for 15 years, said. “We’ve lost some of the historic houses and there’s a lot of development. We need to be careful about what happens next.”

There are five members on the Board of Architectural Review & Historic Preservation.

LISA IRIZARRY

MINEOLA

Acting County Assessor Jim Davis has announced that notices of tentative assessed value for the 2017-2018 property tax year are available for viewing to homeowners on the Department of Assessment website: www.mynassauproperty.com.

“Hard copies of the notices will be mailed to all homeowners by the end of January,” he said in a news release.

Notices, which indicate the assigned tentative assessed value for each property for the 2017-18 school and general tax years, however, do not reflect the amount of property taxes that will be imposed by a school district or local taxing authority.

“Homeowners who believe that their [Nassau County] assessment may be too high should file a grievance with the Assessment Review Commission (ARC) by March 1, 2016,” Davis said. “There is no filing fee and the application is easy to fill out.”

Homeowners who would like to challenge their 2017-18 tentative assessed value, property classification or property tax exemption status may file an “Application for Correction of Assessment” with the Assessment Review Commission online at www.nassaucountyny.gov/arc. The application can also be obtained in person at the Department of Assessment, 240 Old Country Road in Mineola or by calling ARC at (516) 571-3214.

SID CASSESE

WILLISTON PARK

The Williston Park village board is drafting the tentative water agreement recently reached with East Williston, with the hopes of finalizing terms soon.

The board met Monday night to review and revise the draft privately during an executive session, because of pending litigation with East Williston, village attorney Jim Bradley said.

Bradley said the revisions covered the terms tentatively reached in December by both boards. Under the proposed 25-year water agreement, East Williston would maintain its rate of $4.33 until June 2018. The $300,000 that East Williston currently owes in outstanding water penalties for nonpayment would be reduced to $100,000.

Bradley said that the agreement would be sent to the East Williston village board later this week. Williston Park mayor Paul Ehrbar said he hoped to set a date to sign the agreement shortly.

The East Williston village board is holding a public meeting at village hall on Tuesday Jan. 12 to review the agreement with residents. The board will also discuss the possibility of building its own well. This move would involve a bond resolution to finance building a village water supply system, which will be subject to voter approval, according to a village email.

Ehbar said he was sure there would be some tweaking to the agreement, but that it would also eventually be presented to Williston Park residents.

CHRISTINE CHUNG

ASHAROKEN

Asharoken is eligible for up to a $9,000 grant to help offset the cost of new furniture and other improvements for the court portion of its new village hall, Mayor Greg Letica announced.

The funding would come from a Justice Court Assistance Program, the state’s system for helping towns and villages improve the operation of their court systems, Letica said on the village’s website.

The funding can be used for furniture, training for judges or non-legal personnel, costs associated with recording of court proceedings, among other things.

Plans for a new village hall were in the works for nearly 10 years, but the project gained new momentum after superstorm Sandy flooded the old building, forcing Asharoken officials and police to work out of trailers while the new one was built.

The new building was open for its first village hall meeting in November. It’s three times the size of the old hall, and also serves as the village clerk’s office, the police department and village courthouse. It’s projected to cost just over $958,000. It was funded with $593,172 in Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, $85,000 in state grants and a PSEG energy rebate, and more than $340,000 in donations from 230 local households.

VALERIE BAUMAN

GREENPORT

A Greenport retirement community has announced it is seeking to expand its staff by 60 full-time and part-time positions.

Peconic Landing officials said in Jan. 1 news release that they are launching an “aggressive recruitment campaign” to hire nurses, cooks, drivers, admissions coordinators and a variety of other workers. More than half of the new positions are in the healthcare field, officials with the organization said.

In September 2014, the nonprofit organization broke ground on a $44 million expansion adding 46 new apartments, a 16-suite short-term rehabilitation center and a 16-suite Memory Care Center. Officials said the expansion is expected to be completed in spring 2016.

“We are excited to welcome new talent to our ever growing team and strive to make Peconic Landing an outstanding place to work,” Peconic Landing chief executive Robert Syron said in the news release.

Peconic Landing has more than 220 employees, making it the second largest employer in Southold Town and one of the largest employers on the East End, officials with the organization said.

“More than eighty-percent of our current staff resides within the Town of Southold,” human resources director Jane Willsey said in the news release. “To meet our employment needs, we are going to have to attract talent from the Riverhead and South Fork community as well as the North Fork, which could be a challenge.”

Peconic Landing officials have planned two job fairs, on Jan. 14, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Jan. 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Officials said they will hold interviews on-site and encouraged candidates to bring resumes.

WILL JAMES

GREAT NECK PLAZA

Great Neck Plaza’s village board will be holding two public hearings about its 2016-2017 budget Wednesdsay evening.

A tentative budget and salary schedule for the fiscal year beginning in March 2016 and ending in February 2017 will be presented. Village Mayor Jean Celender said the budget is still being fine-tuned, but that it will be adopted by the end of the month.

The village is also considering a local law to override the state tax levy limit, which the board has often adopted in the past as a precautionary measure, Celender said. The proposed law would allow the village to exceed the state-mandated cap of 2 percent.

The public hearings will take place at 8 p.m. at village hall, 2 Gussack Plaza in Great Neck.

CHRISTINE CHUNG

BROOKHAVEN

Brookhaven Town is seeking nominations for outstanding women.

Community groups, businesses and individuals are being asked to nominate women they believe deserve special recognition for their professional work or volunteerism in 2015.

“Every year we take a moment to recognize our women in all of our communities,” said Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright, one of two women elected to the town board. “Of course we can’t recognize everyone, but we make sure to honor women to make sure their work is appreciated.”

Eligible candidates must live or work in Brookhaven and all nominations should include a resume or equivalent document and two letters of recommendation.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 22.

Categories for nominations include business, design, education, government, medicine and religion.

Others are military, sports, science, technology and visual performing arts.

The town will recognize the women March 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the 2nd floor auditorium of Town Hall, One Independence Hill in Farmingville.

Forms are available at Town Hall or online at www.brookhaven.org.

For more information, call the town’s office of women’s services at 631-451-6146.

DEON J. HAMPTON