Bethpage Federal tags Ducks' home field

After a year with no naming-rights sponsor for its minor league baseball stadium, Suffolk County has agreed to a deal with Bethpage Federal Credit Union to pay $2.1 million to dub the Long Island Ducks' home field Bethpage Ballpark until 2020.

The contract would be the third name since the 10-year-old, 6,000-seat facility opened. It was called Citibank Park at its inception and Suffolk County Sports Park during the 2010 Ducks season when the county failed to sell the naming rights.

The legislature's Public Works Committee discharged a bill containing the naming-rights deal to the full legislature, which is scheduled to vote on it Tuesday.

Legis. Tom Barraga (R-West Islip) complained during Tuesday's meeting that the deal's 8 percent commission - $168,000 over the life of the contract to real estate consultant Newmark Knight Frank - was too much and urged County Executive Steve Levy's aides to renegotiate it.

Levy's chief deputy, Christopher Kent, said he would ask the agency to reduce its commission.

In other action, the Public Works Committee approved a 50-cent hike to county bus fares to fund Sunday bus service as a pilot project.

Legis. Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk), who sponsored the measure, projected the 33 percent fare increase would net the county about $1.18 million in new revenue. He said that would be enough to fund nine of the county's 56 bus routes on Sundays.

"Everybody knows the time has come for Sunday bus," Schneiderman said. "This is a vestige of the old blue laws."

Barraga cast the lone vote against the bill in committee. The full legislature is scheduled to vote on the measure Tuesday.