A parrot nest at Lindenhurst Village Park on Tuesday. 

A parrot nest at Lindenhurst Village Park on Tuesday.  Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca

The Village of Lindenhurst will resume replacing lights on its athletic fields, six months after public outrage over the deaths of birds nesting in the lights.

The upgrades to the lights had been performed in June at Fireman’s Park by a subcontractor, Renu Contracting of Copiague, hired by Johnson Controls of Syosset, according to village officials.

Company workers allegedly tossed parrot and sparrow eggs and hatchlings to the ground and in the garbage during breeding season. Photos of the carnage spread across social media, igniting anger toward village officials who halted the work and had village attorney Gerard Glass launch an investigation. The Suffolk County SPCA also investigated.

"It was cruel, it was idiotic, it was every adjective you can think of," said Mayor Mike Lavorata, adding he had "no idea" the work was being done and that Johnson Controls had been told to start after breeding season.

Renu did not respond to requests for comment. The SPCA said the investigation had concluded and no charges were filed. Glass declined to comment.

In an online post last week, the village announced that with the breeding season over, the light upgrades will resume. There will be a new subcontractor performing the work, Deer Park-based Roland’s Electric.

"Our teams have been given guidance on how to tend for any bird that is unable to fend for itself, and we have volunteers on call to rescue birds and take them to sanctuary," the village post stated.

The village and Johnson Controls have been "working closely" with a monk parakeet expert and local bird volunteer, the post stated.

"We are confident this time that all eyes are watching," Lavorata said.

Numerous Lindenhurst parks and athletic field light fixtures have become home to a population of monk parakeets, or Quaker parrots, who are attracted to the warmth of the lights.

Last year, the village signed a $5.8 million contract with Johnson Controls, its largest agreement ever with a private company. They will make upgrades such as LED lighting and solar panels to more than a dozen village facilities and properties.

Lavorata said after the June incident, he "was very worried" about the company. But he said he feels Johnson Controls "has learned very severely from this lesson."

Chaz Bickers, director of communications for Johnson Controls, said he could not address how the incident happened.

"I think the most constructive thing I can point to is the work that we’ve done with the village and with the bird advocates to make sure that we’re doing the best that we can do to minimize disruption," he said.

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