Babylon to hold hearing on preference law for COVID-19 supplies

Babylon Town officials will hold a public hearing Monday to take up a local preference law for purchasing medical equipment and supplies to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said that since the pandemic could last for 18 months, officials believe it’s in the best interest of residents and employees that preference be given to local manufacturers and distributors who make supplies to help fight COVID-19 because they will generate economic activity in the town. Reimbursement for potential purchases would come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Schaffer said.

The hearing will be held via a Zoom meeting.

“I want to be able to have equipment, supplies all available here as opposed to having to go search around different parts of the country or even internationally. It just makes sense,” Schaffer said. “If it’s made here or distributed from here, we would want to have somebody local.”

The town adheres to a 2008 local preference law passed by the Suffolk County Legislature.The county is allowed to award a contract to a local company as long as the bid does not exceed the lowest bid by more than 10%, according to the law, 

Wyandanch-based Corinthian Cast Stone, which manufactures concrete products, is making intubation shields. East Farmingdale-based D’Addario & Co. , known for its guitar strings, is making face shields.

D’Addario & Co. plans to continue manufacturing face shields beyond the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesman said.

In April, Nassau and Suffolk counties were forced to scramble to obtain stockpiles of medical supplies as the COVID-19 infection and death rate began to increase. County officials faced competition from other counties and cities to acquire the materials, something not lost on Schaffer.

“In the very beginning of this, all of us were scurrying for hand sanitizers, masks, face coverings disinfectant equipment, so I knew that thinking long term ... this is going to be an issue that we’re going to be dealing with for 18 months to two years,” Schaffer said. 

The hearing is at 11 a.m. on the town’s YouTube channel.