LI BRIEFS

Riverhead/Town to tackle mold woe in community center

Riverhead's Town Board held a special meeting yesterday to approve a legal advertisement so that it can seek bids for a cleanup project for the mold that is growing in its George Young Community Center in Aquebogue.

"We have camp for youngsters [there] starting on July 5," said Supervisor Sean Walter.

The mold is a result of flooding during record rainfall in March.

The town already approved an emergency contract to do mold cleanup in the basement of town hall, but some board members balked at issuing a second no-bid contract for the Aquebogue center. Three firms had entered informal bids.

The legal advertisement will tell potential bidders that they have until June 1 at 11 a.m. to enter bids on the project, and that all work must be completed to the satisfaction of the town engineer by June 18.

The board took the unusual step of adding a penalty clause - $500 a day for each day the job is incomplete beyond June 19.

"I don't think anyone will bid," Walter said.

- Mitchell Freedman

EAST END/Revenue for Peconic Bay Preservation Fund up

In another sign that the East End real estate market is improving, the revenue from the Peconic Bay Preservation Fund - funded by a special 2 percent tax on real estate sales in the five East End towns - is showing strong increases for the first four months of 2010.

The fund brought in $19.64 million, more than double the $7.85 million generated for the same period in 2009, according to State Assemb. Fred W. Thiele, Jr.

There were 1,991 real estate transactions subject to the special tax, compared with 1,566 for the first four months of last year.

Each of the five East End towns uses the tax money to acquire vacant land for preservation purposes, maintain and manage property already acquired, and - in come cases - offset the loss of tax revenue once preserved lands come off the tax rolls.

Since it was approved by voters in 1999, the Peconic Bay Regional Community Preservation Fund has brought in more than $624 million.

- Mitchell Freedman