$150M sought from state for open space

ISLANDWIDE

$150M sought from state for open space

Assemb. Fred W. Thiele (I-Sag Harbor) wants Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to set aside $150 million of the state's $4.5 billion budget surplus for open space preservation on Long Island.

Thiele, who represents the South Fork, said yesterday in a news release that the allocation would "restore cuts and raids" that have gutted the state's Environmental Protection Fund. Thiele said the state neglected the fund during the recession.

Thiele said the $150 million should come from $4.5 billion in legal settlements state officials reached this year with banks and insurance companies accused of wrongdoing.

"The $4.5 billion state surplus is the result of a one-shot revenue from the mortgage legal settlement," Thiele said. "Therefore, the most prudent use of these dollars would be to invest them in capital projects and infrastructure. Open space should be one of those capital projects."

Thiele also endorsed a recent draft of the state's five-year plan for open space conservation, which includes nine properties in his district, from Montauk to Mastic and Shirley.

Public hearings on the plan are scheduled for Oct. 22, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Department of Environmental Conservation's regional headquarters at 50 Circle Road, Stony Brook.- WILL JAMES

LONG BEACH

County gun buyback program Saturday

Nassau County is staging a gun buyback program Saturday at the Christian Light Baptist Church in Long Beach.

The event at the church at 620 Park Place is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to noon and pay individuals cash for anonymously turning in operable rifles, handguns and assault rifles, according to a news release from Nassau County police.

Individuals will receive $100 for each rifle, $200 for each handgun and $400 for each assault rifle, police said.

All weapons must be unlicensed, unloaded, transported in the trunk or rear of the vehicle and be in a shoe box or bag, paper or plastic.

The buyback program does not include licensed guns, BB guns, air pistols or replicas.

Asset forfeiture funds from the Nassau County Police Department and the Nassau County district attorney are used to fund the buyback program, county officials said. - GARY DYMSKI

SMITHTOWN

Vote limits spending on record recovery

Smithtown Town Board members voted 5-0 yesterday to pay no more than $45,000 to Document Reprocessors, a facility in Rushville in the Finger Lakes area where waterlogged tax files, accounting ledgers and vital records damaged in a record August rain have been frozen.

Smithtown Town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio said yesterday the records "have to be preserved."

An estimated 301 boxes and 85 ledger books from the assessor's, comptroller's and town clerk's offices were damaged, Smithtown Town Attorney Matthew Jakubowski has said. Water flooded the basement areas where the documents were stored.

Document Reprocessors submitted a bill for about $42,000 for services according to a Sept. 9 memo from town purchasing director Joseph Kostecki. The company also submitted estimates for potential additional costs, including about $254,000 for reproduction of the documents in digital format or roughly $454,000 for hard copy reproduction, according to the memo.

It is unclear whether the town plans to incur the additional expenses.

"It's the initial stage," Vecchio said in an interview. "Town officials will determine whether any more rehabilitation is needed for the records."

Kostecki and town Comptroller Louis Necroto were not immediately available for comment. Smithtown Town Assessor Peter Johnson declined to comment.

Smithtown Town Clerk Vincent Puleo said at the meeting that "95 percent" of the damaged records were not from his office. He said all of his office's records are in electronic format, but some also need to be preserved on paper. - LAURA M. HARRISON

NASSAU COUNTY

NICE bus route adds mobile app payment

New technology on some Nassau buses lets riders pay their fares with a scan of their phone.

Nassau Inter-County Express, or NICE, has installed the new "multi-format readers" on all buses on its N24 route, which runs between Jamaica and Hicksville.

Customers using NICE's GoMobile application can pay their fares by scanning their phones on a bar code reader on the device, which is located near the bus entrance. A message on a digital screen confirms a fare has been paid.

NICE officials said they are testing the scanning technology, which is only available on the seven buses on the N24 line and can only read bar codes from the GoMobile application. They say the goal is to allow scanners to accept other payment forms, including credit, debit and student identification cards.

Customers on buses not equipped with the scanner can still use GoMobile by displaying their phone to a driver. NICE said the app has been downloaded 14,000 times since its release in June.

"As the GoMobile app continues to grow in use, the ability for riders to scan the app's bar code is what makes this option reach its full potential," NICE spokesman Andrew Kraus said. "Ultimately, having multimodal scanners on buses will allow riders to choose from a number of options of how they want to pay, giving them even more convenience." - ALFONSO A. CASTILLO

LINDENHURST

Forum for NY Rising questions on Oct. 15

A community forum is planned on Oct. 15 for residents with questions about the state's NY Rising rebuilding program.

The informational meeting is being hosted by state Sen. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore) and Legis. Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst). Representatives from NY Rising are expected to be on hand to answer questions about the program. Due to time restrictions, residents are being asked to try to submit questions ahead of time by calling 631-854-1100 or emailing McCaffrey at Kevin.McCaffrey@suffolkcountyny.gov.

The forum will take place Oct. 15 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Lindenhurst Middle School, 350 S. Wellwood Ave. - DENISE BONILLA

BABYLON TOWN

Fall Festival at Town Hall on Saturday

Babylon Town will host its annual Fall Festival on Saturday.

The free event will feature hay rides, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo and face-painting. There will also be food and live entertainment, with radio station B103 supporting the event.

The event will take place from noon to 3 p.m. at Babylon Town Hall, 200 E. Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst. For information, call the Babylon Town parks and recreation department at 631-893-2100. - DENISE BONILLA

MINEOLA

Children's seat safety check at Wilson Park

A free child safety seat check will be held Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wilson Park in Mineola.

The inspections, sponsored by state Sen. Jack M. Martins (R-Mineola), will be conducted by officials from the Nassau County Traffic Safety Board, who will check to see that children's car seats are properly installed and secured.

According to the Safety Board, child safety seats can reduce the threat of injury or death by as much as 65 percent, but only if they are installed properly. New York State law requires all children under age 8 be restrained in an appropriate child safety seat but the Safety Board estimates that as many as 90 percent of these seats are improperly installed.

Wilson Park is at 185 Westbury Ave.

Appointments for the seat checks will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis. To schedule an appointment, call Martins' office at 516-746-5924. - LIZA IRIZARRY

CENTER MORICHES

Annual Pa-Qua-Tuck Spooky Walk returns

Ghosts and ghouls are returning to Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck in Center Moriches on Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25, for the 26th annual Spooky Walk.

The event is sponsored by the Moriches Paquatuck Squaws, a fundraising organization for the camp, which offers recreational activities such as swimming, boating and talent shows for children and young adults with special needs. Spooky Walk raised more than $100,000 for the camp last year.

Spooky Walk includes a Zombie Asylum, Psycho Circus, Club Boogie, the Tainted Tea Party and the Lost Pirates. The 45-minute terror trip will be presented from 7 to 9 p.m. at the camp on Chet Swezey Road. Admission is $15.

For information, visit spookywalk.com or camppaquatuck.com. - CARL MACGOWAN

PORT WASHINGTON

Free prostate cancer screening at library

Men 40 and older can attend a free prostate cancer screening in Port Washington on Oct. 28.

A free PSA test program will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Port Washington Library, 1 Library Dr.

Men cannot participate if they have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Men must bring photo identification with an address, along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

The event is being sponsored by state Sen. Jack M. Martins (R-Mineola) with the Integrated Medical Foundation and Shiel Medical Laboratory.

Men can schedule an appointment at 516-746-5924. - SCOTT EIDLER

BROOKHAVEN

10th annual business building expo Oct. 30

Brookhaven Town and its business advisory council plan to host the 10th annual Building Business in Brookhaven Expo on Oct. 30.

The event, which town officials said they expect to draw more than 100 vendors, is focused on business networking among local, regional and national companies, and agencies such as the federal Small Business Administration. About 450 people attended last year's event, officials said.

"This is a must-attend event for any business in Brookhaven that wants to connect with a large audience of potential partners and customers," Henry Bramwell, Brookhaven Business Advisory Council president, said in a statement.

The Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency and the town's Chamber of Commerce are co-hosting the event.

Town Supervisor Edward P. Romaine in a statement described the expo as "a great resource for businesses to network, share ideas and help grow the local economy."

The event will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, in Farmingville.

For more information or to reserve a vendor table, call 631-451-6563. - DEON J. HAMPTON