LI briefs: Amityville urges residents to apply for permits for storm repairs

Amityville trustees appealed to waterfront residents to apply for floodplain permits for any work undertaken on their homes after superstorm Sandy or other storms.

Failure to file the permits required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency could get the village dropped from the federally sponsored National Flood Insurance Program, Mayor James Wandell said Monday. The program offers insurance rates at one-third to half of the commercial cost.

"None of us who have flood insurance can afford to be out of the National Flood Insurance Program," he said.

Village officials said they were responding to pressure from FEMA about unpermitted work in the floodplain in Amityville and elsewhere on Long Island.

Officials earlier this month sent letters to about 1,100 homeowners who live within the 100-year floodplain, an area extending up to a half-mile north of waterfront. Another mailing is planned because not enough residents responded, officials reported.

The letters ask homeowners who had any repairs or renovations to contact the village building department for help with the permitting process.

There is no permit fee until April 30. After that, trustees set the fee at $250.

Village officials will not offer any amnesty for work performed without normally required village permits, said Trustee Nick LaLota.
-- NICHOLAS SPANGLER

OYSTER BAY TOWN
Town announces fees for boat storage

The town of Oyster Bay will retain fees for storing boats during the winter at the Theodore Roosevelt Marina for 2014-2015 at the same level as the previous season.

The town board voted to approve the fee schedule at its Sept. 30 board meeting. Officials did not make the fee schedule public.

Town spokesman Marta Kane said in an email Friday only that "the fee schedule is the same as this year's schedule."

A man answering the phone at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park and Beach, who did not identify himself, said the winter storage rates were $30 per foot of boat length per month.
-- TED PHILLIPS

BROOKHAVEN TOWN
Rail Terminal buys $850G locomotive

The Brookhaven Rail Terminal in Yaphank has purchased a fuel-efficient locomotive for $850,000, officials announced Friday.

Terminal officials said the Genset locomotive reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

"We continue to look for ways to enhance BRT's environmental benefits," said Jim Newell, terminal president.

The new locomotive was created specifically for commercial yard switching, officials said.
-- DEON J. HAMPTON

EAST HAMPTON VILLAGE
$700G state funds for Rte. 114 traffic circle

East Hampton Village will receive $700,000 in state funds to install a traffic circle at a Route 114 intersection that state legislators said is dangerous.

State Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) and Assemb. Fred Thiele (I-Sag Harbor) announced the allocation in a news release Monday, saying the village would match the state's contribution.

The proposal would construct a roundabout with a landscaped center island at the intersection of Route 114, Toilsome Lane and Buell Lane, a busy crossroads on a main route between Sag Harbor and downtown East Hampton.

East Hampton Village and the New York State Department of Transportation worked for several years to design the project, but it lacked funding until this week, the lawmakers said.

The project, expected to begin next year, is to include new drainage systems and pedestrian safety measures.
-- WILL JAMES

ISLIP
Town shelter urges adoptions of older pets

The Islip Town animal shelter is celebrating National Adopt a Senior Pet Month in November with free adoptions of animals more than 6 years old.

The shelter's Live.Love.Bark Dog Rescue, a nonprofit volunteer group, will cover the adoption fees for older animals as long as applications are filed in November. Dog adoption fees are typically $105 and cat adoption fees $65. The standard adoption process will be followed, officials said.

Renters should provide a notarized letter from landlords stating the animals will be allowed in their homes.

"These senior pets are all good pets that deserve the same comforts as any other animal," Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci said in a news release. "Don't let their age stop you from adopting one. They have just as much, if not more, love and affection to give, plus they are usually calmer, better behaved, and house trained."

To check out some of the shelter animals available for adoption, visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/islipanimals or go to the shelter at 210 S. Denver Ave. in Bay Shore.
-- SOPHIA CHANG

LINDENHURST
Board to discuss plans for closed school

The Lindenhurst school board tonight will meet to discuss marketing plans for a closed elementary school.

The district recently hired Plainview realtor Greiner Maltz to take over the marketing of Bower Elementary School on Montauk Highway. Robert Cohen, the district's attorney, said Greiner Maltz had experience with school property sales in Seaford and Syosset. "It's probably the best chance to find a viable buyer or series of renters for the property," he said.

Last year the board of education voted to hire Islip realtor Jamie Winkler to put Bower on the market for nearly $6.5 million. The district received five offers ranging from $2.8 million to $5.2 million with varying configurations. But talks dissolved between the developers — who mostly wanted to use the site for senior housing — and Lindenhurst Village, which must approve any development on the site, officials said. A sale of the property must win voter approval, district officials said.

Various groups have rented space in Bower since the school was shut in June 2011 due to low enrollment. Officials said the rent has not covered maintenance costs for the 1952 building, costing the district more than $150,000 a year.

The meeting will start at 8 p.m. at the McKenna Administration building, 350 Daniel St.
-- DENISE M. BONILLA

NORTH HEMPSTEAD
Resident named to landmark panel

Anne Cybriwsky, a Manhasset resident who studied architecture and has a background in residential and commercial real estate sales, has been appointed to the Town of North Hempstead's Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Cybriwsky was named to a three-year at-large position by the town board at its Sept. 30 meeting. She replaces Joel Joseph.

The commission, formed in 1984, has seven voting members. It nominates and designates buildings, structures, sites or objects as historic landmarks or historic landmark districts, and prepares reports, studies and surveys related to consideration for the designation. Commissioners also make nominations to state and national historic registers and advise owners of historic properties about preservation.

"I've always had an interest in structural design and the artistic side of it," Cybriwsky said in an interview last week. "All buildings tell a story and people want a link with the past to help them know who they are today."

A lot of historic structures can be refitted for the 21st Century and don't have to be torn down, she said.

Cybriwsky added she will work to streamline the landmark designation process so it is not so "complicated."
-- LISA IRIZARRY

Bellmore resident is new comptroller

Inna Reznik, a certified public accountant with nearly 20 years' experience in the public and private sectors, is North Hempstead's new comptroller.

The Bellmore resident was appointed to the $130,000-a-year post during the Oct. 21 town council meeting. She succeeds Kathleen Mitterway who left Aug. 30 to become auditor director for the Long Island Power Authority.

Reznik most recently was a senior audit manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP. Before that she was Nassau Community College comptroller.

"Keeping a sharp eye on the finances is critical, and I am confident that Inna Reznik can lead the comptroller's office with a conservative eye, financial expertise and integrity," Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a news release. "Her previous experience at Deloitte and Nassau Community College will transfer well to municipal government."

Reznik said in the release that she was "very excited about this opportunity to serve the Supervisor, Town Board and residents of North Hempstead."
-- LISA IRIZARRY