Long Island briefs

BRENTWOOD

Forum addresses minority issues

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone plans to meet this evening with minority community residents to discuss initiatives to address issues affecting them, advocates said.

The forum, organized by nonprofit Make the Road New York and several community partners, seeks to foster "an ongoing conversation" between county government and blacks and Latinos who make up the majority of residents in Brentwood, Central Islip and North Bay Shore, said Daniel Altschuler, the group's Long Island coordinator.

Many of the advocates' concerns revolve "around the issue of affordable housing, foreclosures and housing discrimination," the need for stable and high-paying jobs and efforts to make the county more welcoming to immigrants, Altschuler said.

Vanessa Baird-Streeter, spokeswoman for Bellone, said the forum is one of "various community meetings" where he will "be available to listen to the community and provide updates" on various initiatives, such as the police department's recruitment effort to help diversify the force.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Brentwood Public Library, at 34 Second Avenue.

OYSTER BAY TOWN

Shellfish company replaces sunken dredge

The Frank M. Flower & Sons shellfishing company is replacing a more than century-old dredge that sank in Oyster Bay in November with a 15-year-old Nova Scotia-built lobster boat.

The 40-foot fiberglass Wedgeport Novi model that will replace the wooden Waldron B will be named the Waldron B II. It is expected to bring the Flower fleet back to six vessels by summer, manager Joe Vinarski said.

The diesel-powered boat was purchased in November from an owner in Oriental, N.C., where it was rigged to fish for scallops and shrimp and, before that, lobster.

Flower will use it for clam dredging with a captain and crew of four, Vinarski said. It's tied up by the company's hatchery in Bayville and will be moved to the main facility in Oyster Bay for an overhaul.

"We've got a lot of work to do to re-rig it for clamming," Vinarski said.

He described the boat he brought back from North Carolina as "very seaworthy. It was four days in the ocean with at one point 10-to-14-foot waves, which is nothing we will ever see here on the North Shore, hopefully. It was a comfortable ride."

The 106-year-old Waldron B sank in early November and broke up during a salvage attempt. The boat had recently been retired and was being considered for donation to the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut for restoration.

PATCHOGUE

Zone change sought for land development

The Patchogue Village Board of Trustees made a referral to the planning department Monday night to change the zone of the former Brookhaven Town Hall building.

The move, decided in a 7-0 vote, would allow a developer that recently purchased the building to go ahead with plans to redevelop the land.

Decades ago, "it wasn't zoned for office, but residential. Why it was zoned that way, I don't know, but we need to get the correct zoning," village Mayor Paul Pontieri said at the meeting.

Currently zoned for multiple uses including residential, industrial and office space, the rezoning would change the South Ocean Avenue property to business office space, if approved by the planning department.

A decision on the board's recommendation could come in six weeks, at which point, the trustee board would schedule a public hearing for the change.

HUNTINGTON

Town to use reserves toward snow budget

The Town of Huntington has spent $3.958 million for snow removal so far this year, town officials say.

Long Island has been hit by four significant storms, with either more than 6 inches of snow or a combination of ice and snow, since Jan. 1, according to the National Weather Service in Upton.

"I don't think we are any different than any other municipality out there," Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said. "In fact, we were close to our budget. But we do have our reserves and we did plan for that ahead, and that's why over the years I always had reserves in highway. You never know when you have an extremely bad winter, and this one came upon us."

The town had budgeted $2.1 million. The remaining $1.8 million will come from using the $1.2 million snow reserve fund and other sources, possibly tapping into last year's fund balance, town officials said.

The biggest costs are for salt, sand and labor, town officials said.

Petrone pointed out that there are still three months that can offer storms at the end of the year. "We'll deal with it if it happens," Petrone said.

LIDO BEACH

Beach run, walk to honor fallen Marine

Fallen hero Marine 1st Lt. Michael LiCalzi, 24, of Garden City, who died commanding a tank unit in the Iraqi desert eight years ago, will be honored next month with the 5th annual Beach Run & Walk fundraiser at Lido West Beach Park.

The event, which starts at 11 a.m. on May 10, is sponsored by Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and the Ace in the Hole Foundation, created to honor LiCalzi, who enjoyed many youthful moments surfing the waves at the park, said Murray.

"The Town of Hempstead proudly welcomes the LiCalzi family, along with Michael's friends, admirers and fellow Marines to Lido West to honor his memory and support his foundation," Murray said. "Last year's event raised over $80,000 for the Ace in Hole Foundation, and we hope to exceed that figure this year."

The Beach Run & Walk will also salute the family of Lance Cpl. Jason K. Burnett of St. Cloud, Fla., a LiCalzi crew member who died beside him, and LiCalzi family friend Scott Snyder of Cambridge, who raised more than $12,000 last summer in his "Bike for Mike" cross-country bicycle fundraiser.

Day-of-event registration will be held at Lido West Town Park, 200 Lido Blvd. in Lido Beach, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The registration fee is $25 per person, with a student rate of $10. Active duty personnel and military veterans can participate free of charge.

For additional event information visit aceinthehole

foundation.org

HALESITE

State requires sewer main to be relocated

The state is requiring that a sewer main in Halesite be relocated as part of the ongoing New York Avenue drainage improvements.

The town board unanimously approved a resolution at its April 8 meeting that allows the town to execute a contract with Bancker Construction Corp. in Islandia for the work, which will include installing new sanitary sewer piping and an upstream siphon chamber at Hill Place.

The contract can't exceed $388,610 and will be paid for by the state, officials said.

The state Department of Transportation's Route 110 redesign project in Halesite is almost done. In spring 2012, the state started a drainage and roadway improvement project to mitigate flooding and improve mobility and safety for motorists in the low-lying North Shore coastal area. The project, first proposed to cost about $18.1 million, has cost about $21 million.

NEW HYDE PARK

Agency upgrades village rating to AA+

New Hyde Park Village has received an upgraded rating of AA+ from Standard & Poor's Rating Services.

The village's general obligation rating rose from AA, and the bond rating agency reaffirmed the village's "stable" outlook.

According to Standard & Poor's, the rating is for 2009 general obligation road improvement serial bonds.

The agency wrote, "the stable outlook reflects our opinion of the village's strong performance, supported by very strong liquidity and very strong budgetary flexibility."

Audited fiscal 2013 general fund reserves were $1.3 million, or 22.6 percent of expenditures, the agency said, noting it considers those figures "very strong."

"For fiscal 2014, there is currently no indication that reserves will deviate significantly either way from the prior year," agency officials wrote.

The agency said New Hyde Park has a strong economy, noting its projected per capita effective buying income is at 121.2 percent of the country, and per capita market value is $152,053.

"The Village Board along with our Treasury staff work very hard to ensure our finances are very well managed to provide our residents and taxpayers a level of comfort that the administrators of their taxes are managing their funds effectively," wrote Mayor Robert Lofaro in a news release.

AAA is the highest rating, "defined as extremely strong capacity to meet financial commitments."

PLUM ISLAND

Disease center gets $6.5M federal award

It is scheduled for closure before the end of the decade, but money is still flowing through the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded a Maryland company a $6.5 million federal contract this week for laboratory support services at the center.

The department's chief procurement officer for research and development awarded the McConnell Group, a Rockville, Md., health sciences company, the contract for support services in the facility's Agricultural Defense Scientific Program, according to a published report.

Spokespersons for McConnell and Homeland security did not respond to requests seeking comment.

Plum Island, a highly secured 840-acre federal animal-disease research center off Long Island's North Fork that opened in 1954, is slated for sale and closure by 2019 as the federal government moves to open a new facility in Kansas. Political leaders, including Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton), have fought to keep the Plum Island facility open.

Last October, real-estate mogul Donald Trump said he was interested in buying the island for a golf resort. Trump's office did not return a call yesterday. The Southold Town board has already approved a "pre-emptive" zoning plan that would restrict residential uses, including the Trump plan, and instead calls for the 125 acres of the research facilities to be used as a future research lab. The balance would be set aside for conservation.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called last year for full disclosure and clean up of the "secrets" of Plum Island, including potentially contaminated underground wells, before a sale takes place. Cuomo said the state should be given the final sign-off before a sale.

BALDWIN

Mortgage aid seminar Friday at library

Assemb. Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook), along with the New York Department of Financial Services, plans to host a mortgage assistance unit workshop on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Baldwin Public Library, on 2385 Grand Ave.

The workshop is intended to provide information on how attendees can protect themselves from foreclosure, understand their rights as homeowners, alternatives to foreclosure, federal and state assistance relief programs, and other services.

Specialists will meet with homeowners and provide personalized information and guidance based on their place in the pre-foreclosure and foreclosure process. Homeowners should bring copies of their mortgage documents, loan payment records, letters from their lenders or mortgage services, or any other information relevant to their personal situation.

No appointment is necessary. For more information, contact Curran's office at 516-561-8216.

SOUTHAMPTON

15-foot dead whale washes ashore

A 15-foot dead pilot whale was discovered Sunday on a beach in Southampton near Cryder Lane, according to the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

Robert DiGiovanni, the foundation's executive director and senior biologist, said researchers took a few samples Sunday, and went back to the beach with a crew on Monday to conduct a necropsy on the female adult whale.

The team looked first for external injuries, and then took more samples before disposing of the carcass, DiGiovanni said.

"On first examination, there weren't any signs of obvious trauma, and it doesn't appear the whale had been sick," he said. "But we did take a number of samples to send out for analysis, which will take a couple week or months depending on how busy the lab is."

DiGiovanni said the foundation usually sees one to two pilot whales wash ashore each year. He added that the public should never approach animals they encounter on the beach. Instead, call the foundation's 24-hour hotline at 631-369-9829 to report a sighting.

In recent weeks, DiGiovanni said the foundation has received a number of calls about gray and harbor seals spotted on local beaches. While some were healthy, others were brought to the foundation's facility to recover. There are 13 seals being rehabilitated there, including one that will be released Saturday in Hampton Bays.