Long Island briefs

BROOKHAVEN TOWN

Blighted property point system set up

Brookhaven has created a point system to assess blighted properties as part of an effort to clean up the town.

The system assigns points for issues including threats to health and safety, fire hazards and illegal activity. Any property amassing 100 points will be deemed blighted, after which a notice to the property owner will be issued.

That owner must bring the property into compliance or face a court hearing, officials said.

If the owner fails to appear in court, Brookhaven would have the authority to repair or demolish the property, officials said. A lien would then be placed on the property to recover the costs of cleanup or demolition.

The system starts at two points for minor offenses such as maintenance violations and climbs to 50 points for health and safety threats, fire hazards and illegal activity.

Board members at their Dec. 16 meeting unanimously adopted the law creating the point system. Town Supervisor Edward P. Romaine sponsored the "Blighted Property Restoration" law.

"Our law and building departments have been making great progress cleaning up blight in the town," Romaine said in a statement. "Nearly every community is faced with this problem. Our new law provides us with more authority to better address the issues and improve the quality of life for our residents."

LONG BEACH

Schumer to swear in assemblyman-elect

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is scheduled to preside over the swearing-in of new Assemb. Todd Kaminsky during a ceremony Sunday in Long Beach.

Kaminsky, a Democrat, was elected to a 2-year term when he defeated Republican challenger Avi Fertig in the November election. His inauguration is planned in his hometown.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is expected to lead the ceremony with other Long Beach officials and an estimated 150 residents.

The ceremony is set for 2 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, 615 Riverside Blvd.

HUNTINGTON

Bus routes added for apartment dwellers

The Town of Huntington's HART bus system will be adding two stops to provide better access to people living at the Paumanack Village apartments in Greenlawn and the residents of the town's Village Green Senior Center.

The changes to HART's H30 route will take effect Jan. 12. The first change will add an 11:10 a.m. stop on the bus line at the Paumanack Village I/II community center. The bus will provide direct service to the senior center via Pulaski and Greenlawn roads.

The second change will add a 1:09 p.m. departure from the senior center, for a direct trip via Centerport and Pulaski roads to the Paumanack Village I/II community center. From there it will continue on to the Walt Whitman Shops, giving residents a way to reach the mall.

"We are happy to be able to accommodate residents' requests for this increased service," town Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said in a statement. "We hope this will make it easier for the seniors who live at Paumanack to take advantage of our senior center and to visit one of the Town's premier shopping destinations."

LINDENHURST

Counseling for those affected by Sandy

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York is scheduled to be in Lindenhurst next week to help those emotionally impacted by superstorm Sandy.

The nonprofit, which provides free emotional support and counseling services to groups and individuals, is expected to be at the Lindenhurst Memorial Library on Monday to present its Disaster Distress Response Program, which discusses common reactions experienced by people who have experienced a disaster such as Sandy. The group delves into the way disasters can influence how people think and feel, and it teaches techniques to help people manage stress. Visiting Nurse Service of New York will also talk about their free 10-session in-home program.

The event is to run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, call 718-888-6955.

RIVERHEAD

Town gets grant for agritourism center

Riverhead Town has received a $700,000 state grant to turn a vacant firehouse into an "agritourism visitors center," though the property's soon-to-be owner is unsure about the idea.

Town Supervisor Sean Walter said a farming-centric tourism center would be a "great fit" for the so-called Second Street firehouse, but the town is in contract to sell the municipally owned building to Bob Castaldi, owner of the Suffolk Theater on Main Street, for $500,000.

Castaldi, in an interview Saturday, said he is "exploring" the agritourism idea, but is also interested in turning the building into a brewery or a "farmers supermarket," a place where farmers could sell their wares in a grocery store setting.

"It's up in the air right now, it really is," he said.

Walter, though, said a tourism center could "breathe some life into Second Street," a section of downtown that town officials have been working to revitalize.

Assemb. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk), in a statement, said the grant from the New York Regional Economic Development Council "continues to add to the revitalization of Riverhead."

Castaldi, who lives in Cutchogue and works as a contractor specializing in historic renovation, said he expects to close on the building "any day."

"My interest is to restore and save historical buildings in downtown Riverhead," he said.

LONG BEACH

Labor deal will keep

5 firefighters on job

The Long Beach firefighters union and the city have agreed to a temporary extension before five paid firefighters are laid off.

Five paid firefighters were set to be laid off today after a two-year federal grant used to hire them expired. Long Beach hired the firefighters in 2012 using a $910,000 grant, which was not renewed or open to reapply. The grant originally expired Dec. 1, but the city offered a one-month grace period.

The city extended the positions until Feb. 15 on a condition that all members of the firefighters union take one week of deferred pay, city officials and the union said in a joint statement. The union originally rejected the city's offer. City officials said keeping the firefighters staffed permanently would cost $660,000 and force the city council to impose a 2 percent tax hike, city officials said.

"This deal temporarily saves the jobs of five members of our union," Local 287 president Bill Piazza said. "We will keep negotiating to maintain these positions going forward."

The layoffs will leave the city with 25 paid firefighters and 150 volunteer firefighters.