Roundup: $200,000 bike path plan for Grumman park moves forward

CALVERTON

Lawmakers OK plan to build bicycle path

A Suffolk County Legislature committee has approved a resolution to spend $200,000 to finish an 81/2-mile bike path around the Enterprise Park at Calverton, on the site of the former Grumman plant.

The resolution was approved 5-0 in the public works committee Monday and will be sent to the full legislature on Tuesday for a final vote.

The measure would more than double an existing 3.2-mile bike path started in 2008 with state and town funds and encircle the site. "Right now, riders have to go out and back; this could allow them to complete the loop," town board member John Dunleavy said.

Town officials, seeking committee approval, said the bike path is a safe alternative to using rural roads, many of which are narrow two-lane streets with no shoulders in a town where agriculture plays a major role.

Jody Giglio, another town board member, said Calverton is planning events for the enlarged path, including a veterans triathlon and a Halloween walk for youngsters. She also said they expected visitors to enjoy the route where people would be likely to see deer and other wildlife.

Additionally, the legislature's environment and planning committee approved a resolution to authorize a new appraisal of 99 acres on Peconic Bay, next to Indian Island County Park.

The property, which 30 years ago was used as a duck farm, is zoned for tourism use, which could allow among other things, a hotel, golf course or a bed-and-breakfast. The property, however has limited access from one road over an existing Long Island Rail Road track that borders the north end of the triangular property.

Randall Parsons, a conservation adviser to the Nature Conservancy, called the acquisition a top priority because development could have a significant impact on the bay.

The county has made offers in the past but the owner, Stanley Weiss, has been unwilling to sell, officials said. Now, Weiss has expressed interest, Parsons said, and he offered to assist the county and provide a recent appraisal done by the conservancy. --RICK BRAND

SEAFORD

District raises taxes to reduce vets' tab

The Seaford Union Free School District voted last week to raise taxes by about $46 for residents to reduce school tax bills by 15 percent for about 600 veterans who live in the district and parents whose children were killed in combat.

Property assessments will be reduced by 15 percent for veterans who served during wartime, another 10 percent for veterans in combat zones and other reduced taxes for veterans with military-related disabilities.

"Gold Star" parents whose children were killed in combat qualify for a 15 percent or 25 percent tax exemption.

Seaford district officials said the tax exemptions will affect 326 veterans who served during the war, 233 veterans who served in combat, 36 veterans with military disabilities and one parent of a veteran killed in combat.

The school board voted for four separate tax exemptions -- for veteran homeowners, veterans in condominiums or co-ops, a transferable exemption from the sale of a home and an exemption for Gold Star parents. --JOHN ASBURY

PATCHOGUE VILLAGE

Board votes to pierce tax cap for third year

The village will pierce the state's mandated 2 percent cap for the third consecutive year for its 2015-16 budget due to increasing village expenses, trustees said.

The unanimous village board vote came at Monday night's meeting after a public hearing.

"It's to protect us," Mayor Paul Pontieri said after the meeting. "We get elected to take care of the community."

Last month, treasurer Ronald M. Krawczyk blamed increasing village expenses, such as $823,000 for pension costs, as the main reason for breaking the cap.

Monday night's vote was 7-0.

The board unanimously adopted a nearly $13 million 2014-15 budget in April that increased the average homeowner's tax bill by $46.

At the time, Pontieri blamed New York State for the village exceeding the cap. The current budget increased the municipal tax levy $196,000, or 2.86 percent.

It included $2.8 million in surplus. The average home is assessed between $250,000 and $300,000. --DEON J. HAMPTON

HUNTINGTON STATION

Kids can meet Santa at farmers market

The indoor winter farmers market has kicked off in Huntington Station, and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon, Santa will be on hand to reward children who have eaten sustainably during the year.

Santa aside, the lineup at this year's market includes new vendors such as Prasana Tea Co. of Rockville Centre selling loose-leaf organic teas, and Raquette River Baking Co. of Babylon selling a range of sweet and savory baked goods. Returning this year: produce from D & J Organic Farm, Yaphank; artisanal breads from Orwasher's of Manhattan; pasta from Bambino's Ravioli of Deer Park; sausages and other cured meats from Ridgewood European Pork Store, Queens; empanadas from Imperial Empanadas of Huntington; pickles from Horman's of Glen Cove; coffee from Gentle Brew, Long Beach; and New York State farmstead cheeses from The Big Cheese of Mineola.

The market runs every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jack Abrams School, 155 Lowndes Ave., Huntington Station, longislandfarmersmarkets.com. --ERICA MARCUS

SMITHTOWN

New town recycling program starts Jan. 1

Single-stream recycling in Smithtown will start Jan. 1, town officials announced.

The new program allows residents to put all recyclable items in one container for pickup instead of separating them into paper products one week, and bottles and cans the next week, officials said.

More items are eligible to be recycled, according to a Dec. 1 announcement from the town Department of Environment and Waterways. All plastics, with recycling numbers 1 to 7, and rigid plastics such as milk crates, buckets and laundry baskets, can be recycled, the letter stated.

Other acceptable items for recycling include books (hard-bound, with the cover torn off and discarded), empty spray cans, all types of metal, mail, empty and clean waxed cartons, and empty and cleaned prescription bottles.

Cat litter, coat hangers, ceramics, batteries, Styrofoam food containers, paint and paint cans, among other items, are prohibited from the recycling program.

Go to smithtownny.gov under the "news and announcements" tab for a complete listing of accepted or prohibited items.

After Jan. 1, all recyclables can be mixed together and placed for pickup every Wednesday, according to the letter.

The new recycling program is part of a deal that Smithtown inked with the Town of Brookhaven last month, in which Brookhaven agreed to pay Smithtown $15 per ton of recyclables, Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio has said.

Smithtown expects to produce 10,000 tons of recyclables annually and reduce the town's recycling costs by $500,000 to $750,000 a year, officials have said.  --LAUREN R. HARRISON

MINEOLA

State funds to help library tech upgrades

State funding will support technology upgrades at the Mineola Library, state Sen. Jack M. Martins (R-Old Westbury) said in a news release this week.

A $25,000 grant will fund new laptops, computers, a server and a printer, he said.

Martins added that the funds also will help "improve customer service" at the library.

Mineola Library director Charles Sleefe said in the news release that the funding "allows us to make purchases of items that we would not be able to afford through our budget."  --SCOTT EIDLER

GREAT NECK ESTATES

Board OKs rezoning for housing project

The Great Neck Estates Village Board has approved rezoning the site of a controversial 40-unit apartment building planned for Middle Neck Road.

Vacant stores are on the property at 212-230 Middle Neck Rd. and developer Great Neck Properties asked for a rezoning from commercial to residential. A luxury apartment building to be named "The Rose," is to be built on the site. It would offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 714 to 1,553 square feet.

Mayor David A. Fox, speaking during public hearings on the rezoning at Monday's board meeting, supported the project as an answer to the needs of local seniors who are downsizing from larger homes but want to remain in the village.

But some residents voiced concerns about the apartment building attracting a transient population and bringing additional traffic to a congested area.

"This has been discussed at great length," Fox said before the board voted 5-0 to approve the incentive zoning permit request. "We've gone through the pros, the cons, the good and the bad."

"There were concerns the residents had in terms of traffic, in terms of lighting, in terms of noise, in terms of use, in terms of balconies in the back . . .," Fox said. "I feel the use is going to be very positive for our community and there is a definite need for housing."  --LISA IRIZARRY

FARMINGDALE

20-mph speed limit set at school zones

Farmingdale officials have set speed limits on village roads in school zones at 20 mph, making it the same throughout the municipality.

The board of trustees approved the change at its Dec. 1 meeting. The new speed limit affects village roads at Northside Elementary School, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School and St. Lukes. Officials said the speed limit had been 15 miles per hour in two areas and 25 at another.

Village officials said they will be requesting permission to also change a school zone speed limit on a Nassau County road near Northside.

The new speed limits will go into effect in mid-January, officials said.  --MACKENZIE RIGG