Long Island briefs

SUFFOLK COUNTY

Salt marsh spraying

targets mosquitoes

Suffolk County vector control is planning to spray area salt marshes today from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. to target mosquito larvae, health department officials said yesterday.

The pesticides Vectobac 12AS and Altosid liquid concentrate are to be sprayed, weather permitting, over marsh areas by helicopter at a low altitude, officials said.

County officials said residents don't need to take precautions, any human exposure is unlikely and the pesticide has "no significant human toxicity," officials said.

Spraying will be in areas of the towns of Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Southampton, Riverhead and Southold.

The division of vector control can be reached at 631-852-4270.

PLAINVIEW

Handball courts get

shut for repair work

Handball courts at Plainview-Old Bethpage Community Park are being renovated after months of complaints by players.

Ed Brown arrived Saturday morning at the courts to play but instead found a sign stating, "Handball courts closed for repair," with scaffolding and a ladder standing on the courts.

Brown said he and others had complained repeatedly over at least a year and a half to the Town of Oyster Bay about the gray paint peeling off the double-sided concrete wall of the four courts.

"They keep on saying 'next week, next month,' " Brown said Friday.

He said he's been playing there since 1966 and the courts "never looked as bad as it is now."

The chipped paint affected the games, because balls would go askew once they hit the area where the paint was coming off.

Oyster Bay director of operations Andrew Rothstein said Saturday that the parks department had ordered a special all-weather paint for the courts months ago but it had been on back order and only recently arrived.

Park employees are power-washing the walls and will then apply primer and paint the walls, said parks Commissioner Frank Nocerino. The renovation should be complete by later this week, he said.

HEAD OF THE HARBOR

Major overhaul set

to fix up Village Hall

Head of the Harbor's Village Hall interior has been steadily updated over the past year and is now about to get a new look, with exterior cleaning and repainting slated for the fall.

Mayor Douglas A. Dahlgard said it's time for these repairs to take place and that a poorly maintained building doesn't inspire confidence about the village.

"It is the face of the village," Dahlgard said. "My philosophy is that the village has to look really good to be appealing and the residents deserve that."

Dahlgard said he is putting together a bid proposal, which would then be put before the village board of trustees for a final vote.

The mayor said it "made more sense" to use borrowed funds instead of village operating funds.

August's warm temperatures make painting difficult, so the revamp will likely be scheduled for early fall, Dahlgard said.

The repairs and repainting follow other enhancements including re-carpeting, security light installation, carpentry fixes and computer upgrades.

SUFFOLK COUNTY

Congressional rivals

file finance reports

Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst will edge out venture capitalist David Calone by $7,000 when both make their first congressional campaign finance filing this week, with Throne-Holst aides saying she will reveal that she raised $512,000.

The two are preparing to vie for the Democratic nomination next year against first-term Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley).

Throne-Holst aides declined to make the full report available but said she will report having $500,000 cash on hand compared with the $470,000 Calone said he has, even though she began fundraising later, over the Memorial Day weekend.

Throne-Holst aides said 83 percent of her donations come from within New York State and the total makes her filing the best for any first-time candidate in the 1st District.

Unlike Calone, who said he loaned his campaign $25,000 for startup costs, Throne-Holst's total includes no loans.

Those giving to Throne-Holst included Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington), who in the past headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), whose political action committee, Off the Sidelines, gave the maximum $10,000.

Among Calone's donors are Bob Catell, chairman of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center; Larry Waldman, board chairman of the Long Island Association; and Anne Shybunko-Moore, CEO of GSE Dynamics and Retail Workers Local 338.

OYSTER BAY

Recreational water

trail gets state grant

The Town of Oyster Bay is receiving a state grant worth nearly $84,000 for a 15-mile recreational water trail.

The money is to help create the Theodore Roosevelt Blueway Trail. The town, city of Glen Cove and the villages of Sea Cliff and Bayville are to match the portions of the grant destined for their properties.

The blueway will include kayak launches and storage units, directional signage, printed maps and other features for kayakers and others.

Town Supervisor John Venditto said the project will bring visitors to the town and revenue to local businesses. "You may have lunch in Bayville or dinner in Sea Cliff," he said.

The project sets aside the land for recreational use "for generations to come," he said. "This is a very worthwhile project and money well-spent."

The project has been several years in the making. In 2010, the state gave Oyster Bay Town a $76,250 matching grant for the design of the blueway. Town officials said they hope the blueway will be finished next year, Venditto said.

VALLEY STREAM

Iran nuclear deal

discussed at forum

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), Assemb. Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), and Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, are to participate in a free community forum on Sunday at Temple Hillel in Valley Stream.

The topic of the 7:30 p.m. event is "The Iran Nuke Deal: Progress or Peril for Israel and America."

The event is open to the public, event coordinator Cindy Grosz said.

COVE NECK

'Royal Pains' returns

to shoot 8th season

The Cove Neck Village Board has approved filming permits for the USA Network television show "Royal Pains."

The show's crew shot scenes at a private Cove Neck residence last month for the seventh season of the show, which is currently airing, and will film at another home starting tomorrow for the show's eighth season.

"Royal Pains" is set in the Hamptons but has been shooting along the North Shore since its 2008 pilot, executive producer Andrew Lenchewski said in an email. The show films in the area between Memorial Day and Labor Day because traffic and other factors make it too difficult to use locations in the Hamptons in the summer, he said.

Oheka Castle, Oyster Bay, Sands Point, Roslyn, Great Neck and Glen Cove are among the other locations the show has used, Lenchewski said. "The Gold Coast is the perfect place for us to film, as it doubles quite convincingly for the Hamptons," he said.

ISLIP

Career coach offers

job hunt boot camp

The Town of Islip is offering a series of job search boot camps for residents this fall.

Taught by career coach Maria Frey from Lake-Grove based Executive Consultants of New York, the classes focus on nine areas of hunting for the right job: time management and job objective development, personal branding and creating an elevator pitch to build profiles, interview preparation, and advice on preparing a cover letter and resume as well as effective networking.

The boot camp is sponsored through the town's Industrial Development Agency and will be provided free to residents.

"Local government has a responsibility to foster a healthy economic environment, and while we have been very successful in attracting new business to Islip, we must also do the best we can to help our residents who are looking to enter the workforce," Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter said in a news release.

The boot camp will be held in the town board room at Islip Town Hall, 655 Main St. in Islip from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, 16, and 30; Oct. 7, 14, 21, and 28; and Nov. 4.

Reserved class spaces for veterans can be coordinated with Councilman John Cochrane's office. For more information and to register, visit www.islipida.com or call 631-224-5512.

MELVILLE

Poker event benefits

horse sanctuary

It's all about horse sense.

Jewel restaurant in Melville hosts a Texas Hold 'em poker tournament Friday to benefit Baiting Hollow Farm Horse Rescue.

The fundraiser, dubbed "The Mane Event," starts at 6:30 p.m. Participants must be 21 or older to attend. The donation for players is $250; for non-players, $50. All proceeds go to support the horse sanctuary.

The tournament grand prize is a $10,000 seat at the 2016 World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas. All player levels are welcome to the fundraiser, which will include food, bar and live entertainment.

For additional details, go to bhfhorserescue.org or call 631-574-9667.

EAST MEADOW

County health expo

focuses on kids

Nassau County's Department of Health and Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums host a free Children's Day and Health, Fitness and Sports Expo on July 26, County Executive Edward Mangano announced.

The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. at Eisenhower Park and is geared toward children ages 10 and under.

"The Health, Fitness and Sports Expo is the perfect, healthy alternative to video games, and is a way to get outside to become active and learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle," Mangano said in a news release.

Activities are to include carnival rides, bouncy houses, face painting, autograph signings with former New York Knicks star John Starks and former New York Jet Justin Miller. Attendees will have access to the PGA Superstore, NY Cosmos and Scooter Clinics and demonstrations, giveaways and raffles, and free health screenings.

Additionally, beginning at 4 p.m., Plaza Theatrical Productions, a Long Island-based professional touring company, is to perform "Shrek."

All activities will be at the Kite Field at Parking Field 6.

Partnering with the county to host the event are North Shore-LIJ Health System, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Winthrop University Hospital, NuHealth, PGA Tour Superstore, Humana, New York Cosmos, New York Institute of Technology, K98.3 radio, and Hofstra University.

For further information, contact the Parks Public Information Office at 516-572-0200 or go to the Nassau County Parks, Recreation and Museums website at nassaucountyny.gov/parks.

ELWOOD

School board panels

seek participants

Parents and community members in the Elwood School District have until Aug. 15 to apply to join one of the school board's committees or subcommittees.

Committees offer a chance to "participate in planning the future direction" of Elwood schools, according to the district website.

The district has a variety of committees, including the Curriculum Subcommittee, which makes recommendations to the board on K-12 instruction and subject matter, and the Audit Committee, which provides oversight for audit findings and helps the district fulfill part of the state comptroller's plan to increase financial accountability for schools.

The Citizens Finance/Budget Advisory Committee also has a fiscal focus, but works in an advisory capacity under the direction of the board.

Other committees focus on safety, facilities, technology, and health and nutrition.

Interested parents can learn more and find the application at http://bit.ly/1UWcy7Y