Roundup: Ferry to be dedicated to Pyrrhus Concer

Southampton Village plans to celebrate the 200th birthday of Pyrrhus Concer, who was born a slave and became one of the village's most storied residents, by dedicating a ferry in his honor on Saturday.

Concer was born in 1814 and freed in 1827 before sailing as a whaler to Japan and trekking to California in search of gold. He eventually returned to Southampton and ran a ferry to the ocean beach across Lake Agawam.

"Though born a slave, he possessed virtues without which kings are but slaves," Concer's headstone in Southampton reads.

The Agawam Ferry Company, a nonprofit started by a group of Southampton Village residents to honor Concer, launched a new ferry on Aug. 20 that takes passengers on round trips to view Lake Agawam.

On Saturday, the company and the village will christen the vessel "The Pyrrhus Concer."

"It's a way to experience the things that he loved," said Nancy Kane, a member of the nonprofit's steering committee.

The Agawam Ferry Company raised about $10,000 to launch the service, but hopes to eventually hand it over to Southampton Village, Kane said.The Electracraft 18LS seats six people, and charges $5 for a 20-minute ride past mansions at the lake's edge.

The ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Agawam Park, during the annual Southampton SeptemberFest event.

AMITYVILLE

Apartment building eyed for Oak Street

Developer Robert Curcio Jr. wants to build a 12-unit apartment building on land now occupied by three houses on Amityville's Oak Street, near Route 110.

Curcio, who built Newpoint Estates and Village Estates, major projects elsewhere in the village, would build six 1,300-square-foot, one-bedroom apartments on two floors with rents between $2,000 and $2,200, said attorney Bruce Kennedy in a presentation at Monday night's Village Board meeting.

Kennedy, the former village attorney, said the developer would ask for rezoning to permit multi-family development. That hearing will be Oct. 27.

The plan would also require approval from the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals because of density and parking requirements the developer will ask be lifted.

"I will be excited to see how this fits into our overall downtown concept," said Trustee Nick LaLota, who has pushed for more residential development there.

The site is within walking distance of both the Long Island Rail Road station and downtown.

PORT WASHINGTON

Study of peninsula's groundwater funded

The Town of North Hempstead has received a $5,000 grant to help fund an examination of the groundwater on the Manhasset Neck Peninsula.

Town officials said the goal of the data collection is to study the potential for saltwater to intrude into the peninsula's wells. Officials also want to study other factors that may affect sources of water to municipal-supply wells.

The grant was secured by State Assemb. Michelle Schimel (D-Great Neck), officials said, and in conjunction with the local advocacy group Residents for a More Beautiful Port Washington.

Town officials note the funding will help the Peninsula Aquifer Committee monitor the peninsula's wells. "A great deal of research is needed in order to identify potential issues affecting our groundwater system," Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a news release.

"Continuing this data collection program will help to preserve our precious water supply in Port Washington and beyond."Schimel, a member of the State Assembly's Committee on Environmental Conservation, said in the news release that the funding is critical to preserving the Manhasset Neck Peninsula's water supply.

"This grant is a very important step to continue the study of the hydrologic system of Manhasset Neck Peninsula. We need comprehensive data to ensure that the ongoing stresses on our water supply are understood," said Schimel.

BRIGHTWATERS

LI native oversees Navy ship production

A Brightwaters native is helping the Navy build its next generation of military ships.

Lt. Cmdr. Joe Darcy, 36, is stationed as a production officer at Bath Iron Works in Maine, where he oversees the engineering and building of the Zumwalt destroyer class.

The future USS Zumwalt, named for former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, measures 80 feet wide, is longer than two football fields, and will weigh more than 15,000 tons when fully loaded.

The ship is capable of moving at more than 30 knots, thanks to twin gas turbine engines."It's relatively unusual the Navy comes up with a brand new class of ship," Darcy said.

The Navy says the destroyer ship has "advanced technologies in every area -- engines, power systems, weapons systems, shipboard electronics and sensors -- making it one of the world's most capable ships," according to a release from the military.

It will be capable of "attacking targets on land with gunfire and cruise missiles, hunting and tracking submarines, airspace surveillance and support to special operations forces."Darcy attended Chaminade High School and studied engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.

He was deployed on the USS Fitzgerald to serve in the Persian Gulf in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He then joined the Navy's shipbuilding division as supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair.

Darcy is also working on two other ships in the same class as the Zumwalt: the USS Michael Monsoor, named for a Navy Seal who died in Iraq, and the USS Lyndon B. Johnson. The Zumwalt was christened in April and is expected to start field tests in the spring, he said.

"We're finishing the construction and testing the systems and getting them ready for sea trials," Darcy said. "There's a lot to do before then."

GLEN COVE

Elm Avenue getting three stop signs

The Glen Cove City Council has unanimously approved a proposal to put three stop signs on a busy and dangerous road.

Three stop signs will be installed on three corners on Elm Avenue, at Dougherty Street.

Mayor Reginald Spinello said there have been 55 accidents since 2010, two per year involving injuries. Spinello said that in the first eight months of this year, 81 traffic tickets were issued and 14 accidents have occurred.

Three residents spoke Tuesday night during the public hearing, where one person called for more than just stop signs and another questioned whether the signs would deter drivers from speeding there.

Terri Swenson, a longtime resident on Elm Street, told the council that they need to do more than put up stop signs, and she suggested cameras.

Spinello said the police department analyzed traffic data to help them determine the best locations for the signs.

Resident Dave Nieri suggested speed humps as another remedy. Nieri said, during the public hearing, that he doesn't think stop signs would be effective.

Glen Cove Lt. Chris Ortiz said placing speed humps requires a "huge undertaking," including an engineering study and that "it is a long-term undertaking."

Ortiz said they can also be a hazard, because if someone speeds over them it can cause them to lose control of their vehicle.

"This is a first step," he said. "You have to give us time to see what works best."

COPIAGUE

Hispanic Heritage fest in Tanner Park

The Town of Babylon next weekend plans to hold a celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage month.

The free event is to take place Oct. 4 at Tanner Park in Copiague, and guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. The celebration will feature live entertainment, cultural displays, children's activities and a vendor marketplace. The entertainment will feature the dance and music production Estampas Folkloricas Peru of New York, as well as the Mambo Loco Latin Jazz Band and OLT Dance Company.

The event will also include a special salute to the United States Army 65th Infantry Regiment, known as "The Borinqueneers," the Puerto Rican regiment of the U.S. Army. The regiment served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the military campaign after the Sept. 11 attacks known as the War on Terror. The regiment was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal earlier this year.

The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park's bandshell, or in the event of rain, in the park's senior center. For more information, contact the Babylon Department of Human Services at 631-464-4340.

MINEOLA

Patrols boosted for Jewish High Holidays

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced yesterday that there will be intensified police patrols around temples and synagogues for the upcoming Jewish High Holidays.

"The County will intensify police patrols around temples and synagogues during the upcoming Jewish High Holidays," said County Executive Mangano. Rosh Hashana began last evening. Yom Kippur begins next Friday.

Police officials say there have been no specific terrorist or hate crime threat made to Nassau County, however, County Executive Mangano reminded residents that if they "See Something, Say Something" to the Nassau County Police Department.

Earlier this month, County Executive Mangano brought together Jewish leaders and key police personnel to establish or re-establish a better working relationship before the holidays. In addition, County Executive Mangano, Acting Commissioner Krumpter and Arthur Katz, chairman of Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island (JCRC-LI) announced the establishment of a fund to reward individuals who provide information that leads to arrest and conviction in anti-Semitic crimes.

BROOKHAVEN

Highway officials get Town Hall office

The Brookhaven Town Highway Department plans to open an office at Town Hall in Farmingville on Monday to help residents and businesses apply for permits.

The department's Division of Engineering, which processes permits for block parties, highway improvements and other functions, will move to Town Hall from its current office at 1140 Old Town Rd., Coram, Highway Superintendent Daniel Losquadro said in a news release.

Losquadro said the move should simplify the application process for residents and businesses, who currently must file paperwork in both Coram and Farmingville.

"Employees from the highway engineering division work with planning, building and traffic safety staff at Town Hall on a daily basis to make decisions on permit applications," Losquadro said in a statement.

"By moving our engineering division to Town Hall, all divisions and departments involved in the process will be working in the same building, providing a much easier and more efficient work flow."

The engineering division also processes documents such as final inspection request forms, road improvement plan samples, fee schedules, transfer affidavits and applications for use of the town's ecology center. The division's phone number -- 631-451-9200, ext. 7 -- will not change.