LI Now: Pines property up for auction Jan. 22

FIRE ISLAND

Pines property up for auction Jan. 22

A premier Fire Island Pines resort and commercial district that once listed for nearly $25 million may be auctioned for significantly less on Jan. 22.

Central Islip-based auctioneer Maltz Auctions, which represents thousands of properties in the New York metropolitan region, has a suggested opening bid of $8.5 million for the property.

The resort has multiple commercial and residential properties, including the newly renovated Pavilion Building that hosts the internationally known Pavilion Nightclub, and the Harbor Club, noted for its architecture, waterfront amenities and views.

"This is basically where people shop, play and party," Richard Maltz, president of the Real Estate Auction Division of Maltz Auctions, said Wednesday.

Revenues at The Pines resort had not reached its potential for ownership, and a fire in 2011 set back plans and depleted resources of Manhattan-based FIP Ventures, leaving the ownership group cash-strapped after spending a lot rebuilding the facility, Maltz said.

The commercial district also includes the recently renovated Blue Whale restaurant, 21-room Botel hotel, the Cultured Elephant, The Rack Gym and Pines Pool & Bar, equipped with a massive pool deck.

Botel is the only commercially zoned hotel in Fire Island Pines.

Prospective buyers must post $1 million in the form of a cashier's check to register for the auction. Registration begins at noon, and the auction starts an hour later at Maltz Auctions Gallery, 39 Windsor Place, in Central Islip.

- DEON J. HAMPTON

WEST HAMPTON DUNES

Shore fortification project finished

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor has finished a $15 million project to pump sand onto the ocean beach in the Village of West Hampton Dunes.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., an Illinois firm hired by the Corps, finished pumping about 750,000 cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor onto the beach on Dec. 22, after starting the project in early November, a Corps spokesman said.

The cost exceeded the Corps' initial estimate of $14.2 million. It was paid for through federal superstorm Sandy relief funds.

The Corps has now spent $54 million in federal and state funds since 1996 repairing and maintaining the ocean beach in and around West Hampton Dunes, a community of 300 beach houses on a slender barrier island that was devastated by nor'easters in the early 1990s.

The Corps has agreed to maintain the beach from 1997 to 2027 as part of a legal settlement with the village over erosion caused by a field of partially completed stone groins.

"We're very pleased with both the performance of the project during Sandy and the Corps' response to rebuilding after," said Aram Terchunian, a coastal geologist who serves as West Hampton Dunes' commissioner of wildlife protection. "It's a model for how well these projects perform when they're well-designed and well-maintained."

- WILL JAMES

FARMINGDALE

Project to study coastal economies

A new Farmingdale State College project will model Long Island's coastal industries, measuring the impact of recreation, tourism and fishing on the regional economy and making policy recommendations for growth.

"Part of what we're trying to do is understand the linkages between tourism and the other sectors, and also in terms of the relationship between Long Island and New York City, to see what kind of synergies can be created," said Nanda Viswanathan, chair of the departments of business and global business management at the business school.

Viswanathan and Richard Nathan, business school dean and an economics professor, will collect data from commercial and sport fishing industries, marinas, hotels and restaurants.

The region's performance will be compared against similar coastal economies including Boston-Cape Cod, New York City-Jersey Shore and Philadelphia-Delaware coast, Viswanathan said.

A $26,600 Sea Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will fund the project, which will run through November 2016.

- NICHOLAS SPANGLER

LONG BEACH

City Council appoints two new officials

The Long Beach City Council has selected a new council president and "vice-temporary" president.

Anthony Eramo, who was elected in November 2013, will serve as president to preside over meetings. Len Torres was unanimously elected temporary president to serve beside Eramo.

The positions traditionally rotate among the council, which works with City Manager Jack Schnirman, who carries similar duties to a mayor.

Eramo succeeds council President Scott Mandel, who has served as council president for the past two years and will remain as council member.

Eramo works full time as a field technician for Verizon. He is a member of the Communications Workers of America union and said he wants to bring transparency to the office and keep residents better informed.

Torres was first elected in 2009 and was re-elected to a four-year term in 2011. He previously served as council president and worked as a schoolteacher. He has lived in Long Beach for 40 years.

- JOHN ASBURY

NORTHPORT

Village spending rises in $20M budget

Northport Village officials passed a $20 million budget Tuesday night for the 2015-2016 fiscal year starting March 1.

The final budget increases the tax levy by 2.9 percent -- less than the 3.4 percent increase in the draft budget, and slightly higher than the 2.7 percent increase in the current year's budget.

Since the draft budget was introduced in December, the village has shaved $105,000 off what it will bill taxpayers.

"I feel good about it," Mayor George Doll said of the lower tax burden. "I wish it could have been more."

The savings were realized several ways. The village decreased its projected need for contingency funds by $50,000. It also chose to buy a less expensive police vehicle, representing $15,000 less spending than initially projected. Switching to single-stream recycling is projected to save the village $15,000. The final $25,000 in savings came from unspent money rolled over from the prior year.

As a result, taxpayers will be responsible for $11.3 million, up about $325,000 from the current fiscal year.

Village revenues are projected to be 9 percent higher in the new budget, with about $800,000 more coming in. That's due to several factors, including an increase in state aid and revenue, higher mortgage taxes, higher safety inspection fees, and higher-priced fire protection contracts the village has with other municipalities.

The village's spending will increase $1.2 million compared with the prior year.

At nearly $4.7 million, public safety is the largest single category of expenses, followed by nearly $4.5 million for home and community services. The village will spend about $3.9 million on employee benefits.

As of Nov. 30, 2014 (the most recent numbers available), Northport's reserve accounts had a combined balance of $1.13 million.

- VALERIE BAUMAN