LI briefs: Suffolk bus riders' input sought on services, fares

SUFFOLK COUNTY
Weigh in on county bus services, fares

Suffolk bus riders will get the opportunity later this month to sound off on a proposed plan to raise fares and expand Sunday and evening service.

The county has announced it will host public hearings Jan. 20 from 3 to 7 p.m. at its legislative building at 725 Veterans Hwy. in Smithtown, and again Jan. 21 from 3 to 7 p.m. at its legislative building at 300 Center Dr. in Riverhead.

Under the county's proposal, the new fare for all Suffolk County Transit routes would be $2.25 — an increase of 25 cents on all lines, except for the S92 and 10C, which already charge $2.25.

All revenue generated by the fare hike, expected to be in effect by early spring, would go toward expanding Sunday and evening bus service, county officials said.

According to the county's public notice, the hearings are aimed at gathering input "on which routes additional Sunday and evening bus service is most desired" and on "the effect on energy conservation and the social, economic and environmental impact of the proposed fare changes."

In 2013, Suffolk added year-round Sunday service, for the first time, on 10 routes. The last time Suffolk raised fares on most of its routes was in 2013 — when fares climbed to $2 from $1.50. It was the agency's first fare hike in 20 years.
-- ALFONSO CASTILLO

HUNTINGTON
Heckscher museum adds two trustees

The Heckscher Museum of Art is adding two members to its board of trustees, officials announced Monday.

Nobel Prize winner James Dewey Watson and Steven Roth, president of Melville-based private merchant bank North American Capital Corp., began their work for the museum at the end of 2014.

"The museum is proud to welcome our new members to the board," said board chair Beverly Bell in a statement. "Their passion and support of the arts is truly outstanding."

Watson was part of a team that proposed the double helix structure for DNA in 1953. They were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

Watson's work at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he is a chancellor emeritus, was a driving force behind the Human Genome Project, a worldwide effort to map human genetic material.

Roth brings a business background to the board. In addition to North American Capital, he is chairman and president of Chartpak Inc., a Leeds, Massachusetts-based company that sells office supplies and arts and crafts products.

Roth is also the founder of Thalo LLC, an online artist community.

August Heckscher founded the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington in 1920.
-- VALERIE BAUMAN

SOUTH HEMPSTEAD
Rope jumping champ coming to LI school

Jumping rope advocate Lucie Buissereth — also known as Lucie B — is bringing her expertise to the Covert Elementary School fourth-graders Friday morning.

Buissereth, who recently returned from Sweden where she exhibited her rope jumping program, was invited to the Rockville Centre school district by Assemb. Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook) and Darran Raymar, principal of the school on Willow Street.

"At Covert School we provide the students with many enriching, meaningful experiences and introduce them to interesting people. Assemblyman Curran is more than just a public figure, he is a friend to the children, and we thank him for this unique opportunity," Rayman said in a news release.

Curran noted in the same release that he is "challenging my friend . . . Raymar to a jump rope contest."

Lucie B is a Long Island native and former national single rope speed and power champion who helped make the cardio exercise of rope jumping a successful competitive sport.
-- SID CASSESE

OYSTER BAY
Board OKs $3M for comptroller's office

The Oyster Bay Town Board approved spending up to $3 million in 2015 on "on-call supply and technical assistance" for the comptroller's office.

The measure approved at its board meeting Tuesday authorized the comptroller's office to spend the funds on services from 12 firms for work in its information technology division. An Oyster Bay spokesman was unable on Tuesday to clarify exactly what the $3 million would be spent on.

The 2015 town budget included $4 million in capital spending to update the town's accounting system.

The town board also approved retaining three investigative agencies to assists in general liability cases brought against the town. The town is self-insured. The retainer agreements will run retroactively from Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2016, and costs may not exceed $95,000, according to the resolution.

The town authorized investigators to be paid $60 per hour for routine investigations and $65 per hour for trial preparation or surveillance as well as $3 per photograph. The investigative firms are Beacon Claims & Investigations of Mineola, Customized Claims Service LLC of Garden City and Vanson Investigations Inc. of Plainview.
-- TED PHILLIPS

SMITHTOWN
Youth, ethics panel appointments OKd

The Smithtown Town Board voted unanimously Tuesday to make several appointments to positions on the youth advisory and ethics boards, and for a vital statistics deputy registrar.

The board voted 5-0 at a town board meeting for the positions, which included voting for Smithtown Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio's appointment of Brittany Jaworski, Patricia Thomas, Brittany Schuette and Ashley Schuette to the Youth Advisory Board, which is for young adults involved in the town's Youth Bureau, for a term from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017.

The board also unanimously appointed Susan Sillaro to Deputy Registrar of Vital Statistics at an annual stipend of $3,000 from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017. The position allows Sillaro to sign off on death certificates and burial documents if the chief registrar, who is Smithtown Town Clerk Vincent Puleo, is unavailable, Puleo said Yuesday.

Tracey J. Epstein, Esq. was reappointed to the town's Board of Ethics from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017. Epstein was first appointed in April 2009 and the position carries a two-year term, Puleo said.

The town board did not vote to reappoint planning board member Barbara DeSorbe and Board of Zoning Appeals member William Valentine whose terms expired Dec. 31, 2014, officials said.

DeSobre was first appointed in 2009 and Valentine was first appointed in 2004, Puleo said. Both appointments carry a four-year term, he said.

Town officials said that by taking no action on these positions, the pair remain as "holdovers," meaning that they will remain in their respective positions until the time of a future appointment.
-- LAUREN R. HARRISON

OYSTER BAY
Town OKs $195,000 accident settlement

The Town of Oyster Bay board approved a $195,000 settlement Tuesday in a traffic accident involving a town vehicle.

Thomas Gragnaniello alleged he required surgery to repair a massive rotator cuff tear caused when a town grass cutting tractor struck his truck as he was stopped at Stewart Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike, according to the resolution authorizing the settlement.

It was unclear Tuesday when the accident occurred. Town officials on Tuesday did not respond to queries about the case, and attempts to reach the plaintiff and his attorney at Taddonio & Sunshine PC were unsuccessful.
-- TED PHILLIPS

NORTH HEMPSTEAD
Officials: Payment system to save $26G

Town of North Hempstead officials say the town will save about $26,000 a year by adopting a new system to pay vendors.

Supervisor Judi Bosworth said the town will begin to allow vendors to receive payments through Automated Clearing House. Town officials say the move allows for speedier payments and involves less paper.

The payments through the system are credited directly into vendors' bank accounts and can be immediately withdrawn.

About 400 town vendors are eligible for the service, officials said. The move allows the town to save money, since they will not need to purchase envelopes, paper checks, and postage fees.

About 100 vendors are to use the program, which takes effect Jan. 16 officials said.

"The hope is that by having vendors being able to have the payments into their accounts, we'll save on paperwork," said Bosworth in an interview. "We're looking for ways to use technology to make government more efficient and more cost effective."
-- SCOTT EIDLER