NASSAU COUNTY

Paving work to close portions of turnpike

Repaving of an 81/2-mile stretch of Hempstead Turnpike between the Meadowbrook State Parkway and Route 110 began Monday and will close portions of the roadway twice daily until the project is completed, state Department of Transportation officials said.

The project covers portions of Hempstead Turnpike, Route 24, in the towns of Hempstead, Oyster Bay and Huntington, agency officials said.

Work started near the Bethpage State Parkway and is scheduled to proceed westbound. The project concentrates first on repaving deteriorated sections of Hempstead Turnpike between Wantagh Avenue and Route 110, and between the Bethpage State Parkway and Route 110, "prior to the onset of winter weather," agency officials said in a news release.

Once westbound Hempstead Turnpike is repaired and repaved, construction will begin in the eastbound direction. Travel lanes will be shifted to accommodate construction, and a single travel lane in each direction will be maintained wherever possible, agency officials said.

Travel lanes will be closed 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday through Friday, weather permitting. Also, daytime drainage improvement work will affect travel between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. On-street parking also will be prohibited during certain stages of the project.

Up-to-date traffic and travel information is available by calling 511 or visiting 511NY.org. -- GARY DYMSKI

LONGWOOD

District wins grants for at-risk students

Longwood school district has been selected to receive $1.7 million in federal grants over five years to support at-risk students.

Longwood is the only district on Long Island and one of six in New York to receive the School Climate Transformation Grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Middle Island-based district is to receive $319,966 this year and $1.7 million over five years.

Longwood social workers and psychologists requested the grant to "support and expand current positive behavior intervention systems within the district addressing Longwood's diverse needs both within each building and the community as a whole," the district said in a statement.

Longwood officials said the grant will support cultural sensitivity training and the district's Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program. The program "teaches children to believe in themselves," Assistant Superintendent for Student and Community Services Debra Winter said in a statement.

The federal Education Department said in a news release it awarded more than $35.8 million worth of climate transformation grants to 71 school districts in 23 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Funds are used "to develop, enhance, or expand systems of support for implementing evidence-based, multitiered behavioral frameworks for improving behavioral outcomes and learning conditions for students," department officials said. -- CARL MACGOWAN

OYSTER BAY

Property taxes can again be paid online

Oyster Bay has relaunched its online property tax payment system with changes to comply with mandates from the state comptroller's office and state law.

The original system started use in 2005.

The town board in May retroactively approved paying $350,420 to Business Automation Services Inc. of Clifton Park for modifications and upgrades to their proprietary software, called iTax.

In an Oct. 10 news release, town receiver of taxes James Stefanich said his office had developed the new system to address residents' concerns and to be more user-friendly. The board's May 6 resolution authorizing payment for the changes stated they were being made to "enable mandatory functionality" as required by the state comptroller's office and New York State Real Property Tax Law. It was unclear Tuesday what mandates made the modifications to the system necessary. Stefanich did not return calls Tuesday.

Oyster Bay pays the company an annual maintenance fee that is $85,760 in 2014, town spokeswoman Marta Kane said in an email that she attributed to the tax receiver. The town has had a contract with the company since 2011. Kane did not respond to questions about whether the contract has an end date or what the mandates were.

The system restricts information about taxes owed on individual properties by only permitting a registered user to view two properties at a time unless the user provides the town with proof of ownership of additional properties. The town receiver of taxes operates the system, which accepts credit and debit cards for payment.

-- TED PHILLIPS

KINGS PARK

Hearing to be held on Sunken Meadow plan

Plans for the Alfred E. Smith/Sunken Meadow State Park will be the subject of a public hearing held Thursday by state park officials at Kings Park High School.

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will present its draft master plan and draft environmental impact statement at 7 p.m. in the auditorium, park officials said in a news release.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend and share their comments on the draft plan after a presentation, according to the release.

The draft plan is available at the Sunken Meadow State Park office in Kings Park, the state parks regional headquarters in Babylon and the Kings Park Branch of the Smithtown Special Library District, officials said.

Information about the draft is also at: http://nysparks.com/inside-our-agency/master-plans.aspx.

State park officials were not immediately available to comment on the proposed plan.

The most recent information packet for the draft plan, posted on the parks website, is dated March 3, 2011. That document proposed that the master plan would be adopted in 2012.

In 2011, Newsday reported some public suggestions including fixing up park buildings, improving Sunken Meadow Creek and installing a fishing pier.

The 1,287-acre park that draws about 2.5 million visitors annually includes 3 miles of Long Island Sound beach, three nine-hole golf courses, a driving range, sports fields, trails and picnicking sites, the park officials have said.

-- LAUREN R. HARRISON

NASSAU COUNTY

New auditing firm gets a contract

Nassau County will have a new inducement auditor for the first time in 16 years.

County Comptroller George Maragos said his office selected McGladrey LLP, an international accounting firm with offices in Manhattan, as Nassau's new auditor beginning the start of next year. McGladrey replaces Deloitte and Touche LLP, which has served as the county's auditor since 1998.

Deloitte and Touche's contract with Nassau expires at the end of the year and Maragos issued a request for proposals for the audit services.

The lowest bid and highest evaluation was submitted by McGladrey, said Maragos spokesman Jostyn Hernandez. "McGladrey is a major, well-regarded accounting firm that will bring a fresh perspective to the county," Maragos said.

The firm will analyze the county's financial statements, report on its internal financial controls and its compliance with laws, regulations, contracts and grant agreements.

Nassau will pay McGladrey $300,000 annually from 2015 to 2017. If the contract is extended two more years, Nassau would pay the firm $315,000 per year, Hernandez said.

Nassau paid Deloitte and Touche $368,000 for audit services in 2013 and $455,645 in 2014 although this year's expenditures were unusually high because the firm also reviewed superstorm Sandy claims the county submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hernandez said.

The county legislature and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a state monitoring board in control of the county's finances, must approve the McGladrey contract.

NIFA announced last week it too will hire McGladrey to review its financial statements and compliance with state investment guidelines. NIFA will pay the firm $32,150 annually in 2015 and 2016 and $34,400 in 2017 and 2018.

-- ROBERT BRODSKY

BABYLON TOWN

Drug awareness event goes all week

The Town of Babylon Wednesday night kicks off a week of drug and alcohol awareness with a Town Hall event.

The town will launch Red Ribbon Week, designed to bring awareness to substance abuse in communities. The national event's origins have their roots in Mexico, where U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena was tortured and killed in 1985. To honor Camarena and his work against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red satin badges. The Red Ribbon campaign was started in 1988 by the National Family Partnership, a nonprofit dedicated to drug prevention education and advocacy.

Sponsored by the Copiague and Lindenhurst Community Cares coalitions, the Babylon event will feature speakers, including town and county officials, as well as police and community members.

The kickoff will take place at 6:30 p.m. on the steps of Babylon Town Hall, 200 E. Sunrise Hwy., Lindenhurst. In case of rain, the event will be held in the Town Hall's boardroom. -- DENISE M. BONILLA

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