Roundup: $810,000 approved for serial bonds

GLEN COVE

$810,000 approved for serial bonds

The Glen Cove City Council unanimously approved up to $810,000 in serial bonds to pay for challenges to property tax assessments and employee termination benefits.

The bonds were approved at the council’s Tuesday meeting.

The first approved bonds will pay for up to $550,000 to fund the assessment challenges — called tax certiorari. Mayor Reginald Spinello said $109,000 of that amount will go to Pall Corp.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation added Pall’s Glen Cove parcel to its registry of inactive hazardous waste disposal sites in 1996, also known as the state Superfund list.

That same year, Spinello said Pall challenged its property assessment. The city settled with Pall earlier this year and has to make six payments totaling $651,000 over the next three years, he said. Pall Corp. agreed to pay $2 million to clean the Glen Cove waste site in 2009.

“Someone who devalues the property themselves gets the benefit of tax relief on the property and that’s just not fair,” Spinello said.

He said he plans to contact the governor and local lawmakers about this. He said Pall cleaned up the property, and it is now for sale.

The other bond, which can be up to $260,000, funds terminations benefits, such as money owed for accrued sick time.

— MACKENZIE ISSLER

LONGWOOD

District’s transit coordinator honored

The transportation coordinator for the Longwood school district has been honored by a statewide group for her efforts to promote school bus safety.

Gale Winsper received the Art Schock Award, the New York Association for Pupil Transportation’s most prestigious honor, at the organization’s annual conference last month in Albany.

The association’s members include public and private school bus drivers, supervisors, managers, mechanics, technicians and dispatchers from across the state.

Winsper, who has worked for Longwood for 12 years and previously worked in the West Islip school district, was honored for implementing bus safety programs at Longwood’s elementary schools and for involving students in a poster contest promoting safety. She has led Operation Safe Stop, a statewide program to crack down on drivers who illegally pass stopped buses, school district officials said in a news release.

District officials said Winsper also has chaired a state Department of Education committee that implements a bus drivers safety course. She serves as the state’s delegate to an effort to revise the National Transportation Specifications and Procedures for pupil transportation.

— CARL MACGOWAN

WANTAGH

Shelter will offer free adoption at fair

The Hempstead Town Animal Shelter will hold a free pet adoption fair Saturday in Wantagh.

The town will waive all adoption fees from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the shelter, 3320 Beltagh Ave.

All adoptions will also come with free vaccinations for rabies, free spaying and neutering and microchipping. Cats will also be tested for feline “AIDS” and leukemia.

Local businesses will also provide coupons for discount pet services.

For more information, call the Shelter at 516-785-5220 or visit www.toh.li/animal-shelter. — JOHN ASBURY

NEW HYDE PARK

Breast cancer screening offered

A breast cancer screening program will be held for Nassau County women on Sept. 16 from 8:45 a.m. to noon at Clinton G. Martin Park, 1601 Marcus Ave.

Appointments are necessary and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. On site, nurses and technicians will provide a mammography, a clinical breast examination and instructions for self-examination. Patients and their physicians will be notified of the exam results.

Women who are covered by insurance, Medicaid or Medicare will have their carrier billed and must bring their information card to the screening, along with a prescription from their physician. NuHealth policy requires patients to be responsible for any copays charged by their carrier.

Women ages 50 and older without health insurance will be eligible for enrollment in a grant program that covers the costs of the screening with no out-of-pocket cost to the patient.

The breast cancer screening program is being sponsored by Sen. Jack M. Martins (R-Mineola) and Legis. Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park).

To make an appointment, call Nicolello’s office at 516-571-6209 — LISA IRIZARRY

NASSAU COUNTY

Building will be lit for cancer initiative

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Assemb. Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook) announced yesterday that they plan to team up to “light the dome gold” of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building to raise awareness for the effort to fight pediatric cancers.

The official lighting ceremony will be at 4 p.m. Sept. 4.

“A special thank you to Nassau County Executive Mangano for saying ‘Yes’ to this cause when traditionally The Empire State Building in New York City would advocate for this effort,” Curran said. “Unfortunately, they said ‘No.’”— SID CASSESE

ISLIP

Town waives fees for building permits after storm

Residents and business owners within the Town of Islip who were affected by the historic rainfall earlier this month can obtain building permits from the town at no cost, officials said.

The town will waive filing fees and emergency repair permit fees, officials said. Structures will be reviewed by the Islip commissioner of planning and development. The town board approved the effort unanimously at its board meeting on Tuesday.

On Aug. 13, more than 13 inches of rain hit Islip, shattering a state record set upstate in 2011. More than 1,000 home and business owners have contacted the town since the storm, officials said.

Similar action to waive permit fees was taken by the town after superstorm Sandy, officials said. The difference between damage done in this storm and Sandy was the majority of homes flooded this time were located inland and not along flood zones on the shorelines, leaving many with repairs without flood insurance, officials said.

“Many of the properties that suffered damage from this powerful rain event are not covered by flood insurance, which presents a major hardship for our homeowners and business owners,” Islip Supervisor Tom Croci said. “We are hopeful that the governor and president will ultimately assist our residents to get their homes repaired and businesses up and running.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency assisted local officials in tallying the damage done throughout the Island in the days following the storm after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo summoned its help. It has yet to be determined if the damage meets FEMA guidelines for federal help. — SARAH ARMAGHAN