Roundup: DEC outlines site cleanup plan

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a “record of decision” on its planned cleanup of the site of a former dry-cleaning company in the city.

The document on the Ronhill Cleaners Site, at 71 Forest Ave., outlines the selected remedial actions. They would include removing 250 cubic yards of contaminated soil and replacing it with clean fill, enhancing an existing soil vapor extraction system and injecting additives into contaminated areas of groundwater.

Improper disposal of chemicals at the commercial dry cleaning company that operated from 1963 to 1993 contaminated the soil and groundwater with tetrachloroethene, DEC officials said. Prolonged human exposure to the chemical may lead to an increased risk of liver damage and certain cancers, according to the state health department.

The site, now used by a shoe store, is designated as a “Class 2” Superfund site that represents a significant threat to public health or the environment.

The full report can be read at www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8431.html and is also at the Glen Cove Public Library and city clerk’s office.

Those with questions can contact the project manager, Nathan Putnam, at 518-402-9621 or neputnam@gw.dec.state.ny.us. — BILL BLEYER

NORTHPORT

Reconstruction of marina delayed by cold weather

The Northport Woodbine Marina reconstruction project has been delayed a month because of the cold weather.

The decades-old marina was closed in November and was expected to be reopened on April 1.

Work was stalled because the Northport Harbor was frozen for a few months. The project is expected to be completed by May 1, officials said.

The nearly $1.8 million project includes gutting the marina, erecting new docks and extending the marina by 40 feet. The marina also was dredged to remove silt deposits, which have made it shallower and less accessible to larger boats, officials said.

When the project is complete, the marina will be able to house an additional 20 boats. The town started discussing the project in 2007, and a bond was secured in 2011, officials said.

The project also includes the installation of finger floats that will branch off the main platforms. These floats will allow people to access their boats from the side of the vessel and not just from the bow or stern, town officials said.

Terry Contracting & Materials of Riverhead was awarded the contract. The parking lot at the marina is closed, but it will not be demolished during the project.

— MACKENZIE ISSLER

LONG BEACH

Folk-2-Funk Festival set for this weekend

Artists in Partnership Inc. is bringing the fourth annual Folk-2-Funk Festival to Long Beach this weekend.

The festival is to be held at the Long Beach Public Library, at 111 W. Park Ave., today through Sunday.

The festival of folk, Americana, funk and blues is expected to feature Peter and Kim Kuperschmid tonight at 7:30, followed at 8:30 by Pamela Lewis, who is to be joined by John Hurley, Sean and Donna Gillen, band leaders of CODE BLEU.

A special tribute to Phil Ochs by his sister Sonny Ochs and musician John Flynn is planned on Saturday at 3 p.m., followed later by performances from David Massengill and the blues and roots duo of Bill Sims Jr. and his daughter Chaney Sims. The trio Gathering Time will perform original songs along with a tribute to Pete Seeger featuring guests Josh Joffen, Marty Stone and Eric Eaton.

At 2 p.m. on Sunday, a meet-the-artist event is planned with Shaakir Thomas, who is expected to share his music-inspired paintings. The music is to begin again with the Katie Mitchell-Condon Duo, a solo act with Christine Solimeno, followed at 2:30 p.m. by Karlus Trapp & Magumbo and concluding with Spuyten Duyvil at 3:45 p.m.

Attendees are asked to bring nonperishable foods to be distributed to local food pantries. For more information, call 516-432-6342 or visit aip-arts.org.

— AISHA AL-MUSLIM

HOLBROOK

Legis. Lindsay III moves district offices

Suffolk Legis. William J. Lindsay III (D-Bohemia) has moved the longtime district office across the street in Holbrook, saving the county $12,000 a year in rent. But the motivation is more personal than financial.

“To me it would always be my dad’s office,” said Lindsay, who was elected in November to the seat that had been held by his father, William J. Lindsay, for 12 years before he died in September.

“Sitting there day after day, there were a million reminders,” Lindsay said yesterday. His father was 67 when he died of cancer.

The senior Lindsay, who was the longtime presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature, had spent most of his 12 years in office at the old building in downtown Holbrook.

Lindsay III’s new office is at 1609 Grundy Ave. The office phone number and fax won’t change.

Besides the lower rent, the new office has more space and a larger conference room that Lindsay said will be made available for community groups.

Lindsay said that being in the legislature brings many reminders of his father. He’s still sitting in his father’s chair. “I haven’t gotten a new chair yet,” he said. He hasn’t decided if he will. — DAVID SCHWARTZ

EAST PATCHOGUE

Bonds to help fund hospital’s expansion

The Brookhaven Local Development Corp. has approved $40 million in town-backed, tax-exempt bonds for the planned expansion of Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue.

Hospital officials plan to build a three-story addition, a new lobby entrance and other improvements. Construction is set to begin this year, and the project is expected to be completed in 2016.

The expansion will enable the not-for-profit hospital to treat some patients who currently are referred to other medical facilities, according to a news release from the LDC, the business arm of Brookhaven Town.

The addition is expected to allow for expansion of the hospital’s cardiology programs. The hospital had renovated an existing cardiac catheterization suite and built a new laboratory. But officials decided an expansion was needed because usage of the new facility exceeded expectations, an LDC spokesman said.

Richard T. Margulis, the hospital’s president and chief executive, said the 321-bed facility “remains committed to doing all it can to meet the medical needs of our community, and this project will allow us to fulfill that commitment.”

— CARL MACGOWAN

HEMPSTEAD VILLAGE

Engineering award for energy efficiency

The Village of Hempstead has been given the platinum engineering excellence award by the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York for its implementation of solar panels and other energy efficiency project upgrades at Kennedy Memorial Park.

Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. was presented the award at the council’s 47th Annual Awards Gala at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan on Saturday.

The renewable-energy lighting project, with 168 solar panels and LED lighting, generates 90 kilowatts of electricity, saving the village an estimated $40,000 a year. The village used a $479,800 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the project in 2011.

“The Village of Hempstead shares the belief that we need to work towards a smarter and more energy-efficient planet,” Hall said in a statement. “Implementing projects that yield positive environmental and economic impact for the Village and its residents is part of our objective.”

As part of the village’s $2.5 billion downtown revitalization plan, Hempstead launched a strategic program aimed at reducing carbon emissions and decreasing negative impact on the environment. The installation of solar panels at Kennedy Park was step one in that program, village officials said. — AISHA AL-MUSLIM