Roundup: Oyster Bay beach cleanup, Glen Cove camp fees could rise

OYSTER BAY

Beach cleanup planned for Saturday

The Town of Oyster Bay, North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association and Friends of the Bay will team up again to sponsor the annual Oyster Bay Harbor and Beach Cleanup Day on Saturday.

Volunteers are encouraged to participate in the cleanup, which will run from 8 a.m. to noon. Those interested can get information by calling 516-677-5943 or sign up the day of the event by the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park launching ramps on Larrabee Avenue.

Satellite cleanups will also take place in Bayville at Centre Island and Stehli Beaches, which are on either end of Bayville Avenue. Volunteers can also go directly to those locations and register near the main entrances.

At the beaches in Bayville, staff from Audubon New York will be educating volunteers about federally protected bird-nesting areas for piping plovers and least terns. — BILL BLEYER

GLEN COVE

City plans to raise summer camp fees

Glen Cove plans to raise its municipal summer camps’ fees by $55, pending a public hearing and vote Tuesday by the City Council.

Officials said the increase is necessary to reduce operating losses on three-day camps that served 585 children last year.

The proposed increases would raise the cost of the Pee Wee Camp to $440 from $385, a 14.3 percent increase; the regular camp to $490 from $435, a 12.6 percent increase; and the Crazy 8’s camp to $605 from $550, a 10 percent increase.

The city’s parks and recreation department generally runs the camps for five to six weeks in July and August. The Pee Wee camp is for 4- and 5-year-olds, the Crazy 8’s camp is for children entering the eighth grade in the fall and the regular camp serves those in between.

Last year the camps operated at a $73,732 loss on expenses of $285,054, according to city documents.

Speaking at a pre-council meeting on Wednesday, City Councilman Michael Famiglietti said the camp still needs city funds to make up the shortfall and keep the camp reasonably priced for the working families it serves. Part of the city’s costs are scholarships and reduced fees for the camps.

Mayor Reginald Spinello said that while the fee hikes won’t cover all the costs, they will improve finances.

“Is it a loss leader? Yeah, but it’s not as much of a loss leader as it used to be, and there’s a lot of kids that depend on this,” Spinello said. — Ted Phillips

HUNTINGTON

Free workshop offers help with hiring

The Huntington Business Incubator is hosting a free workshop to help small-business owners navigate the process of recruiting employees.

The workshop is scheduled for April 29 and will begin with an hourlong networking session at 5:30 p.m. followed by the workshop at 6:30.

The instructor is Elena Dundon of Saint Joseph’s College, which has campuses in Patchogue and Brooklyn. She has worked in the human resources field for more than 20 years and has experience in the retail, hospital and fitness industries, the private education sector and organized labor, according to a flier about the event.

The Huntington Business Incubator, a program of the town’s Community Development Agency, is at 1268 New York Ave., just south of the railroad station. Membership offers early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs access to co-working space, Wi-Fi, telephones, conference rooms with mounted smart, high-definition televisions for presentations, business guidance from mentors and other technical assistance, according to the town’s website.

Those interested in attending must RSVP by calling 631-351-2884 or sending an email to dteets@huntingtonny.gov. — MACKENZIE ISSLER

NORTH HEMPSTEAD

Tons of shrink wrap left for recycling

A program encouraging boaters to recycle plastic shrink wrap used to protect their vessels during the off-season has resulted in more than three tons of recycled material from about 1,200 boats.

The town launched the recycling initiative this year to help keep the shrink wrap out of town landfills. Residents were encouraged to recycle the plastic at the Solid Waste Management Authority Transfer Station at 999 West Shore Rd.

Commercial marinas and residential boat owners can also recycle the material at the town’s dock in Port Washington.

Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth hailed the program a “tremendous success in its first season,” saying the town was prompted to launch it since “so much of our town borders on the waterfront and so many residents own boats.”

Omni Recycling, the town’s recycling vendor, is carting the wrap away at no extra charge, officials said. — SCOTT EIDLER

LEVITTOWN

Earth Day cleanup set for Saturday

The Levittown Community Council, in partnership with the Town of Hempstead, will host its eighth annual Earth Day cleanup Saturday, April 26.

The event is 1 to 4 p.m. Participants will meet in the OfficeMax parking lot at 3350 Hempstead Tpke., just east of Gardiners Avenue and next to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

Workers are asked to bring rakes, brooms and work gloves. The town will provide garbage bags. Locations for cleanup will be assigned once the groups assemble. In the event of rain, the cleanup will be held Sunday.

For more information, contact council co-president and event chairman Tom Kohlman at 516-221-6590 or email levittowncouncil@yahoo.com. — AISHA AL-MUSLIM

WESTBURY

Free event to offer tips on identity theft

Residents can receive free legal advice next month on identity theft, family law, domestic violence, housing and other issues at an event in Westbury sponsored by state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola).

On May 14, the Mobile Legal Help Center will head to the Westbury Library, 445 Jefferson St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center, a partnership between the New York Legal Assistance Group and the New York State Office of Court Administration, offers free legal services to communities.

Experts will be on hand to assist residents, who can call Martins’ office at 516-746-5924 to make an appointment; walk-ins will be accepted. -- SCOTT EIDLER