Village uses grant for code enforcement car

Bellport Village has purchased a new code enforcement car with the aid of a $35,000 Caithness Grant.

The grant, which covered the entire cost of the vehicle, is part of the Caithness Community Benefit Package, negotiated by Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Connie Kepert, whose district includes Bellport.

As part of the agreement to place the new Caithness power plant in an industrial park north of the Brookhaven landfill, the Long Island Power Authority and Caithness Energy agreed to pay $12 million into a “community benefits package.”

“I am happy to be of assistance to the Village of Bellport,” Kepert said in a statement. “The purchase of this code car, which will be dedicated to protecting the Village and surrounding communities, is another great use of Caithness funds.”

Code enforcement officers, who check compliance with village code, are “the eyes and ears of anything else that goes on around here, making sure everyone is safe and happy,” village clerk Scott Augustine said in an interview.

Each of the village’s three existing code cars have been driven more than 90,000 miles.

“We appreciate the assistance we received from Caithness, the Town of Brookhaven and Connie Kepert to procure a new code vehicle for the Village of Bellport,” Mayor Will Veitch said in a statement. “It will help our code division continue to provide for the safety of the Bellport community.”