Roundup: Water authority OKs Oakdale refueling site

SUFFOLK COUNTY

Water authority OKs Oakdale fueling site

The Suffolk County Water Authority has approved $837,300 in funding to build a compressed natural gas fueling facility at its Oakdale headquarters to double the number of authority vehicles that use the cleaner-burning fuel.

The authority, which approved the funding at a meeting Monday night, has about a dozen vehicles using natural gas, which are based at the authority’s Westhampton office. Authority officials said about 40 percent of the cost of the fueling station will be paid for from a grant from the New York State Energy Research Development Authority. Jeff Szabo, SCWA executive director, said the fuel stations should be operational late this year.

Authority officials could not say how many of the authority’s 300-vehicle fleet ultimately will be converted to compressed natural gas.

Also Monday, the authority voted to create a rate stabilization fund that will use proceeds from surplus land sales after May 1 to minimize rate hikes in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

The authority board recently tapped proceeds from earlier land sales to lower a proposed 4.2 percent rate hike to 1.2 percent for the current fiscal year. The authority sold a half dozen surplus parcels for a total of $3 million in the past two years.

The SCWA still has several hundred acres of surplus property. The largest remaining surplus real estate holding is the authority’s former office building, worth about $1.6 million, across from the Oakdale headquarters.
— RICK BRAND

LOCUST VALLEY

State issues report on defunct marina

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a record of decision on its proposed cleanup of the former site of the Mill Neck Marina. The report on the defunct marina on Hernan Avenue follows a March 3 public meeting on the proposed remedial action plan.

The state plans to clean the soil on the site to residential-use standards by removing all surface and subsurface soil that exceeds that standard. Excavated soil will be disposed of off-site and the excavated area backfilled with clean soil and revegetated.

DEC officials said the plan conforms with the current zoning and future anticipated use of the site for single-family housing.

Because the community would like the site rezoned and used for a park, the plan contains a contingency to allow for a less intrusive and less costly remedial program if the Town of Oyster Bay decides to pursue that option.

The state plan for the 1.4 acres would remove soil from 60 to 70 percent of the site on Mill Neck Creek. A marina where boats were stored, maintained and fueled operated on the land for nearly 50 years until 2001.

The site has been designated as a “Class 2” Superfund site, meaning the contamination significantly threatens public health or the environment and requires action. Soil samples taken at the former marina in 2011 found hazardous levels of copper, mercury, arsenic, zinc and lead.

Project documents are available at www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8431.html. The plan also can be viewed at the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library and Locust Valley Library.
— BILL BLEYER

BABYLON TOWN

Community honored for urban forestry

The Town of Babylon last week was one of the New York communities recognized by the state for their participation in urban forestry activities.

“Urban forestry volunteers, students and industry professionals contribute their knowledge to enhance and maintain tree canopy in cities, village, towns, parks, college campuses and other public places,” said Joe Martens, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Several communities and organizations that met the standard requirements of the programs run by the DEC’s State Forester and the Arbor Day Foundation were recognized as a Tree City, Tree Campus or a Tree Line.

Tree City USA is a program that provides direction, technical assistance, public attention and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs, according to the DEC. The program is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the state forestry agencies.

In order to become a Tree City, a community must have: a tree board or department; a tree care ordinance; a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita; and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation, according to the DEC website.

On Long Island, 21 communities were considered Tree Cities, including Amityville, East Rockaway, Huntington, Long Beach, Smithtown and Westhampton Beach.

In addition, Annika Chang, a fifth-grader at John Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School in Commack, received recognition for winning the Arbor Day poster contest.
— PRISCILA KORB

ISLANDWIDE

Fire departments seek more volunteers

Local fire departments across the state plan to hold open houses April 26 and 27 as a part of the fourth annual RecruitNY, a recruitment effort established in 2011 to help bring in more volunteers to the local fire departments. During the open houses, visitors can tour the firehouses and fire apparatus, try on gear and take part in activities throughout the firehouse, according to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.

The association runs the program along with the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs, the Association of Fire Districts of New York State, the Volunteer Fire Police Association of the State of New York, and the Country Fire Coordinators Association of the State of New York.

“We encourage departments to sign up to let their communities know of their participation,” James A. Burns, president of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York said. “RecruitNY has proven a success in past years and is a key initiative to help bolster membership numbers so fire departments can continue to provide the optimum level of protection to their local residents.”

On Long Island, 14 fire departments — 11 in Nassau and three in Suffolk — are expected to host open houses, according to the RecruitNY website.

For more information and to find a list of the fire departments participating in the program, residents can visit recruitny.org.

Fire departments interested in signing up for RecruitNY can log on and fill out the form at recruitny.org/signup. 
— PRISCILA KORB

GLEN COVE

Report released on contaminated site

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an amended record of decision for the Powers Chemco hazardous waste site.

The $5.5 million cleanup at 71 Charles St. would include excavating about 10,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds including toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, methyl ethyl ketone and benzene and replacing it with clean soil, cleaning the groundwater and requiring periodic monitoring. The cleaned ground would be covered if necessary.

Contaminated soil off the site would be treated in place.

For the full report, go to www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8431.html. Copies are available at the Glen Cove Public Library.

For additional questions, contact DEC project manager Girish Desai at 631-444-0243 or gvdesai@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

The contamination stems from dumping by the Columbia Ribbon Carbon and Manufacturing Co., which owned the property before selling it in 1979, according to the DEC. Evidence of the contamination dates to the 1950s when aerial photographs showed open pits where printing inks, carbon paper and typing ribbons were dumped, according to the DEC. The property is owned by Konica Minolta Holding USA Inc.

The contamination was discovered in 1983; and a previous attempt to remediate the site did not fully remove the hazardous chemicals. Groundwater samples have found arsenic, chromium, lead and mercury that exceeded safe levels. The state lists the site as posing a significant threat to public health or the environment.

— BILL BLEYER

MINEOLA

Citizenship seminar to coach immigrants

Immigrants preparing to take the final steps to become American citizens can receive free assistance through the Nassau County Bar Association’s seminar, “U.S. Citizenship Interview Demonstration,” on April 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the group’s headquarters in Mineola.

An officer from the Garden City Office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is scheduled to discuss the naturalization process and demonstrate questions that may be asked during the required citizenship interview and exam.

Attorneys from the association’s Immigration Law Committee are expected to provide free consultations about specific issues and answer questions. It also can instantly provide translation services in 170 languages for any callers who may need help understanding legal assistance in their native tongue. In addition, NCBA’s Lawyer Referral Service (516-747-4832) can connect callers to attorneys fluent in foreign languages.

Seating for the interview demonstration is limited. Those interested in attending are asked to call NCBA at 516-747-4070. For more information, visit nassaubar.org.
— SID CASSESE

FREEPORT

De La Salle students contest’s top winners

Students from the De La Salle School, a private Roman Catholic middle school in Freeport that educates economically disadvantaged students, took first and second places in a statewide competition that challenges students to solve hypothetical problems the world may face in the future.

The students won the awards at the Future Problem Solving Program International State Bowl at Molloy College in Rockville Centre on March 16. They presented skits giving solutions to the challenge of life in Beijing in 2037, with future transportation problems causing so much congestion that people are not able to get to work, despite technological advances.

The Future Problem program was established in 1983 by the creativity pioneer Dr. Paul Torrance to challenge gifted students around the globe to think critically about potential future problems. Thousands of students from the 50 states, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Kingdom take part in the competitions each year.

With their first-place finish at Molloy, the De La Salle team qualified to compete in the Future Problem Solving world championships to be held in June at the University of Iowa. Students from all 50 states and 14 countries are expected to attend.
— BART JONES