Vol. 77, No. 29
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Friday, July 21, 2017
Additional $432,000 needed for garage
TOP SCOUTS HONORED
BY GARY SIMEONE
Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony J. Santino (4th left), Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby (3rd right), Councilman Anthony D’Esposito (3rd left) and Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmad (2nd right) honored Eagle Scouts Zachary Honig and Timothy Maines of Levittown at the 2017 Town of Hempstead Scout Recognition Day at the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick. The Town of Hempstead is home to over 250 Eagle Scouts and Gold Award Girl Scouts. Pictured (left to right) are: Assistant Scout Executive Julio Garcia of the Theodore Roosevelt Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of Nassau County CEO Donna Ceravolo, Councilman Anthony D’Esposito, Supervisor Anthony J. Santino, Eagle Scouts Zachary Honig and Timothy Maines of Levittown, Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmad and Council Commissioner Peter Shields of the Theodore Roosevelt Council of Boy Scouts of America.
Town proposes ban on drones in beaches & parks BY GARY SIMEONE
Summer time is a time for people to relax and enjoy the outdoor weather and spend time at the beaches and parks. An element of privacy and lack of noise and intrusion is expected to be the norm at our beaches and parks but when drones are introduced it can put a damper on those expectations. On Tuesday, July 25, the Town of Oyster Bay will hold a hearing at Town Hall to decide whether to ban the use of these devices in all of its public beaches and parks. Town councilman, Lou Imbroto, says he hopes the proposed ordinance will pass to ensure the safety and privacy of all Town residents.
“This is a common sense measure to ensure the quality of life and safety of all of our residents,” said Imbroto. “These drones are heavy and dangerous and could cause accidents and collisions and a lot of them have cameras that could take pictures without people knowing about it.” He said that there needs to be a certain level of privacy for people dressed in their bathing suits and also getting changed in many of the Town’s open air changing stations. “This is a serious concern because people can have a video or pictures being taken of them when they are totally unaware.” The new ordinance would force people to obtain a permit from the Town
at a cost of $75 to use a drone and they would also need to have liability insurance in case of accidents. The permits would only be needed for using the devices at all parks and beaches. Imbroto said that if people were caught using drones without the necessary permits, the initial penalty would be a $500 fine and a $1,000 fine for a second offense. “We don’t want our parks and beaches being overrun with drones because these things are dangerous, disruptive and make a lot of noise. People should be able to enjoy the experience of going to our parks and beaches without the feeling of their privacy being invaded.”
At last Tuesday’s Board meeting, the Town of Oyster Bay agreed to grant additional monies to fix the troubled Hicksville parking garage facility. $432,000 was granted to help fix everything from structural repairs to drainage and grading improvements inside the garage which serves as a parking area for LIRR commuters at the Hicksville station. According to figures from the Town, the biggest portion of the monies will go to design, bid and construction phase services. $297,000 of the money will go to the design fee which includes engineering, field testing and contract document review. This also includes the bid phase for both crack and drainage repairs and construction inspection. $134,715 will be allocated for the shoring system installed at the garage. Part of that money will be for the cost of installation and first month’s rental for shoring system and an additional eight months rental on the shoring system. An Official from the Town said that the shoring system is currently in place and that the design documents are being developed and are expected to be completed within two months. The Official also said that the construction duration will be based upon the final repair method which will dictate how to proceed in implementing the necessary fixes. The shoring system costs were negotiated between the Town and Hirani Engineering Group with an outside contractor. Hirani is operating under an existing contract through the Department of Public Works that was approved by resolution through the Town Board.
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