Friday, December 21, 2018
Vol. 78, No. 51
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SERVING PLAINVIEW, HICKSVILLE, AND LEVITTOWN
BOARD GAME BUDDIES
Town’s recycling program to be modified in 2019 BY GARY SIMEONE
Wisdom Lane Middle School students in the school’s Peer Buddies club enjoyed an afternoon of making friends and playing board games on Nov. 27. Sixth-grader Angelina Figgs (left), sixth-grader Annalise Cortes (middle) and seventh-grader Gabriel Barthelemy (right) played Guess Who? Mix’ n Match together.
Photo courtesy of the Levittown Public Schools
Town secures federal funds for job training The Town of Oyster Bay has announced the availability of over $50,000 in federal grant funds through the On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program for local businesses looking to expand their workforce, train employees, and return jobs to the community. Under this program, the Town may partner with an eligible business and help defray costs (through wage reimbursement of up to 75% of the trainees salary) needed to help bring a candidate up to speed in a job where a skills gap exists. “Through this On-the-Job Training Program, the Town will
help put people to work while assisting employers in growing their businesses,” said Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino. The OJT Program is designed to reimburse a business for the additional expenses needed to bring a job candidate up to speed in a position where they do not meet all the minimum qualifications normally required in the position. OJT will help bridge the skills gap by providing funds to help train a prospective employee. Under the OJT program, employers must present employment
opportunities that will last at least 1 month and no more than 6 months in length. Last year, the Oyster Bay Brewing Company was the first business to participate in this On-TheJob Training Program, ultimately helping train and employ two residents in product sales and manufacturing, which ultimately led to permanent positions within the company. For more information about this program please contact (516) 797-4560 or business@oysterbayny.gov.
Beginning in January 2019, the Town of Oyster Bay’s Recycling Collection Program, will be modified as a result of greater import restrictions from China. In the last decade, China has been on the receiving end of industrialized nations’ recycled goods, but that has changed as the country has begun enforcing stricter policies on recyclables entering their country. “Due to new import restrictions placed on recyclables by the Chinese government, the Town must part ways with its current recycling vendor,” said Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “We will continue with our single stream recycling initiative but will no longer recycle glass or certain types of plastics.” In a meeting earlier this month, the Town Board entered into an IMA (Inter-Municipal Agreement) with Hempstead Sanitation District 1, to help minimize costs in hauling away recyclables. The Board agreed to pay $69.75 per ton of recyclables to the district, and Omni Recycling Inc. of Westbury will work under contract with the district. “This IMA, approved by the Town Board, will allow the Town to continue picking up recyclables weekly,” said Saladino. “While the adoption of a single-stream recycling initiative a year ago resulted in the Town earning a positive revenue stream, restrictions from China have changed the market and these changes will financially impact the Town.” He added that the Town would end up absorbing the costs with little impact to the 2019 budget. Other municipalities on Long Island are also dealing with the economic burden of having to transfer their recyclables to local carting operations. The communities of Brookhaven and Southold in Suffolk County made news in late November, as some of the first communities to make cutbacks to their recycling programs. “While surrounding municipalities are transitioning from single-stream to dual-stream recycling and asking residents to hold onto to recyclables up to two weeks at a time, we sought an option that least impacts residents,” said Saladino. The change in recycling collections is slated to take place beginning January 2nd.
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