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Massapequa Herald 04_01_2026

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HERALD Massapequa

Mike Polansky/Herald

St. Patrick’s Day fun

Members of Girl Scout Troop 3472 march in the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce St. Patrick’s Day Parade. For more photos, see Page 10.

Massapequa School Board presents final budget; vote set for May 19

Assistant Superintendent for Business Ryan Ruf presented the third and final draft of the Massapequa School District’s 2026-27 budget to the Board of Education at its March 19 meeting, outlining a proposal that would raise the tax levy while remaining under the state cap.

The proposed tax levy is $191.1 million, a 3.9 percent increase, or $1.05 million below the tax levy limit.

“We would love to be lower, because we understand the pressure that puts on our residents, but we worked very, very hard given the additional pressures related to the bonds to balance that out,” Ruf said.

Transportation remains a major component of the budget. Ruf noted that 2026-27 is

the final year of the district’s main transportation contract, and an RFP will be issued next year for a five-year replacement.

The $14.4 million allocation covers 44 buses, including those transporting students to private and parochial schools, which cost $2.78 million. Ruf said the “wet” contract — in which the district pays fuel separately — is advantageous because bus companies otherwise include “worst-case” fuel costs for later years.

Recreation programs total $968,788 and cover sports camps for 1,500 children and other activities for 3,000. Ruf said the program operates on a break-even basis, with fees covering expenses.

Personnel costs include $35.1 million for health insurance covering 639 active employees and 766 retirees, reflecting an 8.8 percent

TOBAY Board settles Peninsula Golf Course dispute

At its March 24 meeting, the Oyster Bay Town Board approved a settlement ending a longstanding dispute over the future of the Peninsula Golf Course in Nassau Shores, East Massapequa.

Under the agreement, P.G.C. Holding Corporation, owner of the 50-acre, 9-hole course, agreed the property “shall be forever used and maintained as and for golf purposes only, open to the public,” and consented to rezoning the site from residential to recreational. In return, the Town will discontinue its eminent domain proceedings in Nassau County Supreme Court.

Tamid concerns it could be sold to a developer and subdivided into 150 single-family homes. The course consists of two parcels separated by Cedar Drive, with two holes on the eastern parcel.

Town officials praised the outcome. Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said, “This is great news for our community as we are permanently protecting this open space from development while saving the millions it would cost to acquire it.”

his is great news for our community as we are permanently protecting this open space from development while saving the millions it would cost to acquire it.

JOE SALADINO Oyster Bay Town Supervisor

The settlement also gives the Town a right of first refusal if P.G.C. receives a bona fide offer to purchase the property for continued golf use, at the same or higher price.

The dispute dates back to summer 2021, when the Town sought to acquire the property

Councilman Tom Hand added, “Our goal was to protect the recreational use of this property in perpetuity, and I’m pleased that we were able to do so while protecting taxpayer dollars. As an avid golfer, I’m delighted this course will remain open to the public for golf purposes only, preserving the character of the community.”

Nassau Shores Civic Association President John Guerriero said he and members of the

more about how we’re helping communities thrive. psegliny.com/revitalization These two moms opened a spa. It had one big, on the

Mery and Sindy always knew they wanted to open a spa to bring beauty to customers. Little did they know it would have the same effect on the community. And Business First was there. We provided $23,000 in grants to help with much-needed renovations so Mery and Sindy could bring their vision to life.* Now, not only does their spa impact clients in a beautiful way, it gives the community an economic lift as well. *Incentives, grants, and savings will vary with every project.

Long Island Cinema Festival brings filmmakers to local towns

Local directors launch multi-town festival April 13-18 to celebrate the art

The first Long Island Cinema Festival is coming to Babylon, Farmingdale and other Long Island towns April 13–18, giving filmmakers a chance to showcase their work across multiple venues. South Bay Cinema in West Babylon will host the marquee night, while screenings also take place at Plaza Cinema and Media Arts Center in Patchogue; Hunter and Thief in Lindenhurst; Calderone Theater in Saint James; Necromantic Brew Co. in Farmingdale; and The Stone Goat Restaurant and Brewery in Saint James.

Local filmmakers George Massimillo, TJ Kiss and Keith Rugen created the festival with two unique features: a wide-ranging set of venues and a “Legacy” category that invites films from past years.

“One thing that differentiates us from other film festivals is the ‘Legacy’ category,” said TJ Kiss. “We’re looking for films from three, four, five years ago to see what helped shape these filmmakers.” He added that the category gives older films new exposure.

Inspired by their own filmmaking backgrounds, the directors said they wanted to create opportunities for others in the growing Long Island film community.

“We want to give another opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their projects,” said Massimillo. “We’re spreading the festival across Long Island, with our marquee night at South Bay Cinema in West Babylon.”

Submissions are open to filmmakers beyond Long Island, and the team has received international entries. “We’re bringing it all together and emphasizing networking,” Massimillo said. “It’s about connecting filmmakers and getting audiences to see the work.”

Keith Rugen added, “Networking is key, but it’s really about getting to know the people behind the films and building relationships.” Kiss echoed this, saying the festival helps the growing community continue to expand.

The festival will include shorts, features, documentaries, and screenplays spanning a variety of genres. All films will be reviewed by the three directors and additional judges using a structured scoring system.

“We’ll announce selections and nominations online so people can engage with the projects early,” he said.

We want to give another opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their projects. We’re spreading the festival across Long Island, with our marquee night at South Bay Cinema in West Babylon

For the directors, filmmaking is both a collaborative art and a personal passion. Massimillo calls it a “unique blend” of music, visuals, writing, performance, and special effects. Kiss recalled editing his first iPhone short film, saying, “There’s nothing else that brings me as much satisfaction as turning ideas into reality.”

Rugen emphasized the community aspect: “It really is a film family— people helping each other to make something amazing.”

Massimillo also known fo rhis work on ExChange, 2025 and Waninghis work on Poetic, 2024.

GEORGE MASSIMILLO Filmmaker

Massimillo noted the festival’s unique social media strategy to promote films ahead of screenings.

TJ Kiss is also known for his work on Necromance Renters. 2022.

For more information, including ticket details and screening times, visit longislandcinemafestival. com or follow the festival on Instagram at Long Island Cinema Festival.

Courtesy Jenny Jaser Photography
George Massimillo and Keith Rugen interviewed by News 12 reporter Erin Colton at Massimillo’s screening for “It’s Love, Bro”.
George Massimillo with TJ Kiss at the screening for Massimillo’s latest film, “The Ex-Change”

Nominations sought for Women of Distinction in Oyster Bay Town

The Oyster Bay Town Board announced that nominations are now being accepted for the Town’s 2026 Women of Distinction Program. During Women’s History Month, throughout the month of March, residents are invited to nominate extraordinary women who have made a difference in their communities. Nominations should be submitted by Friday, April 3.

“Each year, the Town has the honor of recognizing women who go above and beyond to improve the lives of those around them through our Women of Distinction Program,” said Councilwoman Laura Maier. “If you know a special woman who helps make your community a better place to live, we invite you to nominate her to be a 2026 Town of Oyster Bay Woman of Distinction.”

Councilwoman Vicki Walsh added, “We are proud to recognize women in our Town and invite residents to submit

nominations of those who make a difference and enrich the lives of others. We look forward to sharing their stories and recognizing their efforts to make our community, families and Town a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Women of Distinction will be recognized at a special awards ceremony hosted by the Town Board in May. Nominations may be submitted for any achievement or honorable cause performed by the nominee. The Town seeks to recognize individuals for their contributions to the arts, education, environment, athletics, community or civic service, volunteerism or business. Honorees must live or work in the Town of Oyster Bay.

To submit a nomination for the Women of Distinction Awards Program, please visit www.oysterbaytown.com/ womenor call (516) 624-6380 for an application.

Bus aide charged with abusing Baldwin special needs students, police say

An Amityville man who worked as a school bus aide has been arrested and charged with abusing special needs students who attend a Baldwin school, Nassau County police said. According to detectives, Devone Medlock, 37, who lives on Bayview Avenue, was employed by the First Student bus company and assigned to students attending Grand Avenue School. Police said Medlock became physically and verbally abusive toward multiple children, alleging that he pushed, slammed, restrained and sat on students.

Medlock was arrested at his home, police said. He is charged with six counts each of third-degree assault, third-degree menacing and endangering the welfare of a child.

Police said he was arraigned on Saturday, March 21, at First District Court in Hempstead.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have been a victim to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800244-TIPS.

CRIME WATCH

The following incidents have been reported by the Nassau County Police Department and other law enforcement and emergency service units: LARCENY

North Massapequa: Someone removed a handicap parking permit from inside a vehicle. While it. Was parked on Seneca

This story first appeared in the Massapequa Herald online at massapequapost.com Drive. The theft was reported March 21. If you have any information about a crime or any person(s) involved, call Crime Stoppers or submit a Web Tip. You do not have to give your name CRIME STOPPERS will pay a cash reward of up to $5,000 and you can remain anonymous.

People named in Crime Watch items as having been arrested and charged with violations or crimes are only suspected of committing those acts of which they are accused. They are all presumed to be innocent of those charges until and unless found guilty in a court of law.

Self Help/Crisis Hotlines

Residential Program: Beacon House

Short-term, long-term and transitional housing is provided throughout Long Island in 58 group homes, emergency shelters, and select single-family residences. Those eligible include homeless veterans, veterans with families, veterans and non-veterans with substance abuse and mental health issues, women in need of supportive housing, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Every veteran resident has access to intensive case management, transportation and daily living essentials. For assistance, call 631 665-1571.

Domestic Violence

N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Crisis services for victims of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault; group/ individual counseling for adults and children; bilingual court advocacy; legal consultation and representation; safe emergency housing; elder abuse services; referrals and systems advocacy; community education. Eligibility criteria: Nassau County residents or non-residents seeking safe housing in Nassau. Will serve undocumented immigrants. Payments accepted free or on sliding scale. Address is 250 Fulton Avenue, Mezzanine West,

Amityville SD appoints interim assistant superintendent

The Amityville School District is proud to announce that Joseph C. Dragone has been named the new interim assistant superintendent for business and operations , effective March 4.

Dragone brings more than four decades of leadership in public education, with extensive experience overseeing district operations and finances. Most recently, he served as the interim assistant superintendent for business and operations in the Cold Spring Harbor Central School District.

A familiar face in Amityville, Dragone previously served as the district’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations from 2021-2022. Prior to his tenure in Cold Spring Harbor, Dragone also held senior business and administrative roles in the Manhasset, Roslyn, Harborfields and Rockville Centre school districts. He holds multiple advanced degrees in educational administration and mathematics, and maintains permanent New York State certifications in school administration and supervision.

He has served as an adjunct profes -

sor at Hofstra University, LIU Post, and Queens College as well as an instructor in the New York State School Boards Association Fiscal Integrity Training Program for new school board members and as an adjunct for NYSSBA providing Custom Board Retreats. He has also served as an officer of state and local professional associations including the presidency of the New York State Association of School Personnel Administrators, a member of the Association of School Business Officials of New York (ASBO New York), formerly NYSASBO, Governmental Relations Committee, and officer of both the Nassau and Suffolk Chapters of ASBO. He continues to serve as a representative to the Long Island Educational Coalition.

Dragone has been active in his community including serving as the president of the local library board and as a founding member of educational foundations in Rockville Centre, Harborfields, and Northport. He now resides in Northport with his wife, Liz, and spends as much time as he can with his four children and six grandchildren.

Courtesy Amityville school district
Joseph C. Dragone was been named the new interim assistant superintendent for business and operations for the Amityville School District, effective March 4.

Hofstra baseball impacted by weather

The Hofstra baseball team is looking to take flight in the heart of spring after it was largely grounded to open the season in the dead of winter.

After opening the 2026 season with a three-game series at then fourth-ranked Mississippi State from Feb. 13-15, the Pride were only able to play three games over the next three weeks as mother nature unleashed historic snow totals across the Long Island region.

“You count on those early games to be able to evaluate the team and see where we’re going into conference play,” said fifth-year Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “It’s tough to replicate that when you’re inside in the gym or in the bubble.”

Playing just six games in the first three weeks of the season didn’t give Hofstra much preparation before starting the critical Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) portion of its schedule on March 6 at College of Charleston. The Pride took one of three games in series at Charleston and Monmouth to open conference play before taking two of three against Northeastern last weekend to move to 4-5 entering April.

Hofstra is looking to reach the sixteam CAA tournament with 21 returners from last year’s disappointing 18-36 team that went 8-19 in the league to miss out on the postseason. The Pride can assure a CAA playoff spot by placing among the top two in the league’s north division featuring Monmouth, Northeastern, Stony Brook and Towson or by having one of the two highest NCAA RPI ratings at the end of the regular season for the remaining teams.

Leading Hofstra’s charge for some late May baseball is red-shirt senior center fielder Tyler Cox, who hit .276 last season after transferring from West Virginia. The local lefty product from Clarke High School is second on the team in hitting as of March 30 with a .304 average and four home runs.

“He’s probably my best hitter in the

lineup and his approach has gotten better as lately he’s been more aggressive in hitting counts,” said Catalanotto of Cox. “He’s a leader on the team.”

Junior shortstop Michael Brown who leads the Pride in hitting with a .361 average and two home runs. Brown drove in the winning run in Hofstra’s 5-4 11 inning win against Northeastern on March 27.

Sophomore catcher CJ Griggs entered the final week of March hitting .304 and recording the winning RBI in a dramatic 11-10 win against Northeastern Sunday in which the Pride rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth.

JJ DeVito, a graduate student transfer from St. Johns, who was a former standout at Wantagh High School, has added some offensive punch to the lineup with a .268 average including four hits in a 5-4 loss at Charleston on March 8.

The pitching staff got a boost to start the season with the return of 2024 First-

Team All-CAA honoree Carlos Martinez, who missed last season due to Tommy John surgery. Martinez missed some early non-league action as he worked his way back from injury and Catalano is hoping he can peak during the crucial CAA portion of the schedule in April and May.

“He was struggling a little bit early with some pain in his arm, but now he’s feeling close to 100 percent,” said Catalanotto of Matinez.

The starting rotation for weekend CAA games also features sophomore Chris Bedford and senior Sean Hamilton. Key hurlers out of the bullpen include Nick Reese, Deuce Musial, Maddon McArthur, Tanner Sanderoff and Brayden Gregg.

Sophomore Michael Heyman, a Hewlett High School graduate, is another relief pitching option who could be called upon in non-league midweek games this season.

The Pride will look to get the April part of their CAA schedule off on the right foot with a series at Towson this weekend before hosting Long Island rival Stony Brook for three games from April 10-12. Hofstra will host series against Towson from May 1-3 and Monmouth from May 8 -10 before closing the regular season at Stony Brook.

Hofstra dug itself an early hole to gain a playoff spot by dropping four of six CAA games to start the season, but taking two of three from Northeastern gives the Pride a winning foundation to build off with plenty more conference games left to finish strong.

“There are a lot of games left and we’ve got to go take care of business,” said Catalanotto, a former 14-year Major League Baseball player who led Hofstra to a CAA title in his season as head coach in 2022. “We’ve got the talent to do it.”

Carlos Martinez is back on the mound after missing 2025.
Photos courtesy Hofstra Athletics Communications Clarke High School product Tyler Cox is a key piece for the Pride in the lineup and center field.

Unqua’s young researchers investigate forces of nature

A month of research, writing and imagination culminated in engaging digital projects on natural disasters by fourth graders in Kerri Schmitt’s class at Unqua Elementary School in Massapequa.

Students could pick which natural disaster they wanted to research among earthquake, tornado, tsunami, volcano, wildfire or – one they are quite familiar with – blizzard. They made their presentations in Book Creator and information had to come from at least three sources including a book, an article and an online database.

Schmitt said that regardless of which disaster they chose, all students had to find similar information including what the disaster is, where it commonly happens, who it affects, historical examples, causes, how to prevent it and how to prepare. Their digital books also included features such as photos, maps, diagrams with labels and fun facts pages. These research projects were part of a nonfiction reading and writing unit but also connected to the fourth grade science curriculum on the Earth’s features.

In March, parents were invited in as each student will present his or her project. Schmitt commended her fourth graders for their hard work and creativity throughout the process.

Courtesy Massapequa school district
Unqua Elementary School fourth graders, from left, Jaxon Vincenti, Blake Zwicker, Dominic Whitmore, Oliver Pacrami and Isla Acosta were proud of their digital presentations on natural disasters.
FOREST GLEN Cabernet Sauvignon

Crowd cheers Chiefs hoopsters at Challenger game

Massapequa High School’s Challenger basketball teams came together for friendly competition after school on February 25 as hundreds of fans cheered on about two dozen players representing the main campus and the Ames campus. It was also senior night, as two longtime players were recognized.

The Challenger program provides students with special needs the chance to join a sports team, and participants mostly compete against athletes from other districts, with Amityville, Bethpage and Levittown among the regular opponents. The program is open to grades 6-12, including ungraded and above 12th grade students. There is soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, cheerleading in fall and winter and track in the spring.

The February 25 hoops contest in the Massapequa High School gymnasium featured players from main campus team in their home navy blue uniforms against ninth graders from the Ames Campus in their road whites. The event began with warmups, the Pledge of Allegiance and player introductions. Basketball coach Sal Calderone and cheerleading coach Kathleen Wegener recognized two seniors who have been a part of Challenger basketball and cheer for several years, Madison Buckvar and Olivia Razzano.

The game featured four eight-minute periods, with player switches halfway through each quarter to ensure every-

one got an equal chance to play and to score. There were loud cheers from the crowd of students, staff, parents and community members after each basket. Cheerleaders rallied support from the sidelines.

Joining the players on the court were their buddies. The students, who are members of the Best Buddies club or players from Massapequa’s basketball program, are an integral part of Challenger athletics. Calderone noted that the buddies provide support before, during and after a game, and foster positive social interaction.

“It’s been a great year,” he said of the Challenger basketball season, which began in January. “It’s nice that as a community, everybody supports these athletes 100%.”

Calderone said the Challenger teams have the same experience as varsity and junior varsity teams, getting uniforms and coverage from the Sports Broadcasting Club. There is a pasta night for the players every season and this spring will feature the first awards banquet. The two high school teams are also taking part in a Challenger basketball clinic hosted by Lynbrook.

“The support is from top to bottom,” Calderone said, noting that board of education trustees and central administrators are regulars at the games. “Everyone wants to make sure that these athletes have smiles on their faces the entire time.”

Calderone said that he takes great pride in watching the athletes grow their knowledge of the game and become better players. Their hard work, along with the support system around them of peers and adults, makes Massapequa’s Challenger sports program a shining light in the district.

He and Wegener are supported by several staff members including Angelica Fred, Maria Fred, Johann Greene, Zaire Goddard, Julia Hahl, Lucrezia Jambelli, Mike Leitke, Kathleen Mangialardi, Melinda McDermott, Diane McGrath, Cathy Mroczka, Erica Murphy, Joe Nolan, Agnese Paladino, John Pietrosante, Katie Reilly, Calogero Hughes Saporito, Matt Smith, Catherine Stackpole, Patricia Valentine and Kristine White.

Courtesy Massapequa school district
Coaches Kathleen Wegener and Sal Calderone recognized Madison Buckvar and Olivia Razzano before the senior night game.
Ryan O’Fee got some well wishes from his brother, John, before the game began.
The Challenger cheerleading squad rallied support from the sidelines.

Great South Bay Boating club is offering boating courses

The great South Bay Boating club is offering a variety of boating courses including to help prepare boaters for the upcoming boating season: AMERICA’S BOATING COURSES

•Massapequa: Captree Squadron May 9, 9 a.m., at Harbor Green Shore Cloub, 38 Riviera Dr., East. The cost is $30. For information call Gene Johnson at 631-921-3403 or email him at pwrbtr@aol.

•West Islip: Great South Bay Squadron, May 11, 6:30 p.m., West Islip Library, 3 Higbie La., West Islip. The cost is $40. For information call Michael Boland at 631-290-8096 or email

him atbolandmichael123@gmail.com

DISTRICT 3 SEMINARS

• BH Anchoring withAssurance,Great South Bay Squadron, April 9, 6:30 p.m., at West Islip Library, 3 Higbie La., West Islip. The cost is $20. For information call Michael Boland at 631-290-8096 or email him atbolandmichael123@gmail.com

• BH Emergencies on Board, Great South Bay Squadron, April 13, 6:30 p.m., at West Islip Library, 3 Higbie La., West Islip. The cost is $20. For information call Michael Boland at 631-290-8096 or email him atbolandmichael123@gmail.com

Walkabout fundraiser for profound Autism

A Walkabout for profound autism will be held on April 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Sunken Meadow State Park.

The fundraising walk is to raise awareness and essential funds to strengthen resources and honor neurodiversity and inclusion for the profound autism community. The walk is 10 miles, and there is also a 5-mile op -

tion.

This event is hosted by Marsha Marino, inspired by her son Matthew who has Profound Autism. Marino is also a licensed psychotherapist who provides services to the Massapequa community.

Please register by April 1.

To sign-up, please visit profoundautism.org.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FRIDAY, APRIL 3

•Simpson United Methodist Church Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 30 Locust Ave., Amityville. For more information, call (631)-789-2569.

SUNDAY, APRIL 5

•Simpson United Methodist Church Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 30 Locust Ave., Amityville. For more information, call (631) 789-2569.

MONDAY, APRIL 6

•Massapequa Fire District Monthly Work Session: 7:30 p.m., District Administration Building, 1 Brooklyn Ave., Massapequa. For more information, call (516) 798-9849.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7

•Emotional Health Recovery and

Support Group: 7:30 to 9 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9592, 55 Hickory Lane, Levittown. Free weekly, in-person meeting of Emotions Anonymous, a 12-step support group for anyone experiencing emotional difficulties. For more information, call Steve at (631) 332-0552 or Jill at (516) 220-7808. All calls are confidential.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8 • Emotional Health Recovery and Support Group: 7:30 to 9 p.m. Free weekly, virtual meeting of Emotions Anonymous, a 12-step support group for anyone experiencing emotional difficulties. For more information, call Steve at (631) 332-0552 or Jill at (516) 220-7808. All calls are confidential.

Calendar items are printed for non-profit organizations, as space permits, or when an event, service or information is being sponsored by a profit-making organization without charge to readers. Submit items to us at Richner Communications, attn: Post Editor, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530; or email: dconsola@liherald.com at least two - three weeks prior to the publication date in which the item must appear. Sorry, but open-ended requests without the specific dates of the events are not acceptable. While we make every attempt to accommodate each request, we cannot guarantee publication of any items. For more information, call 516-569-4000.

Watch full video of the event here: youtu.be/aH4RfZ8kCfg

Shamrocks and cheers:

Massapequa community turns out for St. Patrick’s Day Parade

There was plenty to smile about at the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, held March 14. The event, which honored Brian Kilmeade of Massapequa, longtime co-host of Fox & Friends on Fox News as Grand Marshal, drew more than 10,000 people.

Left: Serena Suter, all dressed in green for the parade.
Right: St. Patrick, (aka Andy Kuzma).
Mike Polansky/Herald
The Massapequa Fire Department.
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and Grand Marshal Brian Kilmeade.
Keith Wilson and Sal Polito, incoming president of the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce
The Pest Paisan
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
Chris Paul w daughters Mackenzie and Finley.

Climate activists rally against Hochul plan

Dozens of advocates and concerned residents gathered at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola last month to protest Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to revise New York state’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

The CLCPA is an environmental policy that requires greenhouse gas emissions in the state to be reduced by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 by replacing much of the state’s fossil fuel electricity with renewable energy. Hochul wrote about the policy in an opinion essay published by the Empire Report on March 20, titled “Climate Action and Affordability Must Go HandIn-Hand.”

Following the loss of federal support for solar, wind and other energy initiatives and the rapid increase of oil prices, Hochul suggested that the climate act could lead to severe utility cost increases if it is not revised.

“So much has radically changed since the climate act was enacted, necessitating common-sense adjustments that keep us on our path to a greener future in a way that is affordable for New Yorkers,” Hochul wrote. “We need more time, and so I am proposing we amend the law to require regulations to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions to

be issued at the end of 2030.”

Eric Weltman, senior organizer of the national nonprofit Food and Water Watch, led a group of protesters urging state legislators to defend the climate law later that day.

“We are here because Governor Hochul, unfortunately, is threatening to weaken New York’s landmark climate law,” Weltman said, “and we’re here to urge our legislators to stand up and

defend and protect the climate law. Hochul is embracing policies that would promote fracking and more costly fossil fuel pipelines and power plants.”

The CLCPA, Weltman said, reduces costs related to fossil fuels, decreases air pollution and supports a shift toward renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

Joe Sackman, executive director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition,

said the 2019 legislation “fully expressed New York’s willingness to take on climate change and move us toward a just and working-class-centered economy.”

“Governor Hochul, by demanding rollbacks to the CLCPA, you are playing politics with our future,” Sackman added. “It’s time to do what is right. No rollbacks on New York’s climate law.”

T.J. Shivers, representing New York Communities for Change, focused on the climate crisis’s direct effects on Long Islanders’ budgets.

“Energy burdens are crushing families from many low- and moderateincome communities,” Shivers said. “People are paying 6 to 10 percent or more of their income just on energy bills, far above what is considered affordable … When my bill goes up, it’s not just the number on paper, that’s food off the table.”

A number of community organizations joined the protest and spoke against revisions to the CLCPA, including the New York Public Interest Research Group, Transition Town Port Washington, the South Shore Audubon Society, the Green Party of Nassau County, All Our Energy, Grassroots Environmental Education, Renewable Heat Now and Bend the Arc Jewish Action: Long Island, calling for Nassau County residents to contact their local elected officials to advocate for preserving the climate act.

Joseph D’Alessandro/Herald
Eric Weltman, a senior organizer for Food and Water Action, led the crowd in urging legislators to defend the state’s climate law on March 20.

Water economics: balancing need with cost

The politics of profits, taxes and surcharges have roiled the debate over public and private service

Fifth installment in a series about water.

Water is a business.

Advocates argue that water is a basic human right. It’s also a product, provided for a cost and purchased by consumers. Whether filling a 40-ounce water bottle, taking a long, relaxing shower or running the tap for two minutes of teeth-brushing, water consumption is an often overlooked part of our everyday lives.

Like other expenses considered essential for life such as food, electricity and a Wi-Fi signal, the water bill is a recurring payment. And just like other utilities, residents sometimes have limited options for their service provider.

Long Island residents are served by either public water districts or private water suppliers and, depending on location, some pay significantly more for the same basic necessity — often with little or no ability to choose their provider. While a majority receive water from public providers, a smaller portion of the population is served by private companies, often at higher cost.

The dollars and cents

When their water bill comes in, many ratepayers feel a sharp pain in the wallet. Costs can fluctuate based not only on how much they use, but what they use it for.

Several water districts estimate that the average use for a family of four is nearly 400 gallons per day. In some cases, especially in private service areas, water bills can range from $500 to $800 per month during peak summer periods, according to longtime advocate Agatha Nadel, a resident of Glen Head.

Pricing differs sharply between public and private water systems. According to Pamela Bellings, a communications specialist at Liberty Water, “Residential water rates are set through a regulatory process overseen by the New York Public Service Commission.”

“Rates are designed to recover the cost of operating, maintaining and upgrading water infrastructure while ensuring service remains safe and reliable,” Bellings said of how Liberty determines its residential rates.

“Rates do not fluctuate month to month, but they may change over time following regulatory review and approval,” she added. These proposed changes require detailed justification and include opportunities for public input before a decision is made, which helps balance customer affordability with the need to maintain and modernize critical water infrastructure, according to Liberty.

Critics argue that despite regulatory oversight, the structure of private water systems can lead to significantly higher costs due to general service charges, meter charges, regulatory charges and other fees.

Public water suppliers typically pro-

vide a standard water usage rate, a conservation rate — a type of sliding scale applying higher fees to higher use, intended to encourage judicious water use — and an irrigation fee for dedicated sprinkler systems, which are presumed to be relatively lower priority than consumption.

“We feel water is a basic need. You need it for drinking, cooking and bathing,” said Robert McEvoy, chairman of the Oyster Bay Water District.

“Once you get past that, whether you’re putting 15,000 gallons on your lawn in the course of a quarter or you’re drinking every last drop, it has to meet the same standards, health-wise. We have to treat all our water the same way.”

“Water districts are determined or created as part of town law,” McEvoy explained. “A lot of the boundaries preexist the Nassau Subdivisions Act and the Nassau County charter — when they were established. Some of them run sort of coterminous with school district lines.”

of about 9.75 percent per project by the New York Public Service Commission, and that can rise to as much as 12 to 15 percent.

According to Nadel, a four-year rate cycle in the mid-2010s brought an increase of about 120 percent, significantly driving up household water costs.

While treatment standards remain consistent for public safety, pricing can vary significantly depending on the provider. In some towns, prices may even vary between houses on the same block due to water zoning boundaries or the homeowners’ use of private or public water supplies.

Nadel’s residence, for example, is in the Liberty Water service area, while homes just 100 feet away are served by the public Jericho Water District.

“My neighbor pays a fifth of what I pay in an entire year,” Nadel said. “No taxes, no surcharges, nothing.”

Pricing differences, advocates say, are driven largely by the structure of private systems, which include profit margins and surcharges and have limited access to the government funding that public providers rely on to offset costs.

Residents in a private system can pay three to five times more than those served by public water providers, according to Nadel. Private water companies are guaranteed a baseline profit

A major issue voiced by private water customers is the amount they pay in fees added to their water bills, which typically include base usage rates and additional charges such as taxes and surcharges. In some cases, nearly half of the bill is not for water usage. Surcharges can include the cost of infrastructure projects such as filtration systems, water towers and other capital improvements.

“It’s an absolute sin,” Nadel said of the surcharges. “Forty-one percent of a typical water bill goes to charges and taxes that have nothing to do with the actual water usage. It really is an absolute sin.”

Public vs. private water suppliers

While most Long Island homeowners rely on public water services from their local municipality, private water suppliers may be an option for certain service areas. Liberty Water is one of the area’s

Herald file photo
Water towers are one highly visible part of every water district’s infrastructure — and there’s no hiding their physical condition.

Public, private water rates differ drastically

largest private alternatives, currently supplying water to nearly 120,000 Nassau residents, primarily in the Town of Hempstead. A homeowner who wants an alternative to either public or private water suppliers would need to install and maintain a private well, subject to local and state requirements.

“For most customers, remaining connected to a regulated public water system provides reliability, water quality oversight and long-term infrastructure support,” Bellings said.

As a result, most Long Islanders continue to receive water service from the provider assigned to their area, even if they are dissatisfied with it. Because water is tied to geographic districts, homeowners typically cannot choose their provider.

As a matter of public safety, water suppliers — public and private — must adhere to state and federal guidelines to monitor and remove waterborne contaminants. “Private suppliers have the same health department and [Department of Environmental Conservation] requirements — federal, state and local requirements for pure water,” McEvoy said. “They have the same maximum contaminant levels for the same contaminants. Their testing requirements are the same as us, whether it’s a public or a private water supplier.”

McEvoy has decades of experience in the water industry, having previously served as chairman of the Long Island Water Conference and president of the Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners’ Association — both organizations dedicated to ensuring water quality, safety and affordability across the Island.

Nadel explained that the Water Authority of North Shore has two main options to deliver public water: build and operate its own system or contract with an existing public provider. In her own research with North Shore Concerned Citizens, she has concluded that contracting with nearby systems — such as Jericho, Glen Cove, or Roslyn — would be the fastest and most practical approach because those providers already have infrastructure in place.

Long Island’s water systems are interconnected, allowing supplies to be rerouted during emergencies such as contamination events or periods of high demand, demonstrating that a transition from private to public supply may be feasible. Nadel said the shift would not be overly complex, but rather a matter of political will.

Homeowners having scant options is an issue on both shores, but potential alternatives have been considered for several years. The South Nassau Water Authority was created in 2021 to potentially offer Town of Hempstead residents an alternative to Liberty Water. A plan to establish a new water authority and create a sustainable, efficient and effective alternative to Liberty has been in the works for years. Residents and legislators are eager to move forward, but negotiations to transition away from the current water supply are complex and have moved slowly.

“Right now, the options are very limited,” explained Assemblywoman Judy Griffin, who represents District 21, which encompasses Baldwin, East Rockaway, Lynbrook, Malverne, Rockville Centre, South Hempstead and parts of Freeport and Valley Stream. “Residents that live in the Village of Rockville Centre and the Village of Freeport have municipal water; however, those who live anywhere else in AD-21 are served by Liberty Water with no ability to opt out, unless the municipalization of South Nassau Water Authority becomes a reality. The primary goal being to transition these private customers to public control to lower costs.” Public funding for some, but not for others

“Strong communities start with a strong infrastructure,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a 2024 news release. “Clean water is a basic human right.”

Last month, Hochul announced a plan to direct $28 million in state and federal grants to Long Island to help facilitate water infrastructure upgrades. The

Customers who received water from Liberty utilities opposed a 2023 rate hike that potentially saw bills in nassau County increase by a cumulative 34.2 percent. the increase ultimately went into effect in August 2024.

Drip, drip, drip: Where are your dollars going?

If your water bill seems excessive, there are some relatively simple steps to pare it down.

20-minute shower with standard showerhead

Up to 50 gallons of water

15-minute shower with low-flow showerhead

Up to 30 gallons of water

5 loads of laundry, standard machine

Up to 200 gallons of water per week

4 loads of laundry, Energy Star-certified machine

Up to 115 gallons of water per week

Standard toilet with minor running leak

Up to 1.6 gallons per flush plus up to 180 gallons per week

EPA-verified WaterSense-label toilet

Up to 1.28 gallons per flush

funds are part of a $250 million statewide project to improve water infrastructure.

The plan follows similar financial support in January of this year, when Hochul sent $18 million to Long Island — one part of a $288 million project — with the similar aim of making water and sewer infrastructure improvements.

In a statement supporting the most recent funding, Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. wrote, “We know that access to clean water is not a luxury, but it is a necessity.” Hobbs continued, “Upgrading our aging water system, replacing outdated pipes and improving the overall system is critical to protecting public health.”

The influx of funds can play a significant role in maintaining and upgrading anything from deteriorating equipment at water treatment plants to damaged

underground supply lines. As government agencies, water districts can benefit from funding directly from the state, while private businesses cannot. The trickledown effect, so to speak, of extra governmental funding is that cost savings can be passed to residents. More important, water quality and safety can be more easily maintained. Private suppliers address potential safety issues at their own expense, without state or federal aid.

“Currently they’re not available for private water companies,” McEvoy said. “But the Long Island Water Conference has put it on their agenda to seek legislation that would give them access [to public funds] only for treatment of the contaminants. Not for any other purpose.”

Due to the unequal funding for environmental upgrades, public water providers are in a stronger financial position to improve infrastructure and remove contaminants using state and federal funds, while private systems are excluded from receiving them — meaning costs are passed on to residents.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires community water systems — public and private — to publish “community confidence reports,” most commonly in the form of yearly water-quality reports that reveal test results for contaminants, as well as facts and figures detailing overall water consumption.

The Jericho Water District Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2024, for example, highlighted nearly 4.9 billion gallons of water provided to 58,000 customers, averaging 13.4 million gallons per day. Jericho Water charges a minimum of $13 per calendar quarter, at a rate of $1.30 per 1,000 gallons up to 10,000 gallons. Fees increase on a sliding scale with usage — similar to the conservation rate used in other municipalities — reaching $3.90 per 1,000 gallons for usage above 200,000 gallons per quarter.

According to the 2025 Liberty Annual Water Quality Report for the Sea Cliff Operations District, the average customer used just under 95,800 gallons of water, at a cost of about $1,340, or $3.67 a day. Liberty also revealed that it served roughly 4,388 customers, at a total cost of $5.9 million.

The reports highlight how costs and scale can vary widely between systems, even as both draw from the same regional water supply.

For many residents, the issue is not just how much water they use, but who controls the system that delivers it.

Jordan Vallone/Herald file

REFLECTIONS IN FAITH Resurrection Sunday Blessings

Resurrection Sunday blessings and greetings to all on behalf of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Amityville.

Change. Some embrace it. Some resist it. I, for one, love it—especially when the seasons shift, when days stretch longer and warmer, when birds sing and flowers bloom. I love seeing families out and about and feeling the thrill of a new baseball season beginning.

Holy Week, too, is marked by profound change. It moves from the solemn darkness of Maundy (Holy) Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday to the world-altering light of Resurrection Sunday—the day Jesus’ salvation journey was fulfilled.

On that Thursday, Jesus and His apostles gathered in the upper room for the Last Supper. But that night, darkness fell when our Savior was arrested and brought before Pilate and the Sanhedrin’s kangaroo court, Good Friday gave way to Holy Saturday, when Jesus descended into hell to free the captives. Saturday led to Sunday, and sorrowful tears were transformed into tears of joy and exhilaration: Jesus had risen! The tomb was empty! He had triumphed over Satan, over death, over the world. Alleluia!

Jesus kept His promises—to His disciples, to His followers, and to us. The Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled. The darkness of Friday gave way to eternal, life-giving light on Sunday morning. I feel that joy deeply. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God promised a Savior. He sent Jesus, who kept His promise by taking the weight of all our sins on His body. Our lives, once shadowed by evil, were transformed by the light of the resurrection. He rose so that we, too, might rise when He returns.

But what of the meantime—the now?

Life is constant change, isn’t it? Wars rage, political debates divide us, homelessness and immigration challenges confront us.

We sometimes talk at one another instead of with one another. On a personal level, we endure broken marriages, addiction, financial struggles. We face the heartache of terminal illness, a child with autism, a spouse or parent facing dementia. Life is exhausting. How can we find joy amid it all?

Through every change, one thing remains constant: the love of Jesus. His life was far from easy; He walked in our shoes. Jesus loves the difficult, the outcast, the sinner—He loves us, even when we are hard to love. On every journey, He faced adversaries who denied His power. They thought they had defeated Him on the cross. And yet, when we sin and turn to Him, we are forgiven.

Yes, we will die. But for Christians, even death is transformed by hope. In a twinkling of an eye, our lives will change again. Our bodies will be glorified, and we will dwell with Jesus and all the angels in a new heaven and earth. Death is not the end—Jesus has conquered it. What a change!

So, let us rejoice. Let us shout with confidence and joy: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

Volunteers needed for Great South Bay clean up

Volunteers are needed for the Village of Amityville and Town of Babylon environmental partnership to control invasive plant species in local waterways.

This project is to remove invasive parrot feathers. The event will take place on April 11, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at noon at the Delano Preserve, Union Ave., east of Route 110. A rain date will be set for April 18.

Volunteers must wear old cloth -

ing. Please bring boots, waders or hip boots are best. Also, please bring rubber gloves, or disposable plastic gloves will be provided. Coffee and breakfast will be available. Please park on the south side of Union Ave.

For further details about the location, visit amityville.com/facilities/ facility/details/delano-nature-trail-6. For more information, contact Amityville Village Hall at (631) 264-6000.

TOBAY Board settles Peninsula Golf Course dispute

CONTINUED FROM COVER

association are pleased that the Town has ensured that Peninsula Golf Course will finally be rezoned to recreational, mandating that it will forever remain a golf course and never again be under the threat of development.

“It is my hope that the owners of the course can now move forward and focus

on making necessary safety and cosmetic improvements to outdated features of the course, such as the fencing and foliage surrounding the land,” said, Guerriero noting that the fencing is dilapidated and rusted, and is not high enough to keep people’s houses and cars from being hit by golf balls.

Final budget vote, May 19

CONTINUED FROM COVER

rate increase. Retirement and Social Security contributions are also included.

Debt service is another significant factor, with costs rising as projects from the 2023 bond issue progress.

“The work is in full swing now and schools are starting to see the benefit of infrastructure upgrades,” Ruf said.

About $4.57 million of the total budget increase is due to debt service, which will eventually be partially offset by state building aid.

Ruf also noted a projected $2.59 million increase in state aid, though he cautioned that final numbers may be delayed due to the state budget schedule.

Ruf credited the district’s Budget

and Finance Committee, co-chaired by Board President Kerry Wachter and board member Cher Lepre, for its work on the proposal.

During public comment, Massapequa resident Joe Prisinzano asked the board to consider installing private floor-to-ceiling changing stations in high school locker rooms. Superintendent Dr. Brennan said private contractors had estimated the cost at $125,000 per room, and in-house construction had not yet been explored.

The board is scheduled to adopt the budget at its April 16 meeting. A public budget hearing is set for May 7, with the vote scheduled for May 19.

Courtesy TOBAY
Aerial shot of the golf course property.
Pastor Tom Cusanelli

Amityville Memorial HS top 10 scholars for the Class of 2026

Amityville Memorial High School’s top 10 scholars for the Class of 2026 were honored for their excellence in academics during the board of education’s March 18 meeting at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School.

Amityville Memorial High School

Principal Dr. John Cardone, joined by Assistant Principals Mary Frances Hopkins, Angelica Rodriguez and Dr. Maria Vineyard, recognized each scholar and commended them for their impressive list of accolades. The high school’s top 10 scholars include: Christian Chicas (valedictorian); Elidi Laquidara (salutatorian); Heidy Chavez; Ryan Daly; Remi Johnson; Brian Lucena Perez; Daniel Salazar; Sydney McPherson; Angelina Gomez and Eghosa Ojo

Read the Massapequa Herald Post

Oyster Bay Town Board now accepting applications for Women of Distinction

The Oyster Bay Town Board announced that nominations are now being accepted for the Town’s 2026 Women of Distinction Program. During Women’s History Month, throughout the month of March, residents are invited to nominate extraordinary women who have made a difference in their communities. Nominations should be submitted by Friday, April 3

“Each year, the Town has the honor of recognizing women who go above and beyond to improve the lives of those around them through our Women of Distinction Program,” said Councilwoman Laura Maier. “If you know a special woman who helps make your communi-

ty a better place to live, we invite you to nominate her to be a 2026 Town of Oyster Bay Woman of Distinction.”

Councilwoman Vicki Walsh added, “We are proud to recognize women in our Town and invite residents to submit nominations of those who make a difference and enrich the lives of others. We look forward to sharing their stories and recognizing their efforts to make our community, families and Town a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Women of Distinction will be recognized at a special awards ceremony hosted by the Town Board in May. Nominations may be submitted for any achievement or honorable cause per-

Town yard waste collections resume on April 6

Oyster Bay Town officials announced that yard waste collection will resume the week of Monday, April 6 for homeowners who receive Town collection services. Yard waste is picked up on the same day as recycled materials, including plastics, metals, glass and cardboard. Residents should place yard waste curbside on their same day as their recycling items. Yard waste is collected by town sanitation crews and taken to compost facilities. Waste includes grass clippings, weeds, leaves, tree trimmings, hedge and shrub clippings and other garden/yard waste. Materials should be placed in bags at the curb, and should weigh no more than 50 pounds. No household garbage, refuse or ani-

mal waste should be disposed with yard waste.

“Collecting Yard Waste is an important component to our recycling program,” said Andrew Councilman Monteleone. “One of the prime benefits of recycling yard waste is that the cost to take these materials to a compost facility is less than the cost to dispose of them at an out-of-state landfill. This successful program is another example of the Town’s commitment to providing high quality environmental services while protecting our taxpayers’ wallets.”

For more information on the Town’s sanitation services, including recycling and yard waste, visit www.oysterbaytown.com

formed by the nominee. The Town seeks to recognize individuals for their contributions to the arts, education, environment, athletics, community or civic service, volunteerism or business. Honorees must live or work in the Town of Oyster Bay. To submit a nomination for the Women of Distinction Awards Program, please visit www.oysterbaytown.com/ womenor call (516) 624-6380 for an application.

Courtesy Amityville school district
All the scholars were celebrated by their parents, teachers, staff members and district administrators who supported them throughout their educational journey in the Amityville School District.

Shout Out to Cat Caretakers: “Dr. Senk is Back!” and opens an affordable Farmingdale feline veterinary clinic

“Dr. Senk Is Back!” A business sign like this usually welcomes a hairdresser’s return. But not in a Herald “Pets” column. Here- the opening exclamation happily announces the return of Dr. L. Gay Senk, Long Island’s veterinary visionary behind the Trap/Neuter/ Return (TNR) movement to curtail the overpopulation of feral cats, while improving the quality of life for outdoor cats. I call her our Grand Guru, but Dr. Senk prefers to be known as the Great Facilitator of TNR.

Pets, Pets, Pets...

Dr. Senk’s reappearance coincides with the re-opening of her Farmingdale animal hospital, now as the non-profit Tender Loving Veterinary Clinic, in collaboration with Rebecca Caro of Tender Loving Cats, Inc., as an affordable care facility for TNR of feral cats as well as spay/neuter of owned cats.

Feral cats, society’s discards and their progeny, as many as 70 million in the US, share our world. Beautiful creatures to some; intrusive pests to others. Catch the cats, sterilize them, and bring them back. At first, the idea seemed counter-intuitive, but TNR is the proven humane way to decrease feral numbers and the suffering inherent in their plight.

THE GREAT FACILITATOR:

Dr. Senk found her niche helping feral cats in a roundabout way. In the late 1960s, while competing on the US Equestrian team, she became interested in equine medicine when

seeing vets visiting the stables. After graduating vet school at University of Georgia in 1978, Dr. Senk practiced equine medicine for 14 years, as a reproduction specialist for show and racehorses, including Secretariat offspring.

She switched her focus to felines in 1990 when she had two young children and became one of the first LI doctors to welcome ferals and rescued cats to her office for low cost spay/ neuter and medical care because she saw a great need for these services around stables. Such a contrast- the horses she helped had wealthy owners, while these stray cats had no owners.

In 2010, Dr. Senk founded Farmingdale Dog & Cat Hospital at 908 Conklin Street. She continued to work there through the years of new ownership. When she learned the hospital was closing in March 2025, she took it back but was not allowed inside until January 1, 2026. Volunteers helped to gut and renovate the hospital. Two modern operating tables stand next to each other.

Dr. Senk learned that Donna Kramer, who managed a reputable animal hospital for 30 years, had retired. She recruited Donna to run the office. Partnering with Tender Loving Cats, Inc., this new non-profit clinic opened in March 2026.

Their joint goal is to help rescuers and colony caregivers while serving the public to reduce the issues of abandoned, free roaming

feral cats via TNR; and to aid owners so their cats do not reproduce. Most LI towns have voucher programs for trapped ferals, yet no services for owners who can’t afford cat spay/ neuters. The TLC clinic helps owners too.

Dr. Senk enlisted a team of experienced veterinarians, techs, and assistants with the same mindset to help with surgeries. She asks any professional interested in the mission to reach out.

APPOINTMENTS AND PRICES:

Monthly surgery days are posted on tenderlovingverterinary.com, their Facebook page, or calling 866-976-2287.

FERAL CATS IN TRAPS spay/neuter $100-includes rabies and distemper combo vaccines, deworming, flea/ear mite treatment, pain medication, mandatory ear tip – the universal sign that a feral has been spay/neutered and vaccinated for rabies.

OWNED CATS- $150 each, includes all services above except ear tip. In addition, a microchip is implanted. If the owner brings their own microchip, price is $125.

PASSING THE TNR TORCH:

About re-opening the hospital, Dr. Senk said: “I wanted to create something everlasting.” If someone is altering a whole colony of cats, the clinic will give them clustered appointments until every cat is castrated.

As she approaches retirement, Dr. Senk is determined to pass the TNR torch to the next generation of veterinarians. She reaches out to vet students at LIU’s new veterinary college and other vet schools, with offers to mentor them. She demonstrates subtle pointers (aka “trade secrets”) that years of experience

Dr. L. Gay Senk by one of the two operating tables in the new Tender Loving Veterinary Clinic in Farmingdale.

have become second nature for her. She teaches while preparing cats and during surgery. At one TNR clinic, we all watched the vet students learn how to tie off a male cat neuter. She also stresses the importance of watching a cat’s temperature and the pinkness of its gums during recovery.

Dr. Senk is the bridge connecting different rescues, shelters, and veterinarians. We are all working toward a common goal of decreasing CATastrophes. Collaboration creates more TNR and feline spay/neuter opportunities. As she reminds us: “We aren’t going to run out of cats.”

JOANNE ANDERSON

STEPPING OUT

From sketchbooks to the spotlight

Young artists stand out in ‘Long Island’s Best’

Fresh talent is in full bloom this spring at Heckscher Museum of Art. For three decades, the Heckscher Museum of Art has served as a prestigious launchpad for the next generation of visual storytellers. “Long Island’s Best” is back, marking its 30th anniversary as it spotlights emerging high school artists throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, now through May 3.

As the only juried exhibition of its kind on Long Island, this program offers high schoolers the rare distinction of seeing their work hanging in a professional museum and memorialized in a full-color commemorative catalog. The selection process is famously rigorous: For the 2026 season, 84 finalists were curated from over 400 submissions representing 63 schools across Nassau and Suffolk. Tasked with this challenge were jurors Meredith Brown, Ph.D., the museum’s consulting curator of contemporary art, and guest juror Aaron Feltman — an accomplished artist and a proud Long Island’s Best alumnus.

“It is never an easy process,” says Brown, who explained that the strongest pieces combine technical skill with originality and meaningful themes.

This year’s exhibition included an unusually high number of sculptures — more than in any previous “Long Island’s Best” exhibitions — that reflect both the students’ ambition and influenced by the recent exhibition “Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History.”

“I was surprised by the number of sculptural submissions,” Brown adds. “Sculpture is tricky, and many schools don’t have the resources, but these students took the challenge on and produced really compelling work.”

Among standout pieces is Luminous Harvest, a ceramic sculpture by Lyla Pinto, a senior at Long Beach High School, which earned fourth place and the Stan Brodsky Award. Inspired by painter Darragh Park’s “To Here/From Here,” Pinto created a tree-like form composed of branches holding symbolic fruit and candles.

“I was drawn to Park’s artwork because it seemed alive, as though the forms are changing and expanding rather than remaining still,” she explains. “The handcrafted fruits represent abundance, sustenance and the various attributes each branch offers. I made seven branches because the number seven represents completeness and balance, suggesting a full cycle of growth rather than a single moment. Like Park, I wanted to convey a sense of natural rhythm through organic shapes as demonstrated in the abundance and repetitious organic greenery.”

For Director of Education Joy Weiner — whose program leadership is being honored at a “30th Birthday Bash” on April 18 — the most rewarding aspect of her involvement is observing students experience the thrill of having their work displayed in a museum.

“Just watching their faces as they show their parents how special this opportunity is, that’s one of the happiest memories every year,” she relates.

“Long Island’s Best” has evolved considerably since its early years.

“Years ago, there were landscapes, still lifes and portraits. That was pretty much what you got,” Weiner

Lyla Pinto: Lyla Pinto’s ceramic sculpture “Luminous Harvest, was awarded Fourth Place and honored with the Stan Brodsky Scholarship Award.

• Now through May 3

• Open Thursday through Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

• Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington

• Visit Heckscher.org or call (631) 380-3230 for information on related programming

adds. “Over the years, the different kinds of materials became something that students were interested in exploring. And they’re also much more aware of the world around them, tackling social issues, personal experiences and big-picture ideas through their art.”

While the program certainly sharpens their technical craft, its true value lies in instilling the professional rigor required of a working artist. It also underscores the lasting influence of arts education, with many alumni pursuing careers in art, design, filmmaking, and teaching.

“The whole process from beginning to end involves meeting deadlines, working with teachers, creating the work and writing about it,” Weiner says. “That’s very important as they continue in their careers, to not only create a work of art but to be able to speak about it and share it with others.”

Looking ahead, both Brown and Weiner encourage students to embrace the process, even if their work isn’t selected.

“Sharing your work is a powerful experience. It helps students grow as artists and lets others engage with their vision.” Weiner adds.“Even if your piece isn’t chosen, you learn something about yourself and your art. And when people connect with your work, it’s a truly rewarding experience.”

Teachers, Long Island’s Best alumni and the community are all invited to the stylish “Birthday Bash” celebrating this momentous milestone. Alumni and local artists will contribute works for a fundraiser, underscoring the lasting influence of “Long Island’s Best” throughout the region. The gathering includes an opportunity to meet students and hear firsthand how the program shaped their creative journeys.

“I’ve been privileged to watch the growth of Long Island’s Best,” Weiner says. “I have seen elementary school students eventually become LI Best finalists, have watched students’ progress to becoming Long Island Biennial artists as professionals; and have been lucky to work with students who now teach art in our community, inspiring the next generation.”

This milestone exhibit not only celebrates the talent of today’s students but also emphasizes the enduring value of arts education in shaping Long Island’s creative future. It’s an opportunity to explore a wide variety of media and themes while experiencing the fresh perspectives and voices of the next generation of artists, gaining insight into how young people interpret the world around them through art.

Come chill with stand-up comedian Dan Soder! Get ready for a night of sharp, laugh-out-loud comedy when he takes the stage on The Golden Retriever of Comedy tour. Known for his quick wit and effortlessly relatable storytelling, Soder has built a devoted following. His credits include ”Not Special” on Comedy Central, a standout turn on Netflix’s The Standups” and his acclaimed HBO special “Son of a Gary.”Fans have also embraced his hit YouTube special, “Dan Soder: On The Road,” a laugh-packed set filled with smart, surprising takes on relationships, growing up and everything in between. Offstage, Soder hosts the popular podcast Soder and was a longtime co-host of SiriusXM’s The Bonfire from 2015 to 2023. Many will also recognize him from his role as Dudley “Mafee” on Billions. With his easygoing charm and razor-sharp observations, Soder delivers comedy that feels both down-to-earth and unexpectedly insightful.

Saturday, April 4, 7 and 9 p.m. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com.

‘…how

I wish you were here’

Wish You Were Here celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all time and cited by Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour as their favorite album. The band continues its 30-year tradition of combining sight and sound to capture the mood, emotions, and intensity of the Floydian theatrical concert experience — in a spectacular tribute of music, performers, lighting, video, lasers and inflatables — all performed without backing or click tracks. The veteran 10-piece musical ensemble features seven vocalists and a Floydian stage production — sound effects and vintage videos, flying inflatables, theatrical vignettes with props, and a sensational light show with moving lasers, rolling fog and state-of-the-art intelligent lighting — all produced with a fan’s obsession for detail.

Thursday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. Tilles Center, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Photos courtey Heckscher Museum
Tiffany Yam, of John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, contributed “Encased,” using colored pencil on illustration board.

FREE community event focused on health, wellness, and lifestyle

Meet trusted local exhibitors and service providers

Take advantage of on-site health screenings

Enjoy lively entertainment, fitness demonstrations and interactive experiences

Hear from experts during a panel discussion with Q&A

Win raffles, prizes, and giveaways

Snack station for all

*Boxed lunches for first 150 attendees

All designed to help you stay active, informed, and engaged at every stage of life.

MAE CAIME FOUNDER, AMAEZING MIDLIFE & BEYOND

Register for this FREE event: Seaford.eventbrite.com or email rbamgbose@liherald.com or call 516.569.4000 x273 AGENDA:

EXPERT PANEL + Q&A

RAFFLE DRAWINGS MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN

April 1, 2026 —

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Bedrock Security Group LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/04/2026. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 300 Nassau St, Bellmore, NY, 11710. Purpose: any lawful act.

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may be served & shall mail copy of process to: InCorp Services, Inc., One Commerce Plaza99 Washington Ave., Suite 805-A, Albany, NY 12210-2822. General Professional Purpose: medical services.

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Notice of formation of Little Talkers Speech Therapy, PLLC

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SS Y) on 01/06/2026 Office location, Nassau County

SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a process served to: The PLLC, 61 Briarwood Ln, Plainview, NY 11803 Purpose: any lawful act.

26-46. 3/11, 18, 25, 4/1, 8, 15

Notice of formation of THE CHARCUTERIE WIVES, LLC  Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SS Y) on 02/11/2026 Office location, County of Nassau  SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.  SSNY shall mail a process served to:  THE CHARCUTERIE WIVES, LLC , 2081 Willoughby Ave, Wantagh NY 11793  Purpose: any lawful act.

26-57 3/25, 4/1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Notice is hereby given that a license, Application ID: NA-0370-26106204 for liquor, beer, wine, and cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, beer, wine, and cider at retail in a Bar/ Tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 60 N Park Ave, Rockville Centre, NY 11570, County of Nassau, for on premises consumption at THE NEW VIBE LOUNGE INC.

26-58. 3/25, 4/1

Town of Oyster Bay Zoning Board of Appeals

TOWN HALL, AUDREY AVENUE, OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK 11771-1592TELEPHONE: (516) 624-6232 – FAX: (516) 624-6149

RITA BYRNE, Chairwoman – LOIS SCHMITT, Vice Chairwoman –KATHLEEN MULLIGAN

REBECCA M. ALESIA –LISA CICCOLELLA – FLORESTANO GIRARDI – BRIAN GRIFFIN

*********************

*********************

PUBLIC HEARING CALENDAR

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING BY THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 246, Section 246-12 of the Code of the Town of Oyster Bay, notice is hereby given that the Zoning Board of Appeals has scheduled a public meeting, which will take place in the Town Hall Meeting Room, Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, New York, on APRIL 9, 2026, at 7:00 P. M., to consider the following appeals: BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

Public Notices

APPEAL NO. 25-509

MASSAPEQUA

ROBERT SOLO -

MON: Variance to allow existing 6 ft. high vinyl fence exceeding maximum height across front yard (Seaview Street) than permitted by Ordinance.

NW/ cor. of Algonquin Ave. & Seaview St., a/k/a 23 Algonquin Avenue, Massapequa, NY

APPEAL NO. 25-510

MASSAPEQUA

PATRICIA MCALIN-

EY: Variance to construct one story addition and wood deck exceeding maximum building coverage than permitted by Ordinance.

W/s/o Waterview Ave., 143.32 ft. S/o S. Bay Dr., a/k/a 39 Waterview Avenue, Massapequa, NY

APPEAL NO. 25-519

MASSAPEQUA

RUSSELL CHIL -

DREN IRREVO -

CABLE TRUST: (A)

Variance to allow existing basketball court having less side yard setback than permitted by Ordinance. (B) Variance to allow existing detached garage addition with roof-over exceeding maximum height than permitted by Ordinance. (C) Variance to allow existing detached garage addition with roofover and rear deck with gazebo exceeding maximum gross floor area than permitted by Ordinance. (D) Variance to allow existing driveway having less side yard setback than permitted by Ordinance. (E) Amend Specific Plan as presented for Appeal No. 07-522 and granted by Decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals, dated November 15, 2007 and amended by Decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals,

dated July 10, 2008. E/s/o Ocean Ave., 482.60 ft. S/o Merrick Rd., a/k/a 177 Ocean Avenue, Massapequa, NY

APPEAL NO. 26-2 SEAFORD

MISHA KAHN: (A)

Variance to allow existing open porch having less aggregate side yards than permitted by Ordinance. (B) Variance to allow existing 12 ft. by 8 ft. shed having less side yard setback and rear yard setback than permitted by Ordinance.

E/s/o Rutherford Dr., 104.94 ft. S/o Old Post Rd., a/k/a 537 Rutherford Drive, Seaford, NY

APPEAL NO. 23-639 - AMENDMENT

FARMINGDALE

CARL DRIVE LLC:

Amend Specific Plan as presented for Appeal No. 23-639 and granted by Decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals, dated January 14, 2024, for the submittal of revised plans (new dwelling size decreased).

S/s/o Melville Rd., 30 ft. E/o Balcom Rd., a/k/a 368 Melville Road, Farmingdale, NY

ZONING

BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING OF 04/09/26

PAGE 2

APPEAL NO. 25-481 FARMINGDALE

TARA LYNCH: Variance to allow existing second kitchen in a one-family dwelling for use as a PARENT/ CHILD residence.

E/s/o Oakdale Blvd., 65.80 ft. S/o Melville Rd., a/k/a 19 Oakdale Boulevard, Farmingdale, NY

APPEAL NO. 25-482 FARMINGDALE

TARA LYNCH: (A) Variance to allow existing pavilion/cabana

and gazebo exceeding maximum gross floor area than permitted by Ordinance. (B) Variance to allow existing two-piece bathroom in existing pavilion/ cabana. (C) Variance to allow parking 3 vehicles in tandem. (D) Amend Specific Plan as presented for Appeal No. 72-8 and granted by Decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals, dated January 6, 1972.

E/s/o Oakdale Blvd., 65.80 ft. S/o Melville Rd., a/k/a 19 Oakdale Boulevard, Farmingdale, NY

APPEAL NO. 25-511 FARMINGDALE

KELLIANN CONTINO: (A) Variance to construct front portico, one story addition, second story cantilevered addition and two story addition having less average front yard setback and exceeding maximum building coverage than permitted by Ordinance. (B) Variance to construct second story cantilevered and two story addition having less side yard setback and aggregate side yards than permitted by Ordinance; also encroachment of eaves and gutters.

(C) Variance to allow existing shed having less side yard setback and rear yard setback than permitted by Ordinance. (D) Variance to allow existing 4 ft. high mesh pool fence having less setback from pool than permitted by Ordinance. (E) Variance to allow existing driveway having less side yard setback than permitted by Ordinance.

S/s/o Elsie Ln., 264.14 ft. W/o W. Zorrane Dr., a/k/a 4 Elsie Lane, Farmingdale, NY

APPEAL NO. 26-11

FARMINGDALE

GINA HARTMAN:

(A) Variance to allow

existing 8.3 ft. by 14.3 ft. shed having less side yard setback and rear yard setback than permitted by Ordinance.

(B) Variance to allow existing 7.6 ft. by 4.8 ft. shed having less side yard setback than permitted by Ordinance.

(C) Variance to allow existing roof over deck and two (2) sheds exceeding maximum building coverage than permitted by Ordinance. (D) Variance to allow existing roof over deck exceeding maximum gross floor area than permitted by Ordinance.

W/s/o Intervale Ave., 180 ft. S/o Orchard St., a/k/a 99 Intervale Avenue, Farmingdale, NY

MARCH 30, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS TOWN OF OYSTER BAY, OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK 26-61 4/1

Notice is hereby given that a license, Application ID: NA-0267-26106264 for beer, wine, and cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine, and cider at retail in a Bar/Tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 1500 Old Country Road, Unit 226, Westbury, NY 11590, County of Nassau, for on premises consumption at SMASHIT THERAPY WESTBURY LLC. 26-62. 4/1, 8

Notice is hereby given that a license, Application ID:  NA-0370-26106573 for liquor, beer, wine, and cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, beer, wine, and cider at retail in a Bar/ Tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 516 E Meadow Ave, East Meadow, NY 11554, County of Nassau, for on premises consumption at JOKER'Z PUB LLC. 26-67. 4/1. 8

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA, VOTACIÓN PRESUPUESTARIA Y ELECCIÓN Massapequa School District 4925 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758

SE EMITE AVISO de que se celebrará una audiencia pública de los votantes cualificados del Distrito Escolar Libre Unión de Massapequa, Pueblo de Oyster Bay, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York, en el Auditorio del Instituto Massapequa, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, Nueva York 11758 en dicho Distrito, el 7 de mayo de 2026 a las 20:00 horas. en el tiempo vigente, para la transacción de aquellos negocios autorizados por la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, incluyendo los siguientes elementos.

• Presentación del documento presupuestario.

• Debatir todos los puntos aquí establecidos, que serán votados por máquina de votación en las elecciones que se celebrarán el 19 de mayo de 2026, según se establezca a continuación.

• Para tratar otros asuntos que puedan ocurrir adecuadamente antes de la reunión Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que dicha votación y elección se celebrarán el 19 de mayo de 2026, de 6 a.m. a 9 p.m. en el tiempo predominante, en los edificios escolares situados en los distritos enumerados a continuación:

Distrito nº 1:

Instituto Massapequa 4925 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758

Distrito nº 2: Escuela Primaria McKenna 210 Spruce St. Parque Mass-

apequa, NY 11762

Distrito nº

3: Escuela Primaria Lockhart 199 Pittsburgh Ave Massapequa, NY 11758

Distrito nº 4: Escuela Primaria Fairfield 330 Massapequa Ave Massapequa, NY 11758 en ese momento, las urnas estarán abiertas de 6 a.m. a 9 p.m., hora vigente, para votar mediante máquinas de votación sobre los siguientes puntos:

1. Adoptar el presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2026-27 y autorizar que la parte necesaria del mismo se recaude, mediante impuestos, sobre los bienes sujetos a impuestos del Distrito.

2. Adoptar el presupuesto anual de la Biblioteca Pública del Distrito Escolar Libre Unión de Massapequa para el año fiscal 202627 y autorizar que la parte necesaria del mismo se recaude, mediante impuestos, sobre la propiedad sujeta a impuestos del Distrito Escolar.

3. Elegir a uno (2) miembros de la Junta de Educación para un mandato de tres (3) años que comienza el 1 de julio de 2026 y expira el 30 de junio de 2029.

4. Elegir a un (1) fideicomisario de la Junta de Síndicos de la Biblioteca por un mandato de cinco (5) años que comienza el 1 de julio de 2026 y finaliza el 30 de junio de 2031.

5. Debe la Junta de Educación se autorize a gastar fondos ya depositados en el "Fondo de Reserva de Capital 2022" del Distrito Escolar Libre Unión de Massapequa (el "Fondo") aprobado por los votantes del Distrito el 17 de mayo de 2022 conforme a la

Public Notices

Sección 3651 de la Ley de Educación para los siguientes proyectos de mejora de capital:

Mejoras de Seguridad, Salas de Ciencias para todo el Distrito, Cabina de Prensa y Estación de Confort MHS, Mejoras Audiovisuales a nivel Distrital, Mejoras en los estudios de emisión de MHS y la planta principal del gimnasio MHS, así como trabajos auxiliares o relacionados requeridos en relación con dichos proyectos; y gastar del Fondo en consecuencia, incluyendo los costes preliminares y los gastos correspondientes, en una cantidad que no exceda el total estimado de 4.000.000 de dólares.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que las peticiones que nominen candidatos para el cargo de Miembro de la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Libre de la Unión de Massapequa deberán presentarse ante el Secretario del Distrito en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 , a más tardar el 20 de abril de 2026, entre las 9:00 y las 17:00, Prevaleciendo. Todas las peticiones de nominación deben ser firmadas por 44 votantes cualificados del Distrito (representando la mayor parte del 25 o el 2% del número de votantes que votaron en la elección anual anterior); deben indicar el nombre y la residencia de cada firmante y el nombre y residencia del candidato. Las vacantes en la Junta de Educación no se considerarán cargos separados o específicos; los candidatos se presentan en la categoría de votos libres.

Y SE DA MÁS AVISO de que el registro per-

sonal de votantes es obligatorio ya sea conforme a la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014 o conforme al Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York. Si un votante se ha registrado hasta ahora conforme a la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014 y ha votado en alguna reunión anual o especial de distrito en los últimos cuatro (4) años naturales, dicho votante es elegible para votar en esta elección; si un votante está registrado y es elegible para votar conforme al Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York, dicho votante también es elegible para votar en esta elección. Todas las demás personas que deseen votar deben registrarse. Los votantes podrán registrarse en cualquier día escolar anterior al 14 de mayo de 2026, en la Oficina del Distrito, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758, entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 16:00, hora vigente, para añadir cualquier nombre adicional a los registros que se utilicen en dicha elección, momento en el que cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dichos registros, siempre que en la reunión de la Junta de Registro se conoce, o se ha probado a satisfacción de la Junta de Registros, que entonces o posteriormente tiene derecho a votar en dicha audiencia pública o elección para la que se preparen dichos registros, y que los registros así preparados conforme a la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014 y la lista de registro preparada por la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau se archivarán en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito del Colegio Distrito, 4925

Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 y estará abierto para inspección por cualquier votante cualificado del Distrito entre los días laborables entre las 8:30 a.m. y las 4:30 p.m., hora vigente, a partir del 14 de mayo de 2026, y el sábado mediante cita preestablecida, excepto el domingo;

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que, conforme a la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014, la Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 19 de mayo de 2026 en los siguientes lugares: Gimnasio de la Escuela Secundaria Massapequa, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758, Centro de Mayores de la Escuela John P. McKenna, 210 Spruce Street, Massapequa Park, NY 11762, Gimnasio de la Escuela Raymond J. Lockhart, 199 Pittsburgh Avenue, Massapequa, NY 11758 y Fairfield School General Purpose Room, 330 Massapequa Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758 entre las 6 a.m. y las 9 p.m., hora vigente, para preparar el Registro del Distrito Escolar que se utilizará en la reunión anual y elección que se celebrará en 2027, y en cualquier reunión especial que pueda celebrarse después de la preparación de dicho Registro, en ese momento, cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dicho Registro, siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro se sepa o se demuestre, a satisfacción de dicha Junta de Registro, que tiene derecho a votar en la reunión o elección escolar para la que se prepare dicho Registro.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que los votantes cualificados con discapacidad que soliciten infor-

mación sobre el acceso a los colegios electorales pueden, antes del día de la votación, contactar con el Secretario del Distrito en el 516-308-5001 para obtener información sobre accesibilidad.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que, a partir de siete (7) días inmediatamente antes de la audiencia pública presupuestaria del 7 de mayo de 2026, cualquier residente del Distrito podrá solicitar revisar una copia del presupuesto propuesto comenzando en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758. Además, cualquier residente del distrito puede obtener un estado de los gastos estimados para el año siguiente durante los catorce (14) días inmediatamente previos a dicha elección en la página web del distrito escolar www. msd.k12.ny.us., en la Biblioteca Pública de Massapequa durante su horario habitual, situada en 523 Central Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758 y 40 Harbor Lane, Massapequa Park, NY 11762, en el Centro Administrativo del Distrito Escolar, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 y en cada uno de los siguientes edificios escolares donde se mantiene la escuela entre las 9:00 y las 16:00, hora predominante, excepto sábados, domingos y festivos:

Escuela Primaria Birch Lane, 41 Birch Lane, Massapequa Park, NY 11762

Escuela Primaria East Lake, 154 East Lake Ave, Massapequa Park, NY 11762

Escuela Primaria Fairfield, 330 Massapequa Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758

Escuela Primaria Raymond J. Lockhart, 199 Pittsburgh Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758

Escuela Primaria

John P. McKenna, 210 Spruce St., Massapequa Park, NY 11762

Escuela Primaria Unqua, 350 Unqua Road, Massapequa, NY 11758

Escuela Secundaria

Alfred G. Berner, 50 Carman Mill Road, Massapequa, NY 11758

Instituto Massapequa – Campus Ames, 198 Baltimore Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758

Instituto Massapequa – Campus Principal, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758

Y SE DA UN AVISO

ADICIONAL de que, conforme a la Sección 495 de la Ley de Impuestos sobre la Propiedad Inmobiliaria, el Distrito Escolar está obligado a adjuntar a su presupuesto propuesto un informe de exención. Dicho informe de exención, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, mostrará cuánto del valor total tasado en el registro final de evaluación utilizado en el proceso presupuestario está exento de impuestos, listará todos los tipos de exenciones concedidas identificadas por la autoridad legal y mostrará: (a) el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención expresado ya sea como un importe en dólares de valor impositivado o como un porcentaje del valor total impuesto sobre el rollo; (b) la cantidad acumulada que se espera recibir de los beneficiarios de cada tipo de exención como pagos en lugar de impuestos u otros pagos por servicios municipales; y (c) el impacto acumulativo de todas las exenciones concedidas.  El informe de exención se publicará en cualquier tablón de anuncios mantenido por el Distrito para los avisos

públicos y en cualquier sitio web gestionado por el Distrito.  Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL DE QUE LAS SOLICITUDES PARA VOTOS POR CORREO ANTICIPADO Y POR CORREO ESTARÁN DISPONIBLES DURANTE EL HORARIO LABORAL ESCOLAR EN LA OFICINA DEL Secretario del Distrito a partir del 20 de abril de 2026. De acuerdo con la Ley de Educación §§ 2018-a y 2018-e, las solicitudes completadas de voto por correo y por correo anticipado no podrán ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito antes de treinta (30) días antes de la elección, y debe ser recibido por el Secretario del Distrito al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la papeleta debe enviarse por correo al votante, o el día antes de la elección, si la papeleta debe entregarse personalmente al votante o al agente nombrado en la solicitud de voto por correo o anticipado. Las papeletas por correo y por correo anticipado deben ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17:00 horas, hora vigente, del martes 19 de mayo de 2026.

Una lista de personas a las que se hayan emitido papeletas de voto por correo, y una lista de todas las personas a quienes se hayan entregado papeletas anticipadas de votantes por correo, estará disponible para su inspección para votantes cualificados del Distrito en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del 14 de mayo de 2026, entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. los días laborables previos al día

April 1, 2026

Continued from previous page fijado para la elección anual y en mayo 16 de 2026, con cita previa contactando con el Secretario del Distrito en el 516-308-5001 y el 19 de mayo de 2026, fecha fijada para las elecciones. Cualquier votante cualificado podrá, tras examinar dichas listas, presentar una impugnación por escrito de las cualificaciones como votante de cualquier persona cuyo nombre aparezca en dichas listas, exponiendo los motivos de dicha impugnación. Cualquier impugnación escrita será transmitida por el Secretario del Distrito o por un representante de la Junta de Educación a los inspectores de elecciones el día de la elección.

Y SE DA UN AVISO

ADICIONAL de que los votantes militares que no estén actualmente registrados pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes cualificados en el Distrito Escolar Libre Unión de Massapequa solicitando y devolviendo una solicitud de registro al Secretario del Distrito en persona, o por correo electrónico a palvarado@msd.k12. ny.us o por fax al 516308-5009. La solicitud de registro puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la solicitud de registro por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Los formularios de solicitud de registro de votantes militares deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17:00 horas del 23 de abril de 2026.

Y SE DA UN AVISO

ADICIONAL de que los votantes militares que sean votantes cualificados del Distrito Escolar Libre Unión de Massapequa pueden solicitar una solicitud

de papeleta militar al Secretario del Distrito y devolver dicha solicitud de papeleta militar al Secretario del Distrito en persona, o por correo electrónico a palvarado@msd.k12. ny.us o por fax al 516308-5009. Para que un votante militar reciba una papeleta militar, debe recibirse una solicitud válida de papeleta militar en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17:00 horas del 23 de abril de 2026. Las solicitudes de papeleta militar recibidas conforme a lo anterior se tramitarán de la misma manera que una solicitud de papeleta no militar conforme a la Sección 2018-a de la Ley de Educación.

La solicitud de la papeleta militar puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la papeleta militar por correo, fax o correo electrónico.

La solicitud original de la papeleta militar y la papeleta militar de un votante militar deben ser devueltas por correo o en persona a la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 , junto con la declaración jurada firmada requerida por el votante.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL DE QUE LAS PAPELETAS MILITARES DEBERÁN SER CONSULTADAS

SI EL Secretario del Distrito las recibe antes del cierre de las urnas el 19 de mayo de 2026 mostrando una marca de cancelación del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o mostrando una avalación fechada de recepción por otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o recibidas a más tardar a las 17:00 horas del 19 de mayo, 2026

y firmado y fechado por el votante militar y un testigo, con una fecha que se determina no más tarde que el día anterior a las elecciones.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que, conforme a una norma adoptada por la Junta de Educación de acuerdo con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2035, cualquier referendo o propuesta para cambiar el número de miembros de la Junta de Educación, o una emisión de bonos para mejoras de capital, o cualquier otra petición que la ley requiera constar en el Aviso de Reunión Anual y Elección debe presentarse en el Secretario del Distrito en 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758, no más tarde de las 17:00 horas, hora vigente, el 20 de marzo de 2026. Cualquier otra petición, excepto aquellas que la ley exige que consten en el Aviso de Reunión Anual y Elección, debe presentarse ante el Secretario del Distrito Escolar de Massapequa, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758, a más tardar a las 17:00 horas, hora vigente el 20 de abril de 2026. Todas estas peticiones deben estar mecanografiadas o impresas en inglés; debe dirigirse al Secretario del Distrito Escolar; debe estar firmado por al menos 109 votantes cualificados del Distrito (representando la mayor parte del 25 o el 5% del número de votantes que votaron en la elección anual anterior); y debe indicar legiblemente el nombre de cada firmante. Sin embargo, la Junta de Educación no admitirá ninguna petición para presentar ante los votantes ninguna propuesta cuyo propósito no esté dentro de las compe-

Public Notices

tencias de los votantes, ni ninguna propuesta o enmienda que sea contraria a la ley.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que aquellos votantes que busquen información sobre esta votación presupuestaria y elección en español deben contactar con la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito en el 516308-5001.

Pamela Alvarado

Secretario del Distrito

de la Junta de Educación

Massapequa School District

4925 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758

19 de marzo de 2026 26-66 4/1, 15, 29, 5/13

MASSAPEQUA

UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

4925 MERRICK ROAD

MASSAPEQUA, NEW YORK 11758

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

On behalf of a cooperative of School Districts in Nassau County, the Board of Education of the Massapequa Union Free School District, Massapequa, New York, in accordance with Section 103 of General Municipal Law, hereby invites the submission of sealed bids from reputable and qualified contractors for the provision of materials for the following contract: Asphalt & Concrete Bid Opening April 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM Bids for the term of June 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, will be received until 10:00 a.m. April 15, 2026, at the office of Timothy O'Donnell, Director of Facilities, Massapequa Union Free School District, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, New York. All bids will be publicly opened and read aloud

on April 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in the Board of Education room. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained at www.msd. k12.ny.us/bids beginning March 30, 2026. Bids must be presented on the standard proposal form in the manner designated therein and as required by the specifications. All bids must be enclosed in sealed envelopes which are clearly marked on the outside: "Massapequa Union Free School District-Asphalt and Concrete Bid." Bids shall remain firm for a period of forty-five (45) days following the date of the bid opening.

Each Board of Education reserves the right to waive any informalities in or to reject any or all bids, or to accept that bid which, in the Board of Education's judgment, is in the best interest of the School District. The Boards of Education further reserve the right to consider experience, service and reputation in the abovereferenced fields. In addition, the Boards of Education reserve the right to consider the financial responsibility and specific qualifications, set forth in the bid specifications, of the prospective bidder in evaluation of the bids and award of the contracts.

26-68 4/1

Play Ball! 2026 summer softball league registration open in TOBAY

Registration is now open for Oyster Bay Town’s Summer Softball Night League, with games scheduled to begin in May 2026. Games will be held at three parks throughout the Town with a season consisting of 10 weeks of regularly scheduled double headers (20 games total) plus playoffs and championships. Residents and non-residents alike are welcome to sign up for the softball league. Players must be 18 years of age and older.

“The Town’s Summer Softball Night League is a fun and competitive league that provides a great opportunity for both residents and non-residents to enjoy their love of the game and appreciate some of our wonderful Town parks and facilities,” said Supervisor Jospeh Saladino. “So, get your team together and take advantage of one of the Town’s most popular programs!”

Games begin in May and will be held at 3 different locations:

•John J. Burns Park, 4990 Merrick Road in Massapequa

•Ellsworth Allen Park, 45 Motor Avenue in Farmingdale

•Plainview-Old Bethpage Community Park, 175 Washington Avenue in Plainview

Registration is currently available at oysterbaytown.com/ sports. The fee is $850 per team, and each team is responsible for liability and accidental insurance as well as umpire fees. Umpire fees are paid in cash to the umpires at the start of each game. Each team will sign up for one of three divisions: A, B, or C, with A being the most advanced.

Teams interested in more information can call the Town of Oyster Bay’s Parks Department, Recreation Division at (516) 797-7945.

Spring fitness classes open at Hicksville Athletic Center

Town of Oyster Bay’s spring co-ed fitness classes at the Hicksville Athletic Center.

The 10-week programs begin in late March and April and are open to adults 18 and older. Classes include cardio kickboxing, yoga, Pilates, Zumba, ballroom dancing and gentle movement and meditation.

“Our great spring programs provide a fun, energizing way for residents to stay active while joining with friends or meeting new people,” Town Councilman Tom Hand said. “After a long and cold winter, residents can participate in a variety of activities, including Cardio Kick-boxing, Yoga, Zumba, Pilates and Ballroom Dancing.”

This season’s schedule includes:

Ballroom Dancing: Saturdays, 7 to 8 p.m., starting April 4

Cardio Kickboxing: Thursdays, 8 to 9 p.m., starting April 2

Yoga:

Thursdays, 7 to 8 a.m., starting April 2

Saturdays, 9 to 10 a.m., starting April 4

Zumba:

Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., starting April 1

Saturdays, 7:45 to 8:45 a.m., starting April 4

Gentle Movement & Meditation:

Tuesdays, 7 to 8 a.m., starting April 7

Saturdays, 8:15 to 9:15 p.m., starting April 4

The fee is $75 for Town of Oyster Bay residents and $100 for nonresidents. Residents who have not previously used the town’s online registration portal must upload proof of residency, such as a tax or utility bill, along with a valid photo ID.

Participants must bring their own mats for yoga, Pilates, cardio kickboxing and gentle movement and meditation classes.

Registration is available at oysterbaytown.com/sports.

For more information, call (516) 797-7945 or email tobparks@oysterbay-ny.gov.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION

AMITYVILLE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

TOWNS OF BABYLON, SUFFOLK COUNTY, AND OYSTER BAY, NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that a budget hearing before the qualified voters of the Amityville Union Free School District, Town of Babylon, Suffolk County, and Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York will be held at the Amityville Memorial High School, 250 Merrick Road, Amityville, New York, in said District on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., for the transaction of business as authorized by the Education Law, including the following items:

1. To present to the voters a detailed statement (proposed budget) of the amount of money which will be required for the 20262027 fiscal year.

2. To discuss all the items hereinafter set forth to be voted upon by voting machines at the vote and election to be held on Tuesday, May 19. 2026.

3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting pursuant to Education Law of the State of New York and acts amendatory thereto.

A copy of the proposed budget shall be made available, upon request, to residents of the school district beginning May 4, 2026 through and including May 19, 2026 during regular business hours at the Office of the District Clerk, Park North Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that pursuant to Chapter 258 of the Laws of 2008, Section 495 was added to the Real Property Tax Law, and requires the School District to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report.  Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how much of  the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted, identified by statutory authority, and show: (a) the cumulative impact of each type of exemption expressed either as a dollar amount of assessed value or as a percentage of the total assessed value on the roll; (b) the cumulative amount expected to be received from recipients of each type of exemption as payments in lieu of taxes or other payments for municipal services; and (c) the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.  The exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.  AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the annual vote and election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., in the two election districts, namely Northeast Elementary School, 420 Albany Avenue, Amityville, New York, and Amityville Memorial High School, 250 Merrick Road, Amityville, New York, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting machine upon the following items:

1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal

year 2026-2027 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.

2. To elect four members of the Board of Education as follows:

• One member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Lisa Johnson, whose term expires on June 30, 2026;

• One member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Leslie Kretz, whose term expires on June 30, 2026;

• One member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Carol Seehof, whose term expires on June 30, 2026; and

• One member of the Board of Education to complete the remainder of the unexpired term of the seat left vacant by the resignation of Caroline Fanning, such term beginning immediately after the election and expiring June 30, 2027.

AND FURTHER

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required to fund the School District’s budget for 2026-2027, exclusive of public monies, may be obtained by any resident of the District during business hours beginning May 4, 2026 through and including May 19, 2026, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays, at the Park Avenue Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, and at each of the following schoolhouses:

Amityville Memorial High School

Edmund W. Miles Middle School Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School

Public Notices

Northwest Elementary School Northeast Elementary School AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that petitions nominating candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be filed with the Clerk of said School District at her office in the Park North Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, not later than April 20, 2026 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. prevailing time. Nominating petitions must be directed to the Clerk of the District; must be signed by at least 29 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 qualified voters or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must state the name and residence of each signer, and, must state the name and residence of the candidate. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours at the office of the District Clerk beginning April 20, 2026. In accordance with Education Law §§ 2018-a and 2018-e, completed absentee and early mail ballot applications may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the election, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee ballot application. Absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than

5:00 p.m., prevailing time on Tuesday, May 21, 2026.

A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for public inspection in the office of the District Clerk, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, on and after Thursday, May 14, 2026 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each weekday through Tuesday, May 19, 2026 the day set for the election.

Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. Any such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the Inspectors of Election on election day.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that personal registration of voters is required either pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law or pursuant to Article 5 of the Election Law. If a voter has heretofore registered pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law in the Amityville Union Free School District and has voted at an annual or special district meeting in such district within the last four calendar years, he or she is eligible to vote at this election. If a voter is registered and eligible to vote under Article 5 of the Election Law, he or she is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register. Voters may register to vote on any school day up to and including

May 14, 2026 at the District Office, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at which time any person will be entitled to have his or her name placed on such registers, provided that he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such election for which the register is prepared. The register so prepared pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law will be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the School District in the Park North Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District beginning on May 14, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., on weekdays, and each day prior to the day set for the election, except Sunday, by advance appointment on Saturday and at the polling place(s) on the day of the vote.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Amityville Union Free School District by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, by mail to District Clerk, Amityville Union Free School District, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, 11701 by email to DistrictClerk@amityvilleufsd.org or fax sent to (631) 691-3215. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application, by either mail,

fax or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2026.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Amityville Union Free School District, may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk in person, by mail to District Clerk, Amityville Union Free School District, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, by email to DistrictClerk@ amityvilleufsd.org or fax sent to (631) 6913215. In such request, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application by mail, fax or email. A military voter must return the original military ballot application by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, pursuant to Section 2018-d of the Education Law, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 23, 2026. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax, or email.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, a military voter’s original mili-

tary ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the Office of the District Clerk at 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York. Military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on May 19, 2026, showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2026, and signed and dated by the military voter and one (1) witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law of the State of New York, the Board of Registration will meet on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., at the Northeast Elementary School and the Amityville High School, to prepare the Register of the School District to be used at the election to be held in 2027, and any special district meetings that may be held after the preparation of said Register, at which time any person will be entitled to have his or her name placed on such Register provided that at such meeting of said Board of Registration he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the school election for which said Register is prepared, or any special district meeting held after Continued on next page

April 1, 2026

Continued from previous page

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that election districts have been established in the School District. The boundaries of the election districts, as adopted by resolution of the Board of Education, and the polling place in each election district shall be as follows:

Election District No.

1 – Northeast Elementary School

• North by school district boundary line (Southern State Parkway)

• East by school district boundary line (Great Neck Road, Albany Avenue and Bayview Avenue)

• South by Long Island Rail Road

•West by School district boundary line (Carman Road)

• Being that part of the School District North of the Long Island Railroad lection District No. 2 –Amityville Memorial High School

• North by Long Island Rail Road

• East by school district boundary line (Amityville Village line)

•South by school district boundary line (Great South Bay)

• West by school district boundary line (Carman River and Carman Road)

• Being that part of the School District South of the Long Island Railroad Dated: Amityville, New York

March 18, 2026

By Order of the Board of Education of the Amityville Union Free School District

Towns of Babylon, Suffolk County and Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York

Anne-Marie Monahan, District Clerk 26-63 4/1

AVISO DE JUNTA ANUAL, VOTACIÓN DE PRESUPUESTO Y ELECCIÓN EN EL DISTRITO

ESCOLAR DE AMITYVILLE (AMITYVILLE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT) MUNICIPIO DE BABYLON, MUNICIPIO DE OYSTER BAY, CONDADO DE SUFFOLK, Y CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK POR LA PRESENTE

SE DA AVISO, de que va a llevar a cabo una audiencia presupuestaria ante los votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), Municipio de Babylon, Municipio de Oyster Bay, Condado de Suffolk y Condado de Nassau, Nueva York en Amityville Park Avenue Memorial Elementary, 140 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, en dicho distrito el 6 de mayo de 2026 a las 5:30 pm, para la gestión de los siguientes asuntos tal y como faculta la Ley de Educación, incluidos los siguientes elementos:

• Presentar a los votantes una declaración detallada (propuesta de presupuesto) de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año fiscal 2026-2027.

• Discutir todos los puntos que se establecen a continuación para ser sometidos a plebiscito mediante máquinas de sufragio para la votación y elección que se realizará el martes 19 de mayo de 2026.

• Tratar cualquier otro asunto debidamente presentado antes de la reunión de conformidad con la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York y cualquier enmienda a ella.

Public Notices

pia del presupuesto propuesto, previa solicitud, a partir del 4 de mayo de 2026 hasta el 19 de mayo de 2026 inclusive durante el horario de atencion al publico habitual en la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito, Edificio de Administración Park North, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, que de conformidad con el Capítulo 258 de las Leyes de 2008, fue incorporada la Sección 495 a la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Propiedad Inmobiliaria, por la que se requiere que el Distrito Escolar adjunte a su propuesta de presupuesto, un informe de exención. Dicho informe de exención, que también pasará a formar parte del presupuesto final, mostrará qué parte del valor tasado total en el registro tributario final usado en el proceso presupuestario está exento de impuestos, se enumeran todos los tipos de exenciones otorgadas, identificadas por la autoridad legal, mostrando: (a) el impacto acumulado de cada tipo de exención expresado bien como una cantidad en dólares del valor tasado o como un porcentaje del valor tasado total en el registro; (b) el monto acumulado que se espera recibir de los beneficiarios de cada tipo de exención como pagos en lugar de impuestos u otros pagos por servicios municipales; y (c) el impacto acumulado de todas las exenciones otorgadas. El informe de exención se publicará en alguno de los tablones de anuncios que tiene el Distrito para avisos públicos y en cualquier sitio web administrado por el Distrito.

TE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que la votación y elecciones anuales se llevarán a cabo el martes 19 de mayo de 2026, entre las 7:00 am y las 9:00 pm, en los dos distritos electorales, a saber, Northeast Elementary School, 420 Albany Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, y Amityville Memorial High School, 250 Merrick Road, Amityville, Nueva York, cuando estarán abiertas las urnas para votar mediante máquinas de votación sobre los siguientes asuntos:

• Adoptar el presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2026-2027 y autorizar que la cuota requerida del mismo se recaude mediante los impuestos sobre las propiedades sujetas a tributación en el distrito.

• Elegir cuatro miembros de la Junta de Educación de la siguiente manera:

• Un miembro de la Junta de Educación por un plazo de tres (3) años para suceder a Lisa Johnson, cuyo mandato expira el 30 de junio de 2026,

• Un miembro de la Junta de Educación por un plazo de tres (3) años para suceder a Leslie Kretz, cuyo mandato expira el 30 de junio de 2026,

• Un miembro de la Junta de Educación por un plazo de tres (3) años para suceder a Carol Seehof, cuyo mandato expira el 30 de junio de 2026, y

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que cualquier residente del Distrito puede obtener una copia del estado de cuenta con el importe necesario para financiar el presupuesto del Distrito Escolar durante 2026-2027, excluyendo el dinero público, durante las horas de atención al público, a partir del 4 de mayo de 2026 hasta el 19 de mayo de 2026 inclusive, excepto sábados, domingos o festivos, en el Edificio de Administración de Park Avenue, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, y en cada una de las siguientes escuelas: Amityville Memorial High School Edmund W. Miles Middle School Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School Northwest Elementary School

Northeast Elementary School

el domicilio del candidato.

Continued on next page May 19, 2026. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with §2035 of the Education Law, any referenda or propositions to amend the budget, or otherwise to be submitted for voting at said election, must be filed with the District Clerk of the Board of Education at the Park North Administration Building, located at 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, on or before March 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, except for petitions relating to a proposition which must be included in the notice of the annual meeting which must be filed with the District Clerk of the Board of Education at the Park North Administration Building on or before April 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.; must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least 29 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 voters or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must legibly state the name of each signer. However, the School Board will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any proposition the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, which is unlawful or any proposition which fails to include a specific appropriation where the expenditure of monies is required by the proposition, or where other valid reason exists for excluding the proposition from the ballot.

Se pondrá a disposición de los residentes del distrito escolar una co-

Y POR LA PRESEN-

• Un miembro de la Junta de Educación para completar el resto del mandato no vencido del puesto que quedó vacante tras la renuncia de Caroline Fanning; dicho mandato comenzará inmediatamente después de la elección y vencerá el 30 de junio de 2027.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que las solicitudes para nominar a los candidatos para los cargos en la Junta de Educación deberán presentarse ante la Secretaria de dicho Distrito Escolar en su oficina en el Edificio de Administración de Park North,150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York no más tarde del 20 de abril de 2026 entre el 9:00 am y 5:00 pm. Las solicitudes de nominación deberán estar dirigidas a la Secretaria del Distrito y deberán estar firmadas al menos por 29 votantes calificados del Distrito (representando al mayor de mas de 25 votantes calificados o el 2% del total de votantes que participaron en la elección anual previa); deberá indicar el nombre y domicilio de cada firmante y deberán indicar el nombre y

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que las solicitudes para las papeletas de voto en ausencia y votación anticipada se podrán obtener durante el horario de atencion al publico en la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito a partir del 20 de abril de 2026; De acuerdo a la Ley de Educación §§ 2018-a y 2018-e, Las solicitudes completas de voto en ausencia y votación anticipada deben ser recibidas en la Secretaría del distrito antes de treinta (30) días antes de la elección y deberán ser recibidas en la Secretaría del Distrito al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la papeleta se va a enviar por correo al votante o el día antes de la elección si la papeleta se entrega personalmente al votante o al agente designado en la solicitud de voto en ausencia. La Secretaria del Distrito debe recibir las papeletas de voto en ausencia no más tarde de las 5:00 p.m. del martes 21 de mayo de 2026. La lista con las personas a las que se les ha emitido las papeletas de voto en ausencia estará disponible para ser inspeccionada por los votantes calificados del Distrito en la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York a partir y después del 14 de mayo de 2026 entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. los días laborables anteriores al día establecido para la elección anual y el mismo día 19 de mayo de 2026, día establecido para la elección. Cualquier votante cualificado puede, al examinar dicha lista, presentar una impugnación por escrito sobre la habilitación como votante de cualquier persona cuyo nombre aparezca en dicha lista, indicando las razones de dicha impugnación. Cualquier impugnación por escrito será transmitida a los inspectores electorales por la Secretaria del Distrito o una persona designada por la Junta de Educación el día de la elección.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que es necesario el registro en persona de los votantes conforme a la sección §2014 de la Ley de Educación o conforme al Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral. Si un votante está registrado con anterioridad conforme a § 2014 de la Ley de Educación en el Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District) y ha votado en alguna reunión anual o especial en dicho distrito dentro de los últimos cuatro años naturales, será elegible para votar en esta elección. Si un votante está registrado y es elegible para votar bajo el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral,será también apto para votar en esta elección. Todas las demás personas que deseen votar deben registrarse. Los votantes pueden registrarse para votar cualquier día lectivo antes de o el mismo día 14 de mayo de 2026 en las Oficinas del Distrito,150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, entre las 8:30 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., momento en el que cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dichos registros, siempre y cuando él o ella cumplan con los requisitos de la Junta de Registro para tener el derecho de votar a

LMAS6

Continued from previous page partir de ese momento o en el futuro en las elecciones para las que se establece el registro. El registro así establecido de conformidad con §2014 de la Ley de Educación se archivará en la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito Escolar en el Edificio Administrativo de Park North, y se abrirá para poder ser inspeccionado por cualquier votante cualificado del Distrito a partir del 14 de mayo. 2026, entre las 9:00 A.M. Y las 4:00 P.M., de lunes a viernes, los días previos al día fijado para la elección,excepto el domingo, con cita previa el sábado y en los centros de votación el mismo día de la votación.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO

ADICIONAL, de que los votantes militares que no están registrados actualmente pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District) solicitando y devolviendo una solicitud de registro a la Secretaria del Distrito en persona, por correo a la Secretaria del Distrito, Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, 11701 por correo electrónico a amonahan@amityvilleufsd,org o por fax al (631) 6913215. La solicitud de registro puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la solicitud de registro, ya sea por correo, fax o correo electrónico. La solicitud de inscripción en el registro de los votantes militares debe recibirse en la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito no más tarde

de las 5:00 p.m. el 23 de abril de 2026.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que los votantes militares que sean votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), pueden solicitar papeletas de voto para militares en la Secretaria del Distrito en persona, por correo a la Secretaria del Distrito, Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, por correo electrónico a amonahan@amityvilleufsd.org o por fax al (631) 691-3215. En dicha solicitud, el votante militar puede indicar su preferencia para recibir la solicitud por correo postal, fax o correo electrónico. Los militares que voten deben devolver la solicitud original de papeletas de voto para militares por correo o en persona a la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York. Para que un votante militar reciba una papeleta de voto para militares, conforme a la Sección 2018-d, se debe recibir una solicitud de papeleta de voto para militares válida en la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito no más tarde de las 5:00 p.m., el 23 de abril de 2026. Las solicitudes de papeleta de voto para militares recibidas de acuerdo con lo anterior se procesarán de la misma manera que una solicitud de papeleta de voto no militar bajo la Sección 2018-a de la Ley de Educación. La solicitud de papeleta de voto para militares puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar de recibir la papeleta de voto por correo, fax o

correo electrónico. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO

ADICIONAL, de que el original de la papeleta de voto de un votante militar debe devolverse por correo o en persona a la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito en 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York. Las papeletas de votos de militares serán escrutadas si son recibidas por la Secretaria del Distrito antes del cierre de las urnas el 19 de mayo de 2026 mostrando un matasellos del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o mostrando el acuso de recibo de otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o recibido a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. el 19 de mayo de 2026 y firmado y fechado por el elector militar y un (1) testigo del mismo, con una fecha que se verifica no posterior al día anterior a la elección. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que de conformidad con la §2014 de la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, la Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 19 de mayo de 2026, entre las 7:00 A.M. Y las 9:00 P.M., en Northeast Elementary School y Amityville Memorial High School, para preparar el Registro del Distrito Escolar que se utilizará en la elección que se llevará a cabo en 2027, y cualquier reunión especial del distrito que pueda realizarse después de la preparación de dicho Registro, momento en el que, cualquier persona tendrá derecho de inscribir su nombre en dicho Registro, siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro se demuestre que el o ella cumplen

Public Notices

con los requisitos de dicha Junta de Registro otorgándole el derecho a votar en ese momento o en el futuro, en las elecciones de la escuela para las que se establece dicho Registro, o cualquier reunión especial del distrito que se lleve a cabo después del 19 de mayo de 2026.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, que de conformidad con una regla adoptada por la Junta de Educación de acuerdo con la sección §2035 de la Ley de Educación, cualquier referéndum o propuesta para modificar el presupuesto, o cualquier otro asunto que sea sometido a votación en dicha elecciones, deberá presentarse ante la Secretaria del Distrito de la Junta de Educación en el Edificio de Administración de Park North, el mismo dia o antes del 20 de marzo de 2026 a las 5:00 pm, hora vigente, excepto las peticiones relacionadas con una proposición que deba ser incluida en el avviso de la reunión anual que debe ser registrado en la Secretaria del Distrito de la Junta de Educación el mismo dia o antes del 20 de abril de 2026 a las 5:00 pm deberá estar mecanografiado o impreso en el idioma inglés; deberá estar dirigido a la Secretaria del Distrito Escolar; deberá estar firmado por al menos 29 votantes calificados del Distrito (que representan al mayor de 25 votantes calificados o el 2% del número total de votantes en la elección anual anterior); y deberá indicar de manera legible el nombre de cada firmante. Sin embargo, la Junta Escolar no aceptará ninguna proposición para presentar a los votantes cuyo propósito

no esté dentro de las atribuciones de los votantes, ya que sería ilegal, o cualquier proposición que no incluya una asignación específica de los gastos incurridos mediante dicha propuesta, o cuando exista cualquier otra razón válida para excluir la propuesta de las papeletas de votación.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que se han establecido distritos electorales en el Distrito Escolar. Los límites de los distritos electorales, adoptados por resolución de la Junta de Educación, y el lugar de votación en cada distrito electoral serán los siguientes:

Distrito Electoral No. 1-Northeast Elementary School

•Al l Norte por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Southern State Parkway)

•Al este por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Great Neck Road, Albany Avenue y Bayview Avenue)

• Al Sur por Long Island Rail Road (Ferrocarril de LI)

• Al Oeste por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Carman Road)

• Siendo esa parte del distrito escolar al norte del Long Island Rail Road

Distrito Electoral No. 2-Amityville Memorial High School

•Al Norte por el Long Island Rail Road

• Al Este por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (línea de Amityville Village)

• Al Sur por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Great South Bay)

• Al oeste por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Carman River y Carman Road)

• Siendo esa parte del distrito escolar al sur del Long Island Rail Road

Fecha: Amityville, Nueva York 18 de marzo 2026

Por orden de la Junta de Educación de la Amityville UFSD Ciudad de Oyster Bay, Ciudad de Babylon, Condado de Nassau y Condado de Suffolk, Nueva York

Anne-Marie Monahan, Secretaria del Distrito 26-84 4/1

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION

Massapequa School District 4925 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing of the qualified voters of the Massapequa Union Free School District, Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, will be held at the Massapequa High School Auditorium, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, New York 11758 in said District on May 7, 2026 at 8 p.m. prevailing time, for the transaction of such business as is authorized by the New York State Education Law, including the following items.

•Presentation of the budget document.

• To discuss all of the items herein set forth, to be voted upon by voting machine, at the election to be held on May 19, 2026, as hereinafter set forth.

• To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that said vote and election will be held on May 19, 2026, at 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. prevailing time, in the school buildings located in such districts as enumerated below: District No.

1: Massapequa High School

4925 Merrick Road

Massapequa, NY 11758

District No. 2:

McKenna Elementary School

210 Spruce St. Massapequa Park, NY 11762

District No. 3: Lockhart Elementary School 199 Pittsburgh Ave

Massapequa, NY 11758

District No. 4: Fairfield Elementary School

330 Massapequa Ave

Massapequa, NY 11758

at which time the polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., prevailing time, to vote by voting machines upon the following items:

1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 2026-27 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.

2. To adopt the annual budget of the Massapequa Union Free School District Public Library for the fiscal year 2026-27 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the School District.

3. To elect one (2) members of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring on June 30, 2029.

• To elect one (1) trustee of the Library Board of Trustees for a five (5) year term beginning July1, 2026 and ending on June 30, 2031.

• Shall the Board of Education be authorized to expend funds already deposited in the Massapequa Union Free School District “Capital Reserve Fund 2022” (The

Fund)) approved by voters of the District on May 17, 2022 pursuant to Section 3651 of the Education Law for the following capital improvement projects: Security Upgrades, Districtwide Science Rooms, MHS Press Box and Comfort Station, Districtwide Audio Visual Upgrades, MHS Broadcast Studio Upgrades and MHS Main Gym Floor, and an ancillary or related work required in connection with such projects; and to expend from the Fund therefor, including preliminary costs and costs incidental thereto, in the amount not to exceed the estimated total of $4,000,000.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that petitions nominating candidates for the office of Member of the Board of Education of the Massapequa Union Free School District shall be filed with the District Clerk of said School District at the District Clerk’s office, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 not later than April 20, 2026, between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., prevailing time. All nominating petitions must be signed by 44 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); must state the name and residence of each signer and must state the name and residence of the candidate. Vacancies on the Board of Education shall not be considered separate, specific offices; candidates run at large.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that personal

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registration of voters is required either pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 or pursuant to Article 5 of the New York State Election Law. If a voter has heretofore registered pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 and has voted at any annual or special district meeting within the past four (4) calendar years, such voter is eligible to vote at this election; if a voter is registered and eligible to vote pursuant to Article 5 of the New York State Election Law, such voter is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register. Voters may register on any school day prior to May 14, 2026, at the District Office, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing time, to add any additional names to the registers to be used at the aforesaid election, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such registers provided that at the meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such public hearing or election for which such registers are prepared, and that the registers so prepared pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 and the registration list prepared by the Board of Elections of Nassau County will be filed in the Office of the District Clerk of the School District, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the

District on weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., prevailing time, on and after May 14, 2026, and Saturday by pre-arranged appointment, except Sunday; AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to New York Education Law §2014, the Board of Registration shall meet on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the following locations: Massapequa High School Gym, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758, John P. McKenna School – Senior Center, 210 Spruce Street, Massapequa Park, NY 11762, Raymond J. Lockhart School Gym, 199 Pittsburgh Avenue, Massapequa, NY 11758 and Fairfield School General Purpose Room, 330 Massapequa Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., prevailing time, to prepare the Register of the School District to be used at the annual meeting and election that is to be held in 2027, and any special meeting that may be held after the preparation of said Register, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such Register, provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the school meeting or election for which such Register is prepared.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that qualified voters with disabilities who seek information about access to polling places may, in advance of the day of the vote, contact the District Clerk at 516-308-5001 for information about

accessibility. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that beginning seven (7) days immediately preceding the May 7, 2026 public budget hearing, any resident in the District may request to review a copy of the proposed budget by appearing at the Office of the District Clerk, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758. Additionally, a statement of the estimated expenses for the ensuing year may be obtained by any resident in the District during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding said election on the school district website www.msd.k12. ny.us., at the Massapequa Public Library during its normal hours of operation, located at 523 Central Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758 and 40 Harbor Lane, Massapequa Park, NY 11762, at the School District Administrative Center, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 and at each of the following school buildings in which school is maintained between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., prevailing time, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays:

Birch Lane Elementary School, 41 Birch Lane, Massapequa Park, NY 11762

East Lake Elementary School, 154 East Lake Ave, Massapequa Park, NY 11762

Fairfield Elementary School, 330 Massapequa Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758

Raymond J. Lockhart

Elementary School, 199 Pittsburgh Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758

John P. McKenna Elementary School, 210 Spruce St., Massapequa Park, NY 11762

Unqua Elementary School, 350 Unqua

Public Notices

Road, Massapequa, NY 11758

Alfred G. Berner Middle School, 50 Carman Mill Road, Massapequa, NY 11758

Massapequa High School – Ames Campus, 198 Baltimore Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758

Massapequa High School – Main Campus, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 495, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how much of the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted, identified by statutory authority, and show: (a) the cumulative impact of each type of exemption expressed either as a dollar amount of assessed value or as a percentage of the total assessed value on the roll; (b) the cumulative amount expected to be received from recipients of each type of exemption as payments in lieu of taxes or other payments for municipal services; and (c) the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.  The exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.  AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours at the office of the District Clerk

beginning April 20, 2026 In accordance with Education Law §§ 2018-a and 2018-e, completed absentee and early mail ballot applications may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the election, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee or early mail ballot application. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after May 14, 2026, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election and on May 16, 2026, by advanced appointment by contacting the District Clerk at 516-308-5001 and on May 19, 2026, the day set for the election.

Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. Any such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the inspectors of election on election day.  AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Massapequa Union Free School District by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to palvarado@msd. k12.ny.us or fax sent to 516-308-5009. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail, fax or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2026. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Massapequa Union Free School District may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk and return such military ballot application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to palvarado@msd.k12. ny.us or fax sent to 516-308-5009. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 23, 2026. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax, or email. A military voter’s original military ballot application and military ballot must

be returned by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758 along with the required signed affidavit by the voter. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on May 19, 2026 showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2026 and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with New York Education Law §2035, any referenda or propositions to change the number of Board of Education members, or a bond issue for capital improvements, or any other petition required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election must be filed with the District Clerk at 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758, not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on March 20, 2026. Any other petition, except those petitions required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election, must be filed with the District Clerk at the Massapequa, School District, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY 11758, no later

than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time on April 20, 2026. All such petitions must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least 109 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 or 5% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must legibly state the name of each signer. However, the Board of Education will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any proposition the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, nor any proposition or amendment which is contrary to law.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that those voters seeking information regarding this Budget Vote and Election in Spanish should contact the Office of the District Clerk at 516-308-5001. Pamela Alvarado District Clerk of the Board of Education Massapequa School District 4925 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758 March 19, 2026 26-65. 4/1, 15, 29, 5/13

N OTICE OF ANNUAL SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING AND ANNUAL ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC HEARING PLAINEDGE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWN OF OYSTER BAY COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that the annual meeting of the qualified voters of the Plainedge Union Free School District, Nassau County, New York, will be held on May 19, 2026, at the Plainedge High School, Wyngate and Peony Drives, North Massapequa, New York, for the following purposes:

a) To vote upon the annual school budget for the year 2026-2027 and to authorize the levying of a tax upon the taxable property of the district for the foregoing purposes.

b) To elect two (2) members to the Board of Education for a term of three (3) years, commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2029, to fill the positions presently occupied by Joseph Beyrouty and Kathleen Versace.

c) To vote for the following resolution:

RESOLVED, that the library budget proposed by the Board of Trustees of the school district library and the levy of a tax therefore in accordance with Section 259 of the Education Law shall be approved.

d) To elect one (1) member to the Board of Trustees of the Plainedge School District Public Library; to fill a five (5) year term commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2031, presently occupied by

Laura Oden-Bell. To vote upon such other propositions as may properly come before the meeting. To vote upon the following propositions:

e) Establish a Capital Reserve Fund known as the “Capital Reserve Fund 2026 –Facilities Upgrades” RESOLVED that the Board of Education, pursuant to Education Law section 3651, be authorized to establish a Capital Reserve Fund known as the “Capital Reserve Fund 2026 – Facilities Upgrades” for the purpose of instructional and non-instructional space improvements/ renovations/upgrades, (including but not limited to classroom improvements/renovations/upgrades and/ or additions to existing facilities), auditorium renovations, gymnasium renovations, cafeteria renovations, library/multi media center renovations, exterior renovations/ reconstruction, computer/technology upgrades, security system upgrades, plumbing improvements/renovations/upgrades, electrical improvements/renovations/ upgrades, HVAC improvements/renovations/upgrades, energy efficiency improvements/renovation/upgrades, including the installation of solar power, improvements/ renovations/ upgrades, fuel tank replacement, renovations required for compliance with ADA requirements, vocational and career preparation renovations, portable classroom replacement and/or purchase, roof/gutter/ leader replacement, window replacement, structural renovations including masonry, brick and steel replacement, paving and concrete replacement,

interior and exterior door/entry ways replacement (including hardware), toilet room renovations, lighting upgrades, ceiling replacement, floor replacement, wall replacement, boiler replacements, elevators, carpentry renovations, purchase of buildings/land, site renovations/reconstruction including track resurfacing and turf field replacement, press box/dugout/ field house improvements/renovations/ upgrades, bleacher improvements/renovations/upgrades, upgrades of signs, athletic field renovations/reconstruction, tennis court renovations, playground renovations, lockers/ locker room renovations, public address/ clock system replacement, sound system upgrades, telephone system upgrades, hazardous material remediation, storage space renovations, furnishings and equipment, including the purchase of vehicles.

The maximum amount of the aforesaid Capital Reserve Fund shall be $25,000,000 plus investment income and the probable term is to be 15 years; the funds are to be transferred from the Unemployment Reserve Fund in a sum not to exceed $1,000,000, from the Workers Compensation Reserve Fund in a sum not to exceed $250,000 and the Retirement Reserve Fund in a sum not to exceed $3,000,000, for the 2025-26 budget year and from surplus monies remaining in unreserved undesignated fund balance in the general fund in an annual amount not to exceed $5,000,000 each year. Upon the establishment and funding of said reserve, the

Public Notices

Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee shall be directed to deposit monies of this reserve fund in a separate bank account to be known as the “Capital Reserve 2026 – Facilities Upgrades” f) Expenditure from Capital Reserve Fund – Safety and Security Initiative Fund

RESOLVED that the Board of Education be authorized to expend a sum not to exceed $2,036,700 out of Capital Reserve III: Safety and Security Initiative Fund established May 15, 2018, for the purpose of: replacement of existing original classroom windows at Eastplain Elementary School; replacement of courtyard and north elevation windows at Plainedge High School, all of the foregoing to include all labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs related thereto. Since the funds to be expended hereunder come from the Capital Reserve Fund approval of this proposition will not require a tax levy upon the real property of the district. This Proposition shall be independent of Proposition No. 1..

g) Expenditure from Capital Reserve Fund – Facilities Upgrades RESOLVED that the Board of Education be authorized to expend a sum not to exceed $3,792,734 out of Capital Reserve Fund – Facilities Upgrades established May 21, 2019, for the purpose of replacement of classroom heating, ventilation and air conditioning at Eastplain Elementary School; expansion of drainage and paving at Flower Road at Charles E. Schwarting; replacement of stair threads and riser covers, site restora-

tion, asphalt, concrete and curbs at Plainedge Middle School, all of the foregoing to include all labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs related thereto. Since the funds to be expended hereunder come from the Capital Reserve Fund approval of this proposition will not require a tax levy upon the real property of the district. This Proposition shall be independent of Proposition No. 1.. h) Vote at Large BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of Education authorizes the following proposition to be placed before the voters at the May 19, 2026 annual budget vote and election: In all subsequent elections, vacancies upon the board of education shall not be considered separate specific offices and that the nominating petitions shall not describe any specific vacancy upon the board of education for the which candidate is nominated.

NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Board of Education will hold a public hearing on May 12, 2026, at 7:30 PM in the Plainedge High School located at 241 Wyngate Drive, Massapequa, New York, for the purpose of explaining expenditure of funds and the budgeting therefore relative to the appropriation of necessary funds to meet the necessary expenditures of said school district for school year 20262027.

NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Library Board will hold a public hearing on May 11, 2026, at 7:00 P.M. at the Plainedge Library located on Hicksville Road, Massapequa, New York, for the purpose of discussing expenditure of funds

and the budgeting therefore relative to the appropriation of necessary funds to meet the necessary expenditures of said library for the school year 2026-2027 at which time and which place all persons interested in the subject matter thereof concerning the same will have an opportunity to be heard.

NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the annual meeting and election shall be conducted by voting on propositions and candidates on voting machines on said May 19, 2026, commencing at 6:00 AM and ending at 9:00 PM.

AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required for the ensuing year for school purposes (school budget) exclusive of public monies, and copies of propositions to be voted upon, may be obtained by any taxpayer in the district during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding the annual meeting, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays, at each schoolhouse in which school is maintained during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The aforesaid budget statement shall contain the amount of money to be paid to the Plainedge School District Library for library services for the year beginning July 1, 2026. A Real Property Tax Exemption Report prepared in accordance with Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law will be annexed to any tentative/preliminary budget as well as the final adopted budget of which it will form a part; and shall be posted on District bulletin board(s) maintained for public notices, as

well as on the District’s website.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that nominations for the office of member of the Board of Education and office of member of the Library Board, shall be made by petition subscribed by at least twenty-nine (29) qualified voters of the District, stating the residence of each signer and the name and residence of the candidate. The nominating petition for the office of member of the Board of Education shall also describe the specific vacancy on the Board of Education for which the candidate is nominated, which description shall include at least the length of the term of the office and the name of the last incumbent, if any. No person shall be nominated for more than one separate office. The nominating petition must be filed in the office of the Clerk of the District between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM not later than April 20, 2026. AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the Board of Registration of this School District shall meet at the office of the District Clerk at the Plainedge District Office as set forth in this notice of meeting, between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM on May 14, 2026 for the purpose of preparing a register of the qualified voters entitled to vote at the school meeting and election for which such register is prepared in the manner provided by Section 2014 of the Education Law. At this time, any person shall be entitled to have his/ her name placed upon such registry provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration, he/she is known, proven to the satis-

faction of the Board of Registration, to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the annual district election for which such register is prepared.

Registration of voters for the 2026-2027 annual school meeting and election shall also be held in the office of the District Clerk at Plainedge’s Administrative building from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM on days when school is in session. Such registration shall not take place less than five days preceding the school meeting and election. The register so prepared will be filed in the office of the Clerk of the District, and such register will be open for inspection on each of the five (5) days prior to day set for voting on the budget and election, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM except Saturday when it will be available by appointment only, between the hours of 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.

AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a person shall be entitled to vote at the annual meeting and election who is a citizen of the United States, eighteen years of age, a resident of the school district for a period of thirty days next preceding the election he offers to vote and registered to vote for said election. A person shall be registered to vote if he or she shall have permanently registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections or with the School District’s Board of Registration. Only persons who shall be registered shall be entitled to vote. AND NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Board of Reg-

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Continued from previous page anual y la elección votando propuestas y candidatos en máquinas de votación el 19 de mayo de 2026, comenzando a las 6:00 de la mañana y terminando a las 21:00.

Y TAMBIÉN SE AVISA que una copia del estado de cuenta de la cantidad de dinero que será necesario para el año siguiente para fines escolares (presupuesto escolar) excluyendo cualquier contribuyente podrá obtener fondos públicos y copias de propuestas a votar en el distrito durante los catorce (14) días inmediatamente anteriores a la reunión anual, excepto sábados, domingos o festivos, en cada escuela donde se mantenga la escuela durante el horario de 8:00 a 16:00 El mencionado estado presupuestario deberá contener la cantidad de dinero que se pagará a la Biblioteca del Distrito Escolar de Plainedge por los servicios bibliotecarios durante el año a partir del 1 de julio de 2026. Un informe de exención de impuestos sobre bienes inmuebles elaborado de acuerdo con La Sección 495 de la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Propiedad

Inmobiliaria será anexada a cualquier preliminar o provisional así como el presupuesto final adoptado del que formará parte; y será publicado en Tablón de anuncios del distrito mantenido(s) para avisos públicos, así como en la página web del Distrito.

POR FAVOR, TOME

NOTA de que las nominaciones para el cargo de miembro de la Junta de Educación y el cargo de miembro de la Junta de la Biblioteca, serán nombrados mediante petición suscrito por al menos veintinueve (29) votantes cualificados del

Distrito, indicando la residencia de cada firmante y el nombre y residencia del candidato. La petición de nominación para el la oficina de miembro de la Junta de Educación también dirá la vacante específica en el Junta de Educación para la que el candidato sea nominado, cuya descripción incluirá en al menos la duración del mandato del cargo y el nombre del último titular, si es que lo hay. Nadie deberán ser nominados para más de un cargo separado. La petición de nominación debe presentarse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito entre las 9:00 y las 17:00 horas no más tarde luego el 20 de abril de 2026. Y TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que la Junta de Registro de este distrito escolar se reunirá en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en la Oficina del Distrito de Plainedge, según lo establecido en este aviso de reunión, entre las 15:00 y las 19:00 del 14 de mayo de 2026 con el fin de Preparar un registro de los votantes cualificados con derecho a voto en la reunión y elección escolar para el cual dicho registro se prepara según lo previsto en la Sección 2014 del Código de Educación Derecho. En este momento, cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre sea incluido en dicho registro siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro, se le conozca, se demuestre ante el satisfacción de la Junta de Registro, para entonces o posteriormente tener derecho a voto en el Anuario Elección distrital para la que se prepara dicho registro. El registro de votantes para la reunión escolar anual 2026-2027 y la elección también deberá se celebrará en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en el edificio administrativo de Plainedge a

partir de las 9:00 De la mañana a las 15:30 los días en que hay clase. Dicho registro no tendrá menos lugar que cinco días antes de la reunión escolar y la elección. El registro así preparado será archivado en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito, y dicho registro estará abierto para inspección en cada uno de los cinco (5) días previos al día fijado para la votación del presupuesto y la elección, entre el horas de las 8:00 y las 16:00, excepto el sábado, cuando estará disponible con cita previa solo entre las 10:00 y las 12:00 PM.

Y TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que una persona tendrá derecho a votar en el anuario reunión y elección quién es ciudadano de los Estados Unidos, tiene dieciocho años, es residente de el distrito escolar durante un periodo de treinta días antes de la elección se ofrece a votar y Registrado para votar en dicha elección. Una persona será registrada para votar si tiene Registrado permanentemente en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau o en la escuela

Junta de Registro del Distrito. Solo tendrán derecho a las personas que vayan a estar registradas Votar.

Y SE NOTIFICA

ADEMÁS que la Junta de Registro se reunirá durante las horas de votación en la Asamblea Anual de Distrito y la Elección del 19 de mayo de 2026, en el Colegio electoral en el distrito electoral con el fin de preparar un registro para el distrito reuniones o elecciones que se celebrarán después del 219 de mayo de 2026. Dicho registro incluirá (1) todos los votantes cualificados del distrito que se presenten personalmente para su registro, y (2) todos los votantes previamente calificados del distrito

Public Notices

que hayan estado previamente registrados para cualquier reunión anual o especial de distrito o elección celebrada o realizada en cualquier momento dentro del Cuatro años naturales 2022-2025 antes de la preparación de dicho registro.

POR FAVOR, TOME NOTA de que la elección se celebrará conforme con la Ley de Educación y las Normas para la Celebración de Reuniones y Elecciones adoptadas por la Junta de Educación.

POR FAVOR, TOME MÁS NOTA de que se deba plantear cualquier propuesta o pregunta En las máquinas de votación deberán presentarse por escrito mediante petición suscrita por al menos setenta y dos (72) votantes cualificados del distrito y se presentaron en la Oficina del Secretario de la Distrito entre las 9:00 y las 17:00 horas a más tardar el 20 de abril de 2026. Esto la regla no se aplicará a aquellas preguntas o proposiciones que deben expresarse en el Aviso publicado o publicado de la reunión o a aquellas proposiciones o preguntas, que el La Junta de Educación tiene autoridad para presentar en cualquier reunión anual o extraordinaria del distrito.

POR FAVOR, TOME

NOTA de que las solicitudes de papeletas de voto por correo para el Se puede solicitar la votación del presupuesto escolar y la elección de los miembros de la junta en la oficina de laSecretario del distrito. Dichas solicitudes deben ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito como no más tarde de treinta (30) días antes de las elecciones. Además, dicha solicitud debe ser recibida por el Distrito Secretario al menos siete días antes de la elección si la papeleta debe enviarse al votante,

o el mismo día antes de la elección si la papeleta debe entregarse personalmente al votante o a su designado agente. Al recibir una solicitud oportuna de una papeleta de voto por correo enviada por correo, el Secretario del Distrito Envía la papeleta por correo a la dirección indicada en la solicitud a más tardar seis (6) días antes de la Votar. No se consultará ninguna papeleta de votante por correo a menos que haya sido recibida en la oficina de el Secretario del Distrito no más tarde de las 17:00 horas (hora vigente) el día de las elecciones.

POR FAVOR, TOME MÁS ATENCIÓN que los votantes militares que no lo están actualmenteLos registrados pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes cualificados del distrito escolar. Votantes militares que Si los votantes cualificados del distrito escolar pueden presentar una solicitud para una papeleta militar. Los votantes militares pueden designar una preferencia para recibir un registro de votante militar, military Solicitud de papeleta o papeleta militar por correo, transmisión por fax o correo electrónico en su solicitud de dicho registro, solicitud de papeleta o papeleta. Formularios de registro de votantes militares y los formularios de solicitud de papeleta militar deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito de la distrito escolar a más tardar a las 17:00 horas del 23 de abril de 2026. No se consultará ninguna papeleta military a menos que (1) se reciba en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito antes del cierre de las urnas el Día de las elecciones y mostrando una marca de cancelación del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o un extranjero el servicio postal del país, o mostrar una avalación fechada de

recibo por otra agencia del gobierno de Estados Unidos; o (2) recibido por la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar en a las 17:00 horas del día de las elecciones y firmado y fechado por el votante militar y un testigo de los mismos, con una fecha que no es posterior al día anterior a las elecciones. Fechado: 19 de marzo de 2026 POR ORDEN DE LA JUNTA DE Massapequa, Nueva York EDUCACIÓN EN PLAINEDGE DISTRITO ESCOLAR UNION FREE MUNICIPIO DE OYSTER BAY CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK NOREEN GREENE SECRETARIO DE DISTRITO 26-60 4/1, 15, 22, 5/6

Legal

INCORPORATED

VILLAGE OF MASSAPEQUA PARK

NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN pursuant to the provision of the State of New York that a Public Hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals in the Incorporated Village of Massapequa Park on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Village Hall, 151 Front Street, Massapequa Park, New York 11762 for the following purposes: Case No. 4532 To consider the variance application of Mr. Steven Orlando, 338 Bannon Place, Massapequa Park, NY 11762 to install an emergency escape rescue opening at the south side of the property without the required setback in violation of Village Code. Such proposal is in violation of Chapter 345-31 (C1) Side Yards which states: Must maintain a five (5) foot side yard setback. Proposed emergency escape rescue opening to be installed in the south side yard located three point five (3.5) feet to property line. Case No. 4533 To consider the variance applications of Mr. and Mrs. James Brady, 10 Strully Drive, Massapequa Park, NY 11762 for a proposed front porch, portico larger than allowed and exceeding lot coverage in violation of Village Code. Such proposal is in violation of the following Village Codes: Chapter 345-30 (D2) Permitted Structures in Front Yards which states: The following are permissible encroachments: a portico, porch, emergency egress well and a temporary storage container. A front covered

portico shall have a width not greater than eight (8) feet. The roof line may extend only an additional one (1) foot on each end. A front covered portico cannot extend more than six (6) feet from the house line. Proposed portico to be approximately nine feet one inch (9’ 1”) wide, with the roof to be 12.0 feet wide, 1’ 1” and 2.0 feet respectively larger than code allows.

Chapter 345-28 (C) Lot and Building Area: In a residential district the maximum lot coverage permitted shall be 30%.

Proposed lot coverage including all structures on the property is shown at 32.23% By order of the Zoning Board of Appeals March 26, 2026 26-69. 4/1

LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a Public Hearing will be held on Monday, April 13, 2026

at 7 PM in Village Hall, 151 Front Street, Massapequa Park, New York to consider the Use of Community Development Funds for the 51st Year as follows: Proposed Use: Residential Rehabilitation $80,000.00

Anyone wishing to be heard will be given the opportunity at the above time and place mentioned.

LINDA TUMINELLO, RMC VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR

By order of the Board of Trustees of the Inc. Village of Massapequa Park dated this 26th day of March 2026

Telephone 516-798-0244 Fax 516-798-6106 26-70 4/1

April 1, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION OF THE FARMINGDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWNS OF OYSTER BAY, NASSAU COUNTY AND BABYLON SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a Public Hearing of the qualified voters of the Farmingdale Union Free School District of the Towns of Oyster Bay and Babylon, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York, will be held in the Auditorium of the Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York, in said District on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 8:00 p.m., prevailing time, for the transaction of business as authorized by the Education Law, including the following items:

1.         To present to the voters a detailed statement (proposed budget) of the amount of money which will be required for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

2.         To discuss all the items hereinafter set forth to be voted upon by voting machines at the Budget Vote and Election to be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. .        3.         To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that said Budget Vote and Election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in the Aquatic Center of the Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by vot-

ing machine upon the following items:

1.         To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 20262027 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.

2. That the Farmingdale Youth Council Appropriation for fiscal year 2026-2027, as submitted, shall be approved and the requisite amount thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.

3. To elect two (2) members of the Board of Education for three-year terms commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring on June 30, 2029. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a copy of the detailed statement in writing of the amount of money which will be required for the 20262027 school year for school purposes (the proposed budget) and the 2026-2027 Farmingdale Youth Council Appropriation budget will be made available, to any resident of the District between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. beginning May 5, 2026, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays, at the Office of the District Clerk, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York upon request. Additionally, a statement of estimated expenses for the ensuing year may be obtained by any resident in the District during the fourteen (14) days preceding the election on the District’s website at www. farmingdaleschools. org, at the Farmingdale Public Library, during its normal hours of operation,

located at 116 Merritts Road, Farmingdale, New York, at the School District Administrative Center, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York and at each of the following school buildings in which school is maintained between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., prevailing time except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: Albany Avenue Elementary School Northside Elementary School

Saltzman East Memorial Elementary School Woodward Parkway School

Weldon E. Howitt Middle School Farmingdale High School AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report.  Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how much of  the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted, identified by statutory authority, and show: (a) the cumulative impact of each type of exemption expressed either as a dollar amount of assessed value or as a percentage of the total assessed value on the roll; (b) the cumulative amount expected to be received from recipients of each type of exemption as payments in lieu of taxes or other payments for municipal services; and (c) the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.  The exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board main-

Public Notices

tained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.  AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that petitions nominating candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be filed with the Clerk of said School District at her office in the Administration Building, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York, not later than April 20, 2026, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., prevailing time. Vacancies on the Board of Education are not considered separate, specific offices; candidates run at large. Nominating petitions for the Board of Education shall not describe any specific vacancy upon the Board for which the candidate is nominated; must be directed to the Clerk of the District; must state the name and residence of each signer, and, must state the name and residence of the candidate. Nominating petitions for the Board of Education must be signed by at least 81 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 qualified voters or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the 2025 annual election). AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that personal registration of voters is required either pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law or pursuant to Article 5 of the Election Law.  If a voter has heretofore registered pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law and has voted at an annual or special district meeting within the last four (4) calendar years, he or she is eligible to vote at this election.  If a voter is registered and eligible to vote under Article

5 of the Election Law, he or she is also eligible to vote at this election.  All other persons who wish to vote must register.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Farmingdale Union Free School District by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, by mail to the Office of the District Clerk, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York 11735, by email to districtclerk@ farmingdaleschools. org or fax sent to (516) 752-6516. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail, fax or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2026.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Farmingdale Union Free School District, may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk in person, by mail to the Office of the District Clerk, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York 11735, by email to districtclerk@ farmingdaleschools. org or fax sent to (516) 752-6516. In such request, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application by mail, fax or email. A military voter must return the original military ballot application by mail or in person to the Office

of the District Clerk, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York 11735. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 23, 2026. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for a military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax, or email.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, a military voter’s original military ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the Office of the District Clerk, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York 11735. Military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on May 19, 2026 showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2026 and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law of the State of New York, the Board of Registration will meet on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, between the

hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, at the Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York to prepare the Register of the School District to be used at the Budget Vote and Election to be held in 2027, and any special district meetings that may be held after the preparation of said Register, at which time any person will be entitled to have his or her name placed on such Register provided that at such meeting of said Board of Registration he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the school election for which said Register is prepared, or any special district meeting held after May 19, 2026. Registration shall be conducted for the purpose of registering all qualified voters of the District pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law through May 14, 2026, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing time, on all regular days during which the office of the District Clerk is in operation, located in the Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York, and on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., at which time any person will be entitled to have his or her name placed on such register, provided that at such time he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of said District Clerk to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such election for which the register is prepared.  The register so prepared pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law will be filed

in the Office of the District Clerk, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York, and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District beginning on Thursday, May 14, 2026, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing time, on weekdays, and each day prior to the day set for the election, except Sunday, and on Saturday, May 16, 2026, by appointment, and at the polling place on the day of the vote.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours from the District Clerk beginning March 20, 2026. Completed applications may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than April 20, 2026, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee or early mail ballot application.  Absentee and early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.  A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 14, 2026, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and

Continued on next page

Continuedfrom previous page 4:00 p.m. on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election and on May 19, 2026, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. A challenge to an early mail ballot may not be made on the basis that the voter should have applied for an absentee ballot. Any such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the inspectors of election on election day.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that qualified voters with disabilities who seek information about access to polling places may, in advance of the day of the vote, contact the District Clerk at 516-434-5002 for information about accessibility.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Board Policy, any referenda or propositions to change the number of Board of Education members, or any other petition required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election, must be filed with the District Clerk of the Board of Education at the District Office, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York, no later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on March 20, 2026. Any other petition, except those petitions required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election, must be filed with the District Clerk of the Board

of Education at the District Office, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York, no later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on April 20, 2026; all petitions must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least 203 qualified voters of the District (representing 5% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must legibly state the name of each signer.

However, the School Board will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any proposition the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, which is unlawful or any proposition which fails to include a specific appropriation where the expenditure of monies is required by the proposition, or where other valid reason exists for excluding the proposition from the ballot.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that those voters seeking information regarding this Budget Vote and Election in Spanish should contact the Office of the District Clerk at 516-434-5002.

Dated:  Farmingdale, New York

March 25, 2026         By Order of the BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE FARMINGDALE UNION FREE

SCHOOL DISTRICT

Nassau & Suffolk Counties

Farmingdale, New York

Rosemarie Fullam, District Clerk

26-71. 4/1, 15, 29, 5/13

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA, VOTACIÓN PRESUPUESTARIA Y ELECCIÓN

DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR FARMINGDALE UNION FREE MUNICIPIOS DE OYSTER BAY, CONDADO DE NASSAU Y BABYLON CONDADO DE SUFFOLK, NUEVA YORK

SE EMITE UN AVISO DE QUE SE CELEBRARÁ UNA AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA DE LOS VOTANTES

CUALIFICADOS

DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR Farmingdale

Union Free de los municipios de Oyster Bay y Babylon, condados de Nassau y Suffolk, Nueva York, en el auditorio de la escuela secundaria Weldon E. Howitt, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, en dicho distrito, el martes, 12 de mayo de 2026 a las 20:00 horas, hora vigente, para la transacción de negocios según lo autorizado por la Ley de Educación, incluyendo los siguientes puntos:

1. Presentar a los votantes una declaración detallada (presupuesto propuesto) sobre la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año fiscal 2026-2027

2. Debatir todos los puntos que a continuación se exponen a votación por las máquinas de votación en la Votación Presupuestaria y Elección que se celebrará el martes 19 de mayo de 2026.

.3. Tratar otros asuntos que puedan surgir adecuadamente antes de la reunión.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que dicha votación y elección presupuestaria se celebrarán el martes 19 de mayo de 2026 en el Centro Acuático de la Escuela Secundaria Weldon E. Howitt, 50 Van Cott Avenue,

Public Notices

Farmingdale, Nueva York, entre las 6:00 y las 21:00 horas, hora vigente, momento en el que las urnas se abrirán a votación mediante máquina de votación sobre los siguientes puntos:

1. Adoptar el presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2026-2027 y autorizar que la parte requerida se recaude, mediante impuestos, sobre la propiedad sujeta a impuestos del Distrito.

2. Que se aprobará la Asignación del Consejo Juvenil de Farmingdale para el año fiscal 2026-2027, tal como se presentó, y que la cantidad requerida se recaudará mediante impuestos sobre la propiedad sujeta a impuestos del Distrito.

3. Elegir dos (2) miembros de la Junta de Educación para mandatos de tres años que comienzan el 1 de julio de 2026 y expiran el 30 de junio de 2029.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que se pondrá a disposición de cualquier residente del Distrito entre las 8:00 y las 16:00 horas del presupuesto del Consejo Juvenil de Farmingdale para el curso 20262027 entre las 8:00 y las 16:00 a partir del 5 de mayo, 2026, excepto sábados, domingos o festivos, en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, bajo solicitud. Además, cualquier residente del Distrito puede obtener un estado de los gastos estimados para el año siguiente durante los catorce (14) días previos a la elección en la página web del Distrito en www.farmingdaleschools.org, en la Biblioteca Pública de

Farmingdale, durante su horario normal de funcionamiento, ubicado en 116 Merritts Road, Farmingdale, Nueva York, en el Centro Administrativo del Distrito Escolar, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York y en cada uno de los siguientes edificios escolares donde se mantiene la escuela entre las 9:00 y las 16:00, hora predominante excepto sábados, domingos y festivos:

Escuela Primaria Albany Avenue

Escuela Primaria Northside

Escuela Primaria Saltzman East Memorial

Escuela Woodward Parkway

Escuela Secundaria

Weldon E. Howitt Instituto Farmingdale Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que, conforme a la Sección 495 de la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Propiedad Inmobiliaria, el Distrito Escolar está obligado a adjuntar a su presupuesto propuesto un informe de exención.  Dicho informe de exención, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, mostrará cuánto del valor total tasado en el registro final de evaluación utilizado en el proceso presupuestario está exento de impuestos, listará todos los tipos de exenciones concedidas identificadas por la autoridad legal y mostrará: (a) el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención expresado ya sea como un importe en dólares de valor impositivado o como un porcentaje del valor total impuesto sobre el rollo; (b) la cantidad acumulada que se espera recibir de los beneficiarios de cada tipo de exención como pagos en lugar de impuestos u otros pagos por servicios

municipales; y (c) el impacto acumulativo de todas las exenciones concedidas.  El informe de exención se publicará en cualquier tablón de anuncios mantenido por el Distrito para los avisos públicos y en cualquier sitio web gestionado por el Distrito. Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que las peticiones que nominen candidatos para el cargo de miembro de la Junta de Educación deberán presentarse ante la Secretaria de dicho distrito escolar en su oficina en el Edificio de Administración, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, a más tardar el 20 de abril de 2026, entre las 8:00 y las 17:00, Prevaleciendo. Las vacantes en la Junta de Educación no se consideran cargos separados o específicos; los candidatos se presentan en la categoría de votos libres. Las peticiones de nominación para la Junta de Educación no describirán ninguna vacante específica en la Junta para la que el candidato sea nominado; debe ser dirigido al Secretario del Distrito; debe indicar el nombre y la residencia de cada firmante, y debe indicar el nombre y la residencia del candidato. Las peticiones de nominación para la Junta de Educación deben estar firmadas por al menos 81 votantes cualificados del Distrito (representando la mayoría de los 25 votantes cualificados, o el 2% del número de votantes que votaron en las elecciones anuales de 2025).

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que el registro personal de votantes es obligatorio de acuerdo con el §2014 de la Ley de Educación o conforme al artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral.  Si un vo-

tante se ha registrado hasta ahora conforme a la §2014 de la Ley de Educación y ha votado en una reunión anual o extraordinaria de distrito en los últimos cuatro (4) años naturales, es elegible para votar en estas elecciones.  Si un votante está registrado y es elegible para votar según el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral, también es elegible para votar en estas elecciones.  Todas las demás personas que deseen votar deben registrarse.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL DE QUE LOS VO -

TANTES MILITARES QUE NO ESTÉN ACTUALMENTE REGISTRADOS PUEDEN SOLICITAR REGISTRARSE COMO VOTANTES CUALIFICADOS EN EL DISTRITO ESCOLAR LIBRE DE Farmingdale Union solicitando y enviando una solicitud de registro al Secretario del Distrito en persona, por correo postal a la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, New York 11735, por correo electrónico a districtclerk@farmingdaleschools.org o por fax al (516) 752-6516. La solicitud de registro puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la solicitud de registro por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Los formularios de solicitud de registro de votantes militares deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17:00 horas del 23 de abril de 2026. Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que los votantes militares que sean votantes cualificados del Distrito Escolar Libre de Farmingdale Union podrán solicitar personalmente al Secre-

tario del Distrito una solicitud de papeleta militar, por correo postal a la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York 11735, por correo electrónico a districtclerk@farmingdaleschools.org o por fax enviado al (516) 752-6516. En dicha solicitud, el votante militar puede indicar su preferencia por recibir la solicitud por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Un votante militar debe devolver la solicitud original de la papeleta militar por correo o en persona a la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York 11735. Para que un votante militar reciba una papeleta militar, debe recibirse una solicitud válida de papeleta militar en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17:00 horas del 23 de abril de 2026. Las solicitudes de papeleta militar recibidas conforme a lo anterior se tramitarán de la misma manera que una solicitud de papeleta no militar conforme a la Sección 2018-a de la Ley de Educación. La solicitud de una papeleta militar puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la papeleta militar por correo, fax o correo electrónico.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL De que la papeleta militar original de un votante militar debe ser devolvida por correo o en persona a la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York 11735. Las papeletas militares deberán ser consultadas si el Secretario del Distrito las recibe antes del cierre de las

Continued on next page

April 1, 2026 —

Continuedfrom previous page

urnas el 19 de mayo de 2026 mostrando una marca de cancelación del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o un endoso fechado de recepción por parte de otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o recibido no más tarde de las 17:00 horas del 19 de mayo de 2026 y firmado y fechado por el votante militar y un testigo, con una fecha que se determina no posterior al día anterior a las elecciones.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que, conforme al §2014 de la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, la Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 19 de mayo de 2026, entre las 6:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m., hora vigente, en la Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, para preparar el Registro del Distrito Escolar que será utilizado en la votación presupuestaria y la elección celebrada en 2027, y cualquier reunión especial de distrito que pueda celebrarse después de la preparación de dicho Registro, momento en el que cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dicho Registro, siempre que en dicha reunión de dicha Junta de Registro se sepa o se demuestre a satisfacción de dicha Junta de Registro que tiene derecho a votar en la elección escolar para la cual dicho Registro está preparado, o cualquier reunión especial de distrito celebrada después del 19 de mayo de 2026. El registro se realizará con el fin de registrar a todos los votantes cualificados del Distrito conforme a la §2014

de la Ley de Educación hasta el 14 de mayo de 2026, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., hora vigente, en todos los días regulares en los que esté en funcionamiento la oficina del Secretario del Distrito, ubicada en la Escuela Secundaria Weldon E. Howitt, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, y el martes 12 de mayo de 2026, entre las 16:00 y las 20:00, momento en el que cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dicho registro, siempre que en ese momento se sepa o se demuestre que tiene derecho a votar en la elección para la que se encuentre el registro preparado.  El registro así preparado conforme al §2014 de la Ley de Educación se archivará en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, y estará abierto para la inspección de cualquier votante cualificado del Distrito a partir del jueves 14 de mayo de 2026, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. en horario predominante, entre semana y cada día anterior al día fijado para la elección, excepto el domingo, y el sábado 16 de mayo de 2026, con cita previa, y en el colegio electoral el día de la votación.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que las solicitudes para votos por correo anticipado y por correo estarán disponibles durante el horario laboral escolar por parte del Secretario del Distrito a partir del 20 de marzo de 2026. Las solicitudes completadas no pueden ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito antes del 20 de abril de 2026, y deben ser recibidas por el

Secretario del Distrito al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la papeleta se enviará por correo al votante, o el día antes de la elección, si la papeleta debe entregarse personalmente al votante o al agente nombrado en la solicitud de voto por correo anticipado o por correo.  Las papeletas por correo y por correo anticipado deben ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17:00 horas, hora vigente, del martes 19 de mayo de 2026. Una lista de personas a las que se hayan emitido papeletas de voto por correo, y una lista de todas las personas a quienes se hayan emitido papeletas anticipadas de votantes por correo, estará disponible para su inspección para votantes cualificados del Distrito en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del jueves 14 de mayo de 2026, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. los días laborables previos al día fijado para la elección anual y en el día fijado para la elección anual 19 de mayo de 2026, el día fijado para las elecciones. Cualquier votante cualificado podrá, tras examinar dichas listas, presentar una impugnación por escrito de las cualificaciones como votante de cualquier persona cuyo nombre aparezca en dichas listas, exponiendo los motivos de dicha impugnación. No se puede impugnar una papeleta anticipada por correo porque el votante debería haber solicitado una papeleta por correo. Cualquier impugnación escrita será transmitida por el Secretario del Distrito o por un representante de la Junta de Educación a los inspectores de elecciones el día de la elección.

Public Notices

Y SE DA UN AVISO

ADICIONAL de que los votantes cualificados con discapacidad que soliciten información sobre el acceso a los colegios electorales pueden, con antelación al día de la votación, contactar con el Secretario del Distrito en el 516434-5002 para obtener información sobre accesibilidad.

Y SE DA UN AVISO

ADICIONAL de que, conforme a la Política de la Junta, cualquier referendo o propuesta para cambiar el número de miembros de la Junta de Educación, o cualquier otra petición que la ley exija que conste en el Aviso de Reunión

Anual y Elección, debe ser presentado ante el Secretario del Distrito de la Junta de Educación en la Oficina del Distrito, Escuela Secundaria Weldon E. Howitt, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, a más tardar a las 17:00 horas, hora vigente, el 20 de marzo de 2026. Cualquier otra petición, excepto aquellas que la ley requiera constar en el Aviso de Reunión

Anual y Elección, debe presentarse ante el Secretario del Distrito de la Junta de Educación en la Oficina del Distrito, Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Van Cott Avenue, Farmingdale, Nueva York, a más tardar a las 17:00 horas, hora vigente, el 20 de abril, 2026; todas las peticiones deben estar mecanografiadas o impresas en inglés; debe dirigirse al Secretario del Distrito Escolar; debe estar firmado por al menos 203 votantes cualificados del Distrito (que representan el 5% del número de votantes que votaron en la elección anual anterior); y debe indicar legiblemente el nombre de cada fir-

mante.  Sin embargo, la Junta Escolar no admitirá ninguna petición para presentar ante los votantes ninguna propuesta cuyo propósito no esté dentro de las competencias de los votantes para determinar que sea ilegal, ni ninguna propuesta que no incluya una asignación específica cuando la propuesta requiera el gasto de fondos, o cuando exista otra razón válida para excluir la propuesta de la papeleta.

Y SE DA UN AVISO ADICIONAL de que aquellos votantes que busquen información sobre esta votación presupuestaria y elección en español deben contactar con la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito en el 516434-5002.

Fecha: Farmingdale, Nueva York

25 de marzo de 2026

Por orden de la CONSEJO DE EDUCACIÓN DE LA FARMINGDALE

UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Condados de Nassau y Suffolk Farmingdale, Nueva York

Rosemarie Fullam, secretaria del distrito 26-72. 4/1, 15, 29, 5/13

NOTICE TO BIDDERS MASSAPEQUA FIRE DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that SEALED PROPOSALS for: MASSAPEQUA FIRE DISTRICT GENERATOR REPLACEMENT AT DISTRICT FACILITY

1 Brooklyn Avenue, Massapequa, NY 11758 H2M project No.: MPFD 2501 SINGLE PRIME CONTRACT

Will be received until 10:00AM prevailing time on Thursday, April 30, 2026 at the Office of the Commissioners, located at 1 Brooklyn Avenue, Massapequa, New York 11758. Proposals will be opened at that time.

Complete digital sets of Bidding Documents, Drawings and Specifications, may be obtained online as a download for Forty Nine Dollars and 00 cents ($49.00) at the following website: www.h2mprojects. com under 'public projects’ beginning 4:00 pm prevailing time on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Complete, hard copy, sets of Bidding Documents, Drawings and Specifications, may be obtained from Rev, 330 Route 17A, Suite #2, Goshen, New York 10924 Tel: 1-877-2720216, upon depositing the sum of One Hundred Dollars and 00 cents ($100.00) for each set of documents. Checks or money orders shall be made payable to MASSAPEQUA FIRE DISTRICT. Plan deposit is refundable in accordance with the terms in the Instructions to Bidders to all submitting bids. Any bidder requiring documents to be shipped shall make arrangements with the printer and pay for all packaging

and shipping costs. ll bid addenda will be transmitted to registered plan holders via email and will be available at www.h2mprojects.com. Plan holders who have paid for hard copies of the bid documents will need to make the determination if hard copies of the addenda are required for their use and coordinate directly with the printer for hard copies of addenda to be issued. There will be no charge for registered plan holders to obtain hard copies of the bid addenda. Bids must be made in the standard proposal form in the manner designated therein and as required by the Specifications that must be enclosed in sealed envelopes bearing the name of the job and name and address of the bidder on the outside, addressed to: MASSAPEQUA FIRE DISTRICT, clearly marked on the outside: Bid For: GENERATOR REPLACEMENT AT DISTRICT FACILITY.

Each proposal submitted must be accompanied by a certified check or bid bond, made payable to the MASSAPEQUA FIRE DISTRICT, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total amount of the bid, as a commitment by the bidder that, if its bid is accepted, it will enter into a contract to perform the work and will execute such further security as may be required for the faithful performance of the contract. Certification of bonding company is required for this bid, see Instructions for Bidders section.

Each bidder shall agree to hold his/her bid price for forty five (45) days after the formal bid opening.

A pre-bid meeting and walk thru is scheduled

for 10:00am on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Potential bidders are asked to gather at the site, at which time they will be escorted to the areas of work.

It is the Board of Fire Commissioners intention to award the contracts to the lowest qualified bidder who can meet the experience, technical and budget requirements. The Board of Fire Commissioners reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive any informality and to accept such bid which, in the opinion of the Board of Fire Commissioners, is in the best interests of the District.

Bids include all costs associated with the project. By submitting a bid, the bidder represents that they are familiar with the site and project conditions. Additionally, prior to submitting its bid, Contractor shall make Architect and Owner aware of any problems and/or inconsistencies in the bid documents.

Massapequa Fire District

Issue Date: March 26, 2026 Board of Fire Commissioners Village of Massapequa Park

2501 NB - 1 26-73. 4/1

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Old Woodmere Beauty

Can we use a local architect for work on a home in Boston?

Q. We own a home in Boston that needs a lot of work, and were wondering what to do about hiring an architect. We want to hire one who is familiar with the area, the codes and the building department, because we understand they are very strict there. We have a local friend who’s an architect, and he has gotten his “reciprocal” license in Massachusetts. How do you think we should handle this? Should we work with our friend, Zoom with a local architect or have them try to work together?

A. This is not an uncommon problem, but it’s all based on communication, as is most of what we deal with in our daily lives. It’s best to weigh the issues of how the communication will work, including the making of the plans, which are also the basis for your project and the most important communication tool.

Over the years I’ve seen where clients didn’t take the planning process seriously, thinking, and even saying, that they just want to get the permit to start the work. That approach generally leads to failure, with either the owner not getting what they want or causing problems along the way. For example, many people assume that the plans are a suggestion, a kind of open guide to the approximate outcome, and that they will just handle changes for what they really wanted during construction.

One recent client, who didn’t last very long, was in another city and, being in the medical field, said we could do Zoom meetings like they do in tele-health. Conversations fell apart immediately, because the building has major structural deterioration, and on my first walk-through, I had to order column supports to be installed immediately where collapse was imminent. The owner was told this, and that, at the very least, building plans would be absolutely necessary, detailing the exact remedy. But in order to prepare the structural plans, measuring of the building areas contributing loads and further investigation were necessary. The owner got very upset, because his contractor was ready to go and just needed to know what to do.

Having made medical appointments over the years to get one test in a particular hospital, and then shuttling to another site for another test, I realized this client just didn’t get it. His profession required all kinds of very specific testing, and his perception was that mine did not. Buildings are custom. They’re not kits. There are many ways that buildings, even homes, can fail, and we always want to prevent leaking, movement and subsequent damage, in addition to wanting to make the spaces function and be attractive.

I would recommend working with your friend, and having him develop an agreement and relationship with the local professional who knows the area best, if possible. Otherwise I would work with the local professional, but arrange for in-person meetings. With issues and questions that happen during construction, you want a good team of people you can trust. Good luck!

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opinions

Nuclear power for $33 billion, and guess who’s paying?

That’s the amount of money the New York State Public Service Commission — its members appointed by the governor — has just approved for you as an electricity ratepayer, and every other ratepayer in the state, including all businesses and nonprofits, to pay from 2029 to 2049 to bail out four nuclear power plants upstate.

The $33 billion would be included as a charge in the bills electric utilities send to all the state’s ratepayers.

In 2017, the PSC approved a $7.6 billion, 12-year bailout of the plants, which their owners had wanted to shut down because they said they were not economical. They include the oldest nuclear power plant of the 94 now operating in the United States, the Nine Mile Point 1 plant in upstate Oswego, which began operating in 1969, and the second-oldest as well, the R.E. Ginna plant, near Rochester.

Nuclear power plants, when they were first introduced in the U.S. in the 1950s, were licensed for 40 years. After

Athat, experts determined, internal parts, especially metals, would become so embrittled by radioactivity that the plants wouldn’t be safe to operate.

five large power plants.

She is pushing for “advanced” nuclear plants — even though, as a comprehensive analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and other studies, have found, they are not “advanced.”

GNow our $33 billion would be used in the coming two decades to keep Nine Mile Point 1, which has operated for 57 years, and R. E. Ginna, running for 56 years, going far longer. Driving a 57-year-old car, how confident would you be of its mechanical ability?

If there were an accident at any one of these plants, upstate isn’t that far from Long Island, because the radioactivity would blow in the wind. A check of Google says the plants are in the range of 200 air miles.

overnor Hochul keeps insisting that this form of power is ‘zeroemission.’

But Gov. Kathy Hochul is enamored of nuclear power. She seemingly believes that the Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima disasters never happened. She has been calling for New York state to become the “center” of a nuclear revival in the U.S. As she put it last year, “I’m embracing” nuclear power.

As she said in her State of the State address in January, Hochul wants to have five gigawatts of new nuclear power in New York — the equivalent of

“If nuclear power is to play an expanded role in helping address climate change, newly built reactors must be demonstrably safer and more secure than current generation reactors,” the UCS’s report concluded. “Unfortunately, most ‘advanced’ nuclear reactors are anything but.”

Still, as Hochul declared recently, “This is not your grandmothers’ and your grandfathers’ nuclear. This is advanced. This is state-of-the-art. This is safe.”

In fact, the “advanced” nuclear power plants being promoted today are decades-old designs that didn’t work then and are now being wheeled out as new-and-improved. Meanwhile, Hochul also keeps insisting that nuclear power is “zero-emission” and thus an antidote to climate change. But the nuclear-fuel cycle — the mining, milling and enrichment of nuclear fuel — is heavily carbon-intensive, and nuclear power plants also emit a radioactive form of carbon,

Carbon-14. And the governor is fond of old nuclear plants, too, like the four upstate plants the $33 billion bailout would keep running.

Tim Judson, executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, says, “New York’s nuclear bailout program has always been a classic ‘bridge-to-nowhere’ — forcing households and businesses to fork over pots of gold, only to leave us with an ever-growing pile of radioactive waste. Since 2017, we have been charged over $4 billion to prop up old, uneconomical nuclear power plants — 12 times more than we have spent on incentives for renewable energy. The bailout program was supposed to be expensive but temporary, a $7 billion ‘bridge to renewable energy.’ Here we are years down the road, and the [Public Service Commission] has decided not only to make the bailout basically permanent, but to dramatically increase the cost to $33 billion over an extra 20 years. New York needs to pull the plug on it.”

A true green-energy path is before us. This is not it.

Karl Grossman has been an investigative reporter in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.

The privilege, and responsibility, of a free press

s deputy managing editor of Herald Community Newspapers, I am privileged to work alongside a staff of honest and creative reporters and editors who deliver the local news that you’re used to receiving. They embody what it means to be a strong journalist, acting with integrity and passion, which is reflected in every story we write and share with the communities that we love to cover.

The ethos I’m describing embodies the pillars of American journalism — a press that thrives on freedom and a drive to seek the truth and report it.

Many of my former colleagues — my good friends — have moved on from their time with the Herald to apply that passion in other media circuits, delivering more, albeit different, news to readers close to home and nationally, too.

In a media climate so polarized, where it may feel difficult to decipher right from wrong and the truth from exaggerations, it’s important to remember that we are privileged to live in a

country where we can ask questions. We can challenge what we’re told. We can yearn for more than what appears in black and white.

A few weeks ago, I attended the 2026 Marie Colvin Distinguished Lecture at Stony Brook University, hosted by the school’s Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting. The center was established in memory of Colvin, a fearless war correspondent who was raised on Long Island and died on the front lines of the Syrian civil war in 2012.

T his work matters, and we must never take our freedoms for granted.

The featured speaker was Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian politician and journalist who was arrested in Moscow in 2022 and sentenced to 25 years in prison for “high treason” for opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kara-Murza spent over two years in prison, including 11 months in solitary confinement. His release in 2024 was orchestrated by the Biden administration, and part of the largest prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.

For the writing he completed while in prison, Kara-Murza was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

He was the type of speaker who drew you in from the start, painting a bleak

picture of what it’s like to be a journalist in Russia, a place where independent media voices have been not only silenced but directly targeted for telling the truth. He named fellow writers — many of them friends — who were killed by the Russian government. Kara-Murza himself has survived two suspected poisonings in the past decade, marked for his relentless, fearless, truthful reporting.

His opening thoughts captivated me. “There’s nothing dictatorships hate more than the truth,” he said, “and the first targets in that quest for absolute power are usually, almost always, independent media voices.”

In Russia, the press is never protected. In the U.S., by contrast, federal courts usually appear committed to upholding the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. Just two weeks ago, federal courts ruled that the Pentagon’s newly implemented press policy, which bars news outlets from reporting information not officially sanctioned for release, is a violation of the amendment. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman wrote in his ruling that it was “more important than ever that the public have access to information from a variety of perspec-

tives about what the government is doing.” That, in essence, makes good journalism possible.

Kara-Murza made it clear that a democracy thrives only when its people put forth the effort to sustain it. He invoked Ben Franklin’s reminder that the United States was founded as “a republic, if you can keep it”— which resonates with renewed urgency.

I became a journalist because I love to write. I’m committed to upholding the values I believe in so strongly. Like my Herald colleagues, I love telling your stories, and I love diving into the important topics I believe you, our readers, deserve to know about.

I can’t say that I’m as courageous as Vladimir Kara-Murza, who embodies everything journalists should hope to be — fearless, principled, and unwavering in the pursuit of truth. But his story reminds me why this work matters, and why we must never take our freedoms for granted. Every day that we can report honestly, ask challenging questions, and share your stories is a privilege — one I never intend to lose sight of.

Jordan Vallone, the deputy managing editor of Herald Community Newspapers, is a graduate student in Stony Brook University’s School of Communications and Journalism. Comments? jvallone@liherald.com.

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Smart housing reform needs local trust

New York’s housing crisis is undeniable. Rents are high, supply is tight and too many families are struggling to find a place to call home.

In response, Albany is advancing proposals like the REVIVE Act alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Let Them Build agenda — efforts designed to cut red tape and accelerate development.

The goal is right. The challenge is getting the approach right, too. At the heart of the debate is a familiar tension: how to build faster without sacrificing thoughtful planning and public trust.

It’s not just about process; it’s about trust. Residents are more likely to support new housing when they believe their voices are heard. Developers are more likely to invest when rules are consistent. And elected officials are more effective when they can balance urgency with accountability.

Supporters of reform make a compelling case. New York’s development process is notoriously slow and expensive. Reviews under the State Environmental Quality Review Act can stretch timelines by years, even for projects that ultimately pose little or no environmental risk.

According to state data, projects can take up to 56 percent longer to start compared with other states, and cost up to $45,000 per unit on Long Island. Those costs are usually passed on to renters and buyers. In a state where affordability is already a crisis, those inefficiencies matter.

The REVIVE Act seeks to address this by targeting underused commercial properties — shopping centers, office

letters

Keeping things in numerical perspective in the Middle East

To the Editor:

parks and large parking lots — and encouraging their conversion into housing. In concept, this is smart policy. Repurposing dormant or declining properties into vibrant residential communities can ease the housing shortage while revitalizing local economies.

But the concerns raised by local officials and residents are just as valid. Critics argue that the legislation could sideline local zoning authority, limit public hearings and reduce meaningful community input.

The inclusion of a “deemed approved” provision — allowing projects to move forward automatically if municipalities fail to act within an expedited timeline — is a flashpoint.

One side says projects would move forward without public hearings or meaningful community input. That might overstate the case, but it isn’t entirely off base. The proposal appears to compress timelines and shift leverage away from local governments. If those timelines are too tight, or if municipalities lack the resources to review complex proposals quickly, the result could be approvals by default rather than by design.

And what about the timeline itself? That remains a critical detail. Without clear and reasonable deadlines, “expedited” can quickly become “unworkable.” Municipal boards might need additional support to operate on stateimposed clocks. If they are rushed, oversight suffers. If they miss deadlines, community members may feel that decisions are being made for them, not with them.

Yet it would be a mistake to dismiss

With all the rhetoric being bandied about over the war in the Middle East, I would like to add something that rarely seems to enter into the discussion. That is the size of the various sides. My source is the 2025 World Almanac.

Israel has an area of approximately 8,470 square miles, which is about the size of the state of New Jersey. The West Bank and Gaza have a combined area of about 2,402 square miles, which is about the size of the city of Detroit and the state of Delaware.

The area of Israel’s near neighbors — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon — is just over 1.3 million square miles, or about one-third the size of the United States.

The population of Israel is just over 9.4 million. The population of the West Bank and Gaza is just

the need for reform altogether. Doing nothing is not an option. The current system is too slow, too costly and too unpredictable. Developers face uncertainty and communities can miss opportunities.

The answer lies not in choosing sides, but in combining the best ideas from both. New York should streamline environmental review for projects that consistently demonstrate minimal impact, particularly those on previously developed sites. It should set clear, enforceable timelines for decisions.

Those timelines, however, must be realistic, and paired with resources, training and technical assistance for local governments. The state’s proposal to modernize permitting and create a “permitting academy” is a step in the right direction.

At the same time, local decision-making must be preserved. Communities deserve a voice in shaping their neighborhoods, especially when it comes to density, infrastructure and quality of life. Public hearings should not be eliminated, but they can be made more efficient and focused.

If “deemed approved” provisions are included, they must come with safeguards: flexibility for municipalities acting in good faith, transparency in the review process and mechanisms to ensure that projects meet clear standards before moving forward.

New York doesn’t need a rushed solution. It needs a smart one. Albany has an opportunity to get this right. By blending efficiency with oversight, and speed with community input, lawmakers can craft a housing policy that works for all.

Why I sued the state over youth mental health

For years, my son cody and I were known in court papers only by our initials. Today I am using my full name — as a Long Island mother, a family peer advocate and one of the formerly anonymous plaintiffs in c.K. v. McDonald. I joined this class action lawsuit to challenge new york state’s widespread failure to provide mental health services to children on Medicaid.

In January, a federal judge approved a settlement, and the state agreed to dramatically improve access to these services. It’s a measure of justice, but it is incomplete without investments in the struggling nonprofit providers who deliver this vital care to kids like cody.

cody needed help almost from the moment he entered this world. I worked as an early childhood educator, and I recognized the signs. By age 3, he was diagnosed with ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder and severe social anxiety; at 4 he was psychiatrically hospitalized. He struggled to function in school. From ages 10 to 12 he was in a residential treatment center, where he finally

Letters

under 5.4 million. The population of Israel’s near neighbors is 188.2 million. As a reference, the population of the United States is nearly 342 million.

There are rights and wrongs on both sides, but the constant drive to destroy Israel is not the correct solution to these issues.

Your opinion Matters

The strength of our community comes from open dialogue. We invite residents to submit letters to the editor on issues affecting our neighborhoods, schools, businesses and local government.

Letters must include your name and contact information for verification. Send lettters to execeditor@liherald.com Be heard. Be part of the conversation.

began to thrive.

In 2019 cody was discharged and came home. He was supposed to receive home- and community-based mental health services to give him the tools to re-integrate. He was entitled to at-home therapy to manage his emotions, as well as crisis respite services — an alternative to hospitalization to provide stability during crises.

He received care through Medicaid, its access guaranteed by federal law. But the reality was different: Providers changed constantly, programs had waitlists and services disappeared without explanation.

cate, I saw the chronic understaffing, the underfunding, and the burnout.

w
e can’t afford to continue neglecting the services our children need.

without consistent, medically necessary services, cody couldn’t handle the transition to home, and while lingering on waitlists, he had his first suicide attempt.

All the while, I was working inside the system. I took a job with wellLife network, a nonprofit mental health provider, as a supervisor of communitybased services and a family peer advocate. These advocates are an indispensable component of our behavioral health system. we provide care as parents of children with mental health issues. As such, we are trusted messengers when offering services like skill development. But working as an advo-

I knew that the system was failing, even as my family lived it personally. And we aren’t alone. Across the state, three in four Medicaid-eligible children who need outpatient behavioral health services are not receiving them. The disparities are similar on Long Island, and grow worse the closer you look. eighty-five percent of Medicaid-eligible children in our area are not receiving the outpatient clinical services they need, and nearly 500 more practitioners are needed to fill the gap.

without an investment for providers to expand services, children will lose out on programs that stabilize them before a crisis lands them in the hospital, or in handcuffs. we cannot afford to continue neglecting these services. Medicaid reimbursement rates for them have stagnated, even as costs have risen. nonprofit providers can’t pay competitive wages. Staff leave, caseloads grow, and some programs stop offering Medicaid services altogether.

I joined that lawsuit because I was fed up with a broken system. Alongside three other families, we charged that new york was violating Medicaid law by failing to provide required communi-

ty-based services. As part of the settlement, new york must review long-inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates to improve services. But the settlement gives the state a yearslong runway, and families can’t wait for reform.

If new york is serious about meeting both its legal and moral responsibilities, lawmakers must act this budget season. Providers across the state are calling for a $200 million investment to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for children’s behavioral health services.

Unfortunately, the governor’s and the State Senate’s proposed budgets do not include new resources. The Assembly did include $20 million to improve reimbursement rates, but that is far short of the support that is needed.

without investment, the promises in the settlement risk becoming hollow. It may be too late to give my son back the years he lost, but it doesn’t have to be too late for others.

every child on Long Island and across the state deserves timely mental health care in their home and community. The settlement made clear that new york falls short. now our lawmakers must make the investment necessary to turn that legal victory into real change for families like mine.

Christina Hauptman is a family peer advocate and a New York state peer specialist on the Intensive and Sustained Engagement Team at Hands Across Long Island.

Cutting loose at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in front of St. Agnes Cathedral — Rockville Centre

APRIL 16 • 10AM-12:30PM

FREE community event focused on health, wellness, and lifestyle

Meet trusted local exhibitors and service providers

Take advantage of on-site health screenings

Enjoy lively entertainment, fitness demonstrations and interactive experiences

Hear from experts during a panel discussion with Q&A

Win raffles, prizes, and giveaways

Snack station for all

*Boxed lunches for first 150 attendees

All designed to help you stay active, informed, and engaged at every stage of life.

MAE CAIME FOUNDER, AMAEZING MIDLIFE & BEYOND

Register for this FREE event: Deerpark.eventbrite.com or email lcreem@LIHerald.com or call 516.569.4000 x243 AGENDA:

EXPERT PANEL + Q&A

RAFFLE DRAWINGS MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN

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