The Village
Times Herald
stony Brook • old field • strong’s neck • setauket • east setauket • south setauket • poquott • lake grove • stony Brook university
Vol. 41, No. 9
April 28, 2016
$1.00
The Village
TIMES HERALD E S TA B L I S H E D 1 9 7 6
40th
ANNIVERSARY
40th Anniversary A S P E C I A L CO M M E M O R AT I V E S U P P L E M E N T
A special commemorative issue for The Village Times Herald
inside
How Blundell does Books Stony Brook author shares secrets behind her writing
A9
Town tallies up $1 million to study Stony Brook traffic By Phil Corso The state and town have teamed up and come up big for traffic safety in Stony Brook. More than $1 million will make its way to the North Shore with help from its elected officials to fund a traffic safety improvement project on Stony Brook Road, officials announced this week. The money, which came largely through state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) and state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), will examine a contentious stretch from Oxhead Road to Development Drive in Stony Brook, to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety as well as accessibility to public transportation. The community surrounding Stony Brook University has been a longtime talking point for North Shore natives as an area in des-
perate need of improvement. “I am proud to have worked with Stony Brook University and the Town of Brookhaven to advance this important project that will improve safety for students and residents alike,” said Flanagan, who secured $1 million for the project. “Creating more walkable communities is a move toward the future and I am happy to have contributed to such a worthwhile project.” Once completed, the undertaking should herald the construction of a continuous sidewalk along Stony Brook Road; the extension of existing bicycle lanes and the installation of new left turn lanes at the existing signalized intersections; installation of a new traffic signal at Development Drive; and pedestrian signal upgrades, ornamental pedestrian-scale lighting, Photo from Dan Losquadro landscaping and ADA-compliant From left, Judith Greiman, vice president for government and handicap ramps. community relations at Stony Brook University, with BrookhavFlanagan’s $1 million, couen Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro, Stony Brook Unipled with an additional $75,000
Paving the way
versity President Samuel L. Stanley, State Sen. John Flanagan ROAD continued on page A12 and Assemblyman Steve Englebright
Suffolk County considers $1 surcharge for cleaner water By Phil Corso Voters in Suffolk County could soon be faced with deciding whether or not they’d like to pay more for their water to improve its quality. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) brought a big crew of environmentalists and lawmakers with him on Monday to announce his plan to address nitrogen pollution in drinking and surface water across the region by charging an additional $1 per 1,000 gallons of water. If it receives the state’s blessing, the plan could go before Suffolk County residents in a referendum vote in November. The proposal would establish what Bellone called a water quality
Photo from Steve Bellone
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone pitches the proposal. protection fee, which would fund the conversion of homes from outdated septic systems to active treatment systems, the county executive said. He estimated the $1 surcharge would generate roughly $75 million in revenue each year to be solely dedicated to reducing nitrogen pollution
— and still keep Suffolk County’s water rates nearly 40 percent lower than the national average. “What we have seen over the decades is a decimation of our surface waters and the latest numbers showing disturbing trends in the groundwater,” Bellone said. “Clearly,
the overwhelming source of that nitrogen pollution is from us. We have 360,000 homes on old septic and cesspool systems.” Bellone said the proposal would supplement similar efforts from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who established a $383 million investment in expanding sewers in Suffolk County. The governor launched the Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University and provided funding for the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan over the past several years to help create recurring revenue for clean water infrastructure. Richard Amper, executive director of the Long Island Pine Barrens
WATER continued on page A12
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