Village Talks E-Waste, Main Firehouse, LIRR Viaduct

A number of issues and resolutions were discussed, revisited and approved at the Lindenhurst Village board . Here's a rundown of the afternoon meeting:

E-Waste
The board opening up the Department of Public Works yard on Albany Avenue on Saturdays - now that the new union employee contract is in place - so that residents could drop off e-waste - TVs, computers, cell phones, and other electronics.

Deputy Mayor Kevin McCaffrey revisited this, noting details are being worked out. The Village has been doing a separate special pick-up for and storing it in a separate section of the DPW yard.

The Village recently adopted an , and the Saturday opening of the DPW yard will be part of that.

Main Firehouse
The board approved an amount not to exceed $1,450 to be used from the genral fund (budget engineer expense) for a survey of the main firehouse and Old Village Museum properties on South Wellwood Avenue.

Land surveyor Christopher Henton has submitted a proposal to the Village and will be doing the surveying work as part of the slow, but methodical process of weighing the Village's options for repairing, renovating and/or rebuilding the main firehouse.

The process was started when several engineering reports were submitted to the Village that indicated the main house was in severe need of repair. Last year the LFD held an and to shed light on the firehouse's problems.

In the meantime scaffolding has remained to keep the circa-1923 buidling's facade in place and keep residents safe from possible falling debris.

Mayor Tom Brennan also consisting of himself, several Village board members, LFD chiefs, civic leaders and members of the . It was formed to find a permanent, cost-effective solution that would ensure the main house lasts another 80-plus years.

LIRR Viaduct
The board discussed the outcome of a recent meeting it had with officials regarding the viaduct between Fifth and Eighth Streets, along Hoffman Avenue.

At the meeting - which involved Cullinane and Trustee - the need for the to remove materials - such as steel girders, concrete blocks, a waiting room and a crane - that had been simply sitting there was heavily stressed.

Cullinane said the waiting room and crane have now been removed, and while he's hopeful the entire viaduct will soon be freed up, he assured he'll stay on it.

"We also pressed them on the LIPA poles that have been sitting there, too," he added.

Drainage and Equipment
The board approved a $4,550 payment - from New York State CHIPS funds - for the installation of one drainage basin by Holbrook-based All Island Plumbing on Liberty Avenue.

It also approved a payment schedule of Village-wide installation of interconnecting drainage pipes and basins, at various sizes and locations, to be determined by need. Work will also be completed by All Island Plumbing.

"There are many repairs to be done, and this [schedule of pipe installation] covers our costs," Deputy Village Administrator Doug Madlon said.

The approval for drainage basin installation also comes after the Suffolk County First Precinct Police recently caught someone who was stealing basin and manhole covers not only in the Village, but in Town and in neighboring villages, according to Madlon.

Next the board set prices for heavy-equipment rental from low bidder All Island Plumbing, including $650 for a 20-yard dump truck with operator for eight hours; $700 for a three-yard payloader with operator for eight hours; and $1,000 for a track excavator with operator for eight hours.

According to Madlon, this establishes a rate and meets FEMA's requirement going forward if Lindenhurst is with another heavy storm like .

BID and Sidewalk Repair
The Village considered a suggestion from the Business Improvement District () suggesting that if the Village is looking at sidewalk repair this year, then perhaps it could divide the cost into thirds among the BID, property business owners and the Village.

The is a separate taxing district established by the Village to improve businesses. Owners agree to the additional tax, which is invested back into the district to make it more appealing to residents. John Frenna is the president of the , and owner of .

The mayor also signed a draft of a letter proposed by the that would be sent to Village property business owners alerting them to the possibility of pooling of funds to get this project underway in the near future.

Maintenance
Better maintenance of the restrooms at public facilities in the Village - such as those at Kienle Park and the Charles J. Cowan Marina () - was also considered now that the newly built and in Village Square will go online shortly.

The new substation brings the number of locations with restroom facilities to seven, and Cullinane received approval of the mayor to look into its options and send out an RFP for estimates for the possibility of bringing in an outside maintenance company.

Scanner
J.P. Morgan Chase, one of the Village's banks, approached the Village with the offer of a scanner that would alleviate the need to physically deposit checks.

When questioned about fees by the mayor, Cullinane said there were none for the equipment or maintenance. The mayor gave Cullinane the go-ahead to proceed, but the Village will have to make sure that at least one computer has the latest version of Explorer installed for it to work properly.

Land and Landscapers
There's been on the Village , according to the mayor. And he's received no suggestions from the who attended the .

The board also approved the motion to abandon a portion of Newark Street east of North Monroe Avenue to the dead end. The parcel measures approximately 50 feet by 808 feet, and is the portion that sits inside Breslau Cemetary, behind the entrance gates.

And a resolution to increase the fee for oil tank removal in the Village from $35 to $75 will be on the agenda at the next board meeting, which is set for at 7:30 p.m. at .