Bethpage-Tribune_1985-09-19

              t.ikS>;.<iS''siii\
BETHBACK
ti T
et THPAGC
4 7 POWG L L
CI c T n p / 0 r
4 C O P I ES
L I B R A R Y
AVE
f^Y 11 7 I /J
Island Trees Plainedge
also serving
Seaford Old Bethpage Plainview
VOL. 20 NO. 24
King Attacks MTA
Nassau County Comptroller Peter T. King has assailed
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for once again
qverbilling Nassau County for LIRR station maintenance.
King also charged the MTA with "gross dereliction of duty"
for failing to maintain an adequate level of maintenance at
the station. King's findings were contained in an audit report
which he has issued for the MTA fiscal year ending March
31,. 1985. Based upon King's report. County Executive Pur-cell
has withheld $2,203,276 from the station maintenance
bill of $ 11,565,742 which was payable to the MTA on Sep­tember
1, 1985; . :
. King stated that the improper billings included $813,882
incaptial construction costs. "By law the MTA may only bill
the County for maintenance and operating costs ^nd not for
capital construction costs. "By law the MTA may only bill
theJCountyfor maintenance and operating costs andnot for
capiital expenditures," King stated. "Besides violating the
law, the MTA is violating the most fundamental accounting
principles by attempting to charge capital improvements as
operating expenses;" ! '
Xing also objected to $ 1,266,116 in ."estimated" costs
which were billed to the County. "The Public Authorities
Law requires that all costs be actuaKnot estimates," King
stated. "Therefore, these 'estimated! charges totalling
•••f1':;266;iie>tost3be:rejected.'!A.---^l 'y'r^'- •
King said that the MTA also improperly billed Nassau
County for $22,018 for cleaning crews assigned to the
Babylon Station in Suffolk County. Also, the County was
iniproperly charged for the cleaning of a railroad tower
which is not covered by station maintenance;
Further, the MTA also inaccurately calculated police pro­tection
services and overcharged Nassau County by $91,652.
JKihg was particulary critical of the MTA's "total failure to
adequately clean and maintain theLIRR stations in Nassau
County." King pointed to the Floral Pairk station which he
cited in his reports for each of the past three years for
plsitform deterioration and for trash accumulations under
the platform an4,along the track bed. "The! situation worsens
each year. Our investigation has revealed that the MTA does
not follow its OAvn procedures for work inspections and, in
the case of Floral Park, there has been no inspection since
February 19S4.''
King charged that "the MTA's dereliction of duty is inex­cusable:
The inherent danger from platform deterioration
and the fire hazard of trash accumulation is obvious. It is
(Continued on Page 8)
Week of September 19 - September 25,1985 20 cents per copy
New Grumman Facility
Grumman Data System Division's 175,000
square-foot computer operations building was
dedicated at Holtsville last week. The new facility
houses computer operations supporting business
services for internal Grumman users at most
Grumman locations in the United States.
Pictured during the Ribbon Cutting ceremony
are (left to right)r George M.Skurla, president of
Grumman Corporation; John C. Bierwirth,
chairman of Grumman Corporation; Henrietta-
Acampdra, Brookhayen Town Supervisor and
guest of honor; and John O'Brien, president of the,
Grumman Data Systems Division.
When fully staffed by the end of 1986, 500
employees will work at the facility.
Landfill Gas ReiiiiyeFy and Sale
The Oyster Bay Town Board has avvarded a twenty-year
leasetothefirm of Energy Tactics, Inc., of Yaphank for the
recoveryand utilization of methane gas at the Old Bethpage ^
Solid Waste Disposal Complex, according to Town Super­visor
Joseph Colby.
Under the terms of the lease agreement. Energy TactlcsC
Inc. will pay the Town an estimated $3 million in royalties
over the twenty-year period of the lease for the reclanjation
of the methane gas which will converted into electric power
to be sold to LILCO. The firm has agreed in the lease-to'
optimize the amount of gas extracted in order to maximize
revenues to the Town. The lease agreeinent gives the Town.^
two royalty options, one of which the Town will select after
field testing has beeii completed to determine whkh option
willgive the Town the best financial return. .,
The lease agreement provides that Energy Tactics, Inc.
will conduct field tests to determine the probable yield and
estiqiated powerlo be generated within thirty days after the
'contract has-been signed and based on the test results, the
Town wilfopt for the royalty formula which will return the
maximum amount to the Town. The basic factor which will
influence the revenues to the Town will be the.amount of
electric power which can be generated from the methane to
Jbe "extracted o^er the twenty-year term of the lease
agreement. -
The lease also calls for Energy Tactics, Inc. to obtain all
necessary permits from regulatory agencies and to secure the
co|nmitments from LILCO to purchase the electric power to
be generated by the extraction and sale of the methane gas.
Radio Drama Covers L.j. Evacuation
Nassau County Comptroller Peter T. King (I.) and
County Attorney Edward McCabe(c.), of New Hyde Park,
discuss the MTA's failure to properly maintain the LIRR
stations in Nassau County. At King's request. County
Attorney McCabe has begun a multi-million dollar lawsuit
against the MTA. Joining with King and McCiiN is Deputy
County Attorney Michael Chartan, of Plainview, who will
try the case in the State Supreme Court.
Long Island's most powerful non-commercial radio sta­tion,
WUSB-FM will be featuring a radio-drama concerning
the evacuation of Long Island after an accident at a local
nuclear reactor.
Titled "Shadow Over Long Island," the drama covers the
circumstances surrounding a nuclear accident and the ensu-^
ing evacuation from the point of view of an on-air radio*
show._
"ShadoNV Over Long Island" is especialy relevant to Long
Island and Connecticut residents because of the controversy
over the construction and licensing of the Long Island Light­ing
Company's Shorehamnuclear facility. One of the major
issues concerning the Shoreham nuclear power plant deals
with the evacuation question.
The radio-drama utilizes actual Nuclear Regulatory
Commission and Licensing Board documents as well as
testimony from Suffolk County and New York State that
concerns the evacuation issue. The fictional power plant,
which is referred to in the drama, is an on-line facility, unlike
the Shoreham plant which is currently unlicensed and oiily
functioning at 5% power.
"Shadow Over Long Island" will be aired on WUSB-FM
(90.1) on Sunday, September 29th at 3 PM. It will be simul­cast
on WPKN-FM (89.5) in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The
broadcast area includes most all of Long Island and Connec­ticut.
The drama will also be re-broadcast on WIJSB the
following Friday, October 4th at 4:30 PM.
After the program WUSB will feature seyeral panel dis­cussions
as well as a community phone-in. The panel will
feature Suffglk County legislators, former LILCO
employees who actually worked at the Shorjpjiam facility,
activists, andn^cologists. Also invited are members of the
.nuclear industry. (A complete list will be available on Sep­tember
20.) The panel will discuss the drama and the Shore­ham
question, with particular emphasis on LiLCO's pro­posed
evacuation plan.
The show writt.en by Eric Corley, a formei- Program
Director at WUSB-FM. and features Rod Ross of WPKN-FM
as Glen, a radio announcer who is suddenly confronted
with evidence of a nuclear accident at the po:wer plant. He
gets a call du|[ing his show telling him of mysterious traffic
congestion on roads near the nuclear powerplant. We then
follow the events, until the actual evacuation is announced^
as Glen gets calls from reports in the field and comments
, from locrfl experts who speculate about what may or may
not have happened. Other parts in "Shadow Over Long
Island" are played by the station staff at WUSB, members of
tl)e community, and professional actors.
The program is also interesting to listeners because it is
radio draina. Radio drama was popular in the 30's, and 40's
affd is^t generally unavailable today outside of non­commercial
radio. A program like "Shadow Over Long
Island" is made even more a rarity because it is written for a
local listening audience with references to real places and a
real issue..
For more information call John Vernile (246-7900) or
David Ruderman (751-2600).