The-Leader_2010-01-21

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FREEPORT MEMORIAL LIBRAR\
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75th Year, No. 3 Freeport, N.Y. 11520
The Community Newspaper
Thursday, January 21, 2010
OCEAN AVENUE RAILROAD UNDERPASS is closed January 15-29 while it is being painted. The MTA and the Village of Freeport are working together to maintain the appearance of the LIRR bridges. Seven bridges are included in this project at a cost of $1.7 million and are scheduled for completion in July of 2010. The four under­passes
to the west of this intersection have already been completed. The pho­tos on the right,show the rust problem, before and how it looks after' painting Structural steel bridgepainters union Local 806
is doing the painting. Leader photos by JudyAmmerman
Village biMget aimrimil 3-2; 5.5% tm bike
By Ira J. Schildkraut
In a contentious two-hour finale to the fiscal 2010-2011 Budget Hearing ^egun on January 11, the Freeport Board of Trustees approved a revised budget by a vote of 3 to 2 on Friday, January 15.
The raucous nature of the January 11 hearing was tempered somewhat by the earlier news that the village and Freeport CSEA, the union representing most village employees, had reached a four-year agree­ment rescinding the planned four layoffs which had triggered a union demonstration on Monday night. (See story on page 11.)
Another point of contention was the raises the mayor and trustees had voted themselves shortly after taking office in April. All members of the board, includ­ing the mayor, agreed to go back to the previous salary levels of 2008.
In addition to the employee negotia­tions, the administration used the four days between hearing sessions to make further budget cuts. Budget Consultant David Tanner of Liberty Capital Services reported that the budget of $62,417,588 presented January 11 had been reduced by $50,000 to $62,367,588. Anticipated
revenues had also been recalculated and reduced by the same amount, leaving the same 5.5% tax rate increase proposed in the January 11 budget in place, but with no layoffs.
Returning from the Monday night hear­ing session, representatives of the Freeport Memorial Library Board of Trustees again asked that funds be allo­cated to repair or replace the leaking library roof.
FML board- Vice-President George Boulukos asserted that the need for buck­ets to catch dripping rainwater provided "a poor example to give outsiders" who visit the facility. He said that he had seen no progress on the problem on the part of the village, which owns the library build­ing.
Library' Trustee Denton Watson expressed satisfaction at the past cooper­ation between the village and library boards and expressed the hope that long­time spirit could return. He asserted that the walls of the library's Memorial Room clearly show signs of water damage indi­cating the need for repairs. Board President Darleyne Mayers elaborated on
the problems of the roof leaks and the architect's plans that had been drawn up to solve the problems.
Former Deputy Village Attorney Stephen Malone also questioned village officials about the library's problems, asserting that the leaks from the roof on the original portion of the building could pose an asbestos threat that "jeopardized the health of library employees.
Deputy Mayor Robert T. Kennedy took the lead in addressing the library roof issues. He questioned why an archi­tect had been hired by the library board when village engineers were available to check the roof, evaluate the problems, and draw up plans to alleviate them. He also objected to the fee that the archi­tect had requested and noted that the architect's original proposal called for replacing the entire roof when only one section was problematic. He noted that the original estimate of $80 a foot to deal with the leaks had been reduced to half that amount after he began questioning the proposal.
The deputy mayor said he had person­ally gone to the roof with a flashlight fol-
y
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lowing heavy rains to conduct an inspec­tion. He had concluded that the roof did not need replacement, as the architect had asserted, but might need some repair.
There were even days, Mr. Kennedy said, when the rain was heavy but no leaks were detected. Some of the leaks may, in fact, have been caused when con­sultants hired by the library board made test borings in the roof and then did not seal them properly, he alleged. The deputy mayor also asserted that some of the leaks probably originated in duct­work, not the roof.
Referring specifically to the problems in the Memorial Room, Mr. Kennedy asserted that the cause of the leaks in that location was problems with the windows, not the roof, and they would be repaired. He reiterated his offer for village engi­neers to conduct a thorough roof inspec­tion and propose appropriate remedies.
Mayor Hardwick closed the discussion by saying that proper channels should have been followed: "The village should have been called, not outside specialists. But not to worry about the library. We
will take care of it." (continued on page 3)
A budget
comparison
page 11
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