The historic windmill, long a centerpiece of the former Southampton College campus in Shinnecock Hills, has joined a growing roster of other buildings there that are sporting large red X’s, indicating that they have been condemned.
Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that NYS Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. said this week he had been informed by an official at Stony Brook University, which has owned the campus since 2006, that state fire marshals, who were there for routine inspections, had declared the windmill unsafe for occupancy. The reason? Damage from termites, Thiele said.
The windmill joins a number of dormitories and other buildings, including Southampton Hall, that have been either condemned or had access to them curtailed.
Long Island will receive $73.5 million for bridge, culvert and infrastructure rehabilitation and replacement as part of $516 million in statewide funding awarded to more than 140 local governments, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.
For Long Island, the five projects include $15.8 million to the town of Brookhaven for the superstructure replacement of the Sheep Pasture Road bridge over the Long Island Rail Road. Robert Brodsky and John Valenti report on Newsday.com that Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine said the bridge, which is owned by the MTA, was built in 1909 and has degraded over the years, in part because of heavy trucks and buses which utilize it, violating the stated weight limit. Supervisor Romaine noted that, "The bridge was in such a decrepit condition that we thought that we may have to shut it down," said Romaine, unless the funding came through to replace it. " … It was a disaster waiting to happen."
Suffolk OTB has agreed to build a 10-foot-high sound wall to address noise concerns from residents who live near Jake's 58 before a vote next week by Islandia officials on preliminary site plan approval for a $200 million expansion of the casino. Brianne Ledda and Carl MacGowan report on Newsday.com that Suffolk OTB, the casino's owner and operator, is in the process of bidding for contractors and financing, with a goal of starting construction by early November and finishing in early 2025, officials said.
In October, OTB officials unveiled the plan to transform Jake's 58 that includes adding a second building and a parking garage, opening new taverns, lounges and conference rooms, restoring a swimming pool and upgrading the hotel's 210 guest rooms.
In January, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation that will double the casino’s video lottery terminals from 1,000 to 2,000, a plan that got bipartisan backing in the state legislature. Jake’s 58 is near L.I.E. Exit 58 in Islandia
The Islandia Village Board is expected to vote July 11 on preliminary site approval for the proposed casino expansion, before a potential vote on final approval on July 27, according to OTB managing director Phil Boyle. He said the sound wall Suffolk OTB officials will build as a buffer is "very high tech" and will be constructed of sound-absorbing material and include vegetation on both sides.
The sale of lithium ion battery products — including e-bikes and electric scooters — would be limited in Riverhead Town under a proposed local law that aims to reduce the chance of fires caused by faulty batteries. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the proposed town code amendment would require that lithium ion batteries, chargers and adapters sold in the Town of Riverhead be certified by Underwriters Laboratories, a longstanding private science safety company whose testing and safety standards for lithium batteries are recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Battery brands tested to Underwriters Laboratories standards display a ‘UL’ mark on their packaging.
Lithium batteries are found in virtually every rechargeable electronic device, from cell phones and computers to transportation devices like e-bikes and electric vehicles. Rare and unlikely battery failures, which are often caused by design defects or damage to the battery, can result in extreme heat and cause a fire or explosion, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
This coming Saturday night on Shelter Island, a local nonprofit will host an 18-minute show of fireworks at Crescent Beach.
“It's a beautiful evening,” Brett Surerus, an organizer of Shelter Island Fireworks tells Newsday. “The fireworks explode over the water, and it makes a beautiful reflection. There are about 10,000 people who watch the show every year and it is just a great event.”
Surerus said he and a few others founded the group in 2015 when the local chamber of commerce, which had been hosting the annual event for decades, canceled the show.
“We didn't want to see a tradition of 50-plus years disappear,” the father of two said.
“I grew up on Shelter Island and I have children, so I did not want them to miss the same firework show that I have never missed in my life.”
This year’s show, which is free, is scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m. this Saturday July 8.
Our beloved Long Island "cookie queen," the founder of Tate's Bake Shop, has penned her first children's picture book, chronicling her journey, which was paved with flour and a dream. Lisa Finn reports on Patch.com that Southampton's Kathleen King's book "Cookie Queen: How One Girl Started Tate's Bake Shop," is published by Random House Books for Young Readers and goes on sale July 18th. The book was written by King and Lowey Bundy Sichol and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki.
"Eleven-year-old Kathleen King was positively obsessed with baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie. She experimented over and over and over with different recipes — less flour, more butter, longer baking time — until she got it just right," a release for the book said. "Customers flocked to her family’s farm stand in North Sea, Long Island for Kathleen’s enormous, buttery chocolate chip cookies. And when she grew up, Kathleen started a cookie company called Tate's Bake Shop. Tate's grew into a multimillion-dollar empire. Today, King’s iconic cookies are sold all over the country." The book, which is about a young girl's dream realized as a cookie empire, includes an original cookie recipe.
