Town Hall Notes: Refrigeration Units for Ambulances Approved

The town board Thursday authorized the Riverhead ambulance district to spend $18,000 to install temperature-controlled refrigeration units in each of its four ambulances and to spend another $4,000 for a refrigeration cabinet similar to a wine cooler, but more sophisticated,  at its headquarters on Osborne Ave.

Ron Rowe, chairman of the district’s board of commisioners, said that the equipment is required by state law so that certain medicines can be stored at their appropriate temperatures.

Supervisor Sean Walter instructed Rowe to work with the town attorney’s office in preparing competitive bids for the equipment, which Rowe said could be purchased out of his district’s existing reserves.

During the discussion, Walter made mention of the assisted living facility a developer has proposed building behind the Home Depot at Riverhead Centre on Rt. 58, an eventuality that could further burden the ambulance district.

He told Rowe that if its site plan were ultimately approved and permits granted, the facility would be required to provide its own vehicle for transporting patients to the hospital but that urgent medical attention would still be provided by the ambulance district.

Walter said that in future discussions with the developer, he would insist that the developer agree as a quid pro quo to build three new bays on Osborne Ave. to relieve what Rowe described as an already over-crowded garage.

No left turn off Kroemer

A public hearing will be held at 7:20 p.m., April 20, at Town Hall to consider a law prohibiting left turns onto Rt. 58 from Kroemer Ave.

According to Councilman John Dunleavy, town board liaison to the traffic and safety committee, the left turn restriction is needed so that cars won’t interfere with vehicles leaving the parking lot of the 168,000 square-foot super store that Wal-Mart plans to build on the north side of Rt. 58 at Kroemer.

Dunleavy said that as part of the town’s agreement with Wal-Mart, the company will , the scene of 13 accidents in the past five years, including , which sent four people to the hospital.

Wal-Mart has already received site plan approval for its new store and is currently going through the process of obtaining pertinent town permits. According to Mitch Palley, an attorney representing the developer of the Wal-Mart site, construction should be begin by late spring and that erecting the traffic light will follow.

Pally said that Wal-Mart may not open until the light at Kroemer and Rt. 25  is installed.

Summer jobs

The Riverhead Recreation Department is accepting applications for summer employment as lifeguards, beach attendants, concession stand attendants, water safety instructors and summer recreational aides.

Recreation aides are those who supervise the town’s three daily summer camps at Pulaski School, the George Young Community Center in Jamesport and the Henry Pfeifer Community Center in Calverton.

Employment applications are available on the town’s Web site: riverheadli.com. All jobs require the applicant to be at least 16 years of age. According to assistant superintendent Kelly Tocci, preference will be given to those who held jobs last year, provided they received good performance evaluations.

The camps will begin on July 5, with the first session running through July 22 and requiring a fee of $400 per child. The second session will run from July 25 through Aug. 19 and carry a fee of $540. Parents may register their children for both sessions or just one.

Camp registration will be held on May 7, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., at the Recreation Department’s offices at Stotzky Park and at the senior center on Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue. The camps are open to youngsters set to enter the first grade through  sixth grade in September.

Free energy audits

An energy auditor certified by the New York State Energy and Development Agency made a presentation at Thursday’s town board work session outlining the energy audits that are available from the state free of charge to most homeowners.

He also reviewed the cash rebates – in some cases up to 50 percent – that homeowners may be eligible to received from the state on the money they spend following an audit to make their homes more energy efficient.

According to John Ferguson of MRJ Industries, a Hampton Bays-based contractor, free audits are available to families with less than $200,000 in household income. For households earning more, there is a $50 fee.

The 50 percent rebates on investments a homeowner makes, he said, are available to families with household incomes of around $85,000 and below, depending on the number of family members. Families earning more are eligible for 10 percent rebates.

Fergusen said that families unable to come up with their half of the money to increase energy efficiency can apply for loans from the state carrying an interest rate of 3.4 percent.

Energy-saving investments, he explained, can range from attic and basement insulation to new windows and doors to new boilers to complete geo-thermal heating and air conditioning systems.

To be eligible for a rebate, an authorized contractor or equipment supplier must certify that the investment made will result in what Fergusen described as a “zero net investment” over the expected life of the work that is done.

For example, a new boiler costing $3,000 must be certified as being able to save the homeowner at least $3,000 in energy bills over the life of the boiler.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said she would like to have audit applications posted on the town’s website. At the moment, residents may register for free audits on the Energy and Development Agency’s Web site: nyserda.org/programs/energyaudit.asp.