Legislator Nowick - Chair of Parks and Recreation Committee

Suffolk Legislator Nowick Chairs Parks and Recreation Committee - Third Year In A Row 

(Smithtown, NY)…Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick was appointed by the Suffolk County Legislature’s Presiding Officer, William J. Lindsay, to chair the Parks and Recreation Committee. “It is an honor for me to once again preside over the Parks and Recreation Committee as Suffolk County is home to some of the most beautiful parks, beaches, cultural organizations, historic properties and recreational opportunities,” said Legislator Nowick. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to preserve these treasures for everyone to enjoy,” she added. Legislator Nowick chaired this committee in 2011, 2010 and in 2007.

Legislator Nowick will also serve on the Legislature’s Economic Development & Energy and the Ways and Means Committees.

Legislator Lynne Nowick represents the 13th Legislative District, which includes Smithtown, Fort Salonga, Kings Park, San Remo, Nissequogue, Head of the Harbor, and St. James, as well as portions of Commack and East Northport. 

Editorial - Something Strange In Your Neighborhood Who You Gonna Call? KPCA

When I think about the Kings Park Civic Association the theme from Ghostbusters always comes to mind. “If there’s something strange in your neighborhood
 Who you gonna call?
KPCA!
If there’s something weird and it don’t look good
 Who you gonna call?
KPCA

The Kings Park Civic Association (KPCA) is relentless in its goal to improve the community of Kings Park.  Both current and past boards have worked for a reasonable solution to the zoning issues in the industrial area.  The organization advocates for the enforcement of building codes and the upkeep of property and roads. KPCA recently worked to add a farmers market and summer concerts to the repertoire of activities Kings Park offers.

The Kings Park Civic Association does more than just advocate. KPCA members watch, listen and follow every move that Smithtown’s Town Board,  Planning Board and Board of Zoning Appeals make.  In the Town of Smithtown where work sessions are a rarity, where interdepartmental meetings have been canceled where decisions are made without public discussions it is refreshing that a group of like minded citizens are willing to get involved and keep the public informed. 

KPCA shows a passion and a vision for improving the quality of life for Kings Park residents. Agree with them or disagree with them when you leave one of their meetings you leave with a sense that things can happen.

Call them the eyes and ears of the community. Or you may call them busybodies but if there’s something strange in your neighborhood who you gonna call? KPCA! 

Pat

Motor Vehicle Crash Kills 17-year-old Kings Park Resident

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a 17-year-old man in Kings Park today.  

Daniel Byrne, 38, of Kings Park, stated that he was driving his 2009 Volkswagen east on East Northport Road, he turned left onto Cedar Street when his vehicle was struck by a Yamaha dirt bike at approximately 5 p.m.  Nicholas Hein 17, of Kings Park was driving the dirt bike, which was unregistered and did not have a headlight, westbound on East Northport Road.  

Hein was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip where he died from his injuries. Byrne was not injured.  

Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks and the investigation is continuing.  

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

Citizen Advisory Committee - Close Nesconset Elementary

By Stephanie Healion

John Nolan with committee membersAt the January 5^th Citizen’s Advisory Meeting on Instruction and Housing, the official vote was held for the closing of either the Nesconset Elementary School or Mills Pond Elementary.  Running the meeting was CAC co-chair and district director of curriculum Jennifer Bradshaw, and district director of technology and co-chair John Nolan. Despite seven absentee voters out of twenty-eight, the ballot came in as seventeen for closing Nesconset Elementary and four for closing Mills Pond Elementary.  Even with those seven votes, it would not sway Nesconset Elementary from being chosen although the vote will be finalized after those seven members vote.

Due to declining enrollment and an expected budget gap for the 2012-2013 school year, each of the district’s nine elementary schools were considered for closing, eventually getting narrowed down to Nesconset Elementary and Mills Pond Elementary.  Among the reasoning for choosing Nesconset Elementary over Mills Pond Elementary was the fact that Mills Pond numbers more classrooms than Nesconset, therefore able to accommodate future growth.  Decisions regarding what students would be relocated where if Nesconset were to be closed were not finalized in any way.

The Citizen’s Advisory Committee’s vote is a recommendation to the Board of Education, which ultimately makes the final decision.  During the meeting on January 5^th, theJohn Nolan and Jennifer Bradshaw tallying votes  Committee continued discussion on the Princeton Plan, which outlines grouping students in schools based on grade instead of where they live, grouping grades K through two together and grades three through five together.  A large part of the discussion of the Princeton Plan involved the issue of transportation.  One of the biggest problems with the bus transports was the seemingly inevitable increase of time the students would be on the bus, one plan detailing a possibility of over an hour for some students, another plan with a time increase of fifteen to twenty-five minutes.  Committee member Paul Graf laughed out loud at this, “Can we all agree this is a bad idea?”  Many other members were inclined to agree.   

In addition to the vote for which elementary school should close, a number of other items were voted on as well, including a recommendation for further study of the Princeton Plan.   Eleven members voted against the recommendation, content that enough time had been put into obtaining information for the plan.  Committee members questioned Bradshaw earlier in the meeting as to why they were still going over it when they had just about done away with the idea.  “I would say that we are doing this to meet the various constituency groups concerns, because we do have a majority of parents here and school community members and we need to meet everyone’s concerns,” Bradshaw explained.

Other issues that were voted on include the possibility of renting or selling the vacant elementary school, the relocation of the administrative offices from the New York Ave administration building to existing spaces within the district, the renting or selling of the vacant New York Ave building should relocation occur, and a recommendation for further study of the selling of vacant, undeveloped land.  In the cases of the rent or sell votes, majority voted to rent.  The rest of the items on the agenda were voted “yeses”, with only a few members who opted not to choose.

Present during the entire meeting was Superintendent Edward Ehmann.  Before the meeting began, he said “Ultimately, they are going to close a school.  The matter at hand is which one.”  After the vote, when asked on how he felt about the results, Ehmann replied, “We’ve been doing this for a year and a half, and we still have another six months to go.  I am very proud of our community here.  I’m proud of the decision they’ve made, and the time and input they have put in.”

The CAC still has two meetings left, and will be busy drafting their report to the Board of Education regarding the elementary school vote, as well as the rest of the issues they discussed.  They will meet next on Thursday, January 12^th at 7 p.m in room 222A at the New York Ave administration building.

Dix Hills Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Preparing False Tax Returns

New York Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Preparing False Tax Returns

WASHINGTON – The owner of a Dix Hill, N.Y., tax preparation business pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York in Central Islip, N.Y., to endeavoring to obstruct the internal revenue laws and aiding in the preparation of false income tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

According to court documents, Howard Levine owned and operated Milaur Associates, also known as Milaur Inc. Many of the tax returns prepared by Levine for 2004 through 2009 were false and contained fictitious deductions, business expenses and corporate losses created by Levine. Levine admitted to preparing no fewer than 56 false returns, resulting in a tax loss of $620,844.

In order to obstruct and impede the IRS from determining his role in preparing the returns, Levine included false information in the paid preparer section of the return he prepared.  Despite the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issuing an injunction in 2009 that barred Levine from preparing federal tax returns for anyone other than himself, Levine violated the injunction by continuing to prepare false returns.

Levine faces a potential maximum sentence of six years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bianco, who is presiding over the matter, set a sentencing date of April 26, 2012.

The case was investigated by IRS - Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Mark Kotila and Jeffrey B. Bender of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.