Huntington Bay Learning From Irene

Like many areas of the town, Hurricane Irene is still leaving a mark on the Village of Huntington Bay.

"What we learned in the hurricane is we are way under-generated," said Huntington Bay Mayor Herb Morrow, at a Village Board meeting Monday.

Working conditions were difficult for police and administrative personnell after the storm passed through in August, according to the mayor. Downed telephone lines and an outdated generator made the going somewhat rough.

"It was really a struggle," said Morrow.

Installed in 1988, before central heat and air and other additions were added to Village Hall, the current village generator failed the test during lengthy power outages caused by Irene, according to village representatives.

Bids for mid-line color generators have been submitted from two companies to the village, according to Village Clerk Lynn Pincomb, who estimated replacement costs for the generator to be about $20,000.

Morrow said he would contact state representatives regarding any possible funding for the generator before proceeding. "Let's wait and see where the money is."

Also at the meeting, Village Board members were concerned that the village police budget is nearly two-thirds spent for the year.

According to Village Trustee Dennis Gai, the village is currently more than $50,000 over last year's police expenses.

"It's running pretty heavy," said Gai.

According to Pincomb, extra money was used because of staffing for Irene and a police officer who was out on leave because of the birth of a third child.

"My suggestion is we look at it at the six-month mark and if we are really tracking over, we are going to have to cut other stuff," said Morrow. "The budget is too tight to have a big miss on this."

"It's worrisome at this point," said Gai.

Pincomb was authorized by the Board to submit a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding tropical reimbursement for storm expenses, including overtime for village police officers.

Additionally, the village received high marks from state and federal authorities for their efforts regarding the state-mandated Storm Water Management Program.

Morrow said after recent Environmental Inspection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Conservation audits were conducted, the agencies were "very complimentary" of the programs the village has done regarding water quality compliance issues.

"It's obvious that we take this very seriously," said the mayor.