Category: LIMBA

On February 14, Dr. Donald Boomgaarden, President, St. Joseph’s College, spoke about the challenges in higher education at the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting, and how he is addressing them at the college. The meeting took place at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ronkonkoma.

Dr. Boomgaarden said the philosophical problem that today’s colleges and universities face is what he called “the globalization of superficiality.” With today’s technology, he said, more people are turning to the Internet to get their information. As a result, college-age students spend less time reading, thinking of or discerning real-world problems and learning about subjects. “The Internet creates an illusion of knowledge,” he said.

At St. Joseph’s, where he also teaches music, Dr. Boomgaarden challenges his students, who, he said, are looking for depth when it comes to learning a new subject and they “want to connect with something profound.” When the students are challenged, he said, they want to learn more. The most significant part of learning, he said, is “learning for its own sake.” People wish to learn more for the joy of it and that, he said, is very important to him.

Another issue facing higher education, according to Dr. Boomgaarden, is universality — that is, the colleges’ need to connect to the real world. He said colleges cannot be isolated from the local community; instead, they need to reach into the community, be a part of it and make the world a better place. This is done, he said, through experiential learning, in which businesses interact with local colleges to offer students internships, externships, paid and volunteer positions.

In addressing standardized testing, Dr. Boomgaarden said such tests as the Regents, while well-intentioned, are actually detrimental because they actually do not measure a student’s true academic performance and using a “one-size-fits-all” approach to the college admissions process will not work.

Dr. Boomgaarden also pointed out some of the more disturbing trends among college students, such as the inability to read and write. In his music class, he emphasizes writing as part of his curriculum, whether it is writing reports on musical artists and composers or reviews of concerts or albums. He added that more students are experiencing mental and emotional health issues such as anxiety and depression, and that the college has programs to help students overcome these problems. Lastly, fewer students attending New York State colleges are graduating. St. Joseph’s has a 70% graduation rate, which is twice the rate of New York’s, according to Dr. Boomgaarden, and its retention rate of first-year students is 90%.

The biggest problem students face after graduation is debt. In New York State, the average student debt in New York State is $38,000, according to Dr. Boomgaarden. Tuition for the Patchogue location is $14,000 a year and approximately $9,000 for the Brooklyn location (both prices mentioned are after receiving financial aid). He said these prices make St. Joseph’s the least expensive private college on Long Island.

In addition, St. Joseph’s offers online programs, from which students can earn degrees or special certificates. Some of those programs include business and healthcare administration. Dr. Boomgaarden emphasized that the online courses are hosted by the college’s own IT department, unlike other online colleges which use third-party providers. He also warned against for-profit colleges that advertise themselves on TV; he said they have poor educational quality and nearly half of the students are burdened with debt when they graduate. He said it is only right the for-profit colleges pay their fair share to alleviate student debt.

Dr. Boomgaarden is the college’s eighth president. He was previously Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Scranton. Prior to that, he was the Dean of the College of Music and Fine Arts and David P. Swanzy Distinguished Professor of Music at Loyola University.

For more information, or for a list of upcoming events, call (631) 757-1698 or visit www.limba.net.

On November 8, Patrick Halpin, Chairman, Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA), spoke at the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting to discuss what the authority has been doing to protect and improve Suffolk’s water quality. The meeting was held at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ronkonkoma.

As Chairman, Mr. Halpin said, he is responsible for hiring the most qualified people for the job and making sure they have the resources to get the job done while, at the same time, holding them accountable. Prior to serving in his current role, he was a New York State Assemblyman and Suffolk County Executive.

SCWA led the legal fight against gasoline companies that deposited MTBE into the water supply. As a result, the agency received $130 million from the decision which was used for remediation purposes. New York State Senator James Gaughran, who previously served as SCWA Chairman, told attendees that he introduced a bill that was signed into law allowing local water authorities to hold corporate polluters who contaminate the drinking water accountable and ensure the cleanup costs fall on the polluters, not the ratepayers.

“When you sue the company [for polluting the water], they change their way of operating,” Mr. Halpin said, adding that other water districts and authorities are starting to go after manufacturers of firefighting foams, which contain chemicals that can impact drinking water, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).

Mr. Halpin said the authority’s laboratory, which is federally certified and employs 40 people, constantly tests the county’s drinking water for contaminants. Last year, the lab ran 167,000 tests; its employees were able to determine the level of contamination down to parts per trillion. In addition, the lab tests for 400 compounds (250 more than required by federal law) and uses a patented methodology to test for PFOS and PFOA which is faster and more accurate.

The SCWA maintains 6,000 miles of water main, according to Mr. Halpin. The pipes, which are made of ductile material, were installed in the 1950s and have a lifetime of 200 years. The only times when the pipes need to be replaced are when a line is hit during construction, or when the ground shifts, whether from development or minor earthquakes. The authority has also put in place an advanced oxidation system which uses hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light to remove 1,4 dioxane from the drinking water — the first-ever 1,4 dioxane removal system in the state.

Mr. Halpin said the agency has installed 45,000 feet of water main into Wainscott, but those challenges include bringing water into the Pine Barrens and trying to eliminate 1,4 dioxane from the water supply within seven years. Mr. Halpin also pointed out the long-term threats to Suffolk’s aquifers, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and the emergence of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants in the water.

The SCWA was founded in 1951 as a public benefit corporation. It serves 1.2 million people and is the largest supplier of groundwater in the nation. In addition, it has the lowest water rates in the U.S. and is rated AAA by two bond rating agencies, ranking SCWA as the top 1% out of 20,000 water suppliers nationwide. Its testing standards are more rigorous than what both New York State and the federal government require, making its potable tap water the best in the United States.

The authority monitors 586 active wells at 237 well fields, 64 storage tanks that collectively hold 68 million gallons of water and more than 38,000 hydrants. The average amount of water pumped each day is 210 million gallons; that number changes during the summer, with a peak pump rate of 470 million gallons a day, and during the winter, when it falls to 110 million gallons a day.

For more information, or for a list of upcoming events, call (631) 757-1698 or visit www.limba.net.

On September 27, George Gorman, Long Island Regional Director, New York Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, updated attendees of the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting on what is going on at Long Island’s State Parks. The meeting was held at Courtyard by Marriott in Ronkonkoma.

There are 180 state parks throughout New York and 35 state historic sites, cottages, beaches and marinas, with 74 million visitors annually, according to Mr. Gorman. The first state-designated park was Niagara Falls, which has 10 million visitors a year; on Long Island, Jones Beach has the most visitors each year, with 8 million.

The Long Island State Park Region last year saw over 25 million park visitors. To service those visitors, there are 2,300 State Park employees. Approximately 700 are year-round employees, and an additional 1,600 are summer employees, including 500 lifeguards.

To bring Long Islanders to these attractions, Mr. Gorman pointed out that there is the annual Empire Pass, which can be purchased for $80 and allows the holder to enter state parks throughout the state free of charge, and the Senior Citizens Pass for visitors 62 years or older who can enter the parks for free during the week.

He pointed out some of the parks with strong attendance, such as Captree State Park, which attracts recreational fishing enthusiasts, and Hallock State Park Preserve in Jamesport, which has trails, beaches and a visitor center on Sound Avenue. Wildwood State Park is famous for its cottages on the property; reservations fill up very quickly, according to Mr. Gorman. Bethpage State Park was a big draw, thanks to the PGA Championship at Bethpage.

Some other beaches, meanwhile, are undergoing renovations in an effort to bring in more visitors, said Mr. Gorman. Hempstead Lake State Park is getting some of its tennis courts renovated as part of a three-year program. Other projects Mr. Gorman announced at the meeting included refurbishing the golf course at Montauk Downs State Park over the last few years, repaving the Field #2 parking lot and adding a new picnic area at Sunken Meadow State Park, as well as the construction of the Jones Beach Central Mall Boardwalk Café and the Gatsby Restaurant (formerly Marine Dining Hall), which is located at the West Bathhouse. The Gatsby Restaurant is an indoor, sit-down dining room which can be rented out as a meeting room or used as weddings for up to 350 people. Also open at the Central Mall is WildPlay, featuring outdoor activity ziplines and an adventure course next to the already established Splash Pad, both of which will be geared towards younger visitors.

For more information, or for a list of upcoming events, call (631) 757-1698 or visit www.limba.net.

On October 11, Rich Schaffer, Supervisor, Town of Babylon, was the guest speaker at the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting to discuss the latest developments in the town. The meeting was held at Courtyard by Marriott in Ronkonkoma.

Mr. Schaffer said that, seven years after Superstorm Sandy hit Long Island, the town is still working on infrastructural improvements. This includes fixing the bridges in the American Venice community and implementing drainage improvement and road elevation projects to avoid future flooding.

The town is in a resurgence, according to Mr. Schaffer, with new development projects taking off, thanks to help with other entities and municipalities. For example, he worked with the town’s Industrial Development Agency and the Village of Lindenhurst to bring in a 260-unit apartment building on the corner of Wellwood and Hoffman Avenues. In addition, another project is in the works on Wellwood Avenue to convert shuttered buildings into restaurants, breweries and stores along the corridor.

In addition, the town’s Planning Department is overseeing a proposed hotel near the Babylon train station, and Mr. Schaffer is working with the Planning Department and a working group on the five-phase Greybarn development project, which is halfway complete. The IDA purchased a piece of property next to Greybarn which will be converted into a business workspace, which will give local residents the opportunity to work remotely. There is also a plan to build underground parking near the MLK Health Center at Straight Path

These projects are a victory against the NIMBYism that runs through the town, Mr. Schaffer said. “We ask them, ‘What do you want us to do? You complain about the empty buildings and storefronts. You have to give me some ideas.’”

The three villages in Babylon — Amityville, Babylon and Lindenhurst — are in a shared services agreement with the town, according to Mr. Shaffer. The town makes its services available to these villages, which, in turn, pay for these services.

On the topic of energy, Mr. Schaffer said the town has switch from incandescent to LED-based lighting at its facilities. As a result, the town’s electricity bills have dropped dramatically. When discussing the Williams pipeline, he said he supports it and that he has sent letters to the Long Island state senators urging them to fight the governor’s plan to shut down the pipeline. While he understands the concerns posed by the environmentalists, Mr. Schaffer said, “You can’t stop progress.”

Mr. Schaffer also announced that the town received a bond rating of AAA — the highest possible bond rating a municipality can receive. This was accomplished, he said, by holding the line on property taxes and setting up a surplus in the budget.

Prior to becoming Town Supervisor, Mr. Schaffer was elected to the Suffolk County Legislature in 1988, 1989 and 1991. In 2011, the position for supervisor became vacant when Steve Bellone was elected Suffolk County Executive. Mr. Schaffer was appointed to the post by the Town Board. He is currently Babylon’s longest-serving supervisor.

For more information, or for a list of upcoming events, call (631) 757-1698 or visit www.limba.net.

Who: John Kennedy, Candidate, Suffolk County Executive and Guest Speaker, Long Island Metro Business Action (LIMBA) 2019 Breakfast Series
Ernie Fazio, Chairman, Long Island Metro Business Action
Bill Miller, Treasurer, Long Island Metro Business Action

What: As part of its 2019 Breakfast Series, Long Island Metro Business Action (LIMBA) will present John Kennedy, Candidate, Suffolk County Executive, as the guest speaker. Mr. Kennedy will discuss the economic, business and transportation issues facing Suffolk County. Mr. Kennedy has focused his race for County Executive on Suffolk’s fiscal crisis.

His opponent, County Executive Steve Bellone, was invited to participate in a debate with Mr. Kennedy, but declined the invitation.

When: Friday, October 25
8:00 a.m.

Where: Courtyard by Marriott
5000 Express Drive South (7th Floor)
Ronkonkoma, New York

Directions: From the East: LIE to Exit 60 toward Ronkonkoma Ave/Sayville/Lake Ronkonkoma. Make a left at the next light onto Hawkins Ave., go over the LIE, then make a left at the South Service Road. Within 450 feet, Courtyard by Marriott will be on the right-hand side. Go inside the hotel and take the elevator to the seventh floor. Meeting room is on the left.

From the West: LIE to Exit 60 toward Ronkonkoma Ave/Sayville/Lake Ronkonkoma. Go past Hawkins Ave. and stay on South Service Road. Within 450 feet, Courtyard by Marriott will be on the right-hand side. Go inside the hotel and take the elevator to the seventh floor. Meeting room is on the left.

Photo Ops: Mr. Kennedy discussing the issues and taking questions from LIMBA members.

Who: Richard Schaffer, Supervisor, Town of Babylon, and Guest Speaker, Long Island Metro Business Action (LIMBA) 2019 Breakfast Series
Ernie Fazio, Chairman, Long Island Metro Business Action
Bill Miller, Treasurer, Long Island Metro Business Action

What: As part of its 2019 Breakfast Series, Long Island Metro Business Action (LIMBA) will have Richard Schaffer, Supervisor, Town of Babylon, as the guest speaker. He will discuss what he has accomplished as Town Supervisor and his current initiatives. This year, Mr. Schaffer has worked to save Babylon residents money by having the town’s Public Works Department make certain repairs on the roadways instead of having contractors perform the work, and implementing a program to recycle ash at its West Babylon incinerator for use to build soil walls around the facility’s cells, thereby extending the life of the landfill by 10 years. In addition, Babylon recently became the first town in Suffolk County to have its own civil service department.

When: Friday, October 11
8:00 a.m.

Where: Courtyard by Marriott
5000 Express Drive South (7th Floor)
Ronkonkoma, New York

Directions: From the East: LIE to Exit 60 toward Ronkonkoma Ave/Sayville/Lake Ronkonkoma. Make a left at the next light onto Hawkins Ave., go over the LIE, then make a left at the South Service Road. Within 450 feet, Courtyard by Marriott will be on the right-hand side. Go inside the hotel and take the elevator to the seventh floor. Meeting room is on the left.

From the West: LIE to Exit 60 toward Ronkonkoma Ave/Sayville/Lake Ronkonkoma. Go past Hawkins Ave. and stay on South Service Road. Within 450 feet, Courtyard by Marriott will be on the right-hand side. Go inside the hotel and take the elevator to the seventh floor. Meeting room is on the left.

Photo Ops: Mr. Schaffer discussing the most recent happenings in Babylon Town and taking questions from LIMBA members.

On August 23, Rebecca Sanin, Chief Executive Officer and President, Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, spoke at the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting on the topic “The Importance of the Census.” The meeting was held at Courtyard by Marriott in Ronkonkoma.

According to Ms. Sanin, Suffolk and Nassau are the fourth and fifth hardest-to-count counties in the state, respectively. As a result, there is an underreporting of the number of residents who live on Long Island, which affects the amount of federal aid the region receives and how well-represented New York State is in the federal government. Ms. Sanin indicated that, in New York, underreporting by 0.6% or greater can potentially result in a loss of two Congressional seats.

Ms. Sanin said Census data is critical when receiving federal funding for infrastructure, health and human services and education. Long Island’s schools are very important to their respective communities, she said, which is why there needs to be an effort to accurately count children 0-5, a demographic that is historically undercounted. Census data is used for funding Long Island’s schools and parents have a vested interest in promoting an accurate count.

Ms. Sanin said parents do not include children up to five years of age on the Census, either because they do not think of their children as residents of the household and/or are afraid of giving out their children’s information. Children are also overrepresented as a group living in poverty—a factor that impacts a successful count.

Ms. Sanin spoke about the pervasive distrust of government and climate of fear that immigrant families are facing. She said that everyone should be counted, regardless of immigration status. She emphasized that the Census form does not ask you for your Social Security number, your mother’s maiden name or PIN. She explained that Title XIII protects all information shared on the Census and cannot be used for anything else, or shared with any other governmental agency.

The forms will be sent out by April 1st, 2020 and Ms. Sanin asked that they be filled out and returned immediately. “The sooner people who intend to fill out the Census complete it, the better,” said Ms. Sanin, who indicated that it would allow communities to focus their outreach and energy on those who may be reluctant to improve the count.

Ms. Sanin has been CEO and President of Health & Welfare Council of Long Island since 2017. Her organization works with hundreds of nonprofits across Long Island to deal with hunger and homelessness, immigration issues and disaster preparedness. In addition, the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island specializes in coalition building, advocacy and policy work.

For more information, or for a list of upcoming events, call (631) 757-1698 or visit www.limba.net.

On August 9, Roberta Reardon, Commissioner, New York State Department of Labor, spoke at the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting to talk about the latest employment trends in the state and how the agency has evolved over the past few years.

In 2011, the unemployment rate was 8% on Long Island and 9% statewide, according to Ms. Reardon. In 2019, that fell to 3% across Long Island and New York State. Under the Cuomo administration, more than an additional 1 million private-sector jobs were created in New York, raising the total to 8.2 million jobs; on Long Island, there are currently 1.4 million private-sector jobs. In addition, Long Island added 103 development projects worth $186.3 million.

Although the unemployment rate is very low, Ms. Reardon noted that there are many job openings for skilled workers, yet employers are unable to fill those positions because demand is outpacing supply, from an employment standpoint. As part of its service, the state Labor Department assists companies in matching them with the employee who meets their needs.

Ms. Reardon said that this is “not the Labor Department of yesteryear,” when the agency focused solely on enforcement. Today, she said, the Labor Department is looking to work with local companies and help them comply with the latest employment regulations. According to Ms. Reardon, 90% of businesses in New York State are either following the rules or are trying to do so. Enforcement actions occur only when certain businesses are not playing by the rules.

In addition, the DOL is helping job seekers with its Jobs Express website. The agency also helps returning war veterans obtain employment; as an example, the DOL offers Helmets to Hardhats, in which veterans enter an apprenticeship program to land a construction job afterwards. Ms. Reardon said the veterans, upon completion of the program, will have the opportunity to work together on construction projects, thereby maintaining the sense of camaraderie they had while in the service.

The DOL receives federal funding for its employment services through the Wagner-Peyser Act, which provides funding to approximately 2,500 American Job Centers nationwide. Ms. Reardon said that this funding is crucial and, with talk that funding may be eliminated, it would prove to be catastrophic for all state DOLs nationwide.

Ms. Reardon was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in October 2015 to oversee the department’s 3,300-plus employees. On June 15, 2016, she was unanimously confirmed by the New York State Senate.

For more information, or for a list of upcoming events, call (631) 757-1698 or visit www.limba.net.

On July 12, Dick Dunne, Al Contessa and Roger Schaefer, former members of the Grumman Lunar Module Team, came to the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ronkonkoma to share their experiences of working on the Apollo 11 mission at its presentation, “50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing.”

Mr. Dunne, who served as Grumman’s public affairs spokesman during the Apollo mission, explained the beginning of the U.S. space program. One of the most important names was Werner von Braun, who was brought here from Germany to the United States at the conclusion of World War II to assist the U.S. in its space program.

In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy called for the establishment of a space program that would put a man on the moon. According to Mr. Dunne, there were three ways to reach the moon: go directly from the earth to the moon, rendezvous to the earth’s orbit or follow the lunar orbit. It was decided that the lunar orbit made the most sense, since it was more fuel-efficient and was the easiest way to reach the moon.

In 1963, Grumman signed a contract with NASA (National Aeronautical and Space Administration) to perform work on the Apollo missions. The company’s aerospace engineers worked on the lunar modules.

Mr. Contessa said he was “a 20-year-old kid” who worked at Grumman, then spent 13 weeks at the Houston Space Center fabricating blankets for the module. He had to make sure that the blankets were cut in such a way that they could fit over the module; in addition, they had to be as light as possible. At the meeting, he showed those in attendance a piece of the insulated blanket that covered the Apollo 11 module.

Mr. Contessa recalled that, when he was working in Houston, Neil Armstrong — one of the Apollo 11 astronauts — came down and told him and his co-workers that he wanted to land the module on the moon without having to turn off the engines. To do so, Mr. Contessa said, the workers had to install more insulation to prevent the module from burning up.

Mr. Schafer “fell into the job” as a simulation engineer. His job, he said, was to collect the data from the computers, which recorded the data on tape, and test the tapes. Female employees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology strung beads on ropes in order to match what was on the tapes. He said this was done to make sure there were no anomalies in the programming.

What was amazing about the mission, Mr. Schaefer said, was that the module’s computer ran on a small amount of memory. He said a modern-day cell phone contains 1,000 times more memory than what the module had. “How we got to the moon was a miracle,” he said.

All three men said that everything for the mission had to go off without a hitch. For example, Mr. Contessa said the guillotine blades on the rocket had to cut all four cables connected to the module at the same time, while Mr. Schaefer said that the landing gears were constantly tested in Grumman’s hangar every day before each Apollo mission commenced.

Mr. Contessa said there is no reason why NASA cannot send astronauts to the moon again. Mr. Dunne agreed, but added the agency would be unable to do so. “The next time we go to the moon, it will be more difficult because of the bureaucracy,” Mr. Dunne said.

For more information, or for a list of upcoming events, call (631) 757-1698 or visit www.limba.net.