Voters Approve $5M Library Budget
Residents of Three Village passed the under-the-tax-cap library budget yesterday by a vote of 341 to 111. The budget, a $5,030,451 budget that calls for a tax appropriation increase of less than $100,000, represents a 1.99 tax levy increase.
Meet the Owner: Inside the World of a Discount Card Store
In this week's "Meet the Owner" profile, we met Dave Patel, owner of 50% Off Cards in East Setauket. "It’s a card shop, but card shops always have gifts with them. It’s a part of the business," Patel said. "You cannot survive selling cards alone in this economy." Here's how the discount card portion of his business works: When card companies sell stock to small business owners, they sell them at a discounted price. The business owners then pass those savings on to their customers rather than charging the full price generally printed on the backs of the cards. And here's how the rest of his business works: Patel has added a wide selection of gifts that complement the seasons, new trends, and customer needs; Lottery games; and services such as custom invitations with a 24-hour turnaround. Patel said he sells more gifts than he does cards.
Gnarled Hollow Road Conditions Upset Residents; Town Councilman Says Should be Fixed Soon
Residents of Gnarled Hollow Rd. in Setauket can expect the Town of Brookhaven to complete re-paving as soon as next week, according to town councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld. The councilman said the recent inclement weather along with an administrative issue has held up the process. The road has been scored to prepare it for re-paving, but residents say a few weeks have gone by since that took place, and they are tired of waiting.
A new Caribbean-inspired restaurant has the green light to begin building a new location in the Smith Haven Mall Plaza. But it may not get a warm welcome from local residents. Smithtown Town Board voted unanimously to approve site plans for N & D Restaurants to build a new Bahama Breeze restaurant, from the ground up, on the corner of Middle Country Road and Alexander Avenue in the Smith Haven Mall Plaza. Bahama Breeze is a chain of casual restaurants serving up Caribbean-inspired food ranging from seafood to chicken and steak, according to Darden Restaurants' website, who created the Bahama Breeze brand. The first Bahama Breeze opened in 1996 in Orlando.
Brookhaven's two candidates for supervisor met together at a public forum for the first time since beginning their campaigns, attending a "Meet the Candidates" event hosted by the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook. Candidates were first given the opportunity to briefly introduce themselves to the several dozen people in attendance, then each were given a few minutes to answer questions drawn up by the board of the Civic Association.
Local Civics Join Forces
The Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook on Monday publicly welcomed the Three Village Civic Association into its membership via a merger. Judy Shivak, longtime president of the Three Village Civic Association, presented a check of approximately $400 to Ron DiBiase, president of the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook, representing the last of its funds. "I think it'll add to our diversity," DiBiase said of the merger. "It's good to have representation from all over the community. Many hands make light work."
