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Welcome back. A lot of changes are being considered in the town of Huntington right now. That includes a plan to build 400 apartments in Melville. The Huntington Town board approved a special use permit for the Melville Crossing project. Developer Steel Equities wants to build 14 different apartment and retail buildings at 75 Maxis Road. That project is part of a larger plan to develop a multi-use downtown area south of the LIU and NYU Lang. is now hoping to expand in that same area. Suffolk County officials confirm that the healthcare system plans to spend at least a billion dollars on a new teaching hospital and research center there. The facilities will be located at the Huntington Quadrangle south of the expressway, so right in that same area. We're told the move would create hundreds of construction and healthcare jobs if it is approved. And a decision has still not been made on two proposed battery storage facilities. In the town we're seeing this all across Long Island, but specific to Huntington, the two projects being considered are both near neighborhoods, one in East Northport, the other near the Greenlawn substation. Huntington town officials say they're considering a moratorium on the facilities because of concerns being raised by residents and fire officials. The town board may pass a 6 month ban on the project to study fire risks, but still no decision has been made. Joining. right now is the Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smith. Ed, good to see you. Thanks for being here. You're welcome. Thanks for having me. So there's a lot going on. Let's talk about Melville because, uh, this has been a topic for years, but now we're starting to see some movement. What's the latest now on the plan to redevelop that area south of the LIE? Well, it, it was a multi-year process in the, in, in planning. We finally got our first application through the door and passed it about a month ago. Uh, that's at 75 Maxis Road where you previously mentioned. And right now we are pausing to look at what the impact is going to be for that particular site, but we do have other applications that are lining up. We told them, go, go get your ducks in a row and so that you've spoken to the fire district, you've spoken to the school district, you've spoken to any other interested party, interested, uh, groups in the application so that when we're ready to move forward, when the town is ready to move forward, you have everybody lined up and we're ready to go so. Melville has been a topic of conversation in Huntington for about 4 years now, and we're happy to see it's, it's, it's actually moving now. We were moving deliberatively in the planning process, but now it's, it's show time and we're happy to see it and I think having the announcement about the hospital. I'm still waiting for uh the official word on that, but it sounds like it's uh it's moving forward in Melville and I think that's going to be a uh a fantastic addition to Melville to Huntington, and, and certainly Long Island generally it's uh. It's going to be transformative. Do you think that the two plans can coexist, Having a hospital now join some of these other projects that are being considered there? Certainly, I, I, I think the way the, the, the property that they're talking about lays out, there's actually two parcels that, uh, I think it's close to 50 acres in total. It might be just shy of that, but it's, it's a big parcel of land in Melville, and the, the east side of that parcel, the east boundary of the parcel fronts on Maxis Road, which will be the main street of the Melville town center. And one of the things that we're looking for from the hospital is that they're they are planning on doing a a a medical school as well and that they will need residential housing for their medical students and we want them to uh build out that section of Main Street in a way that conforms with the vision that we have for walkable downtown. They seem very amenable to it and it's something that I think uh. The whole project that they're looking to do will dovetail very nicely into the Melville Town Center and create a lot of, you know, it's a, we're looking to put a walkable downtown in, and, you know, if you want a walkable downtown, you need people walking. So I think the hospital will do that. So there'll be a lot of buzz around this, uh, a lot of excitement. Some, but there are others, as you well know, who are concerned about overdevelopment, overcrowding, the loss of that suburban feel. Um, those issues are still being raised throughout the process. Um, what would you say to those folks who are watching this all play out and say, Well, wait a minute, where did the hospital come from now? Well, there is, there's no question that there's concerns, but those concerns can be mitigated through the planning process, and you know, I, I, I. We've heard it all along on just on the, on the Melville Town Center. We had, we had residents come to us, you know, up, up until the day that we were voting on the first project saying why am I just hearing about this now that we had a few of those and, you know, it, we, we ask people to stay engaged. We try to put the, the, the information that we have out to the public. If anybody wants to get a, an email specifically pushed out to them, we have an email list that any new information comes in, we, we, we send out information to them. Um, but in terms of overdevelopment, I, I think that's, you know, that's a, a, a red herring that is used. in an exaggerated way in many locations. There are, there are areas of the town of Huntington that I think is gonna be very difficult to do any new development in. Melville is not one of them. Let me ask you, let me ask you because, uh, we're almost out of time about these battery storage facilities again all across Long Island. It's an issue. Some towns have moratoriums, some towns don't. Um, and we know the town's considering that at least at a six-month basis. Where do things stand right now? How are you viewing the situation after hearing from folks? Well, we're, we're listening to both sides on this, but I, I think the first and foremost is, is public safety and the safety of, of the first responders that have to respond to an emergency at these battery storage sites. And, and I know there's, uh, you know, from the advocates of these battery storage sites there's technology that they're very confident in, but, but again it's whether or not that's true or not, the that. That confidence has to be adopted and seen by the people that we're asking to go put fires out, and right now I don't think that level of confidence is where it needs to be before we can move forward with this. There's also, I just heard recently there's even newer technology that may not have the, may be easier to address if there's an emergency. So the battery energy storage issue, it's very fluid right now. Um, and, and I know one of the concerns was, you know, if there's, if there's a fire, how does it get put out and where does the water go when you're putting out that fire, or do you just let it burn in a thermal runaway? The other issue is where does the, where does the smoke and the, the, uh, the airborne particulates go, you know, that you could have, you could have a downwind contamination area that's 20 miles long, you know, and, you know, on Long Island there's, there's no way you're gonna get 20 miles of, of, uh, residential free areas. A lot to be, uh, sorted through. Make sure it's a safe situation. Ed Smith, we thank you for the time. You're welcome. And still to come here on Power and Politics, if you're planning home improvements this season, officials say you want to be careful about who you hire. The scams NASA's top prosecutor says homeowners really need to watch out for.

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Welcome back to Power and Politics. Help is on the way for one Nassau County village. Valley Stream is getting $10 million as part of the state's downtown revitalization initiative. We're told this will allow the village to advance transformative projects, including increased pedestrian and bike access and new signage and lighting displays. The village is also looking at developments with both housing and shops. And they're looking at to create Long Island's first ever cottage court. And what this is is about, it's affordable homes that still are beautiful places and welcoming, and this is going to really be a trendsetter. Pathog Village will also be receiving $4.5 million as part of the New York Forward Award. That money will be used to strengthen connections to the waterfront and enhance public spaces and some help for potential homeowners in East Hampton. The town was awarded $7 million to create 16 new affordable homes as part of Governor Hochel's Move in New York program. We're told the homes are expected to be sited this summer and will be sold for less than the cost of construction to low and moderate income home buyers. Well, if you're thinking about doing some home repairs this spring, be careful about who you choose to do the work. This morning, NASA's top prosecutor is warning you about scams targeting homeowners. It's our latest taxing Long Island report. What I would say to people is to protect yourself. Buyer beware of the so-called repair. That's the warning from Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly. She's sounding the alarm on construction scams during the busy spring home improvement season. They're going to ask for a lot of money up front. They're going to want cash. And oftentimes they walk away and leave your house in worse repair than it was before they started. Sadly, we've seen that before. I'm disappointed. Just last November, this guy, Clifford Whittaker was sentenced to 6 months in jail after pleading guilty to scamming an elderly Franklin Square couple out of $20,000. It happened last spring, while he also damaged the chimney and roof in the process. There are other recent examples as well. Donnelly says if someone approaches your home, look for these warning signs. First of all, someone just walking up and knocking on your door. Most legitimate construction companies, um, don't solicit business that way. Any legitimate company is gonna want some money up front, but if they're asking for the whole amount or a large portion of it, that should be a red flag. Uh, don't pay cash. Pay with a check that can be traced, and these scams are effective because of that urgency that they present to the homeowner. Exactly. You know, you have to get this fixed right now or your house is going to fall. Donnelly says you should always get a second opinion, verify credentials online, contact Consumer Affairs for help, and don't be afraid to say no. Better safe than sorry. No doubt about that. That's all the time we have. Thanks for watching Power in Politics. I'm Rich Barrabe.

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Former School Superintendent Michael Cohen and Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth join the show this week.

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