Community

Better with Age: Lake Grove’s 50th Anniversary

The Village will be Incorporated fifty years as of September 2018. While that is still nineteen months away, the time to start planning a celebration is now.  Volunteers will be needed to plan and also follow through with arrangements.

I encourage all to reach out by phone, social media or in person at Village Hall with ideas of how best to acknowledge this milestone. Some of you may remember our forty year anniversary when we packed the Village Green, Memorial Park and topped the evening with entertainment by the Beatles tribute band, Strawberry Fields.

Fifty years should and will be a bigger celebration. Lake Grove was incorporated by a vote of 552 to 332 on September 9, 1968. Today Lake Grove is a proud, independent and debt free Village. We have beautiful parks for children and adults that boast two brand new tennis and basketball courts. Our memorial park provides a place to reflect and honor our veterans, first responders and those that made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001. The park has a tree grown from a seedling of the 911 survivor tree.  A symbol of  our country’s resilience, strength and perseverance donated to Lake Grove by some of our brave first responders.

We provide a wonderful summer program for our children and a fall Harvest Festival that is a great family day outing. Holiday celebrations and summer concerts present an opportunity for residents to meet and share time with their neighbors.

In the last few years our Department of Pubic Works has been updated with all brand new equipment from mowers and snow blowers, to trucks, backhoe and pay-loaders. The right tools for an extremely friendly and competent crew.

Equally friendly and competent, our office staff has been together for many years and provide knowledge and experience to help with any issues that our residents may have.

In contrast to some other levels of government, our Village Board has been together for many years and works in harmony for the good of all. We consider ourselves to be public servants without personal agendas. We love what we do and together I feel we have been successful in providing our residents with what they expect and doing so while remaining within our means.

Whereas I proudly serve as the fifth Mayor in the history of this incredible Village, I realize that it takes contributions from all to keep the highest standard of living that we have all grown to expect. So please feel free to keep the ideas coming on how we can best celebrate this milestone and show our pride in our modest, self-governing and successful Village.

As always, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Robert (Bob) Scottaline

Mayor

February 2, 2017 in Uncategorized

Mayor’s Note: Dealing With The Tax Cap

The following is a note from Lake Grove Mayor Robert Scottaline …

As most are already aware, we are operating under the New York State Tax Cap.  The tax cap applies to all independent school districts and all local governments outside of New York City, and is intended to capture the broad range of property taxes levied in New York.

The so called two percent tax cap is a bit misleading. As per the guidelines, we actually were only permitted this year to have an increase of much less than one percent. While this may appear to be a positive thing to most of us paying extremely high taxes to live on Long Island, to a  Village it is an extremely challenging financial hardship.  Villages operate for the most part with a very strict budget and see little of the high taxes paid by most.  I encourage all Village residents to look at their Village tax bills. After deducting the fees for garbage removal which is paid out to those who are contracted vendors, the balance is what the Village has to work with.

The cost of paving roads, concrete for sidewalks and aprons, sand and salt for snow removal, fuel for trucks, and employee benefits continue to rise. With a budget that has no fat to cut, we started a few years back getting as creative as possible to cut spending.  Older, less efficient vehicles were replaced with new energy efficient vehicles. Solar panels, waste oil burners and metal recycling all helped in lessening the pain of the cap. Lighting fixtures at  Village Hall have been replaced or retrofitted to use bulbs requiring less energy for the same amount of lighting. HVAC systems have been upgraded and thermostats settings are set to be as efficient as possible while still providing employees with adequate comfort.

We are also taking a close look at how employees will be replaced going forward as full time employees retire. Promotions unfortunately are put on hold, while negotiating bargaining agreements are more difficult each year to find compromise that will be fair to both employer and employee.

No one wants to hear that we can no longer provide all of the services that we have grown accustomed to. No one wants to hear that we are going to vote to exceed the tax cap. The reality is, that we are running out of options and the Governor’s cap is hurting local government. That is, the level of government provided by those living within our communities. Those that care most about our communities and those working the hardest for our communities.

We will continue to conserve, operate at a high level of efficiency,  maintain services and stay within the limits of the tax cap as long as possible.

JUST THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW!

December 7, 2016 in News

Remembrance Day celebrated at local cemetery

The Lake Ronkonkoma Heritage Association created a “Remembrance Day” event at the Lake Ronkonkoma Cemetery in October to pay tribute to all veterans buried in the location at Five Corners.

There are 123 veterans buried in the cemetery dating back to the Civil War.

October 21, 2016 in News

Access online forms from Village of Lake Grove

If you’re looking for all official Village of Lake Grove forms, you can use access them all on the Village’s online forms page.

Click here to access all online forms from Village!

Lake Grove Village Forms

Fire Marshal Forms

LG C.A.R.E.S Forms

LG Beautification & Historical Society Forms

October 2, 2016 in Uncategorized

From the Mayor’s Desk: Inside Look at Being Mayor

The following is a new column by Lake Grove Mayor Robert Scottlaine … 

mayor1-262x300What does it mean to be the Mayor of an Incorporated Village?  I guess that depends on the individual. I consider myself to be a conscientious individual that can be construed as being a micromanager at times. I believe the reason for this is that everything that occurs in our Village is a reflection of how well I do my job. The job that many of you have entrusted me with.

What being the Mayor means to me is having not only a responsibility, but an obligation to try to create a better Village than the one I inherited. Ten years ago the board first appointed me Mayor when the former Mayor resigned to take on a new position within the Village. Through no fault of that administration, the Village faced some challenges. There were blighted properties in some of the most visible areas of our Village. To those that only passed through our Village on Middle Country Road, this was a very negative representation of how beautiful our Village actually is. While we do not have the benefit of a true “downtown” area we still have one of the larger shopping districts in Suffolk County.

Our location is ideal if you are commuting by railroad, car, or even by air. We are close to several wonderful medical facilities. Diverse, well-manicured developments provide housing for almost every working class of people. Clean and well maintained parks are the envy of surrounding areas. All of these benefits make our Village a very desirable place to live and raise a family.

What we have done to create a positive impression of a Village that cares, is to hold developers and retailers to a higher standard. Architecture, design, square footage, signage and location are all seriously considered before allowing projects to go forward. Gone are the abandoned service stations. The blighted lots that became dumping grounds now have attractive buildings with beautiful landscaping.  Developers are also told once they are built out, “If you want to add square footage somewhere on your parcel, you must eliminate an equivalent amount of building square footage” on that parcel. We already have more than our share of traffic.

Our Department of Public Works has been completely overhauled with new equipment having very little impact on our general fund. Efficient vehicles and lower maintenance cost along with impact fees have helped to create a department that is not only fully prepared for the day to day maintenance of our Village, but one that is fully prepared to handle some of the more common and uncommon storm issues that we may need to deal with.

Being the Mayor to me is being a part of making all of the above happen. None of this happens just because of me. Holding an executive position, it is important to remember that you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. From the Village Board to the office staff and the DPW staff, I am surrounded by the best. I remind them all of that very often.

I am very proud to be the Mayor of the Incorporated Village of Lake Grove. I realize that I have been given a wonderful opportunity to serve this community. Along with the Village Board and our employees, I hope to continue to serve and to improve the quality of life here in Lake Gove, as that is my obligation to the residents for allowing me represent them for as long as I have. As I have said, it may mean different things to different people, but to me being re-elected five times as Mayor since my original appointment means that the residents care about how much I care, and for that I am very grateful. It means that I must live up to that trust and serve for all of the right reasons, sincerely, honestly and maybe with just a bit of micromanaging.

Very Truly Yours,

Robert J. Scottlaine,  Mayor

September 4, 2016 in News

SCWA Issues Stage 1 Water Alert

As a result of this week’s high temperatures and the recent drought warning issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for New York State, the Suffolk County Water Authority is asking its customers to conserve water whenever possible.

Residential and commercial irrigation systems operating between the hours of 2 to 7 a.m. represent the most significant drain on SCWA resources. Therefore the Authority is asking customers to please adjust irrigation system timers to operate during evening hours from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Keeping non-essential water use to a minimum is critical during this time of the summer, when SCWA pumps are fighting to keep up with peak demand. Non-essential uses include the washing of ­ vehicles, streets, sidewalks, driveways, or other outdoor areas, in addition to filling up inflatable pools, and using water for ornamental purposes such as fountains, artificial waterfalls or reflecting pools.

It is important to note that a Stage 1 Water Alert is not a state of emergency, but rather a request that customers use water resources judiciously and efficiently. Participation in water conservation efforts is purely voluntary. This alert follows SCWA’s East End Water Conservation initiative which was announced in May.

Water Authority Chairman James F. Gaughran said he hopes residents will step up and “do their part” this week, to help keep Suffolk County’s water supply flowing strong.

“During the hot summer months, one of the most important things Suffolk residents can do is make sure they are not wasting water,” Gaughran said. “SCWA is proud to provide some of the highest quality and most affordable drinking water in the country, and with your help, we will only improve on that mission.”

For questions contact the SCWA Customer Service line at (631) 698-9500.

The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York.  Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.

July 25, 2016 in Uncategorized