Dear Fellow Lake Grove Residents,

While Long Island towns and villages have a history of shared services for the good of all of their taxpayers, recent State recommendations have brought such sharing efforts to the attention of many.

Most of what is being suggested by the Governor has been ongoing for many years. We as a Village have always worked closely with Suffolk County, the Town of Brookhaven, and other towns and villages when it comes to purchasing and contracting.

I am very pleased to tell you about one of our latest efforts. As some of you might be aware, Centereach Fire district’s Engine Company 2 is in the process of demolishing the existing building on Stony Brook Road in Lake Grove and rebuilding at that location.  The Village Trustees and I in collaboration with those in authority at the Fire District have worked out a plan to keep the vehicles stationed here in Lake Grove.

After attending meetings last year with the Fire District and hearing the exorbitant costs of renting a location and providing a structure for the vehicles, I along with the Village Board offered a location in our DPW yard at Village Hall. Engine 2 and Ambulance 16 are now located at Village Hall. We are also providing shelter for our brave volunteers in the old Village Hall building. This building is also used as a relief station for our Suffolk County Sheriff’s department.

While the cost of modifications to accommodate the vehicles at our site was minimal compared to original expectations at another location, we are very pleased at how smooth the transition has been and the tremendous savings it has provided to our community. It has been a pleasure dealing with those at Centereach Fire District and getting to get to know them all better. They are a very dedicated and honorable group of people. The Fire District paid for the renovations needed to shelter their vehicles.  The Village will benefit from such modifications in the future and will consider those dollars spent as the lease payments that we are required by law to collect for time spent in our yard. This is a win-win scenario for all.

The Village also provides a relief station in our recreation building at 921 Hawkins Avenue for the Suffolk County Police Department. We are pleased to have them in our Village as often as possible for our benefit.

Shared services benefit us all.  Most of the more common shared services go unnoticed by the general public. I thought it would be fitting to bring this most recent collaboration to the attention of our community. We are excited that this is working out so well and wanted you to know. It is possible that going forward there might be some small inconveniences, but I’m certain that the positive will outweigh any negative by far.

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy and safe New Year. Let’s all keep following the guidelines provided to us to keep ourselves and our families safe during this pandemic. I am confident that we will put all of this behind us very soon.

For any additional information about shared services or any other topics of interest, please contact me at Village Hall or email me at mayor@lakegroveny.gov

Very Truly Yours,

Robert Scottaline, Mayor