Village Looks at Good Deeds, Bad Crimes and Ugly Brown Tap Water

The Malverne Village Board of Trustees looked at the good (volunteers), the bad (criminals) and the ugly (brown tap water) at its most recent monthly meeting on Wednesday night.

OLL RECEIVES PROCLAMATION

 Mayor Patricia Norris McDonald started the meeting by presenting a proclamation to , declaring Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 "Catholic Schools Week" in the village of Malverne. (This is also the dates that all the schools in the Diocese of Rockville Centre recognized the week-long celebration this year.) Take a look at photos from the kick-off at Our Lady of Lourdes and .

McDonald, a graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes, or O.L.L., said, "It's nice to see the school is still thriving," and applauded the work of the parents who volunteer, Principal Mary Carmel Murphy and Pastor Frank Parisi.

She added,"Our Lady of Lourdes School plays a significant role in the future of the children in our community."

School board members Patty Koetzner and Priscilla Pesek were on hand to receive the honor. 

"[It's] truly a special place," Koestzner said of the school, before announcing some of the upcoming events that will be held there, including a this Sunday in the school basement, a Ladies' Night Out on March 3, a Kids' Fun Day on March 12 and the Men's Club Dinner Dance on March 26, where one lucky person will win $10,000. (Tickets are $100, which includes admission for two and will be capped at 300, giving you a 1-in-300 chance of winning.)

VETERANS RECEIVE BIG DONATION

 The mayor had more good news to share as she turned the attention over to members of the , Malverne Police Reserve, and Malverne Volunteer Fire Department. Upon hearing that American Legion Ladies Auxiliary President Carol Hassett was seeking donations to purchase mattresses for veterans receiving care at a Northport medical facility, the DPW and Reserve members opened their pockets and raised $1,200, enough to purchase 10 mattresses. They presented Hassett with a check, followed up by one from the Malverne Fire Department for two mattresses.

These contributions were in addition to the dozens of others Hassett has received since bringing this cause to the village's attention , during which the mayor and a number of trustees pledged donations.

"We already had received, through village residents and trustees, 32 mattresses and pledges of three more so this should put us over the top," Hassett said. "I am very thankful, as will the men and the women in the Northport facility."

LI WATER PRESIDENT ADDRESSES BROWN TAP WATER

 The president of the Long Island American Water Company, Bill Varley, made a special appearance at the meeting, where he addressed concerns that had been voiced by residents on a Facebook group titled "I Love Malverne...but Hate the Brown Water (from LI Water)" earlier this week. The group, which has enlisted over a 130 members already and was the subject of on Malverne-West Hempstead Patch on Feb. 1, quickly grabbed the attention of top officials at the water utility.

As Varley had explained to Patch in on Monday, the reason why many residents are seeing brown water flowing out of their faucets is because of the high levels of naturally-occurring iron present in the water obtained from the wells the company gets its water from.

Varley said that he and the company are "never one to skirt an issue," adding that he had seen the Facebook page and the photos of the bathtubs filled with discolored water and residue that members had posted. 

While he stressed that the iron is not a health hazard he did sympathize with residents' complaints. "It’s a pain," he said, "We know that it discolors laundry. I have seen pictures of bathwater and I have stood up here [in the past] and said help is on the way."

The help he was referring to was the $7.5 million iron removal facility that was opened on the border of Malverne and Lynbrook in late October - part of the $40 million the company has invested over the past four years to address this problem.

Many people had assumed that following in the fall, the new facility had been put to use as planned and were shocked to learn it has not been put on line yet. 

"We were ready to turn the switch and, low and behold, we had to get some sample issues," Varley said, explaining that the inside of the tanks had been painted with a protective coating that needs to cure, but the company is still waiting for it to dry completely. So far every time they have sampled the water in the tank, sending it to the Department of Health to be tested, it has come back positive for still having traces of the paint. 

"Shame on me for not coming to the mayor," he said, admitting the company should have alerted its customers to the fact that the facility was not yet operational.

Ed Hassel, a resident and member of the Malverne Civic Association, asked Varley when he expects the facility to be on line.

"It could be two weeks," Varley said. "Or worst case scenario...two months."

He explained that there had been somewhat of a "perfect storm." In addition to the setbacks with the plant opening, the company also had to take two wells out of service recently, "causing a reverse flow," which he said could explain why some residents have noticed their water quality appears to have gotten worse in the past few months. Another contributing factor to the brown water and sediment coming into peoples' homes is the recent barrage of heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures, which have prevented the company from flushing the hydrants.

Varley said he was eager to accept the Civic Association's invitation to attend a meeting it will hold on Feb. 10 at the to further discuss this matter with concerned residents of the village and neighboring areas that have been affected. For more information about the meeting, click .

"I couldn’t wait to say yes," Varley said. "I saw the pictures and I get it."

The mayor thanked Varley for his "quick response" to residents' concerns and upon her request, he stayed at the meeting for quite some time in case any other residents had questions for him. (They didn't.) Residents are encouraged to bring any questions they have for the company to Thursdays meeting. If you are unable to attend but you do have a question, Patch will be there so please send your queries to Tara. Conry@Patch.com.

ROTARY 5K RAISES 6K

 The meeting resumed with a brief presentation by the Malverne Rotary, which announced that the 5K they held in mid-October had raised $6,000 for the Malverne Fitness and Education Association. In the past, the funds raised had been used to purchase a score board for the high school. This year, the money will be used to fund grants for projects in the classrooms that teachers will need to apply for. 

"It was a great success," said Rotary President Thomas Benigno. “I’m sure they can use it now with all these hard times and budget cuts”

 The next Run for Education will be held Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. and will include a health fair and a special celebration commemorating the 15h anniversary of Malverne alum Derrick Adkins' gold medal win at the Olympics.

TAX EXEMPTIONS & ASSESSMENTS

 Village Clerk Terry Emmel then read several resolutions, including tax exemptions including those for new veterans, $2,494, and one new religious organization - which the They received a partial exemption of $129,380, the same amount given to the Jewish Center in the past.

Speaking of taxes, Rose Miller of the village's Assessment Office, announced that the 2011-2012 tentative village assessment roll is now available in the lobby of and will remain there until Grievance Day on Feb. 15.  Residents wishing to dispute their assessments can do so between now and Feb. 15, when Miller will be putting in extra office hours, staying at Village Hall till 9 p.m. on this date to answer questions.

Letters have already been sent to residents whose assessments have changed, Miller said, and reminded people that unlike the County, which assesses using fair market value, the village uses a brick-and-mortar system. However, if you're challenging your assessment you do have the right to use market value. Those with questions can contact Miller at 516-599-1200, extension 108.

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

The mayor moved forward with department reports from the library, the Beautification Committee, the Civic, the Ambulance Corps, Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, Youth Board, Historical Society and the Building Department. Here's what you need to know:

• MVAC: The responded to roughly 30 calls, including the in the village. They will be continuing to fundraise by selling flowers around Valentine's Day.
• Beautification: The Committee will be extending the deadline for residents to purchase trees to be planted on their curb sides. Seniors can get these at a discount. For more details, contact Village Hall.
• Civic: The Civic announced the winners of the 2011 Malverne Mel poster contest. See the list . They also shared their list of upcoming events, which includes a Meet and Greet on Feb. 17 and their annual wine tasting on April 29. Check the Patch calendar for more details as these dates near. (And if you haven't checked out the video of this year's Malverne Mel ceremony click - and watch our with the Civic's six-foot groundhog.)
• Fire Department:Malverne Fire Chief Danny Morgan described the details of a the department responded to early Tuesday morning at the corner of Riveria Court and Sheldon Place. He applauded a resident who took the initiative to shovel out the hydrant on the block upon seeing it was covered in snow in anticipation of their arrival. For the full story of the fire and the exceptional amount of incidents our local volunteers have responded to in the past month, click
• Police Department: Malverne Police Chief John Aresta shared news of two arrests made in the village last week  - full story - and a burglary on Utterby Road that is under investigation. He also praised his officers for their hard work in successfully building a case against Charles Tuzzolo, a Level 2 sex offender who allegedly had been living in Malverne illegally. Tuzzolo, 50, had served eight months in jail for sodomizing a 14-year-old boy in the late 90s, and had been living in the village since 2001, even though he was registered in Mineola. Patch will have the full story Monday morning on how Malverne cops were able to put together the "rock solid" case that finally convicted Tuzzolo in January of evading the law, and has become a model for departments state-wide.
• DPW: The will soon make traveling through the village's business district easier as they begin working on removing the mounds of snow that have collected along the sides of these streets. They also announced that they have finally received the additional office space and locker rooms at their headquarters when the modular building arrived last month. They had been coping with less space since construction began for the Malverne Ambulance Corps Headquarters at this site.
• Library: There will be several events going on at the Library in February and March for kids and adults including a Birds of Prey program and a traditional Irish Tea Party. Check the Patch calendar for details. They have also hired a new children's librarian.
• Historical Society: Don't miss the Society's next event on Feb. 27,  in which they will look at the past, present and future of and chat with the current farmer.
• Building Department: An interim Superintendent has been hired as Robert Solarino is out sick. The department will continue to move forward preparing for Phase 2 of the Roadway Improvement Project and will take into account they received from residents during Phase I.
• Youth Board: The Malverne Youth Board is continuing to offer tickets to young residents to Hofstra basketball games. Click to learn about the upcoming games and who to call.

Gail Wakefield, chair of the Malverne Lighting events also thanked the many volunteers and village staff who made the event such a success this year. If you missed it, here's aof the 2010 Lighting of Malverne.