Babylon to borrow $15 million this year for roads, memorials and more

The Town of Babylon is bonding for $15.6 million this year, borrowing money for projects ranging from road resurfacing to building an overdose memorial to new floors in a senior center.

The new debt was approved by the town board at a meeting Wednesday night in amounts that range from $30,000 to buy a new passenger van to $8 million for road reconstruction.

“It’s all the stuff people rely on us for: roads, parks, computer services, public safety,” Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said of the bonding. “And we’re continuing our policy of not borrowing more than we’re retiring.”

The town is retiring just over $16 million in debt this year, town spokesman Ryan Bonner said.

The use of the bonding ranges from the external needs of maintaining the town — $2.6 million for heavy equipment such as a sweeper — to the internal mechanisms needed, such as $400,000 for the acquisition and installation of computer and scanning equipment hardware and software for various town departments.

There are also parks improvements targeted through bonding, with $2.5 million to be used for various recreational facility upgrades, including renovating the more-than-20-year-old Dr. Pasquale and Marcia Ann Curcio Skateboard Park at Tanner Park in Copiague. That project has been in the works for several years, with the town proposing to bond for it in 2023 and last year.

Town Chief of Staff Tom Stay said as prices have risen, so have the project’s costs, including due to the discovery of drainage problems at the park.

“We didn’t necessarily have the money available last year on top of all the extra engineering work we had to do, so that’s why we needed more money and more time,” he said.

At Bolden Mack Park in North Amityville, the town will tear down an underused handball court that Stay said is in “bad shape” and install exercise equipment such as chin-up bars and balance beams.

The $2.5 million also includes costs related to the building of two memorials: an overdose memorial in Tanner Park and a memorial between Overlook and Cedar beaches dedicated to those who have lost their lives due to Sept. 11, 2001-related illnesses.

In some cases, the money being borrowed is specifically tied to one project, such as the $100,000 earmarked for new floors in both the main area and bathrooms at the Spangle Drive Senior Center in North Babylon.

“That building has been getting a little old, so we’ve been doing some work in-house,” such as new windows and furniture, Stay said. “But the floors is something we obviously can’t do in-house with our [public works] staff.”

The town is also bonding for $50,000 to buy and install a security camera tower that will be used on a “roving” basis at town events and allow officers to talk to attendees and manage crowd control, Stay said.

“Obviously, we’ll have a public safety officer presence, but it’s another tool for public safety to use to kind of monitor when we have large events ... just another set of eyes and ears to make sure no one is doing what they’re not supposed to,” he said.

Stay said the improvements made as a result of bonding are appreciated by residents.

“We get a lot of positive feedback from it,” he said. “If we can be fiscally responsible and serve our residents, it’s a great thing.” 

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.