Sands Point Village Goes Green and Clean

The Village of Sands Point Board of Trustees have decided to enlist the village in the green movement.

At a Tuesday meeting, the board unanimously approved installing solar panels made by company Green Logic on the roof of the Village Hall. Construction is expected to begin this summer.

The change is meant to cut costs and to convert Village Hall into a more energy-conscious structure.

"The solar panels are effective, energy efficient and will save us money in the long run," said Marc Silbert, who serves as a trustee and as the village's building commissioner. "It will show that the village is concerned about conserving energy."

The total cost of the project is expected to be about $31,000, however, about $13,000 of the total cost will be repaid by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) through its rebate program for municipalities. Because of the panels' 30-year life span, the project is estimated to save more than $46,000 over a period of 30 years.

But going green was not the only change approved by the Board of Trustees on Tuesday. The town is also cleaning up its act. Sands Point resident Jeff Maslow came forward to file a complaint about garbage pick-up. Maslow detailed the declining conditions of Middle Neck Road, stating that beer bottles, paper and plastic bags, and heaps of garbage have begun to outline the street.

"We are lacking a systematic clean-up plan," he said, "and the problem has been getting worse."

Mayor Leonard Wurzel agreed with Maslow's complaint and offered his support in cleaning up.

"We have a plan to hire someone to clean up over the summer," Wurzel said. "Whatever the cost is, we need to spend it."

But aside from launching it's green ambitions, the Village of Sands Point approved its budget with a 3.8 percent increase in taxes, though the number is subject to change. Although taxes will go up, the Sands Point Board of Trustees were able to cut miscellaneous spending to a minimum and, as a whole, were able to decrease their spending by more than $29,000. In addition, the village was able to limit the cut of services, such as the police and fire departments.

"We tried not to cut services at all, which was absolutely critical," said Edward Adler, who serves as the Deputy Mayor of Sands Point. "We did cut them slightly, but we anticipate it will not effect the quality of services."