Waste management, sewers, housing stock, alternative energy and an expanded MacArthur airport were topics of discussion Thursday as supervisors from across Suffolk County joined a panel on the role town governments play in shaping Long Island’s economic future.
Supervisors Rich Schaffer of Babylon, Dan Panico of Brookhaven, Ed Smyth of Huntington, Angie Carpenter of Islip and Ed Wehrheim of Smithtown all were in on the discussion at the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack.
Each outlined developments in their towns, both recently completed and on the horizon.
The event was hosted by HIA-LI, a regional economic development voice that also represents the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge. Several other elected officials and Cara Longworth, Long Island Regional Director at Empire State Development, also attended.
Panico said the biggest affordability issue facing Long Island is waste disposal as the Brookhaven Town landfill nears closing. Smyth agreed and said while garbage is not the “sexiest topic” to talk about, there needs to be a discussion.
“It’s a cliche — ‘I have to throw out my garbage’ — but you don’t throw anything out, it goes someplace,” he said. “The challenge from our side is we have to make that happen in an economical way … we can collect the garbage and make it go away and never come back, but it’s going to get exponentially more expensive if we don’t come up with a solution for the closure of the landfill.”
Newsday reported earlier this month that though Brookhaven’s operating permit for the landfill expires in July, it is seeking approval from state regulators for a five-year extension.
Panico also championed collaborative efforts in Brookhaven to get things done, including a commitment to alternative energy such as solar and wind power.
Schaffer said sewers for Deer Park are likely on the horizon in the next five years, as well as a downtown overlay district along Route 231.
Wehrheim said that since 2018 — after years of stagnant development in the town — things have ramped up. He said infrastructure improvements in the town’s three business districts — Kings Park, Smithtown, and St. James — have increased.
Among several initiatives Carpenter mentioned were ideas for an expansion at Long Island MacArthur Airport. Town officials there are considering options, including the possibility of a new north terminal. She added she believes “that small business especially is the key [to] having us survive as a region.”Â
All the supervisors said both owner-occupied homes and rentals are needed.
Smyth touted the Melville Town Center Overlay District, which aims to create a walkable downtown that will offer both types of housing. He said it is a mistake for developers to seek to build only rental units.
“If you’re in the development community, you have to have an owner-occupied component to your development or you’re going to have a very, very rough road ahead; it’s not impossible, but you’re going to be doing yourself a disservice,” he said.
Moderator Joe Campolo, an HIA-LI Board member, said that bringing together the town leaders was a way to outline the levels of government, from federal, state, county to town, and how they interact.
He said on Long Island, from zoning to planning, the “buck stops” with the towns.
“Everything that happens in our communities, these folks are the ones who lead those charges,” Campolo said. “They set the priorities; they and their town boards work hard to make sure they hear the communities; they’re the boots on the ground.”
