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Continued Divert funds? Continued from page Al % for projects within the Second Congressional Distnct, represented by Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills). The federal transportation bill includes $640,000 for road repaving on Woodbine Avenue (between Fifth and Beach avenues) and $80.000 for pedestrian crosswalks in Northport Village: $2.4 million for the reconstruction of West Neck Road from Huntington-Lioyd Harbor boundary to the end of the village-maintained road; $1.8 million in road improvements on County Road 3 between Ruland Road and 1-495; and $234,080 for four handicapped accessible vans to transport veterans to and from the Northport VA facrhty. During an August 16 meeting of the Board of Trustees, Northport Village Mayor Peter Panarnites sug- gested using a portion of the expected $80,000 to desig- nate mure handicapped parking spots on Main Street. \I am very grateful and thankful for Congressman Israel's efforts in securing grant funding that addresses the infras- tructure problems facing the Village of Northport,\ Panarites stated recently. Panarites was out of town this week. Northport Village Deputy Mayor Victor Howard said he doesn't believe the transportation bill should be targeted as a way to fund Katrina relief. \I have relatives in New Orleans who have been directly affected by Katrina,\ Howard said. 'There seems to be a tremendous amount of money going down there from both government and service clubs like the Rotary and Habitat for Humanity. I think it's extremely impor- tant to help them rebuild New Orleans, but at the same time the rest of the country has to go on.\ Israel's director of media communications, Ryan Rudominer, said he disagrees with the concept of Operation Offset. \Before we talk about offsets, we should talk about the Freshly Baked Pies, Breads and Muffins Fresh Produce Daily Freshly Squeezed Lemonade Smoothies Veggie Drinks - Visit Our Unique #\ Farmhouse Store Unique Gift Items Floral Arrangements Fall Decor Antique Reproductions Route 25A (across from Setauket Post Office) East Setauket 631.689.5141 \_J help,\ she said. administration's energy bill,\ Rudominer said. **Essentially what we have is an energy bill filled with payoffs for gas companies. It is shameful that when con- sumers are facing record high gas prices at the pumps. gas companies are lining their pockets.\ Congressman Timothy Bishop (D-Southampton) secured $45 million for the First Congressional District in the transportation bill, $14 million of which is destined for projects in the Town of Brookhaven. Bishop's spokesman Jon Schneider said, \I just think, in general, this is just an ill-conceived effort. There are lots of differ- ent places we could be looking at how we can spend fed- eral dollars constructively; needed transportation improvements is not that place. Congressman Bishop feets that taking away funding from projects that are vital to Long Island's infrastructure is unwise.\ On the other hand, Brookhaven Town Supervisor John Jay LaValle said that while he's pleased with the federal money, diverting funds for hurricane relief is the responsible thing to do. 'This has been a significant catastrophe and they're going to have to find money,\ LaValle said. \It's incum- bent upon Congress to look at prior approvals to see if there's something that could be cut back. It's not even a matter of convenience; it's a matter of necessity. We have to be patient and understand that there are people more in need of that money than we. I think it would be somewhat careless and selfish to take a position any other way, quite frankly.\ Bishop has said the massive federal transportation bill, funding such things as sidewalk repairs and bike trails, will create jobs and save communities from a local tax increase. Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio has worked closely with the congressman to accomplish this, saying recently, \Congressman Bishop has come through for Smithtown.\ Vecchio was not available for further comment by press time. Schneider said, \These are needed infrastructure pro- jects that leaders in these areas brought to the congress- man. We need to get to work on paving Long Island's roads. We can improve roads here and improve infras- tructure in the Gulf Coast region as well.\ Schneider also suggested that the recently adopted energy bill, which gives $14.5 billion in tax breaks to pro- ducers of oil and alternative energy, should be re-thought. Critics of the bill say it rewards \big oil\ and other ener- gy corporations and its long-term effects of savings for the average consumer are too far down the road. In light of the energy bill and the President's proposal for more tax cuts, including the elimination of the estate tax, Schneider said \Operation Offset\ makes little sense. A ''That's not the way to go,\ he said. \It's not a wise move. If Congressman Pence and others would like to do this and would like to sacrifice some projects in Indiana, that's their prerogative, but here on Long Island we need ._ to get these projects done now.\ Sister in South Continued from page A1 need an awful lot to put in it,\ adding that perhaps Northport could help people install cupboards and clos- - és. Although the process of searching for a town to adopt has not yet begun, Handel cited D'Iberville, Mississipps, a city of about 7,500 located two miles north of Biloxi, as one possibility. \I reminded me so much of Northport when I read about it,\ she said. \A small town, middle and working class people who are very attached to their homes.\ She said more than 70 percent of the city's hous- | es have been destroyed. \But because the water receded quickly, people stayed.\ \_ Deputy Mayor Victor Howard, though generally sup- portive of the proposal, expressed concern about the dif- ficulty of coordinating with local governments in the area. Handel agreed that it would not be casy, noting that communication is still non-existent in many of the affect- ed areas. Handel said she was inspired to make this proposal by Students for 60,000, a student group at Northport High School that has similarly \adopted\ the village of Chacraseca, Nicaragua, returning year after year to pro- vide electricity, water, schools, medical supplies and will chip in generously to get this effort off the ground. \If I know Northport, everybody will be willing to \w
