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HERALD BEaCon
Also serving Babylon, Bay Shore, Copiague, Deer Park, Farmingdale, Lindenhurst, North Babylon, West Babylon, West Islip and Wyandanch
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DECEMBER4 -410, - 10, 2025 DECEMBER 2025
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Local Fire Commissioners elections Dec. 9 By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Christie Leigh Babirad/Herald
Lindenhurst School District Board of Education listens to the presentation regarding the fate of the high school pool.
Lindenhurst High School pool shut down indefinitely By CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD cbabirad@liherald.com
After serving the Lindenhurst community for 56 years, the high school pool has been shuttered indefinitely, following a revised cost estimate for necessary repairs that exceeds the amount voters approved earlier this year. The decision was announced during a Nov. 19 Board of Education meeting held at the McKenna Administration Building. Assistant Superintendent for Business William Ludeker told the board and attendees that updated assessments show the pool’s mechanical room repairs will cost nearly $2.1 million—$759,000 more than the $1.32 million authorized by voters in May from the district’s capital reserve fund. The original estimate, which included costs for repairing the pool’s mechanical room and other vital repairs, was provided by BBS Architects, which the district retained to assess and plan the repair work.
But after the vote passed, a more detailed study revealed further deterioration. “In October, we received our latest revised estimate and it had gone up just short of $2.1 million,” Ludeker said. “We can’t continue with this repair.” Ludeker added that the district commissioned an investigative study over the summer to better understand the full scope and cost of work needed. The results, shared in September, confirmed that the project had significantly outgrown its original estimate. Board member Michael J. DiGiuseppe voiced skepticism that any amount of funding would be enough to fix the aging facility without risk. “We could feasibly put $4 million into this pool and still have the same result,” DiGiuseppe said. “It’s not a matter of getting funding—it’s the cost-benefit analysis.” Ludeker agreed, noting that even BBS cannot guarantee the full extent of work until it begins. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Voters in the Copiague, Deer Park, West Babylon and West Islip fire districts will go to the polls Tuesday, Dec. 9, to elect members of their Boards of Fire Commissioners. Fire commissioners are volunteers and receive no compensation for their service. They are responsible for establishing policies and procedures within the department, working with the other members to assess and secure equipment and apparatus and for the department’s annual budget.
COPIAGUE
Incumbent Copiague Fire Commissioner Richard Sica is seeking another five-year term. He has served on the board for 14 years. Sica, a Copiague resident for 27 years, is a retired NYPD officer. He has two daughters and six grandchildren. He is running unopposed. “In the past five years, we on the Board of Fire Commissioners have made a lot of progress with the upkeep and expansion of the firehouses,” Sica said, noting the construction of a new building adjacent to the Great Neck Road firehouse that provides additional space for equipment and vehicles. “As we have grown, we needed more room for our new ambulance, our
marine unit equipment and our high-water rescue truck.” In the next five years, Sica said he plans to focus on membership and retention, including testing new programs to attract volunteers and keep current members engaged. “With work schedules today, and everyone working two jobs and overtime to make ends meet, many young people don’t have the time to volunteer,” he said. He added that efforts such as strengthening the department’s junior program and helping volunteers secure affordable housing and other incentives have helped. “We have a full contingent of 30 junior members, and we believe that if they have an interest in service when they are younger, they will be more apt to join and stay on as adults,” he said. Sica said he looks forward to continuing to work with the board to maintain high-quality public service, ensure volunteers have the latest equipment and keep costs down. The department has about 120 volunteers, along with paid EMS personnel on duty 24/7 and supplemented by volunteers. It operates with a $5.4 million budget, which has remained flat for five years. This year, due to rising costs for insurance, fuel and other expenses, officials expect to propose a minimal increase CONTINUED ON PAGE 2