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HERALD ReCORD
Also serving Amityville, North Amityville, Amity Harbor, Copiague, and East Massapequa
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VOL. 130, NO. 2
JANUARY 8-14, 2025
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Babylon Town cracks down on Copiague motel activities By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@kiherald.com
Carolyn James/Herald
The Red Roof Inn in Copiague where illegal activity has been reported.
Babylon Town has taken action against six businesses, including motels and massage parlors, over the past year for allowing illegal activities such as drug use and prostitution to take place at their establishments. Last month, the town moved against a seventh location. “We believe these motels and businesses promote prostitution and drug use, lowering our quality of life in Babylon,” said Supervisor Rich Schaffer. “We are putting them on notice that we are not stopping. They need to change their business models, or we will shut them down.” The most recent case involves the Red Roof Motel (formerly Days Inn) at 10 34th Street in Copiague, which abuts the back of Copiague High School. A Suffolk County Police drug overdose investigation, combined with community complaints and town inspection findings, prompted the town’s action to
force the owners to comply with local and state laws. The motel’s owners were required to meet with the town attorney and attend a public hearing to address the motel’s conditions and apparent violations. Shiv Patel and his father, Sirish Patel, who have owned the franchise since 1996, ,attended the Dec. 18 hearing. Shiv Patel spoke on behalf of his father, saying that since being notified of the issues, they have taken significant steps to address the problems. These include staff training on identifying human trafficking, drug use, and prostitution at the motel. The training is being provided by the Suffolk County Police Department. Patel also said the motel has installed a camera system, now requires guests to provide identification, and has posted a sign in the office outlining rules for renting rooms and delineating prohibited activities, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Village Board okays property tax exemption for volunteer firefighters Passes resolution urging governer to increase unrestricted state aid in new budget By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@iherald.com The A m i t y v i l l e V i l l a g e Board approved the new tax exemption for eligible volunteer firefighters at its last meeting of 2024. Under the measure, qualifying volunteers will receive a 10 percent reduction in the assessed value of their properties, lowering their real property taxes. To be eligible, volunteers must: •Be an enrolled member of the Amityville Fire Department. •Live in the Amityville Fire
Department district. •Own the residence. •Have at least two years of active service, as certified by the Chief of the Amityville Fire Department and approved by the Fire Council. Additionally, volunteer firefighters in the Town of Babylon who do not own homes will now be given priority on the town’s affordable housing listings. For more information, residents can contact the town’s housing assistance agency at (631) 893-1040. In other business, the Village Board adopted a resolution urging Gov. Kathy Hochul
to commit to continuing the additional $50 million in unrestricted state aid in the state’s 2025-26 budget. The resolution em-phasized that these funds are crucial for local governments, like Amityville, to keep up with inflation, noting that the state has not increased this funding in 15 years. This year, the state and legislature have agreed to a three percent increase in the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) program, which means Amityville will receive an additional $1,944 on top of the $64,823 it has been receiving annually. AIM provides state
aid to New York’s cities (excluding New York City), towns, and villages, with payments to towns and villages made annually in September. The board also extended its intermunicipal agreement with Suffolk County’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation, as well as the Town of Babylon, for the
improvement and maintenance of Nautical Park. The original agreement was extended for 10 years. The next regular Village Board meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall, Walter Saxton Court Room, third floor.