The Aug. 3 Farmingdale Village Board meeting went until midnight, with a vote about taxi licenses taking up most of the time.
LI Checker Cab had applied for six taxi licenses with the Village of Farmingdale, however the Village Board voted unanimously, 4-0 against the application. Mayor Butch Starkie did not vote, as is standard practice in the village.
“The Village Code Book stipulates that the village can give out up to 20 taxi licenses at its discretion,” Village Clerk Dave Smollett explained.
“Yellow Cab has 14 of those 20 licenses,” Mayor Starkie added. “That’s all we really need right now. It’s only a one-square-mile village.”
This past spring, the village accepted proposals for a new taxi franchise, as they hadn’t looked at other companies in several years. Yellow Cab has been in the village for over 30 years and at the May 4 board meeting, the Village Board voted to keep them as the village’s taxi company franchise. The village was previously subsidizing senior rides with an annual payment of $7,500 to Yellow Cab. Yellow Cab’s newest proposal included waiving that fee and reducing rates.
“We saved a phenomenal amount of money with them [Yellow Cab],” Starkie added.
At the time, Smollett also said Yellow Cab’s RFP was the lowest bid.
Phil Fortuna, owner of LI Checker Cab, also submitted a request for proposal to Farmingdale Village.
“Competition is good,” Fortuna told the Farmingdale Observer in May. “The mayor and the board are not giving the residents a choice.”
Yellow Cab’s fare for senior citizens is $1.50 per ride within the village – including the Farmingdale Library, Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas and Farmingdale State College. Rides for seniors to areas outside the incorporated village are $2. Rides outside of Farmingdale are 50 percent off the regular fare for seniors. Regular cab fare for those other than seniors is $4 within the village.
Additional Approvals
Block parties on Dale Drive and Clinton Street for Saturday, Aug. 29 from noon to 5 p.m., Sherman Road for Saturday, Sept. 5 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sullivan from Secatogue to Pinehurst, Taylor from Sullivan to Lincoln and Manetto from Sullivan to Pinehurst for Sunday, Sept. 6 from noon to 11 p.m. (rain date Monday, Sept. 7) were all approved. As was the Farmingdale Hawks Parade, which is set for Saturday, Sept. 12 from 3 to 4 p.m.
The Village Board also approved low bidders for several renovation projects at local parks and at Village Hall. Renovations to Northside Park and Gerngras Park will be paid for using grant money.
At Northside Park, new park benches and light fixtures will be installed by Site Specialists of Westbury. At Gerngras Park, a concrete path will be created by Ruttura & Sons of West Babylon. Dickerson Electric of Farmingdale will replace lighting and a new cedar stockade fence on two sides of the park will be installed by Eastern Fence Company of Medford. Heads Up Irrigation of Farmingdale will install a new irrigation system. A stairwell fence behind Village Hall is being replaced by Piil Fencing Company of Oceanside.
Next Village Board Meeting
The next village meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. at Village Hall. Residents are also invited to attend a Work Session at 7 p.m. For more information call 249-0093 or visit www.farmingdalevillage.com.
