Hicksville and Plainview-Old Bethpage will soon have brand new community centers, announced recently by Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto. At its March 25 meeting, the town board awarded contracts for the construction of the two centers. The contracts also mark the first time the town has exercised a new town law requiring the contractors to have an apprenticeship program.

"Both the Hicksville and Plainview-Old Bethpage communities have been lobbying for community centers," Venditto stated. "I am pleased they are finally going to become a reality.

"The Hicksville Community Center will be a centerpiece for the downtown area," Venditto said. "It will be located adjacent to Chroma Paint on the west side of Broadway south of Cherry Avenue. The 7,200-square foot center will incorporate a 4,000-square foot recreation room, a kitchen, mens and womens restrooms, an office and storage closets, as well as mechanical and janitorial rooms.

"The Plainview-Old Bethpage Community Center will be located in Haypath Road Park in Old Bethpage. The 1,800-square foot building, which will be constructed of graffiti-proof decorative concrete block, will include a 1,014-square foot recreation room, kitchen, office, mens and womens restrooms, as well as a unisex bathroom accessible from the outside. There will also be a storage and a utility room."

Venditto noted that both centers will be completely handicapped accessible. Work will begin on both centers in early April with construction scheduled to be completed by late October or early November. The centers will be operational in 2004.

The supervisor went on to say that the contract for the town centers are the first to require contractors to have an apprenticeship program.

"Last year, the Town of Oyster Bay, as a result of the efforts of Town Councilman Anthony D. Macagnone, became the first town in Nassau County to approve legislation requiring contractors and subcontractors doing business with the Town's Department of Public Works to have apprenticeship agreements," Supervisor Venditto stated. "The contracts to construct the new community centers in Hicksville and Plainview-Old Bethpage are the first to incorporate that requirement."

The supervisor explained that through an apprenticeship program, an individual learns a craft through classroom instruction and on-the-job training. Classes are taught by men and women who are skilled in that trade, while on-the-job training is overseen by construction employers. Unlike other training programs, most apprentices are paid while developing their skills. As their skill level increases, so does their pay level.

The supervisor noted that the town requires apprenticeship agreements for prime contracts totaling $100,000 or more and subcontracts of $25,000 or more.

The supervisor went on to say that Macagnone approached him about the legislation following the adoption of an amendment to the New York State Labor Law, which authorized governmental agencies to require contractors and subcontractors to have apprenticeship agreements, approved by the New York State Commissioner of Labor, before entering into a construction contract.

"The purpose of the law is to encourage participation in apprenticeship programs so the work force can meet the ever increasing need for skilled trade persons," Macagnone said. "Labor has a proud heritage in our country. By requiring contractors who work for the town to have an apprenticeship program, we are doing our part to ease the skilled labor shortage and ensure the quality workmanship that makes America proud."

"Hicksville and Old Bethpage are both underserved in terms of public meeting places," Venditto said. "The centers will fill a real need in both communities. The town board is pleased that both of these projects are finally coming to fruition. The fact that the projects entail apprenticeship agreements that will help promote the healthy future of labor is an added bonus."