Huntington 08-09

[LittleBirdie]

In the wind..............Cooper has begun his plot to take Frankie out............

[big birdie]

Frankie Fingers is done! Jon Cooper vs Andy Raia for Supervisor

[Latent Prince]

Welcome to Huntington.
Ony masochists need vote.

[SpeakingofFingers]

Raia will never be Supervisor.......................even if you think so Bob.

[huntdems]

Momma Raia and Baby Raia... Dumb & Dumber!

[Frank Furter]

Hey Huntingtondummies -

Blondie and Glomda = Brilliant? (Not)

[Super Dem]

speaking of Raia, who do we have lined to run against him in '08

[Floodtide]

On Long Island highways, a few are really cleaning up

By David Winzelberg

Friday, March 28, 2008


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The state’s Sponsor-A-Mile program turns 10 this year. Over the decade, it’s saved taxpayers millions in clean-up costs and provided good vibes and valuable highway signage to sponsoring companies.

It’s also enriched a small group of contractors who, more or less, keep those adopted miles clean. On Long Island, the group totals four companies that have been with the program since its start in 1998. Two are California-based firms that specialize in sponsored-mile cleaning and one is owned by a Southampton electrician.

The fourth is Long Island Roadway Maintenance Corp., founded, owned and operated by Town Supervisor Phil Nolan.

Nolan has been in and out of public office since the 1980s. In between, his career included a six-year stint as operations manager of Port Washington-based Dejana Industries, a cleaning and snow removal contractor. Nolan left Dejana in late 1997 and started Long Island Roadway Maintenance the following year.

Today, Nolan’s company controls about 14 miles of sponsored miles on Sunrise Highway, and the Long Island and Seaford-Oyster Bay expressways. Sponsors of the miles pay between $400 and $600 per month, suggesting that Nolan’s firm grosses between $75,000 and $100,000 per year.

Nolan’s son is in charge of the clean-up work, Nolan told LIBN. The firm operates from his home.

Nolan declined to divulge the names of sponsors on his firm’s miles, but they include Jiffy Lube, P.C. Richard & Son, Hilton Inn Express, Major’s Steakhouse and Aquarius Limousine Corp., according to a list supplied by the state Department of Transportation.

DOT placed Nolan’s company on probation in October, citing consistently poor ratings from state inspectors and slow response to complaints.

The firm was also written up for reserving rights to certain miles without ever signing up sponsors, thereby keeping competing contractors from selling them, according to leen Peters, a DOT spokeswoman.

The probation period ends in April and it looks like Nolan’s company will be returned to good graces, Peters said.

No surprise: Nolan’s firm is only the second firm put on probation during the program’s 10-year history, and no contractor has ever been forced out for poor performance.

Two of the founding Long Island contractors – Dejana Industries, Nolan’s former employer, and the now defunct Beautification & Preservation Inc. – withdrew from the program in 2007.

Bill Wynperle, Dejana’s executive vice president, said his firm’s miles were too scattered to make it cost-effective to continue. However, Dejana is still an authorized contractor for sponsored miles in New York City.

Companies interested in sponsoring miles through the program are directed by DOT to the contractors. The firms are then left to negotiate the best price and location. Miles on the Long Island Expressway are the most sought after, and fetch as much as $1,000 per month.

About half of the 724 miles of state roads on Long Island are included in the program, although only 208 are currently sponsored, according to DOT.

“It’s a win-win for taxpayers,” Peters said. “It allows our people more time to work on things like safety improvements.”

It also saves money: Cleaning unsponsored Long Island miles cost taxpayers $2.48 million in 2007, about $4,800 per mile.

If you’re interested in getting on the clean-a-mile bandwagon, forget it. The state has no plans to add additional contractors.

David Winzelberg can be reached at david.winzelberg@libn.com.