Smithtown Notebook: Road Repairs Underway, Drug Testing Policy Delays Contract Negotiations and More

Highway Department Road Repairs Underway

Town Superintendent of Highways Glenn Jorgensen said efforts to repair roadways damaged due to snow and the cold are underway. He said the town began its focus on the main highways and is now moving towards fixing back roads, and that the town has been receiving numerous calls about the issue and has workers with hotboxes, a patch-box that heats the asphalt used in repairs, out on the roads on a daily basis.

You may also see the Superintendent of Highways out-and-about repairing potholes, as Jorgensen is very experienced in the repairs, performing them as a town employee before taking this position.

“I’m hands on, I’m out there with the guys … I’ve done it my whole life, it’s in my blood, I cannot just sit in the office and point the finger,” he said.

*A full story on all road and highway repairs as well as information on how to get repairs done in your area will be published Monday afternoon.

Town Drug Testing Turmoil

Contract negotiations have slowed between the town and the Civil Service Employees Association over the current employee random drug testing policy. The policy currently requires employees operating town motor vehicles with commercial drivers licenses to be subjected to random drug tests. The town wants to expand this to all employees using town motor vehicles to be subjected to random testing, while the union wants the policy unchanged.

Seven town employees have been arrested in the past year over drug related charges, from use to possession, heroin to marijuana. The contract ended Dec. 31, 2010.

*Click to check out our full feature on the employee random drug testing rift.

Meetings This Coming Week

The Planning Board will hold a meeting open to the public on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Smithtown Senior Center, and the Town Board will hold a public meeting also at the Smithtown Senior Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17.