Cover credit – Town of Islip
On March 1, 2015, Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip) took the helm at Islip’s top job. Almost ten years to the day, she delivered the 2025 State of the Town Address, one of her last State of the Town Addresses before her third and final term expires in 2028.
“It’s hard to believe,” said Carpenter. “I still remember dodging potholes on my way to Town Hall on my first day, back when our roads were a lot rougher.”
Carpenter invited the Town Board and all in attendance to “take a trip down memory lane” and remark on the progress the Town has made together over not only the last year, but the last decade.
Finances
In 2016, the Town received an upgrade in their bond rating from Moody’s, a Aaa bond rating with a stable outlook. A capital budget process was implemented to “strategically plan” infrastructure needs for the future.
“We’ve held that Aaa bond rating every year. This allows us to tackle projects that would have been impossible a decade ago,” said Carpenter, including the $10 million investment into the shellfish hatchery in East Islip. The hatchery has expanded from 125 acres to 1,300 acres over the last decade, now producing 20% of New York’s total shellfish farming output.
“Recently, our tax receiver’s office, led by our Receiver of Taxes Andy Wittman (R-Sayville), has returned over $687,000 in interest earnings to our taxpayers through negotiated bank rates,” said Carpenter.
“We have consistently provided a tax-compliant budget while not cutting any staff or services, and we’ve continued to work to deliver fair contracts for our partners,” said Carpenter.
The Keep Islip Thriving (KIP) Program has helped, to date, over 600 businesses town-wide by distributing grants funded through ARPA funding. The Town has secured almost $2 million since 2023 from the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), completing more than one hundred projects worth over $1 billion in investments and creating 9,000 jobs.
“That’s 9,000 families breathing easier. That’s 9,000 reasons to believe in Islip’s future,” said Carpenter.
Infrastructure
“The true measure of our success isn’t found in spreadsheets. It’s written in your stories, like driving on smoother, safer roads, or feeling secure during storms,” said Carpenter. “Ten years ago, our streets were a mess with potholes everywhere. As of today, we have filled 725,000 potholes along 1,280 miles of roadway.”
In 2015, the annual paving budget was $3 million annually. It’s now $10 million annually, leading to an investment of $90 million worth of road improvements across Islip. $17.5 million was invested into flood mitigation projects. The Town has also installed driver feedback units and solar-powered pedestrian systems that “provide peace of mind to our families,” said Carpenter.
“These traffic-calming measures have been implemented exactly where you have told us they’re most needed, creating safer streets for everyone,” said Carpenter.
Town Hall, at ninety-four years old, will need some renovations, but Carpenter says she and her team will not pass such responsibilities onto the “next generation” and “kick the can down the road.”
“We’ve already replaced the roof and stabilized the crumbling cupola. Presently underway is the expansion of Town Hall campus, our most ambitious project to date,” said Carpenter. Campus expansion funds were appropriated from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to make the campus “truly ADA-compliant”, as championed by Councilman John O’Connor (R-Great River), who serves as Chairman of the Town’s Disability Advisory Board.
The annex will also allow the Town to move staff out of Town Hall’s “flood-prone” basement and will be “solar-ready”, “energy-efficient”, and have additional upgrades built to as a “hallmark of our community.”
Town Hall West at 401 Main Street has been renovated with a new auditorium and a revitalized gymnasium for community members and groups to enjoy.
Downtown revitalization has breathed new life into places like Bay Shore and Central Islip, with the latter’s Southwest Sewer District connection serving as a catalyst for economic activity. Ninety-four affordable housing units, public plazas, the Belmont at Eastview redevelopment of the former Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center, and the newly-unveiled Central Islip History Trail have all contributed to the corridor’s revival.
The Town’s “outdated” animal shelter, built in 1964, has been replaced with a “state-of-the-art” shelter and adoption center.
“These aren’t just buildings; they’re promises kept to our community,” said Carpenter.
Parks and Recreation
Ten years ago, many playgrounds were old and unsafe. Now, the Town has thirty renovated parks, as well as major pool renovations at Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood and Byron Lake in Oakdale. Both parks also have kid pools and spray parks. Next up is a “state-of-the-art” pool at Anthony Casamento Park in West Islip.
The first skate park in the Town, Robert Clemente Park, a partial product of lobbying from neighborhood kids, is “humming with energy”, according to the Supervisor.
“They dreamed of a skate park and we made it happen together,” said Carpenter, who thanked Assemblyman Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood) for his help in getting funding from the State.
Islip has become the unofficial “capital” of Long Island’s pickleball scene, with the Town having constructed nineteen courts over the last several years. One of the more recent additions was the courts at Heckscher State Park in Great River.
Baseball fields in Brentwood, Central Islip, East Islip, Sayville, Holtsville, Holbrook, Bayport, Hauppauge, Islip, and West Islip have been upgraded with turf fields, fencing, and dugouts.
Senior centers have been “revamped town-wide”, with major renovations taking place at facilities in Central Islip and East Islip, the latter – the Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center – of which received patios and grills. Carpenter says residents there have remarked on how much the patios have “brought them together like never before.”
Parking has also been expanded in Brentwood with retractable awnings and planters.
ADA-compliance efforts at the Ronkonkoma LIRR Station are some of the most recent upgrades for accessibility in the Town, along with electronic bingo boards that Supervisor Carpenter says are “very, very popular.”
Golfers also approve of the improved irrigation at the Brentwood Country Club, with “rounds up at all three courses.”
“With our marinas, we’ve tackled long-neglected dredging issues and completed numerous bulkheading projects in Bay Shore, Browns River East and West, and West Islip, keeping our waterways safe for our boaters,” said Carpenter.
Apple Fest, a long-celebrated tradition, will be celebrating its forty-fifth year this fall in Sayville, but new festivals have been recently introduced, such as the Sea Fest at the Bay Shore Marina, Festival on the Fairway in Holbrook, and the Holiday Market at Town Hall.
“These aren’t just themed events; they wear the fabric of our community,” said Carpenter. “Giving neighbors a chance to connect and families to make memories.”
The Town has partnered with two hospitals on separate initiatives. With Good Samaritan University Hospital, concerts, drive-in movies, and drive-through light shows abound. With South Shore University Hospital, flu shots for seniors and staff are on the horizon.
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP)
Ten years ago, ISP offered just one airline carrier, Southwest. Now, there are five, with the Town having landed a significant deal with JetBlue in October. That same month, the airport was ranked the third-best small airport in the country in USA Today’s 10Best survey, a jump from its 2023 placing on the list within the top-ten.
The airport offers services from JetBlue, Frontier, Breeze, Southwest, and, most recently, Avelo, connecting Long Islanders to eighteen domestic cities nonstop. The airport served 1,375,000 passengers last year alone, with enplanements up 6.9% and deplanements are up 7.1%, which means more travelers are coming to Long Island for travel. Seat capacity has also increased 10% over other regional airports.
“This is just the beginning,” said Carpenter, adding that a Request for Quotation (RFQ) was put out for a “possible terminal upgrade, providing train-to-plane connectivity.”
“The County, on a parallel track, is soliciting interest in the Ronkonkoma South development. This is all enhanced by $150 million infrastructure grant from Governor Kathy Hochul (D) to match the $50 million from the County,” said Carpenter, adding that County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) has been an “incredible partner.”
“This is all to bring high-paying jobs in the fields of life sciences and research as well as a proposed hotel convention center, all with the potential of generating billions in economic impact and keeping our young people right here on Long Island,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter also shared that Southwest Airlines has partnered with IcelandAir to provide the first international destination available from ISP, via Baltimore.
Technology
“We’ve taken steps to upgrade Islip’s technology landscape over the past decade. We’ve boosted WiFi access across the Town, connecting more residents than ever before. Online, our new services have made government work better. The new OpenGov portal, championed by Councilman John Lorenzo (C-West Sayville), will enhance these efforts,” said Carpenter.
A revamped Town website is also expected to launch soon, making for the second major website upgrade under Carpenter’s tenure.
The Town Clerk’s office, under the leadership of Clerk Linda Vavricka (R-West Islip), has digitized records going back to 1881, preserving more than a century of Islip history.
“Thanks to streamlined operations, the Clerk’s office prospects 737 passport applications in January alone, serving our residents while generating revenue,” said Carpenter. “We’ve even deployed drones with light detection and ranging to monitor coastal erosion, staying ahead of environmental challenges, and preserving our coastal heritage for generations to come.”
The Town has opted to switch street lights to LED bulbs, in recognition of environmental sensitivities.
“1200 hundred lights are already saving $63,000 annually,” said Carpenter. “Solar panels have been installed at the Blydenburgh and Lincoln Avenue landfills, generating three megawatts of clean power.
“It’s a powerful reminder that with creative thinking, we can transform yesterday’s problems into tomorrow’s solutions,” said Carpenter.
Kids in elementary schools and seniors in the center have been educated through the Town’s Enhanced Recycling Education Program to “be the environmental stewards of tomorrow.”
Public Safety
The Town’s Public Safety Department has been “modernized, boosting enforcement and effectiveness by 25% and improving response times by 30%,” said Carpenter. “When you need help, we get there faster and solve issues more effectively.”
The Peace Officer training classes have been producing graduates, seven as of the most recent class, while 250 high-resolution cameras and license plate readers at several Town facilities. 30,000 summonses have been issued, “ensuring safer streets and stronger neighborhoods.”
“Ten years later, we’ve proven what vision and action can achieve: real progress you can see in every corner of Islip,” said Carpenter. “We’re not just planning for tomorrow, we’re building it together.”
