Relocation Information Guide

The Human Resources Division is providing this Information Guide to you to help ease the transition of relocating to Long Island.  Relocating to a new place can be an exciting as well as stressful time.  We have compiled information that can be very helpful with the many issues you may face.  You may also seek assistance from the recruiter you work with in Human Resources. 

Service Disclaimer - This web page contains links to other Internet sites. These links are not endorsements of any products or services and no information in such site has been endorsed or approved by Brookhaven National Laboratory or the Human Resources Division.

Here are some of the issues:

• Cost of living
• Buying or renting a home 
• Schools in the area
• Childcare
• Transportation
• Obtaining a driver’s license
• Taxes/financial matters
• Quality of life

You can also find additional information on our visitor’s guide web page: www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/visitorsguide.html.
 

Cost of Living

While living on Long Island can be costly, it offers a wide variety of advantages.  Long Island is one of the most beautiful places to live.  It offers more than fifty miles of beaches, family attractions, over 100 public golf courses, museums, shopping, beautiful parks, and wineries. For people who prefer the city life, Brookhaven Lab is only 60 miles from New York City, one of the greatest and most diverse cities in the world.

Buying or Renting a Home

While the cost of housing has increased over the past few years, it is still possible to own a home on Long Island.  Housing costs vary depending on the township and there are many resources to help in your search.  The following web sites have an immense amount of information to expedite your search.  These web sites not only list houses but also answer the many questions that arise when purchasing a home.  The web sites are www.longisland.about.com, www.news12.com, and www.apartment.com.

In addition to the above web sites, the following realtors can assist you in finding a home.

Onsite Housing at BNL/BNL Housing Office

See Service Disclaimer

The housing office on site can help new employees.  Contact them at (631) 344-2541.  Depending on your circumstances, housing is sometimes available on site.  Evelyn Silverman is the Housing Coordinator at BNL, (631) 344-4489, and she knows the local housing market.  In addition, the Laboratory’s weekly employee newspaper, the Bulletin, also lists apartments and houses for sale and rent. You can find the Bulletin on the web site at http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/bulletin.html.  

Onsite Housing

For more information on onsite housing please go to the Housing Services website.
For current rates for on-site housing please click here:

• A month is measured from date-to-date.  Months will be either 30, 31, or 28 days, depending on the month.

• Accommodations must be vacated and key surrendered by 3:00 p.m. (check-out time) in order to avoid additional daily charges.

Reservations are guaranteed and must be paid for if not cancelled by 1:00 p.m. on the scheduled day of arrival.  

Schools in the Area

When a family moves to a new location, the biggest factor in deciding on a neighborhood could be the school district.  School reports can be obtained on the following web sites www.news12.com and www.theschoolreport.com.   Click on the school of interest and a report card about that school is displayed. The area surrounding the Laboratory has the following school districts: 

Childcare

Listed below are some of the childcare centers that are located nearby.  In addition to the following centers, you can access a listing of schools A-Z on the web site www.news12.com and get individual school reports on www.theschoolreport.com.

BNL Child Development Center

See Service Disclaimer

Brookhaven National Laboratory has a Child Development Center on site.  It has been licensed by Social Services since 1991 and certified by NAEYC since 1998. Contact Joann Faberlle at (631) 344-7416. For current monthly tuition rates,  or more information, go to the Child Development Center page.

Operating Schedule - Center hours are from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The Center is closed on BNL holidays, as well as the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Other Onsite Programs

In addition to the Child Development Center, the following programs are also available to employees and guests.

BNL Summer Camp: This program is offered for families living "on-site," as well as for children of BNL employees. The program runs daily during July and August from 8:30 am 6- 5:00 p.m.  Children ages 5 - 15 may participate.  Arts and crafts, sports activities, and educational activities are provided in a multi-cultural setting.  Red Cross Certified Swimming instructors offer once a week swim lessons in five different categories.  For additional information, please see BERA's BNL Summer Camp for Employees Off-Site (PDF).  You may also contact Christine Carter at (631) 344-5090 or ccarter@bnl.gov.

Play Group:  Organized by the Hospitality Committee, this program meets weekly on Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. in the Recreation Building in the on-site housing area.   A parent stays with his or her child.  This organization offers parents and their children, infants to pre-school, a time and place to play and socialize, in addition to providing new and first-time parents a place to meet others.  For additional information, call (631) 399-7656.

Transportation

A car is necessary on Long Island but other options include taxis, limousines, buses, trains (Long Island Railroad), and rental cars.

Local Taxi Services

• Bishop Taxi Service - (631) 698-0156
• Courtesy Cab - (631) 878-4118
• Jimmy's Taxi Service - (631) 281-8581
• Sunset Taxi - (631) 588-8844

Local Limousine Services

• Classic - (631) 567-5100, www.classictrans.com
• Chrisdee Livery - (631) 474-4428, 1-800-357-4232, cdlimo@aol.com
• Spartan Limo - (631) 928-5454
• Winston - (631) 924-1234

Car Rental Companies

• Enterprise Car Rental - Enterprise Car Rental is right on site to accommodate our employees and guests.  they are located in Building 355.  For information  or reservations, call (631) 344-4888 or 4889. You can also visit their web site www.enterprise.com.
   
• Budget - 631-588-0590
• Avis - 631-588-6633
• Hertz - 631-737-9200
• Enterprise - 631- 821-7000

BNL Courtesy Onsite Shuttle

On-call, door-to-door onsite service is available between 8:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.  Call (631) 344-2714. To assist in the efficient operation of the shuttle, please be ready to board the van before making the call for pickup.

•  When you call, please be prepared to give the following information:
  
  Your name
  Telephone extension
  Location of pick up (building number)
  Location of drop-off (building number)
  Number of passengers

• Be prepared to meet the van at the main entrance of your building.
• There will be one driver available to transport passengers and requests are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Offsite Transportation

Saturday Shopping Shuttle (Hours - 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon) - This free shuttle operates continuously to and from the Southport Shopping Mall in Shirley on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.  Look for the “Sunrise Coach Lines” bus. For hours of operation and pick-up locations please click here.

Transportation around Long Island and New York City

Bus and Railroad Information - information for NYC transit, Long Island Railroad, Long Island Bus, Metro-North Railroad, bridges and tunnels can be found on The Metropolitan Port Authority (http://www.libus.org).

Airports - Information on how to get to/from the airports, getting around the airports, airlines, airport terminal services, other airports and tourist information can be found on The Port Authority of NY & NJ (http://panynj.gov/).

Mac Arthur Airport -  Information on airlines, flight tracking, car rentals, hotels, transportation, directions to the airport, weather, phone numbers for the airlines, transportation and accommodations can be found on MacArthur Airport.

Ferries - Information for ferries to/from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Block Island, Shelter Island and Fire Island can be found on Long Island, New York Ferries (http://www.webscope.com/li/ferries.html).

Buying a Car

Long Island’s daily newspaper, Newsday, as well as the New York Yellow Pages carry advertisements for buying a car.  Another option is doing an online search.  A very informative site is www.carsearch.com.  In addition, the employee newspaper, the Bulletin, carries used car ads.  To visit the Bulletin web site, go to http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/bulletin.html.

Obtaining a Driver’s License

Information from the Department of Motor Vehicles can be accessed on the web at www.dmv.org or by calling 1-800-DIAL-DMV.  Foreign citizens are advised to review the web site for particular circumstances. The following are all the Suffolk County Offices of the New York State Department of motor vehicles.

Amityville Office
1100 Broadway - Route 110
Amityville, NY 11701

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

Hauppauge Office
NYS Office Building Veteran's Memorial Hwy.
Hauppauge, NY 11788
 
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Huntington Office
813 New York Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743

No permit testing
Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Medford Office
2799 Route 112
Medford, NY 11763

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Port Jefferson Office
3 Roads Plaza
1055 Route 112
Port Jefferson Sta., NY 11776

No license testing
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CLOSED FRIDAYS

Riverhead Office
Route 58
Riverhead, NY 11901 

Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
October - March
Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
April - September only
Test room open to 3:30 p.m. for tests

Car Insurance

Every car owner must obtain car insurance. You should bring any information that will help in the process, such as foreign or international driver’s license as well as past insurance policies.  People with foreign or international licenses can get insurance, although there will be a slightly higher premium and it will not be in a preferred company.  In order to get a preferred insurance policy, you must have a New York State driver’s license for at least one year.

Taxes/Financial Matters

Information on tax laws can be found on the web at www.irs.gov.  Specific questions on individual tax situations will be addressed by Human Resources on the first day of employment.

People coming from abroad need to obtain a Social Security card and number to work in the United States.  These individuals need to apply at a Social Security Office. The two locations nearby are:  75 Oak Street, Patchogue, and 518B East Main Street, Riverhead.  You must have a passport, visa, or some other form of identification (a BNL ID card is acceptable).  If you have any questions, contact the Social Security Office at 1-800-772-1213.

You will be paid on a monthly basis with paychecks issued on the last working day of the month.  Please be aware that depending on your first day of work, you may or may not receive a full paycheck at the end of the first month.  Take this into consideration so that you have enough money on hand for expenses.

Paychecks can be automatically deposited into any bank account.  Brookhaven has a bank on site, the Teachers Federal Credit Union. It is located in Building 193, (2 South Technology St) and can be reached at (631) 344-2790.  On your first day of work, Human Resources will give you a form to arrange for direct deposit.  You can also pick up a form from the Credit Union at any time.

Quality of Life

Translators: Employee and guest volunteers assist staff requiring translation services:

• Hospitality Committee,  contact Christine Carter at (631) 344-5090
• Human Resources, (631) 344-7814
• ESOL Coordinator, (631) 344-4894 or lynch@bnl.gov

English Classes 

Classes are FREE and open to all employees, guests, visitors, and their spouses.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL): Click here for the current schedule. Classes are held at the Recreation Building 317, on the second floor.  For more information, go to http://www.bnl.gov/esol, or contact Jennifer Lynch, ESOL Coordinator, at (631) 344-4894 or lynch@bnl.gov. 

English Classes for Children: Stony Brook University's AmeriCorps Community Outreach Program and the Volunteers for Community Service off FREE English classes for children.  For information contact: Genie Protillo, USB's Volunteer Services Coordinator - (631) 632-6814 or e-mail: gportillo@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.

Electronic Mail and Internet Access

Free-access Computers:

• Berkner Hall, Building 488
• Brookhaven Center, Building 30
• Information Services Library, Building 477 (for research purposes only – no personal use)
• Compton and Cavendish Dormitory lobbies
• The Information Technology Division (ITD) manages computer services at Brookhaven.

Last Modified: July 28, 2011
Please forward all questions about this site to: Elizabeth Gilbert

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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