Community Watchdog

A number of complaints/problems sent to Newsday’s Community Watchdog column have little to do with government agencies or the inaction of town officials.

Neighbors have a lot to do with how much homeowners enjoy where they live.

Whether it’s the people who live next door and down the block or businesses that share the street, our quality of life is affected by how we get along with our neighbors, how neighbors conduct themselves and whether they’re considerate of others in the area.

Some of the complaints we’ve gotten about bad neighbors include a Brentwood man who’d like his neighbors to take in their garbage cans so they’re not at the curb 24-7. Doesn’t seem like too much too ask, but apparently the people who live on this street are too lazy to bring in the containers and leave them to litter the area. Would you like to live next door those homeowners?

In Lindenhurst, a homeowner is concerned about a 40-foot crane stored in a nearby backyard with other materials he believes are creating an eyesore and possible hazard. Who wants a 40-foot crane stored in a neighborhood backyard? Wouldn’t it make you nervous if you lived next door?

A Merrick homeowner contacted us because the view from his dining room window is his neighbor’s commercial truck. If you know what you’re doing is distressing to your neighbor, why not do something to change that?

In Lakeview, a resident who lives near an auto body shop has to listen to a barking watchdog left outside. This collision shop owner has been warned before by town code enforcement officers, but after a brief period of relief, the problem returns. How would you like to live near to a guard dog that barks constantly?

It wouldn't take much to remedy annoyances like these, but it does take people who care about other people. If your neighbor has voiced concern about something on your side of the fence, a good New Year’s resolution would be to take care of the problem and be a better neighbor, or at least be a less annoying one.

Newsday photo by Ken Spencer

We live in a senior complex of townhouses and condos called Mill Pond Acres. We all moved in at the same time, paid the same price and the units are the same size, with the same amenities. Everything is exactly the same but we have different assessments. Everyone here knows it isn’t right.
-- Joan Byrne, Port Washington

While our caller insists that all the units in her area are the same and that everyone should be assessed equally, Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson is firm that the varying assessments are justified.

“Although these homes look alike,” he said, “our records show they vary in square footage.” Units have 2-3 bathrooms, some owners qualify for the state’s enhanced STAR program that reduces school property taxes and some have veteran’s exemptions. Some units may have a lower assessment because they were purchased at pre-construction prices, Levinson said.

Assessments are also based on comparable home sales in the area, which can be viewed online. Click on Property Search and follow the prompts.

Levinson said assessments are also based on market value, so units with lower assessments will eventually catch up to those with higher ones.

Homeowners can also appeal their assessment, he said.

Also related to this topic:

*Nassau County Assessor's Office
*Suffolk County Town Assessors

Photo by Howard Schnapp

We have on-going problem with motorists speeding on Mount Avenue in North Babylon. Most drivers go 40-to-50 mph and they ignore the speed zone for Brennan High School. They also frequently run through the stop signs.
-- Ira Hester, North Babylon

The Suffolk Police Department’s First Precinct says getting drivers to comply with traffic laws on Mount Avenue is a work in progress.

“It’s one of the locations that has been reported to us and we are continuing to take steps to curtail the traffic infractions from occurring there with both speeding and stop signs,” First Precinct Commander Insp. Robert Cassagne said.

Based on summonses issued on Mount Avenue, police presence this year is running about even with last year. In 2006, officers issued 428 tickets for traffic violations there, including 25 for stop signs. This year, 404 tickets have been issued, including 14 for stop signs, Cassagne said.

For streets plagued with traffic violators, police use anti-infraction deterrents - digital speed signs, so motorist know if they’re violating the speed limit, and patrols by the Community Oriented Police Enforcement (COPE) Unit and Crash Reduction Team, he said.

The goal, Cassagne said, is to “get people to stop at the stop signs and to not speed.” However, he said, “We’re not there yet...We need to continue the efforts not only at this location but at other locations.”

Residents who feel their street is dangerous because motorists don't heed traffic laws can email their local precinct. Cassagne said writers should get a response within one business day. Or, click here for precinct phone numbers.

Also related to this topic:

*“Rating Long Island’s most dangerous roads,” Newsday, Aug. 5, 2007
*Suffolk County’s Department of Public Works – Highway Division FAQs

Roots from a tree planted by the Town of Smithtown years ago has buckled part of the sidewalk and the apron of our driveway making it extremely difficult for us to use our driveway. My husband uses a wheelchair. He's tipped over because of the problem. The town was notified several times and nothing has been done.

--Sue and Curt Hoaglund, Kings Park

Happy New Year!

After the retired couple contacted us, we called the town's Parks, Building and Grounds Department, which is responsible for sidewalk repair, last month.

When the Hoaglunds returned from a recent trip, the buckled driveway apron and sidewalk had been repaired.

Curt Hoaglund said he'd been trying to get the apron fixed for eight years, when he first began using a wheelchair. The buckling got worse over time, but he was still unable to get it repaired.

William Murphy, the town's director of Parks, Building and Grounds, said an inspector was sent to the Hoaglunds home after our call. "We looked at it and it really needed to be done, so we just did it," he said.

There's a huge backlog of homeowners in the town who want their sidewalks fixed, Murphy said, and the priority list of what gets done first is determined by a town inspection.

"It's virtually impossible to repair every sidewalk in town in one year." The town board allocates $1.4million-$1.5 million a year to repair sidewalks, but that's not nearly enough to fix all the sidewalks in one paving season. The waiting list can be three or more years, Murphy said.

Town residents who feel their sidewalks need fixing can call the parks department at 631 269-1122.

Newsday photo by Ana P. Gutierrez

Also related to this topic:

*Suffolk County Handicapped Services
*The Disabilities Network of New York City (A coalition of consumers, advocates and professional organizations that support the disabled)

If your town has a recycling program for Christmas trees, be sure to find out when the deadline is for putting them out. Some towns use the trees to fortify the barrier beaches or turn them into mulch. It's a good way to recycle.

Wishing all of our readers a problem-free holiday.

Depending on the condition of your sidewalk, homeowners in the Town of Smithtown can wait years after they’ve requested to have them replaced

There are hundreds of names and addresses on the parks department’s waiting list. That’s the Parks, Buildings and Grounds Department. Somehow, sidewalks and driveway aprons became a responsibility of the parks department, while curbs and streets are handled by the town’s highway department, according to Parks Director William Murphy.

Murphy has held the post for four years, but the waiting list has been around a lot longer. Because of budget limitations, the town can't catch up and eliminate the backlog and each year, more names are added to the queue.

“It’s virtually impossible to repair every sidewalk in town in one year,” Murphy said. The department has an inspector or foreman who checks out complaints and puts them on the town’s to-do list based on what shape they’re in. Then sidewalks are repaired by a contractor until funds for the year run out.

Officials are well aware of how long it takes to get a sidewalk fixed. Newly re-elected town board member Ed Wehrheim spent 31 years in the parks department and was its director from 1989-2003. The town highway department handled sidewalk duty before it was shifted to the parks department in the 1980s, he said.

Wehrheim knows that unless its an emergency, homeowners can wait three or more years to get their sidewalk repaired. Where a homeowner's name is placed on the list depends on what the inspection reveals. When Wehrheim was the parks director, he said, there were “probably 800-1,000” names on the waiting list.

The most severe cases get priority, Wehrheim said, in part because of the liability associated with injuries if someone trips and falls on a sidewalk that should have been repaired. But there are homeowners who want their sidewalks ripped out and replaced because of simple problems such as hairline cracks, or the sidewalk is two different colors from previous repairs. Those calls have a low priorty.

The town board allots $1.4 million -$1.5 million per paving season for sidewalk repair and that only goes so far, Wehrheim said. “Would you like to do everything all at once? Sure you would, but it’s impossible,” he said. “You have to take a sensible approach to anything. It’s not fiscally possible.”

Apparently, sidewalks aren’t the highest priority among town taxpayers, said Wehrheim, who talked to many residents during his recent re-election campaign. “Most people talk about taxes, their recreation facilities.” Complaints about sidewalks, he said, are scarce.

Parks Director Murphy said town residents who believe they need new sidewalks should call Parks, Building and Grounds at 631-269-1122. The town's Web site also has an email form to contact officials.

In the neighborhood, we have kittens and so many stray cats. Some of my neighbors feed them. They keep having babies. It’s a nuisance having them. They go to the bathroom in the yard. They’re outside in the cold. You feel bad for the animals.

--Ken Robinson, Lindenhurst

It’s not just a Lindenhurst problem.

That’s why the Long Island Cat Project was formed, said Joan Phillips, vice president of the Animal Alliance of Long Island. The cat project Web site, licp.org, promotes the trap-neuter-return (TNR) program to reduce the wild cat population and offers information and resources to anyone who deals with the problem.

The Web site lists volunteer trappers who have formed hubs around Long Island, Phillips said.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Nassau and Suffolk refers calls about feral cats to the cat project Web site.

“None of the town shelters take feral cats. All of the town shelters are overloaded,” said Capt. Robert Aversano of the Suffolk SPCA. “Cats are like rabbits. You start with 10 and end up with 20.”

Phillips said she would reach out to Robinson to help find a volunteer trapper in his area.

“The solution is the TNR program,” she said. “If you can stop them from breeding, you’ll diminish the number of feral cats.”

Photo by Ken Robinson

Also related to this topic:

*Feral Cat Project: “How you can help the cats”
*United Wildlife Control: “Feral Cat Control Tips”

Newsday photo by Alejandra Villa

My home abuts the tracks of Gibson Station, between Valley Stream and Hewlett on LIRR’s Far Rockaway line. In April, I started calling the LIRR to ask them to clean up the area on Track One and trim the trees and overgrowth. I’ve called five times. The overgrowth is so high that it’s entwined around the railroad wires in back of my property.

— Mary Ellen McGroary, Valley Stream

The LIRR-owned land abutting McGroary’s property is now almost whistle-clean. Less than a week after we called the LIRR, maintenance workers were sent to collect debris, snip vines and remove fallen tree branches.

“It looks 50 percent better,” said McGroary, noting that workers knocked on her door and asked her to show them the troubling area. “They spent about two-three hours fixing it up... They could’ve done a better job with the leaves though.”

According to LIRR officials, maintenance crews inspect all 700-plus miles of track on a weekly basis for debris and vegetation control. The result of those inspections, and concerns such as those voiced by McGroary, help determine which locations are scheduled for clean up. McGroary’s area was previously cleaned Feb. 28, LIRR spokesman Sam Zambuto said.

To report an area of concern, call the Public Affairs Office, 718-558-8228.

Also related to this topic:

*MTA “LIRR begins major effort to combat slip-slide”
*Railway Track and Structures: “The ABCs of Vegetation Control”

If you’re considering challenging your home assessment in Nassau County, check out the County Assessor’s Web site for quick property searches.

By searching the site, you can compare what your home is assessed for with others in your neighborhood.

It's also a handy information tool if you're thinking of buying a home in the county. Plug in the address of the property and you’ll see a picture or two of the house at that location. You can also view an area map, a tax map, a property sketch, a notice from Nassau County Assessor Harvey B. Levinson about how much the assessed value on the property will be next year and more.

Click on Comparable Sales and you’ll see other homes that sold in the area, when and how much they sold for, the number of bathrooms, whether it uses gas or oil heat, the size of the lot, the year it was built and other pertinent information.

Levinson suggests doing research on the Web site before making an offer on the home. “You’ll get a lot more information that will help you in the negotiation process,” he said.

One tip Levinson offered was to search for the property using the core information – don’t add Road, Street, Avenue or Place after the name of the street. For instance, if the house is on Main Street, type in Main and leave out Street so the computer doesn’t kick out the search if you haven’t matched the information exactly.

In Suffolk, assessments are done at the town level. Some towns, such as Huntington, have a property search link that provides tax information on their Web site. Click the links on the left of this to see if your town has made the information available, or call the assessor’s office for information.

A home is a huge investment. The more information you have before buying, the better.

Photo by Robert Mecea

About two years ago, I came home and a crew was putting up a new utility pole in front of our house. I asked them when they would take the old pole out. They said the way it works, whoever moves their wires last takes out the old pole. After four-five months, we got cable to come and move their wires. That left the phone wires. We called AT&T once a month to have the pole removed but nothing happened. The two poles are right next to each other with a pile of dirt. It doesn't look right.

-- Joseph Cozine, Patchogue

Going, going, gone. Not one, but three old utility poles on Anne and Joseph Cozine’s block were removed the day after we called Verizon. Yes, Verizon. Cozine’s phone service is with AT&T, which leases the network from Verizon. Apparently, Cozine's many complaints to AT&T weren’t passed along to Verizon. A Verizon spokeswoman, Heather Wilner, said the company was never notified about the pole in front of Cozine's home, but removed it and two other poles on the block after we called.

Rodger Neumann, Verizon’s outside plant engineer for the Patchogue and Selden Central offices, said that while the “double wood” poles weren’t pretty, they didn’t pose a hazard.

Generally, if a complaint is made to Verizon’s hotline (800 483 7988) about old poles, “we’re out there within a couple of days” to evaluate the situation, he said. Removal comes a month or two later, or immediately if the pole presents a hazard.

Also related to this topic:

*Verizon repair request
*AT&T customer support

A New Hyde Park man emailed us and said his house had been burglarized in July. Two months later, someone shot out two windows in his garage. Last month his neighbor's truck was stolen from the front of the writer's house and another neighbor's home was broken into.

The homeowner wrote asking for us to reach out to the New Hyde Park Civilian Patrol to "pay extra attention to Jasmine Avenue."

The problems on this street sound serious enough to call the Nassau County Police Department's Third Precinct to ask for extra patrols in the area. A civilian patrol staffed with volunteers to keep an eye on the neighborhood is great asset, but this problem sounds like it needs more clout.

If you feel there are problems in your neighborhood that need police action, don't be afraid to call police, especially if your personal safety is threatened. Each precinct has a non-emergency number. Click here for the Nassau Police Department Web site, go to Command List on the left side to find your local precinct information.

I’m 86 and my husband is 90 and disabled. We’re not young chicks anymore but we both drive. There’s a sycamore tree planted in front of my house I’ve been trying to have removed for more than two years. My street is a one-way heading east with plenty of traffic, and we have quite a problem getting out of the driveway. The tree blocks us from seeing the cars that are driving towards us.

--Eva Montagnino, Jericho

TIM-BER! Two trees that blocked the sightline from the Montagninos’ driveway were removed early Thursday morning, less than four days after we called Nassau County.

Ian Siegel, Deputy Nassau County Executive for parks and public works, said the job would be done within 30 days, but when he related the problem to his boss, Tom Suozzi, Suozzi ordered the removal expedited.

Siegel said it’s the county’s policy not to take down living trees, but exceptions are made in an “extreme situation.”

Although Montagnino had been complaining for years, it was to the wrong municipality. She lives on a county road and her complaints to the town weren’t forwarded to the county until May, Siegel said.

“This is just a classic example of confusion that's created by so many different jurisdictions and municipalities,” Siegel said.

Nassau residents who live on a county road and want to report a problem, click here for a list of Department of Public Works phone numbers.

Also related to this topic:
*Town of Oyster Bay Tree Removal Form
*Town of Brookhaven Tree Preservation Laws

In Wheatley Heights, the street lights on Linden Street between Perry Lane and Main Avenue are much dimmer than the others in my neighborhood. They’re soft, almost pink. Now it gets dark early and I don’t feel safe because the area isn’t properly lit. The Wheatley Heights Civic Association has complained to the Town of Babylon several times. The town said they’re aware of the problem, but nothing’s been done.
--Cassandra Coles, Wheatley Heights

The nights are brighter on Linden Street.

When we called the Town of Babylon earlier this week, officials told us the low-pressure sodium lights that produce the dim light on Linden would be replaced within the next few weeks with brighter bulbs. By Friday night, civic association members said, the bulbs had been changed.
.
The upgrade is part of an on-going conversion that will affect roughly 24 percent of the street lights within the Town of Babylon, spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter said.
“The reason there are low-pressure sodium lights on Linden and other streets is that those were considered more energy-efficient in the 1970s,” Baird-Streeter said. “Today, high-pressure sodium is just as efficient...This should help with the lights’ intensity and brightness.”
Town of Babylon residents with neighborhood lighting problems can call the town’s Department of Public Works at 631-957-3161.

Also related to this topic:
*U.S. Department of Energy (Low-pressure sodium lighting)

My question is about the Mill Dam causeway in Centerport, which crosses Mill Pond between the Little Neck peninsula and Huntington Beach. The bridge is closed. How long will we have to wait for this road to be repaired and reopened?

--Dianne Guarino, Centerport

Repairs to the Mill Dam causeway started in mid-November and should be completed by spring, Huntington Town Highway Superintendent William Naughton said. However,“we have to worry about weather...particularly storms and frost,” he said.

New asphalt and concrete are sensitive to the cold, so roadwork generally isn’t done year-’round, Naughton said. Ground temperature must be at least 40 degrees to pour asphalt, 24 degrees for concrete.

The approach roads to the Mill Dam bridge started deteriorating and the town closed the causeway in August after it was deemed unsafe, Naughton said. Suffolk County maintains the bridge, but the town is responsible for the approaches. New sidewalks and street lights also are planned for the area, he said.

Until the bridge opens again, drivers take Center Shore Road into Centerport, a route that’s about a mile longer than when using the bridge.

Huntington residents concerned about any road maintained by the town can call the highway department, 631-499-0444.

Also related to this topic:
Town of Huntington Highway Department
U.S. Department of Highway Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (Curing practices for pavements)

A woman wrote to ask if we’d help with a problem she’s been trying to get fixed for more than two years. She’s 86 and her husband is 90. They both drive, but getting out of their driveway in Jericho is difficult because a large tree blocks her sightline and they have a hard time seeing oncoming cars.

She’s been complaining to Town of Oyster Bay officials. But here’s the problem: She lives on a county road.

Logically, her problem should have been forwarded to Nassau County, but apparently that didn’t happen until earlier this year. There are many overlapping jurisdictions on Long Island and sometimes it’s difficult enough to get a problem fixed, even when you've contacted the right agency. When the wrong municipality is contacted, it can greatly add to the time it takes to get the problem solved.

Before you register a complaint about something on your street, be sure to find out whether it’s maintained by the town, the county or an incorporated village. Your local municipality will be able to tell you whom to contact.

Contacting the right people the first time may help in getting your problem solved more quickly.

When filing a complaint with the town, school district, utility company or any other agency or business, keep a record. It's sounds simple, but so many fail to make note of who they talked with, the dates, a confirmation or complaint number if available, the telephone number they called and other information that could make follow-up calls easier and less frustrating.

Keep the file in a place where you can locate it quickly and keep all correspondence in it - even copies of emails in case your computer crashes. If you don't know exactly where to submit a complaint, try calling your local library. It's an invaluable resource of information.

If the problem isn't solved within a reasonable amount of time, or there's no response to your complaint, call again and remember to take notes: keep track of people's names, what they say about getting your problem fixed and any other information that will be useful if you have to call again.

Don't give up. Sometimes it takes a while and a few phone calls to get someone who is efficient and will get the job done for you. But you're trying to improve your quality of life and that's worth all the effort you put into it.

The application deadline for New York State’s Middle Class STAR Rebate Program is Dec. 31. According to the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance, the program provides additional benefits “to taxpayers on a sliding scale based on income, with benefits declining as income exceeds $90,000 for upstate homeowners and $120,000 for homeowners in the higher-cost New York City metropolitan region. Taxpayers earning more than $250,000 are not eligible to receive a check.” Click here for more information.

Anyone who owns a home in New York is eligible for the basic STAR exemption on a primary residence. That includes owners of condos, co-ops, apartment buildings, mixed-use properties and single-family homes. There’s no income limit to qualify for basic STAR.

Basic STAR, short for New York State’s School Tax Relief Program, exempts the first $30,000 of a home’s full value from school taxes.

First-timers in Suffolk County can contact their town assessor for STAR applications by calling 877-678-2769.

In Nassau, the STAR program and all other property tax exemption filings are handled by the county assessor’s office. Click here for information about guidelines for various exemptions available to Nassau homeowners.

Another tax break available to seniors 65 and older is the enhanced STAR exemption. To qualify, applicants must show that their combined incomes do not exceed the limits set for that year. For a home owned by a married couple or siblings, only one person must be 65 by Dec. 31.

If you haven’t searched the town links on the left of this page, you could be missing some good information you might not see anywhere else.

For instance, the Town of Shelter Island Web site posts minutes from various committee meetings including the conservation advisory council, the planning board and the deer and tick committee and more.

On the Town of Huntington Web site, you can search Land Management Property Information to find general property information in the town, research special districts, and search for property tax information by clicking Property Info on the home page.

The Towns of Babylon, Huntington, Hempstead, Islip, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Smithtown and Southampton have contact links for residents to send e-mail comments or complaints. Find e-mail addresses for Town of East Hampton by clicking Directory. The Brookhaven homepage has an e-mail link to the highway department and telephone numbers to other departments.

Apparently, the Town of Southold still handles correspondence through snail mail. Its Web site asks residents to use the post office box address when writing.

Most of the towns post small news items of interest to local residents that often don't get published elsewhere. Checking the links will help you know what’s going on in your town.

Q.I have been getting the runaround from the Town of Brookhaven Highway Department with problems facing residents of Oakwood Avenue and Glenwood Avenue in Miller Place. I have sent two petitions signed by the residents requesting the roads be repaired and have received nothing but promise after promise. This has been going on since 2004.

Jeannette A. Rogan, Miller Place

A.The good news is Oakwood Avenue is now on the town's priority list of roads slated to be repaved, Highway Superintendent John Rouse said.

The damper is that streets on the priority list can take up to two "paving seasons” before the job is done. Sometimes it takes even longer because of variables involved, Rouse said. Funding, weather, equipment breakdowns, prep work that includes tree trimming and brush clearing, the condition of driveway aprons and curbs and more all contribute to whether the road is done on schedule.

Oakwood has yet another hurdle to clear. It's one of the many roads in the area where water runoff feeds into Woodhull Landing Road, which has had major drainage issues. Those issues have to be solved before the surrounding roads get new asphalt.

Rogan's patched and repatched road isn't eye candy, but "It's not a safety issue," the highway commissioner said. While the homeowner‘s request "is not unreasonable... we will not be resurfacing those roads until all the drainage issues in the area are resolved. We do not want to resurface a road only to tear it up prematurely to repair a drainage problem,” he said.

Brookhaven residents who want their roads, driveway aprons, curbs or other highway department work done can call the town's hotline,631-451-8696.

Also related to this topic:

Q.I am a Korean War veteran. Four years ago I applied for the enhanced STAR tax exemption and one year later, the aged tax exemption. The application was approved and in 2003, 2004 and 2005 I received the exemptions. Last year, I was denied them because I had "insufficient proof of income.” I submitted my proof of income again and now in a letter dated July 12, 2006, my request was denied. Without the exemption, my taxes are over $11,000, forcing me to put my property up for sale.

Louis Molinaro, Copiague

A.
Molinaro will not be getting the property tax exemption because the town assessor's office believes he is withholding income information. Rules are rules and town officials don't bend them when there are state guidelines to follow.

The 76-year-old's application for senior exemption to reduce his school, town and county taxes was denied because the town believed he was not reporting possible rental income, Town of Babylon Assessor Michael J. Bernard said.

Molinaro stated he receives only Social Security and veterans benefits but town records showed his property includes a house, a commercial building and an apartment. Molinaro's income statements "didn't show enough income to be able to live on, so there had to be another source of income,” such as money from rentals, Bernard said.

To qualify for senior exemption, the annual income limit is $22,000 for 50 percent savings. The town assessor told Molinaro he would have to prove he was not renting his property by allowing a building inspection. Molinaro refused.

"There's no money that I'm not showing,” Molinaro said. "I don't have it. If he thinks I do, let him show me.” The senior exemption had saved him $3,500 a year in taxes.

Bernard wouldn't talk specifically about Molinaro's income, but when numbers don't add up, officials have to question their accuracy, he said. As an example, he said, "If you have somebody who's claiming an income of $8,000 a year, and they have a property tax bill of $7,000 a year, how are they living? They have to be drawing money from an additional source.”

Molinaro can apply for the enhanced STAR exemption, which would give him $700-$800 more in property tax savings, along with his basic STAR and veterans exemptions, Bernard said. Enhanced STAR exemption is for seniors whose federally adjusted gross income is $70,650 or less.

Molinaro said he will apply for that exemption next year before the March 1 deadline.

The deadline for filing for the basic STAR rebate is Dec. 31. Homeowners who have not applied can visit www.tax.state.ny.us/star/2007/ or call 1-877-678-2769. The deadline for filing for exemptions is Jan. 2 in Nassau County and March 1 in Suffolk.

Also related to this topic:

Q.There's a boat on a trailer that's been in the street for two months. Nassau County's Fifth Precinct police said the boat isn't supposed to be there. It's right across from my driveway. It's a narrow street and it makes it difficult for me to leave my driveway. I called the Town of Hempstead at least two times. Would you like a boat in front of your house?
Jackie Benanti, West Hempstead

A.The boat has been moved.

We called the Town of Hempstead and the next day, spokesman Michael Deery said the town's highway department would check out Benanti's complaint. A few days later, the boat had been moved to the owner's driveway.

"The police department requested we wait 24 hours,” Deery said. If the boat wasn't moved, "We could go ahead and remove it. We were prepared to do that but the owners removed it from the roadway.”

Residents who want an abandoned vehicle removed from a town street should call the non-emergency number for their local police precinct or the Town of Hempstead hotline at 516 489-6000. After the vehicle is ticketed by police and the town is notified, the highway department will remove it within several days, Deery said.

Also related to this topic: