Community Watchdog

Della Greco of Baldwin wants a neighbor's yard cleared permanently

Newsday Photo by Gwen Young

For the past 23 years, I’ve been trying to do something about this junkyard/pigsty around the corner from me. The man has so much garbage and junk on his property - toilet bowls, gas tanks, wood, a ladder, old appliances - you name it. The Town of Hempstead keeps giving him summonses. It’s such a danger.
-- Della Greco, Baldwin

No matter what the town does within the limits of the law, this yard and house will probably never meet the standards of average Long Islanders unless the owner moves.

After we called the town earlier this month, building inspectors issued the homeowner summonses for illegal use/outside storage, lack of protective treatment on the home's exterior (siding or shingles), and another for not keeping the outside of the property in a clean and sanitary condition, town spokesman Michael Deery said. On Thursday, the town’s sanitation department issued additional summonses for litter and accumulation of debris. Those summonses were in addition to ones issued in June for similar problems.

Deery said the owner is due in court Thursday to answer some of the summonses.

It’s a chronic problem that dates to at least 1994. After summonses are issued or the owner is mandated to appear in court, debris is removed. Soon, it’s replaced with other debris. Greco would like to see a massive, once-and-for-all cleanup. But Deery said, “We have the power to issue summonses. We don't have the power to go onto somebody’s private property and take their possessions.”

The owner “has the same rights as any homeowner insofar as the enjoyment of his property, so long as what he does is not in violation of town building codes,” Deery said.

Fines for a first offense cannot exceed $500 and/or six months in jail, but can reach up to $1,500 for a third offense. It's up to a judge to decide how much the owner pays in fines or whether jail time is imposed.

Despite a population of 750,000 residents, there are only three or four properties within the township that are habitual eyesores for neighbors, Deery said. Town residents who have a similar problem on their block should call the town's helpline at 516 489-6000.

WATCHDOG WEIGH-IN:
Is there an eyesore in your neighborhood? Send your story, address and pictures to watchdog@newsday.com. We’ll blog the best here.

Also related to this topic:
*Town of Hempstead Town Code- Chapter 93: Maximum fines for violation of building code ordinance
*Newsday: Garden Detective: “Do you have a rotten neighbor?”
*Market Watch article: "Dealing with an Eyesore Next Door"