Diane Wittman of Oceanside wants this Oceanside creek and its shoreline to be kept free of objects such as the shopping cart behind her and litter along the shoreline.
Every morning, I walk along Bayside Avenue, between Yost Boulevard and Messick Avenue in Oceanside. It’s a disaster. What could be a lovely nature preserve with ducks and swans has become a garbage-strewn dump. Shopping carts are in the creek. Plastic bottles, hub caps and bags of garbage litter the shore. Shouldn’t this be the responsibility of the Town of Hempstead? The only response to my calls and letters has been when code enforcement picked up some sofas that had been dumped there. Can you help?
Town of Hempstead conservation and waterways workers moved quickly to pull the carts from the creek after our call, town spokesman Michael Deery said.
The litter blanketing the area may take a bit longer to remove because the shoreline is private property.
The creek is the town’s responsibility, the shoreline isn’t. Last week, Deery said code enforcement officials would attempt to serve the property owners with a notice to clean up the place.
Based on town code, “You have to keep your property free of litter and debris,” Deery said. That applies to homes and business properties.
How long it’ll take to get the shore area cleaned depends on how cooperative the owners are, Deery said. If they don’t comply, the town will take them to court. If they hire lawyers to fight the summons, it could drag out the process. But, as Deery pointed out, hiring a crew to clean up the area would probably be more cost-effective than hiring attorneys to fight what needs to be done anyway.
Town resident with cleanup issues can call 516 489-6000.
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