Joe Evans has been trying to get lights on Northern Boulevard fixed for nearly four years.
Newsday photo by Gwen Young
I have been trying to solve this issue going on four years. There are a dozen or so streetlights on the north side of Northern Boulevard that borders the Village of Munsey Park in the Town of North Hempstead. The lighting along this stretch is in major disrepair. Not only are a majority unlit, most fixtures are broken or missing. This leaves a heavily traveled roadway dark, including the area in front of Munsey Park Elementary School. The Village of Munsey Park denies ownership. North Hempstead Town Councilman Wayne Wink told me he didn’t know who owned the lights and the town wouldn’t fix them. No municipality will assume responsibility but many would benefit from the repair of these lights.
Joe Evans, Manhasset
North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman is stepping up to handle this issue. He’s arranged a meeting between the town, the Village of Munsey Park and the Long Island Power Authority May 13 to discuss what to do with the lights, town spokesman Justin Meyers said.
The back story on the lights, according to Kaiman’s research, is that at some point, the former LILCO transferred the lights to local municipalities. But under state law, the town isn’t allowed to own lights within an incorporated village.
So, in 1999, the town notified Village of Munsey Park officials that they needed to take ownership of the lights or contract with the town to maintain them, or they would be taken down. Apparently, no agreement was forged, but the lights weren’t removed.
“It might make sense to take them down, then put up new lights,” Kaiman said. “It’s not a big deal for us, but we can’t do it without authorization from the village.”
Kaiman said the town eventually would also reach out to the villages of Flower Hill and Roslyn Estates, which also have streetlights on Northern Boulevard that aren’t working.
