Community Watchdog

A reader who saw that the Town of Islip town board recently passed restrictions on when garbage cans and how long they can stay at the curb, wrote this comment:

"No one listens to the Town of Hempstead codes...no full trash cans at the curb before 7pm the day before...cans must be removed no more than 3 hrs after being collected."

it's about enforcement. The towns can have all the codes they want, but if their not enforced, what good are they? Of course, it's a double-edged sword. We all want enforcement because they're directly related to our quality of life. But it's the same with traffic laws - there are so many drivers who violate them because there isn't enough personnel to enforce them.

Long Island has changed over the years and so have the people. There was a time when people were considerate of their neighbors, when they didn't throw garbage from their car windows, when they didn't run stop signs and red lights. It seems that many "newcomers" have changed the rules.

Better enforcement might help. But adding more personnel on the state, county or town level to make a real difference almost always means higher taxes.

Denise Scollo and other Town of Islip residents would like her neighbors to take in their garbage cans instead of leaving them at the curb.
Newsday photo by Michael R. Ebert

Why doesn’t the Town of Islip have any regulations that prevent residents from leaving their garbage pails at the curb everyday? It’s an eyesore. It seems other towns have time restrictions. Hypothetically, residents can leave trash at the curb all the time under the town’s current system.
-- Denise Scollo, Bayport

Other Islip residents have contacted us about this same issue.

Islip town code doesn’t have time restrictions for removing empty garbage cans left at the curb, but trash-filled pails can’t be left there “for days on end” under the town’sDepartment of Environmental Control guidelines.

Officials said if filled cans are left curbside for days and neighbors complain, the town’s DEC investigates the matter and follows up on a random basis to ensure the trash isn’t left at the curb indefinitely.

In 2007, a total of 10 litter-related fines were issued to homeowners.

“The town finds this to be the most effective solution,” said Chris Andrade, commissioner of Islip’s Department of Environmental Control. “At this time, the Town Board believes that amending the town code to place time restrictions on the curbside placement of garbage cans is an inefficient modification.”

By comparison, a number of local towns - including Babylon and Huntington - place time restrictions on the curbside placement of garbage pails. The Town of Babylon, for example, prohibits placing full cans at the curb before 1:00 p.m. the day before collection, while Huntington prohibits curbside placement before 6:00 p.m.

Islip residents with concerns or complaints about garbage cans in their neighborhood can call 631-224-5640. Calls can be anonymous.

Michael R. Ebert

UPDATE: In our June 15 column, we reported the Town of Islip had no time restrictions on placing garbage cans at the curb. However, town spokeswoman Catherine Green said that based on our inquiry on behalf of some homeowners, the town board adopted a resolution June 10 that states cans must be placed at curbs no earlier than 4 p.m. the day before collection and removed no later than noon the next day. Penalties start at $50.
Michael R. Ebert

I
Graffiti on a vacant building was painted over after Anthony Persico complained about the neighborhood eyesore.
Newsday photo by Karen Wiles Stabile

live in Bohemia and there’s a large amount of graffiti at an unoccupied store along the south side of Sunrise Highway. It’s an eyesore and is visible from the busy road. The owner has been notified, but the graffiti is still there. Is there anything we can do?
--Anthony Persico, Bohemia

Within a week of our call, the property owners - Sid Farber Enterprises Medford - sent a crew to paint over the graffiti facing Sunrise Highway.

The property has been a magnet for graffiti since the store became vacant last year, officials said. They said they’ve covered up the spray paint multiple times.

“I’ve honestly lost count already,” said property manager John Donnelly of the paint jobs. “We cover it up and a few weeks later it’s back. I blame the parents. They don't teach their children respect for other people’s property.”

Although the owners have been attentive to the problem, there is no town code requriing storeowners to clean graffiti because that would “punish owners who are victims of a crime,” town officials said. Instead, the town “encourages” owners to clean affected areas as soon as possible.

Michael R. Ebert

I live a The Colony at Holbrook, a gated community on Furrows Road. We’ve been told the reconfiguration of the intersection at Patchogue-Holbrook Road (CR19) and Furrows Road would be started in 2006. This is a very dangerous and heavily traveled intersection. Another project, which was promised even longer ago, is drainage improvements to Furrows Road between CR19 and Nicolls Road (CR83). Nothing has been done. What’s going on?

The two road-improvements projects are still in the cooker, but it’ll be a while before they are completed because both require three land parcel acquisitions by Suffolk County Public Works and the Town of Islip Department of Public Works.

“Normally, it takes up to three years for us to acquire property,” said Bill Hillman, chief engineer for the county, which is handling the $1 million reconfiguration project at CR 19 and Furrows Road. “When you deal with eminent domain and condemnation laws, it’s a huge process.”

Hillman said the acquisition process, which began last year includes a 4-foot wide parcel on the northwest corner owned by a shopping center, another parcel owned by an adjacent homeowner and a parcel belonging to Mamma Lombardi’s restaurant.

The project will widen Furrows Road to provide a left-turn lane, one through-lane and one right-turn lane on the eastbound and westbound approaches to CR19. The county expects to break ground by 2011, he said. “We certainly recognize the need to enhance traffic flow at this busy intersection,” Hillman said.

The Town of Islip is finalizing land acquisition for the drainage project, which includes a rectangular piece of property east of The Colony’s entrance and two small privately owned parcels located on the south side of Furrows Road and west of the entrance to the community.

As part of the project, a new sediment basin will be constructed that will contain retention wells to allow water to filter down from the road to a recharge basin connected to the underground pipe network.

The town expects to file a right-of-way certification to the state next month, which will state that the town has acquired, or is close to acquiring, the three properties. The town then must await a review by the state Department of Transportation.

Related sites on this topic:

Teachers Cathy Mercurio and Carole Forman with the Kids for Saving Earth Club

For two years, Kids for Saving Earth Club at Gardiner Manor School in Bay Shore has been involved in recycling efforts. The Town of Islip provided us with WRAP bins for paper, but they won't pick up the paper because the district doesn't pay taxes. In May 2007, the club wrote to Supervisor Phil Nolan and included a petition signed by the entire student body hoping to change this policy. After all, recycling students become recycling adults. We hoped local government would support all recycling efforts, but this is not the case.
--Teachers Cathy Mercurio and Carole Forman

We don’t know what happened to the petition, but after we called Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan, he cut through the green tape and found that the town's own trucks pick up garbage and recyclables in that neighborhood.

Officials will be notifying the school that paper collected by club members will be picked up at the curb. "We'll just add that to our collection every other Wednesday because that doesn't cost us anything more," he said.

The town would not have been able to offer the same service if the area were serviced by a private carting company contracted by the town because the contract calls for pickup in residential areas only.

Nolan said he’s planning a townwide discussion for school districts to begin programs that will enhance the e-waste recycling initiative he implemented. "A massive amount of garbage that goes into the dumpsters in school districts is recyclable materials," he said.

Related sites on this topic:

Members of the Bay Shore Woods Civic Association, James and Wendy Green, Patti Blodgett, Shalema Ford, president, Kathy Dio and Rose Boone, want a cleaner worksite where a home is under construction.

We have been fighting to keep our quiet neighborhood of one-family homes from becoming overwhelmed by investors who tear down original homes to build “McMansions.” Some one-family houses in our area have been turned into houses for two, three and more families. A home on our street was demolished and is being replaced with an oversized structure that could easily be converted to a multi-family dwelling. We had hoped Town of Islip officials would listen to our concerns about its size. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Now, the front yard is always filled with construction debris and garbage that blows all over the neighborhood. It’s an eyesore and we want our neighborhood respected.

After we called the town, inspectors who have visited the site returned and saw the debris. The town was preparing a stop-work order, but before one could be issued, a Dumpster was delivered and the debris was contained. Acting on the concerns of the civic association, the town has followed the construction of this home, town spokeswoman Catherine Green said.

A stop-work order was issued after the tear-down of the original home and the builder was given summonses. While the case was pending in court, the builder applied for a permit to construct the new home, paying triple the usual fees as a consequence of seeking the permit after work had already started, she said.

Subsequent town inspections indicate the building is being built as a single family home and the town will continue to monitor construction to ensure it remains within the limits of the permit issued, Green said.