Community Watchdog

Doug Plotz says he and hundreds of other commuters who use the LIRR train station in Hicksville have to dodge dead pigeons and swaths of pidgeon droppings daily.
Newsday photo by Gwen Young

The Hicksville train station is a disgusting mess. Beyond all the new issues and problems regarding the loss of the parking garage, the conditions are beyond horrible. The station and outer parking lots have been overrun by garbage and pigeons. On any given day, countless commuters have to walk over and under multiple dead pigeons and layers and layers of bird droppings. The town blames the LIRR, the LIRR blames the town. Can you help?
Doug Plotz, Woodbury

We called the LIRR Tuesday afternoon and showed them the video we’d taken the Friday before with Doug Plotz.

On Wednesday, LIRR spokesman Salvatore Arena said, “After watching Newsday’s video, we dispatched a spray-wash team to the Hicksville station at 8 a.m. this morning to address the problem. We will also be increasing our inspections at Hicksville and performing additional spray washings as needed.”

The Hicksville station is supposed to be powerwashed once a week, Arena said. "The problem perhaps got away from us a little bit."

Unfortunately, the pigeon mess in the overhead netting that’s designed to keep them away from the ducts poses a bigger problem, Arena said.

The power washers can’t be used there because the pressure would ruin the ductwork. That job will most likely be hired out to a contractor because it has to be done by hand, he said.

During the past two years, the LIRR has spent more than $200,000 on pigeon deterrents, such as the netting, and plan to do more pigeon-proofing work in Hicksville.

“It is a persistent problem,” Arena said, “and the solution is something we haven’t figured out yet exactly.”

Commuters can report station and train-related problems to the LIRR by calling the public affairs office at 718 558 8228. Anyone with computer access can also send an email about the complaint.

Plotz also complained about parking lot areas that are under the Town of Oyster Bay's jurisdiction.

Town spokeswoman Marta Kane said, "There's an effort to clean the lots on a regular basis." But after viewing the video, she said, "a full crew will go out to clean out every nook and cranny of the lots" at about 3 a.m. on Friday.

Kane said the town's superintendent of highways would accompany workers to determine whether there were any problem spots that needed to be addressed.

Commuters with complaints about problems in town parking lots at the train stations can call 516 677-5757.

Watchdog reader Jonathan Slomka emailed us a copy of a letter he sent to the Nassau Department of Health about the pidgeon problem.

Based on his email, department officials were scheduled to investigate the area on Thursday or Friday, spokeswoman Cynthia Young said.

Anyone with concerns about health issues at LIRR stations in Nassau can call 516 227 9715.

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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.

Black fence poles are in need of chain link fencing to surround the basketball court at Haypath Road Park in Old Bethpage, one of several problems there raised by Allan Rabinowitz.

I’ve been writing to the Town of Oyster Bay about problems at Haypath Road Park in Old Bethpage. The basketball court desperately needs resurfacing to close up large holes, it needs fencing installed where there are now fence poles that children can run into and get hurt, and the lights in the park are on day and night. There’s potential for playground injury and possible litigation and I do not want to see taxpayers’ money paying for park lights that stay on 24/7. I got a call from someone in the parks department saying they’re looking into repaving, but I’ve heard that for the last two years.

The wait for fixes to make this park all Rabinowitz wants it to be will be shorter than a basketball season.

Within three weeks, the court will be asphalted and properly paved to eliminate the holes under the basket on both ends. “Once that’s done, the fence will go up around the basketball court,” town spokeswoman Marta Kane said.

As for the lights, Kane said there’s been an “issue” with the contractor, but park officials have been told those problems will be addressed so the lights will only shine when they're supposed to shine.

Part of the problem with the basketball court repaving is its location. The park is hilly and the court is up a slight incline, making it difficult for asphalt trucks to dump in that area, so park officials were trying to determine whether it should be relocated to an area more easily accessible before renovations to the park were completed, Kane said. That uncertainty delayed the fence installation because the court couldn’t be paved with the fence in place. By the end of this month, things should be up to snuff.

Residents with questions about town parks can call 516 797-4128.

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Newsday photo by Gwen Young

Newsday photo by Audrey C. Tiernan

Kay Torrisi contacted the Community Watchdog because she was unable to get new sidewalks at the Town of Oyster Bay parking lot B7 on Stewart Avenue near her home in Bethpage after years of trying. The first photo shows Torrisi by one of the old concrete sidewalk slabs buckled by tree roots. The second photo of Torrisi was taken Jan. 31 after the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County collaborated to fix the problem after we called. Part of the problem was the shared jurisdiction. Town spokesman Jim Moriarty and Ian Siegel, deputy county executive for public works and parks, got things moving to remedy the problem. Siegel said new trees will be planted this spring and Torrisi declares the new sidewalks “beautiful.”

Kay Torrisi of Bethpage has been calling for sidewalks on Stewart Avenue to be fixed for two years.

The sidewalks along Town of Oyster Bay commuter parking lot B7 in Bethpage have been pushed up in places by tree roots and need to be repaired. The parking lot is filled with potholes and needs to be paved. People are falling and getting hurt. My calls have been ignored for two years. I fell and got a hairline fracture on my left foot. We need someone to help us, please.

--Kay Torrisi, Bethpage

Our calls to town and county officials got things moving and after inspections by the town and Nassau County, six trees were removed Monday in preparation for a new sidewalk. When the weather warms up a tad, the concrete can be poured.

No one is sure why Torrisi’s calls went unanswered or why it took so long to be fixed, but this is one of the many areas on Long Island with overlapping jurisdictions. “It’s a county road. They’re responsible for the trees. Since the sidewalks abut the parking lot, that would be under our jurisdiction,” town spokesman Jim Moriarty said. “I went down there myself [after Newsday called]. There’s no question the sidewalks were in serious need of replacement.”

Ian Siegel, deputy county executive for parks and public works, said, “This is another prime example of the need for government consolidation. Too often, situations like this occur due to the multi layers of government.” After our call, “We sent our people out. They looked at it, it needed to be done” and the trees were removed Monday, Siegel said. The county also plans to replace the trees.

The sidewalk replacement will take about four days—one to remove the old slabs and about three to pour and set the new ones, according to Kevin Hanifan, a division head in the town’s highway department. But temperatures at night must be 32 degrees or higher so the concrete can cure properly. Potholes in the parking lot have been filled in, Hanifan said, and more permanent fixes will be made on a weekend when the weather is good and commuters aren’t parked there.

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*Town of Oyster Bay Highway and Public Parking Division