N. Hempstead to discuss hydrant maintenance

As blizzard season nears, the North Hempstead board and fire officials are looking at how to clear the way for fire hydrants.

On the 7:30 p.m. town board agenda Tuesday is the continuation of a public hearing over a proposal requiring property owners to remove snow and ice from fire hydrants on their land.

The resolution came at the urging of the town's Fire Advisory Council, which said unshoveled hydrant areas block access and may delay response times.

When first proposed, the resolution applied to commercial and residential properties, but town board members Angelo Ferrara and Maria-Christina Ferrara said they were concerned about the impact on older residents, out-of-town residents and property owners who shoveled only to have town plows fill the area back in with snow.

Ferrara said the board will consider a proposal that affects only commercial properties for now. Single-family homes will be addressed later. Property owners are now required to shovel sidewalks but not fire hydrants.

Also on the agenda is a resolution to set a public hearing on a plan to convert the old Knickerbocker Yacht Club on Main Street in Port Washington into senior housing. The club, overlooking Manhasset Bay, closed in 2009.

The developers, 433 Main Street Realty LLC, propose a 3-story, 35-unit housing complex with restaurant and parking. The applicants have Board of Zoning Appeals approval and need site plan approval and a special use permit from the town, said board member Fred Pollack. "It's a good place for housing if you believe housing is good on the bay," he said. "I think the bay needs water-related, water-dependent uses."