Additional employees tapped for pothole jobs

Hempstead Town will deploy parks department employees and sanitation crews to help fill in the potholes that have beset the town’s streets this winter, officials said Monday.

Repairing the roadway cracks and craters is typically the responsibility of the town highway department, but the high volume of potholes opening up this month has led the town to use workers from other departments, Hempstead spokesman Mike Deery said.

“This will result in more workers and more trucks on the streets. We will be able to fill more potholes quicker,” Deery said. “Also, foremen will be on patrol, checking for potholes.”

The town is also encouraging residents to report potholes they come across — a standard procedure every year about this time, Deery said. To report a pothole in Hempstead, call 516-489-5000, ext. 3471.