Community watchdog: County has wrong data

We have been living in our home since 1983 and are mortgage-free. But Nassau County records show that our house was bought in 2004 for $366,000 and carries a mortgage. Actually, that's how much our next-door neighbors paid for their home in 2004. The wrong information is posted on the Nassau County website mynassauproperty.com and I have been trying to get the county to correct the problem for four years. I even made a trip to the county clerk's office in Mineola to straighten it out because real estate brokers tell me that's where they get their information from, but it still hasn't been changed. -- Gary Graham, Hicksville

This was a bit puzzling. Nassau County spokeswoman Katie Grilli-Robles said officials were sent to Mr. Graham's house shortly after we told her about the problem, and things seemed to match up with the county's assessment records.

Then we faxed her the incorrect information from the county website mentioned by Mr. Graham, and that's when Acting Nassau County Assessor James E. Davis took over, Grilli-Robles said.

Davis found that when the house next door was bought, the deed was incorrectly filed with Mr. Graham's house number.

"The original deed [to the neighbor's house] had the wrong house number," Grilli-Robles said. "Everything's been corrected."

For questions about assessment records, call 516-571-1500. 

There's a Verizon pole very close to snapping off or coming down. If that happens, 150-200 homeowners will be without electricity, telephone, computer and it may even kill somebody. I'm a former lineman for the company and I've notified them myself, but nothing's been done. They started putting new sewers in last fall and upsetting the earth under the pole, so it's in a very precarious position right now. I've been telling them it's easier to fix while it's still upright than when it's on the ground. I was a lineman for 35 years, so I know what I'm talking about. -- Ron Swedborg, Oakdale

It's hard not to be impressed by how fast a new pole was installed by Verizon crews after we contacted spokesman John Bonomo.

Soon after learning about Mr. Swedborg's concerns, a Verizon manager went to the site to inspect the pole and determined "the guy-wires and strands are fine."

The next day, however, Bonomo sent us an email. "We decided to change out the pole today because it needed be done in the near future, but [it's] definitely not a safety issue," he wrote. "As far as other utilities [LIPA, and Cablevision, which owns Newsday], we will have to wait until they transfer their equipment prior to the pole removal. We will follow up with all parties involved."

For concerns involving Verizon, call 800-VERIZON. 

The westbound service road near Exit 59 on the Long Island Expressway in Ronkonkoma is a dumping area for drivers. The roadside is often covered with fast-food trash and half-eaten food. I've even seen mice in the summer. I know it's a dangerous spot because vehicles travel at high rates of speed, but who is responsible for maintaining that area? -- John Leippert, Ronkonkoma

The area was cleaned at our request, Mr. Leippert, but it's unlikely to stay that way because litter has become a chronic problem on Long Island and resources are limited.

Suffolk County's Public Works Department sent a crew to clean the service road between Pond Road and Ocean avenues in Ronkonkoma. Chief Deputy Commissioner James Peterman said the extreme snowfall this winter disrupted the department's litter-removal efforts, and they've spent the past six weeks catching up.

The department handles both the maintenance and repair of more than 400 miles of road, Peterman said, so typically, the service roads are cleaned only once or twice a year. And anyone who drives Long Island roads knows that litter happens every day here. The costs associated with those efforts runs the county between $700,000 and $800,000 annually, he said. So taxpayers who are littering are also paying for the cleanup.

If cleanup efforts were increased, it would mean removing crews from filling potholes and replacing signs, he said.

Peterman said he's open to letting community groups or local organizations adopt stretches of the LIE service road. Those interested can call the highway maintenance division at 631-852-4070.