Community Watchdog: Repairs get complicated

There is stagnant water in front the home I've been renting for seven months. The curb and sidewalk need extensive repair for the issue to be remedied. I've contacted the Town of Hempstead and after numerous calls they told me it was the responsibility of the Village of Cedarhurst. After a few more weeks, the village said it's the homeowner's responsibility. I'm at a loss as to who really needs to fix this.

- Jill Smulevitz, Cedarhurst

The answer isn't simple. Yes, it's the homeowner's job to repair sidewalks and curbs in the village. But since you live on West Broadway, a Nassau County road, your landlord needs to obtain a county permit for curb replacement before work starts.

Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise told us that he called the county's Department of Public Works last month and made arrangements to "expedite" the homeowner's permit for curb repair. The village has already issued one for sidewalk replacement, he said.

A week later, the mayor called us to say the process snagged after the county requested an $8,000 security fee from the homeowner to cover possible damage to the road during the curb replacement. The security fee would be returned if there's no damage, Parise said, but $8,000 is deterring the homeowner from moving ahead with the project.

Parise said he would reach out to county officials to see if the security could be waived or reduced.

County spokesman Mike Martino did not respond to our questions about the security fee or whether the county would do the necessary curb work and then bill the homeowner if she chooses not to move ahead with repairs. The county often follows that policy when homeowners fail to do necessary repairs.

Parise said the village won't force the homeowner to make curb repairs since West Broadway curbs are under the county's jurisdiction.

We will let readers know what happens next. - MICHAEL R. EBERT 

Twists and turns of 'No U-turn' sign saga

It took a year, but a missing "No U-turn" sign on busy, busy Old Country Road near the Roosevelt Field Mall has finally been replaced.

In November 2009, we wrote about Leslie Dimmling of Garden City and her quest to replace a missing No U-turn sign for westbound drivers to deter them from making the risky maneuver at Clinton Road.

Multiple jurisdictions made getting the simple sign a molasses-like project. The Town of North Hempstead first had to pass a local ordinance permitting Nassau to install the overhead sign. The town passed the ordinance on April 6, and North Hempstead's traffic technician, Diane O'Donnell, sent a copy to the county's Public Works Department, requesting that the installation move ahead.

It seemed everything was in place, but Dimmling contacted us last month and said the county still hadn't installed the sign. With Christmas shoppers converging on the mall, she said, "The intersection is more dangerous than ever."

So we called O'Donnell again. She reached out to the county and the sign went up the next day. O'Donnell said the Public Works Department is still trying to catch up on projects that backed up when former Commissioner Raymond Ribeiro was replaced after County Executive Tom Suozzi lost his bid for re-election.

Mike Martino, a spokesman for County Executive Ed Mangano, did not respond to our requests for questions or comments.

Town of North Hempstead residents with traffic sign problems should call 311. - MICHAEL R. EBERT 

North Merrick road finally makes paving list

Change that maybe to a YES!

Town of Hempstead officials say Shaw Drive in North Merrick is now definitely on the 2011 paving schedule.

Colleen Truono, president of the Wenshaw Park Civic Association in North Merrick, contacted us in early 2009 about the road's poor condition, hoping we could get officials to agree to repaving. A petition of names she'd collected didn't seem to be getting the response she was hoping for. After we called, the town sent out inspectors who determined that filling the potholes would be adequate until a full road repair was scheduled.

In May, we called the town again after North Merrick resident Larry Misita contacted us because several cars had been sideswiped by drivers trying to avoid craters, he said. Again, the town sent it's pothole crew to patch the road.

At that time, town spokesman Michael Deery said "strong consideration" would be given to add Shaw Drive to the 2011 paving list, but it wasn't a sure thing. Now it is. Last week, town engineers put the battered road on the prized list for next year, Deery said. Highway officials estimate the last time the road was paved was in '60s.

Town of Hempstead residents with concerns about the condition of town roads should call the town's highway department at 516-489-5000. - MICHAEL R. EBERT