Hempstead wants residents to back Seaford flooding fix

There is a bad flooding problem in my neighborhood that the Town of Hempstead is looking to fix this spring with a project that would raise the ground level of our front yards and road. In order to work on each property, the town needs approval of the homeowner. So far, only a portion have agreed. Some of us have waited 30 years for this and it would be a shame if it weren't properly done. We need our political leaders to step up and allay the fears of these neighbors. - Robert Sullivan, Seaford

THE Town of Hempstead said that it is already in process of reworking the scope of the Seaford project to attract as many homeowners as possible.

As of mid-January, about half of the 85 targeted homeowners - spanning from Narragansett to Penatiquit avenues - have agreed to let the town raise the ground levels of their front lawns by varying degrees.

But at the request of several homeowners, town officials are now proposing less-drastic property elevations in places in hopes that it will get a more positive reaction.

"We've done projects like this in the past and we understand the concern - a home is a person's primary investment," said town spokesman Mike Deery. "Our goal is to make the neighborhood as a whole more protected from tidal flooding, but we also want this to be a project that homeowners are happy with and embrace."

In an effort to educate residents, town officials have held several informational meetings and also traveled door-to-door. Deery was unable to predict whether the project could be delayed if a certain number of residents don't agree to participate.

"It depends which ones sign on," he said. "There are certain ones that if they don't, it would make the project infeasible."

Hempstead residents with flooding concerns can contact the town's Highway Department at 516-489-5000.