Lindenhurst extracts sunken barge, crane

After years of legal wrangling over hundreds of code violations, a sinking barge with a crane on top of it was finally pulled out of the canal behind South Hickory Street in Lindenhurst Tuesday.

The equipment was part of a private rental property owned by Edward Parthe. The property also includes a house, shed and garage, all of which was run down, said Deputy Mayor Kevin McCaffrey. He said Parthe is a dock builder who also had stacks of wood pilings on his yard, which were soaked in oil and causing hazardous runoff into the canal.

Parthe’s house was also in disrepair, McCaffrey said.

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On Tuesday a blue tarp covered the roof, which was charred by an electrical fire years ago; the yard was littered in broken aluminum fencing and other debris.

McCaffrey said the clearing on Tuesday came after the most recent victory against Parthe in Suffolk County Supreme Court.

“It’s not just been an eyesore but an environmental hazard as well,” he said. “It took us a very long time, and a long legal battle to get this done.”

Parthe, who McCaffrey said lives in Miller Place, has been convicted of 263 village code violations and awaits trial for hundreds more in Lindenhurst Village Justice Court. McCaffrey said the Suffolk Supreme Court has ordered Parthe to pay the village more than $30,000 -- plus the cost of the cleanup. That money will be added to Parthe’s real property tax bill.

Gennaro Milone, who lives across the street from Parthe's property on South Hickory Street, said he was glad the village was taking action.

“I’ve lived directly across from this eyesore for 13 years,” he said. “It’s great, hopefully they’ll do some work on it and we’ll get our neighborhood back.”