Skateboarding signs stolen in Farmingdale

Twelve "boarding or skating prohibited" signs have been swiped from the Farmingdale streets where the sport was banned two months ago, village officials said.

The signs were taken overnight last week and account for about 80 percent of the total notices posted on poles in the area, Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said Tuesday.

Ekstrand at Monday's village board meeting said officials would replace the stolen signs and make them "less easy to pilfer."

The thefts come after the board in early December imposed a ban on skateboarding and similar sports on Lenox Hill -- a favorite hangout of local longboarders -- to the dismay of teenagers and young adults who turned out at public hearings to oppose the move.

Village officials had deemed the steep hill, which includes Fairview Road and Yoakum Street, too dangerous a spot for skaters, drivers and pedestrians to congregate.

Compliance with the new law has been high, Ekstrand said Tuesday.

He estimated that 90 percent of the regular skaters have not returned and said residents "in very few instances" have resorted to calling Nassau County police to clear out the skaters.

Though the law calls for a $100 fine with each violation, Ekstrand said no fines or citations have been issued.

"We don't want to see kids fined or locked up," he said, adding that the emphasis remains on safety.