Storm drain solves puddle problem

When it rains, even slightly, a pool of water accumulates on our sidewalk and at the base of our driveway. Our neighbors tell us that after the street was regraded a few years ago, it became pitched more toward my corner. Our corner is a bus stop and children walk in the street to avoid the water. I've called the town. I think they could easily install a new storm drain to eliminate the problem entirely.

--Kylie Higgins, West Islip

You shouldn't have to paddle around your driveway anymore, Ms. Higgins.

The Town of Islip's Public Works Department reviewed your problem after our call and installed a new storm drain in front of your home to handle the runoff.

Town spokesman Kevin Bonner said new asphalt will be laid down shortly to complete the project.

The town also sent a crew to clean the entire drainage system on Ms. Higgins' street to remove any blockages. Nice response to a pesky problem.

Town residents with flooding issues can call 631-224-5610.

--MICHAEL R. EBERT

Garbage strewn patch of road finally clean

At Hubbards Path and the Sunrise Highway service road in West Babylon, there's all kinds of garbage that has collected in that area. I've tried for more a year to get it cleaned up. I've been to the Town of Babylon three or four times. The town says it's a state road. The state says it can't do anything. It's an eyesore and I can't get anybody to clean it up. Under the overpass, there are dead birds. Crews used to come and clean the area a few times a year. Now it looks like a pigsty. Other areas farther east that have overpasses are much cleaner for some reason. We have pride in our community, too.

-- John Pletto, West Babylon

A road maintenance crew was sent out to clean the area after we called, and Mr. Pletto was pleased with the results. In an email last week, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Eileen Peters said workers attacked the garbage problem April 28. We called Mr. Pletto on Thursday and asked how things are looking now at Hubbard's Path, two weeks after the crew was there. "It's pretty much clean," he said. "It's nothing like it was."

Of course, if trash collects there again (and what are the odds?) the DOT can't promise a quick cleanup. Peters wrote, "While NYSDOT strives to maintain a safe and aesthetically pleasing transportation system, the current fiscal constraints oblige us to prioritize our available resources to safety-related issues."

Street needs serious work

My street is falling apart. It has been this way for a few years. The Town Of Oyster Bay comes and patches in front of my home every few months, but the holes reappear within days. Driving down my street is like driving on a street in Queens, up and down dips and holes. The town has been fixing the street with 40-by-20-feet patches in some spots. It needs to be repaved. At night all I hear is the cars hitting the bumps as we are trying to sleep. With summer coming, it becomes extremely annoying with the windows open. I pay my taxes on time and just want my street to be the way it should be. Also, the crosswalks that lead to Lee Avenue Elementary School and Hicksville Middle School are no longer visible at Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue. All of the street lines need to be repainted because this is a very busy street. I wrote to the town last year and was told it is too expensive to repave my street but they would take care of the crosswalks. It was never done.

-- Marie Grebe, Hicksville

Town spokeswoman Marta Kane says there's no plan to repave the road, Mrs. Grebe, but Highway Department officials understand your concerns, because the road has been patched multiple times.

In an effort to make the road look better, they'll take extra steps, she said. "Rather than just 'mill and fill' they would overlay some of the deteriorated areas -- which I'm sure she'll notice will make a bigger difference." Kane explained that workers would "melt the asphalt in and around the area and repour it so it looks like a new strip of road. We can't repave every road every time, but this will definitely make a big difference. As far as the crosswalks, they'll be repainted within the next few days, Kane said, weather permitting.

Problems with a road that the Town of Oyster Bay maintains? Call 516-677-5757.