Last week, the Oyster Bay Civic Association hosted Kevin Hanifan, commissioner of the Town of Oyster Bay Highway Department, in a forum held at the Italian-Americans Citizens Club on Summit Street in Oyster Bay. Hanifan addressed the issues of pothole repairs and snow removal procedures and responsibility, answering questions and concerns raised by community members.
“The snow drains on you; it drains on the men, it drains on the equipment and it drains on the budget, and as homeowners, you have to deal with it,” Hanifan said. “And you get two years in a row of this, you wish for the spring to come around. But with the spring, comes potholes.”
He said that on Long Island, it is impossible to avoid potholes, which are created by a change in temperature and moisture.
“The town is trying to keep up with the potholes; we have crews out every single day,” Hanifan said. “We prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and fight what falls from the sky.”
He said one of the problems this year is that the first snowfall was the last snow to melt.
He said that salt brine, which is used on state roads and in the Town of North Hempstead, does not seem to prevent potholes, as far as he can see. Furthermore, he said at 17 degrees, salt doesn’t work any more to melt ice.
One resident raised concerns about the size of potholes.
“The severity of winters back-to-back has a lot to do it with,” said Hanifan. “The base was damaged last year…All we’re trying to do now is get people to travel safely and not blow out tires.”
He addressed the issues surrounding some of the sidewalks near schools, particularly on Route 106 near Vernon School, where the snow was not shoveled for nearly a month after the initial snowfall, making it impossible for kids to walk safely.
One woman asked what the civic association can do to remediate the situation on 106, which is a state highway. Hanifan advised her to either contact the New York State Department of Transportation directly or to set up a petition online.
The same resident also brought up the subject of ticketing property owners who did not clear sidewalks.
“We did not issue any tickets…it’s a manpower issue to enforce it,” Hanifan said. “We have 90,000 residents in the Town of Oyster Bay. Where do you start?”
“You start with resident complaints,” she said. “The town needs to establish a system for addressing the situation.”
Hanifan said county legislators are working on addressing the situation with commercial property owners and it would be best to get in touch with the legislators to discuss taking the legislation a step further.
Dottie Simons, president of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, suggested that the civic association do something to raise awareness of the situation.
“A lot of people don’t know their responsibility,” she said.
Rob Brusca, who sits on the chamber’s board, said that in past discussions with the town, school district and homeowners, there was some confusion about whose responsibility it is to shovel. “Everyone’s been passing the buck,” he said, adding, “We’re getting nowhere with the state.”
“If Marcellino gets enough people in there barking about it, he’s going to know about it,” said Simons.
