Westbury will keep a longstanding auto repair shop and get a new stop sign, the village’s board determined on Thursday night.
Though owner Bob Balducci missed the deadline to renew the special use permit for his shop, Balducci’s Auto Repair, by nearly a decade, Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro and the board decided to grant him grace after half a dozen of Balducci’s customers spoke in support of his services.
“I live just four doors down from the shop,” one customer said. “He’s a great neighbor. His place is clean, he serves the community well, and we just really enjoy having him.
“I’ve been a customer of his for eight to 10 years, and…this is the first time in my entire driving life that I feel that when I bring my car to a shop, I will be told the truth,” said another. “Mr. Balducci is not going to try to con me. When he says it, I know it’s true, and that’s exactly the kind of person I believe we need in Westbury.”
Cavallaro said he wouldn’t “belabor the point,” but did “think it is a little odd that nine years went by without a renewal.”
Balducci and his attorney said they had “forgotten” to renew the permit and apologized, which the mayor accepted. The board unanimously approved an indefinite special use permit for Balducci, provided that Balducci opens his shop for annual inspection by the village. Balducci agreed to the condition.
Balducci said he’s worked in the auto repair industry for 51 years, with 21 of those years spent in Westbury. He said he was happy to receive the renewal, as running his shop is his passion.
“I love the trade,” Balducci said. “I’ve been turning wrenches since I was 14.”
The board also used Thursday’s meeting to approve a new stop sign at the corner of Carle Road and Woodcock Road after receiving a July letter and a petition full of signatures from residents in the area who felt the additional sign was necessary to curb speeding on the highly trafficked road, which children frequently play near.
Cavallaro said he believed the stop sign would be a welcome addition to a “fairly long stretch” of road that is “limited” in traffic regulations.
“The issue is cars are traveling north, and they see the traffic light at Jericho Turnpike, and they just speed up and try to beat the traffic light,” Cavallaro said. “This would stop them.”
Cavallaro said the board received an email from another resident opposing the new stop sign in October, but that it believed the sign was necessary.
“There is a school of thought in traffic management that says if you put too many stop signs or too many other types of signals or limitations, people get accustomed to ignoring them,” Cavallaro said. “However, that particular location is a location that’s well known for people abusing the traffic conditions in terms of speeding, and there’s a school on the block to the south of this location.”
The board unanimously approved the installation of a stop sign. Cavallaro said it would be installed within the next few weeks.
The village’s next board of trustees meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 at village hall.
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