Concerns at Westover Gardens

By NIColE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com

It all started with a “foul smell.” Then there were flies in the lobby.

Nassau County police were called out to an apartment at Westover Gardens in Elmont for a wellness check. Instead, they found a body.

There was no sign of foul play, police said, and the tenant — not identified by authorities — reportedly had an extensive medical history. The body was removed by the medical examiner that same day.

to be identified fearing repercussions for her mother. “They could leave feeling ill.”

The super arrived the next day to clean up the lobby and rid it of the odor. A cleanup crew from the Town of Hempstead Housing Authority — which manages the property — was by not long after to clean out the room, once the super told residents he received an all-clear from the coroner’s office.

“First, it took so long for someone to realize there was a dead body,” she said. “Then it took so long for someone to come clean.” er of a child in the program, said. “I say, ‘Do you want to go to the pool some time?’ They say, ‘No, we want to go to the library.’”

The theme for the challenge this year is “All together now.” Diane Gregory, children’s services librarian, made it her own by adding “kids can make a better world” to the theme. She created a character named Blaze Wilder, who travels the world asking kids how they think other children can make the world better.

To go with that theme, Gregory donates to certain environmental organizations each week if the children collectively reach a certain number of books finished for that week. She donates to organizations like the

People die at home sometimes. It’s a sad fact of life. But for the woman who finally called police, it’s just one more thing on a growling list her mother — and other tenants at Westover Gardens — are dealing with.

CARRIE Sol AGES

None of this was new for Vida Tomlinson, who has lived at Westover Gardens for the past five years. During the pandemic, someone on the floor below her died, and the smell remained in the building for several weeks.

“I mean they’re seniors,” said the woman, who asked not

Whenever family members would come to visit, they’d

ContinuEd on PagE 2