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Page 13 MARCH 30 - APRIl 5, 2023
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Few turn out for Union Ave. project Q&A By BeN FIeBeRt bfiebert@liherald.com
Courtesy Alison Castardi
ResIdeNt AlIsoN CAstARdI said that flooding on Lawson Avenue was never like this before the project started in 2020.
Damage claims being denied
After storm drainage improvement project, residents say they weren’t told of 90-day limit By BeN FIeBeRt bfiebert@liherald.com
After a drainage improvement project allegedly caused damage to properties in East Rockaway, property owners were told to file damage claims. But what they weren’t told is that an unknown claims deadline would lead to frustration and financial hardship. East Rockaway resident Alison Castardi learned she wouldn’t be reimbursed for her damage claims after exchanging dozens of emails with the Nassau County Department of Public Works. In a January information session at East Rockaway Village Hall, DPW Commissioner Ken Arnold told residents the
procedure to file claims. He left out a critical detail. It was later revealed through Castardi’s email exchanges that the claims must be filed within 90 days of the incident occurring, which residents say they were not aware of. “This community has suffered so much,” Castardi said regarding the frequent flooding. “We’ve been through so much hardship. This project is supposed to better our lives and instead it’s done nothing but give us an incredible amount of grief and put us more financially behind to restore the damages they’ve caused us.” Arnold told Castardi in an email that the Continued on page 10
The lawyers representing the owners of 161 Union Ave., the property undergoing a transformation that will turn Asahi Sushi into a condominium complex, hosted a public outreach meeting to address residents’ concerns. The March 22 meeting at the Knights of Columbus saw scarce attendance, attracting about two dozen people despite a lot of social media community pushback. Attorney William Bonesso and one of the property owners, William Geier, took attendees through a timeline starting when the project was approved. In late December of 2020, the 18-unit condominium complex was unanimously approved. At the public outreach meeting, Bonesso said that the property was “not sightly.” It was reported that people would frequently go to the parking lot at night and smoke as well as leave trash on the ground. One community member asked why the property owners couldn’t just address those specific issues instead of going through with the rezoning project. “With the landlord-tenant law, tenants have a lot of rights
Zoning board’s next public hearing The Board of Zoning Appeals will meet April 27 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall. The board will vote on two variances for the project at 161 Union Ave. Those with concerns about this project are encouraged to attend. and property owners can only do so much,” Bonesso said. Another issue people noticed is the beeping of trucks at 5 a.m. “This will go away the sooner that this is built,” Bonesso said. He added that for these issues to stop now, the village would have to issue summonses or violations. However, he said, the owners of 161 Union Ave. “fully intend to remove not only the tenants, but all of the illegal activities that may be occurring on the property, but they have to go through the legal process to do so.” Bonesso hosted meetings with community members Continued on page 15