A historic storm leaves lingering concerns

Early this week, East Meadowites and their elected leaders were worried about how last weekend’s historic winter storm would continue to impact the community.

County Executive Ed Mangano said that between 25 and 29 inches of snow fell in communities across Nassau on Saturday. Even as the snow melted, Mangano and Nassau University Medical Center officials said that residents were still at risk of injuries caused by newly formed black ice and attempts to shovel the heavy remaining snow.

East Meadow Neighborhood Committee members also had safety concerns. Hempstead Turnpike sidewalks were still full of snow, they said, and they were worried about what might happen to people who were forced to walk on the busy roadway.

Yvonne Amato, co-chair of the committee, said that as of Tuesday afternoon, owners of many businesses along Hempstead Turnpike had yet to shovel the deep snow on their sidewalks. Members had seen people — particularly passengers waiting at or leaving one of 16 bus stops along the street, Amato said — walk on the road to get around the snow, coming close to passing cars.

“This is not a regular roadway — this is a high-traffic area,” Amato said. “Property owners should be cleaning their sidewalks … it’s what’s best for everybody.”

The state Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining state roadways like Hempstead Turnpike from curb to curb, NYSDOT spokeswoman Eileen Peters said. However, she added that according to state law, enforcing sidewalk snow removal is up to town supervisors. The law states that town officials must “maintain all sidewalks in the town constructed by the state adjacent to state highways … and, when authorized by the town board, cause the removal of snow therefrom.”

But Charles Kovit, the Town of Hempstead’s chief deputy attorney, said that a county administrative code indicates that Nassau officials have the authority to construct and repair sidewalks and curbs on state highways. Therefore, Kovit said, community members should notify the county if sidewalks on Hempstead Turnpike aren’t cleared of snow.