By: Karenlyn Barone
I got off the train last night, got to my car and there was a hand-written note on the windshield," said commuter and East Rockaway resident Bill Belmont. "It was from a contractor saying that we couldn't park in the lot for the next three to four weeks, because of work being done. There was no prior notice, no warning, nothing.
Construction was to begin the next morning on municipal parking field No. 5, prohibiting the use of the lot. Other than the note from the contractor, no prior notice was given, nor alternate parking arrangements made.
The parking field, across the street from St. Raymond's Church, allows commuters to park their cars and walk the short block to the train. They pay an annual fee of $100 for the convenience. The temporary closing of the lot left more than 50 commuters with no place to park, and they were shocked and surprised that they were given virtually no prior notice.
If the village is going to do work, they need to give us prior notice," said Belmont. "We need to have accommodations, and if they're going to take our parking away from us for three or four weeks, we need to be compensated.
The following morning, Oct. 16, commuters hustled to find parking within walking distance of the Centre Avenue stop. Some were able to park in the few unaffected metered parking spaces in parking field No. 5, but most were left to wrangle for spots on the street.
East Rockaway Mayor Joseph Carrigan was on hand Thursday morning to answer commuters' questions and offer as good an explanation as possible under the circumstances. He stood on the perimeter of the parking field with Building Superintendent Dennis McCabe as construction vehicles began work. The entire lot is scheduled to be torn up, and improved drainage will be put in place. The lot will then be resurfaced, and street scapes will be added, including brick sidewalks, lights and benches.
It's all part of Operation Downtown and the Waterfront Revitalization project, said Carrigan. This parking field renovation has been planned for quite a long time, and we wanted to get it finished before the holidays in deference to the church. This was the quickest time the contractor could do it, and even the village didn't have prior notice.
Still, commuters were less than happy with the effect the project is having on their commute. I am annoyed and I feel betrayed, said commuter and Lynbrook School Board trustee Ron Nash. I had no idea I would not be able to park in the lot until I got home last night and found the note on my windshield. Why didn't they notify us earlier and give us a couple of weeks to find an alternative place to park? Why didn't the village help us make alternative arrangements?
The alternative for most commuters was to leave their cars at municipal parking field No. 3, on Ocean Avenue, abutting the LIRR's East Rockaway station. By 8 a.m. on Thursday, that lot was full.
The parking lot at the East Rockaway parking field is too small to handle everyone from both stations, said Belmont. And regardless, it would have been nice to have a little advance warning.
The village's answer to this dilemma is to allow anyone with a municipal lot permit to either park at a meter for free or park on a side street without fear of being ticketed.
We have instructed our code-enforcement people not to ticket anyone, said Carrigan. Of course, the people who have the commuters parking in front of their houses are going to be unhappy, but there's no other way to do it.
The mayor said that there are no plans to reimburse permit holders for the time they will not be able to use the lot. We are allowing them to park in close proximity to where they are, and they can go to any other lot in the village and they're not going to be ticketed, said Carrigan. At this point we are not planning on any refunds.
Some commuters, though, were unaware of these arrangements. I didn't even notice the flier on my car last night because I came home in the dark, said Mark Kantor. I didn't know what to do, but the spot I usually park in was not being marked off by the construction barriers, so I just parked there. I'm not even sure if I should have."
Carrigan acknowledged that the parking field renovation would be inconvenient to some, but stressed that the long-term benefits would be worth it. We are going to have a lot of people very upset about this, but the whole idea behind it is to get it done as quickly as possible and, hopefully, with the least amount of inconvenience to our residents, he said. We will be sending out notices to all those who have parking permits, telling them that for the foreseeable future, until this thing is completed, they will be able to park on residential streets, as long as they are parked legally."
Carrigan cautioned commuters not to park in front of a hydrant or to block anyone's driveway, which will not be tolerated. Village code-enforcement officers have been instructed not to ticket anyone on residential streets.
With the closing of lot No. 5, code-enforcement officer Joe Clancy was busy last Thursday morning patrolling field No. 3, at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Davison Plaza. This lot is definitely more full than usual, he said. It looks like the people from the other lot got here early.
Clancy said he had received instructions from the village just that morning. I understand the village is going to give commuters a freebie by letting them park ... on the street, he said. I was told not to ticket anyone on the residential streets. The commuters had no control over this, and neither did the village, apparently.
Belmont saw the whole deal as a lose-lose situation. Unfortunately for the village, it's a double whammy, he said. They're going to lose the revenue they could have generated from parking violations, and at the same time they're going to incense the neighbors who are now going to have cars parked in front of their houses throughout the day. So, either way, it's going to be a travesty and a devastation.
