By:Scott Brinton and Hector Flores
Toward the end of the month, John noted that he had called police four times. And, he said, "These are the ones that really annoy me. I could call every night with the people parking there."
The Town of Hempstead, John said, prohibits parking at the dead end from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. But, he said, people, particularly teenagers, often pull up in their cars at night and hang out for hours. He said he has seen many drinking, smoking pot or both.
John, who declined to give his last name, and his wife, Tricia, worry about their safety. Last year, after an article about the partying appeared in the Herald, someone drove a stolen van to the end of Merrick Avenue and set it on fire, according to police.
Despite their concern, John and Tricia continue to speak out anonymously, because they want something done to solve what for them has become an intolerable problem. The couple and several neighbors say noise from the parties regularly wakes them in the early morning.
A solution may be in the works, however.
John and Tricia met with members of the Merrick Fire Department in early August to develop a plan to deal with the unruly activity. Ron Luparello, the department's second assistant chief and a New York City police officer, suggested building a large curb that would span much of the dead end and limit parking there.
The street at this spot measures 45 feet wide. Luparello said the town would have to maintain at least an 18-foot-wide road through the area to provide access for the fire department. The curb would also have to be sloped, so fire trucks could easily back over it. The extended curb could be a cement plot, or it could become a neighborhood green.
In 2003, John, Tricia and other neighbors proposed installing a gate that would close off the end of Merrick Avenue at night. In the morning, the town would open it to allow access to the fishermen who use the pier there. But the Merrick Fire Department quashed the plan, saying it would restrict access to the dead end in an emergency. Fire officials said the pier could act as a launching point for a rescue boat if another vessel capsized in the canal or bay, or if someone fell in the water and was in danger of drowning.
John and Tricia say they're amenable to an enlarged curb at the dead end. But, they said, the town has been slow to act on it. Tricia said she called Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray several times in August, but did not hear from her, only from town attorney Joseph Ra.
So Tricia and John attended the Sept. 7 Town Council meeting to make their case. Murray said the town was awaiting a well-defined proposal from the fire department, and urged patience until one was developed. "The Merrick Fire Department has not yet completed their review to see what to do about the area," Murray said. She made no promises.
Luparello, the department's point man on the issue, said that the department is carefully reviewing the curb plan, and its chiefs must reach a consensus on it before proposing it to the town. He added that August was a hard month to sit down and refine the plan, because he was working hours of overtime on guard duty at the Republican National Convention in Manhattan. But, Luparello added, with the convention behind him, he could devote greater attention to the issue. He could not say precisely when a plan might be complete, however.
A handful of other Merrick residents turned out at the town meeting. They worried that the dead end would somehow be closed off. They were particularly concerned about the proposed gate, apparently unaware that the proposal was no longer on the table.
Resident Dolores Pecoraro said that, at the pier, "We have never seen anything negative. Having it closed would hinder the openness of the area. I can't see anything wrong with families going there, fishing and enjoying themselves. Anyone buying a house down there should know that it is near a public area."
Gay Taffel Cummina, another resident, said, "If you don't live near a public area, it is nice to go somewhere close to home and catch a fish. I am a walker and I enjoy walking to the area. The end of Merrick Avenue is clean. In 40 years, I have never seen a problem. That area is part of Merrick, and I hate to see it changed."
Tricia said, "All we are proposing is a limit on the number of cars at the pier. My neighbors have watched people vandalize and throw garbage in the pier. There isn't a day when a neighbor doesn't find beer cans and empty soft-drink bottles. Restricting the amount of cars there would help."
"If and when there is a proposal," Murray concluded, "we will have a public hearing."
