By LARRY MAIER
Canal owners seek help from town and county
After years of asking for help, Bay Colony residents concerned about the "bone-dry" conditions and decaying bulkheads of the Grand Canal think it may finally be on the way. Locals were delighted with the recent promises of town and county officials to assist them in solving the dredging and maintenance problems of the canal. But while encouraged, area residents vow to remain cautious until these promising words become actions.
Sandra Camenzuli and her family moved into their home on Colony Drive a little over a year ago. She thought they had purchased a beautiful home on the water and looked forward to a summer of boating. What she discovered was that they had purchased "mud-front" property on a canal that is foul smelling, rat infested, and often bone-dry at low tide. When Ms. Camenzuli began to ask local authorities for assistance, she felt stonewalled.
"You get shuffled around from one office to the next until you get frustrated and want to give up." said Ms. Camenzuli. Both the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County have designated the Grand Canal as a "privately maintained canal" and therefore the full responsibility of the canal front-homeowners, she said.
However, residents believe that part of the problem with the canal is caused by run-off from public roads, which is routed via drainpipes into their "private" canal.
At a September 28 canal-side meeting with town and county officials, Ms. Camenzuli and other area residents questioned this practice. "We wanted to know whether the town or county has a legal right to allow roads and sewer drains to run off into our "private" canal and assume no legal obligation to dredge their fill," said Ms Camenzuli.
Another question on the minds of canal residents was whether or not property owners were legally bound to repair rotting bulkheads and eroding properties, which infringe on the waterway rights of neighbors. "If my sidewalk cracks, I can't leave it like that," said Ms. Camenzuli. "The town would fix it and bill me for it. What about the bulkheads?"
Town Councilman Anthony Santino suggested the formation of a "benefits assessment district," which would help partially finance the expense of the dredging and bulkhead work in the form of a tax assessment for the homeowners whose properties abut the canal. "The town and the residents need to establish some sort of permanent entity that can address the dredging and the ongoing maintenance of the canal," Mr. Santino said to the gathering of about 40 residents.
County Legislator Michael Zapson, also in attendance, agreed it is time for the issue to be addressed and recognized the desire of most residents to work with the town and county to bring about change. "We need to develop a comprehensive plan for all canals in the area," Mr. Zapson said. "A lot of the harm that has been done to these canals is because of public improvements. What I sense is a willingness on the part of the residents to help pay for the improvements."
As proof that a solution is possible, Mr. Zapson referred to a recent project in which the City of Long Beach replaced private bulkheads and assessed property owners for costs. "We can't just expect property owners to take on these kinds of projects without help," he said.
According to a 1996 letter from former Town of Hempstead Supervisor Gregory Peterson to former County Legislator Bruce Nyman, the town had considered helping the area's residents with a similar project in the mid-1980s. But, Mr. Peterson's letter contended that as the community became aware of risks to the bulk heads inherent in dredging, they petitioned against the action. Talk of creating special districts for the purpose of canal maintenance was abandoned at that time.
According to Commissioner of Waterways Ron Masters, survey work will have to be done to determine the feasibility of dredging. However, when asked about the potential for success of a dredging project, Mr. Masters was optimistic. "The technical problems aren't that awful," he said.
Although many residents felt the meeting was a step forward, they are firm in their belief that the town and county should be made to share in the financial burden of cleaning and maintaining the canal. "Nobody is taking responsibility for work which led to the problem," said Ms. Camenzuli. "They are trying to put it on the homeowners' backs."
He said, he said
A bit of local politicking was on display at the Grand Canal meeting. Democratic candidate for the Town of Hempstead Board, Jerry LaMonica, criticized Councilman Santino, his opponent in the upcoming election, for the timing of his visit to the canal. "Councilman Santino has been aware of this problem for years, and now, six weeks before an election, he is concerned," Mr. LaMonica said.
In response, Mr. Santino questioned the motivation of Mr. LaMonica's criticism. "He is trying to politicize an effort to help the people of Baldwin for his own ends. That's disgraceful," Mr. Santino said.
