By:Cindy J. Roth
"They are destroying the natural beauty of the neighborhood," said George Bello, who lives on the north side of Linden Street and is one of the two property owners against the project. "I bought my property because of the creek. People don't realize how big this pipe is going to be."
Newbridge Creek dried up a few decades ago when the water table dropped and today mostly resembles a dug-out trench that winds from property to property. The problem for the 11 homeowners who have the creek running through their properties is flooding of their backyards during heavy rainfalls. The creek cannot hold large volumes of water.
The town Engineering Department plan to enclose the creek would alleviate the flooding. Garbage that the water picks up as it flows downstream from Martin Avenue to Linden Street would no longer escape over the lips of the creek bed and onto homeowners' properties, officials say.
The $625,000 project would also create an underground drainage system so rainwater that does accumulate on homeowners' properties would be routed into the enclosed creek. Bill Rockensies, Engineering Department commissioner, said the pipe is the least intrusive and most practical option to alleviate the flooding.
Joseph Castaldo has lived on Oak Street since 1990 and has worked for the last five years to have the creek enclosed. Beyond flooding issues, Castaldo said the area is unsafe and poses a variety of potential liabilities for the town.
Castaldo said the creek, which he describes as a "polluted, trash-laden, dry bed," is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and West Nile virus. He also believes storm-water runoff that runs through the creek collects motor oil, anti-freeze and gasoline during its travels. The untreated sewage then gets dumped on lawns and children's toys in many homeowners' backyards, which Castaldo says can lead to civil and/or Environmental Protection Agency lawsuits against the town.
Castaldo appealed to the town board at its June 4 meeting to enclose the creek for his children's safety. He told the board that his 6-year-old autistic daughter's favorite activity is playing on her swing set. She no longer can because erosion around the creek has made the ground unstable for the swing set.
"She is already caged in her mind," pleaded Castaldo. "She shouldn't be caged in our house."
The Town of Hempstead has the authority to maintain the creek, but does not own any part of it. Homeowners' property lines run to the creek's center. In order for the town to do any work on the creek, it must receive easements signed by the homeowners.
Ed Rizk, the other homeowner who is unwilling to sign the easement, is fed up with the whole situation. He believes the town is working in conjunction with the people who want the creek enclosed.
"I just want to move at this point," said Rizk. "I don't talk to my neighbors anymore. The process is deceitful and untruthful. The town doesn't tell us anything."
Rizk said he and Bello were given different answers from the town as to what would happen to their properties if they do not sign the easement and the town board approves the plan.
One of Rizk and Bello's greatest concerns about the town plan is the amount of land they would lose on their properties. Rizk, who has lived on Oak Street since 1958, said he would lose about half of his side and back yards and trees if the creek was enclosed.
According to Rockensies, only 19 trees must be removed to complete the project. Landscaping would also be replaced to return the properties to their original condition as best as possible once work is complete.
Another misconception among a variety of homeowners about the plan is the way the enclosed pipe would look. Rockensies said the pipe would be completely underground, and dirt placed on top of the creek would be level with surrounding properties. Because the creek is several feet deep in some areas and shallow and narrow in others, the shallow and narrow parts of the stream would be dug deeper and wider to allow the four-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide pipe to be installed.
The work easement that homeowners are signing allows the town to go onto their properties and take additional land on either side of the creek. A 22-foot corridor surrounding the creek is needed for the operation of the machinery to install the pipe.
Town of Hempstead spokesperson Mike Deery said there is no time frame for the town board to reach a decision over the plan. If it passes, the two homeowners who did not sign easements, Rizk and Bello, would have their properties condemned so work can commence.
