By JOSEPH KELLARD
After applying two years ago for the property of South Beach Dance Club on Broadway in Island Park, Extra Space Storage, a self-storage company, recently pulled its application. Some neighbors of the former nightclub, which has been vacant since 1999, are concerned that it might re-open.
Barbara and Frank DeLucia, who live on nearby Connecticut Avenue, took their concern to an Island Park town hall meeting hosted by Hemsptead Town Councilman Anthony Santino in February.
"We wanted to know: Are there thoughts of another club going there?" Barbara said.
Santino told the DeLucias and other residents at the meeting that there was no indication the building would re-open as a nightclub, but that he had heard talk that another self-storage company might be interested in purchasing the property.
One resident, Frank Puma, told Santino that problems with vandalism, parking and litter consisting of beer and water bottles (the latter indicating use of the drug ecstasy) plagued the neighborhood when South Beach was open.
"What is the town going to do if that becomes a club again and attracts the garbage that it does?" Puma asked Santino.
"If it becomes a club again, the town will be fully vigilant to make sure all town codes are enforced, and we will work with the Fourth Precinct to ensure the law is fully enforced," Santino said.
In talking with some neighbors about the nightclub, the Herald found a pattern of complaints: club-goers blocked driveways when they parked, drank alcohol outside, and fought and urinated on residents' property, among other things.
"When the club was open, people would urinate and fornicate in your yard," K a t h y C a r d i n e a u , who lives adjacent to South Beach, told the Herald. "There was constant noise and fights out in the parking lots. If you came home at night you had to park nine blocks from your house because there is no place to park, because they don't care about the signs and they blocked your driveway. It's still cheaper to park on the block and eat a $25 ticket. I can go on and on. There was a lot of bad things that went on there."
Lena White, a resident of Massachusetts Avenue, told Santino at the meeting that the building was in "terrible condition" and that kids can and do get inside. The following day Santino sent building inspectors to the site to search for code violations.
"I don't know if violations or summonses were issued," Ed Sieban, executive assistant to the town board, told the Herald last week. "I know [the town] was able to get the property owner to secure the building by boarding up whatever openings were there, put up a fence around the perimeter of the property, and post a number of no-trespassing signs so that police can arrest anyone who goes on the property. We've spoken to the neighbors who complained about it, and they are satisfied with the progress at this point."
The property owner, Frank Basile, did not return calls to the Herald. A spokesperson at the town's Building Department said that the property's status cannot be made public until an application is made.
"At this point, it seems everything is rumors: It's going to be a nightclub, a storage facility, a supper club, this, that and the other thing," C a r d i n e a u said. "It would probably take a fortune to rebuild that place. The entire inside is destroyed. The bulkheading has to be replaced. It's just a hell hole."
Said DeLucia, "I don't want another club there. It would be nice to see houses instead. I wasn't crazy about the storage facility, but at least it was better than nothing."
