By Karenlyn Barone
"The LIRR has made repairs to the chain-link fence at that location on a couple of occasions over the last year," said LIRR spokesman Sam Zambuto. "With regard to high-security fencing, funding has not been identified for this type of fencing, but it is under review."
Higgins started writing to the LIRR in May 2002, concerned about the disrepair of the fence on the west side of Ocean Avenue and Davison Plaza. Holes and damaged sections in the fence made for easy access to the tracks, especially for children, who cross the area to get to the junior/senior high school.
"The LIRR has written in every letter to me that they will inspect and repair the fence periodically, yet there has been no repair work done since December 2002," said Higgins. "The same holes I noticed over a year ago are still there."
This summer, LIRR workers have been doing bed construction at the station, which only added to the already frustrating situation. "The temporary fence the LIRR put up here while they were doing bed construction on the rails was damaged by their own equipment," said East Rockaway Mayor Joseph Carrigan. "This has been going on for a long time, and we don't seem to get the affirmative response from the LIRR that we would like."
Carrigan went on to say that the village has known of the problems with the substandard fence, but the death of Kevin Brown on a stretch of Lynbrook's LIRR tracks in June 2002 increased concern in the area.
"This is a serious problem, and with our appeals to the LIRR we seem to run into a brick wall," said Carrigan.
A high-security wall of impenetrable material is what Higgins and his supporters say they will continue to fight for. They will no longer accept piecemeal repairs or the sloppy placement of wires that present the facade of a hole having been mended. In a village where there is no busing, virtually every child who lives south of the tracks must cross them to attend the junior/senior high school.
"We want the same fence the LIRR put up in Lynbrook, to protect the children of East Rockaway," said town Councilman Anthony Santino (R-East Rockaway). "With the chain-link fence that is there now, it's like a sieve -- anyone can get through it. It is too dangerous for the number of children who traverse Davison Plaza."
While state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) was instrumental in securing funding for the fence in Lynbrook, in this situation it appears his hands are tied. Thomas Dunham, a Skelos spokesman, said his office will continue to try to secure funding for a new fence, but there simply is no capital for such a project in the LIRR budget this year. Skelos, who serves on the MTA Capital Program Review Board, said that as the 2005-2009 project budget is done, he will make sure there is money for system-wide fence renovations.
But for the frustrated Higgins, a father of two children under 5, that answer is not good enough. "The MTA recently found a $625 million surplus," he said. "I find it hard to believe that they cannot find the money to replace that fence. The LIRR should take a more pro-active approach, instead of a reactive approach, after a child dies."
