By Robert Remler
Village attacks problem of abandoned shopping wagons
Wayward shopping carts will be rounded up and store owners will have to pay to get them back, thanks to a new village law enacted this week. The problem of store shopping wagons taken off premises and left on village streets, in village ponds and on private property has grown from an eyesore to a dangerous hazard, village officials say.
The Valley Stream Board of Trustees on Monday voted to adopt a local law designed to curtail abandoned shopping carts throughout the village and force store owners to pay a $25 fee to release the impounded carts. Local Law "E" passed without public opposition at a sparsely attended regular trustee meeting on Nov. 20.
Mayor Edward Cahill told the Herald that abandoned shopping carts have been left on village streets for years. He said carts have wound up on streets, in village ponds and in Hendrickson Park. The mayor said the carts have become "a danger" when left on the street for both people and cars. Currently, village crews put carts on a truck and return them to owners without assessing a fee.
Village Clerk Vincent Ang said the village's general supervisor made him aware of the problem a few years ago. Mr. Ang said that until recently supermarkets or stores that used shopping carts had restraining guards designed to keep carts on their property. He described one mechanism as an overhead metal bar that prevented shopping carts from leaving designated areas.
Now, according to Mr. Ang, most of those restraining devices are gone. People have begun to bring the shopping carts outside of the parking lots and leave them throughout the village, said Mr. Ang.
The village's new law is similar to what has been adopted by other South Shore towns, according to Mr. Ang. The 'Shopping Cart' amendment to the village code, known as Local Law "E," contains 14 sections, including a set of six definitions. The law stipulates that carts used in the village must now show either a name or mark, which identifies proper ownership.
The Department of Public Works, at a village facility, will impound carts left on village streets. After a cart has been impounded, cart owners will be notified by mail within seven days that the village is in possession of their property.
Owners will be able to get the carts back by paying $25 to the village. Proceeds from the sale of carts will go into the general fund of the village.
Resident Bill Freda said the 'Shopping Cart' law was good for the village, noting the obligation of owners to put identifying tags on carts. "I think the penalty aspect is also important," said Mr. Freda. "It puts some teeth in the law."
No luck for Scouts
David Benson and Al Marchica, representatives for the Boy Scout organization in Valley Stream, unsuccessfully asked trustees to grant them permission to use the Hendrickson parking lot for a planned carnival. The two Valley Stream residents said they hoped to use proceeds from the carnival, planned for warmer months, to give "everything back to the boys."
Mayor Cahill acknowledged that the trustees had received a written request asking for use of the Hendrickson parking lot. The mayor said the lot is beginning to crumble from frequent usage and that is one reason why the Scouts had not received permission to use the lot. Mayor Cahill said that the village receives eight or nine carnival requests each year.
Mr. Benson asked the trustees to give him a definitive answer in reply to the requests for the parking lot. Without providing a definitive answer, village attorney Michael McKenna asked Mr. Benson if he has sought to hold the carnival at other locations.
Mr. McKenna suggested the parking lot at Memorial Junior High School and properties owned by The Town of Hempstead as other possibilities.
Village Clerk Ang said the village has received numerous complaints stemming from carnivals that have been held in the Hendrickson parking lot.
"If the carnival is denied here in the village," Mr. Benson told the Herald, " there are no plans." He said the scouting program in Valley Stream would be "severely hurt" if a location for the carnival could not be found.
