Residents press Town of Hempstead board on truck parking, tree preservation, leaf blowers and quality-of-life enforcement

Several residents used the Town of Hempstead public-comment period to raise safety, enforcement and environmental concerns, asking the board to clarify enforcement practices and to take targeted action on local problems.

Brandon Rebel, an Inwood resident, spoke at length about truck and industrial activity along Bayview Avenue adjacent to residential blocks. He described trucks blocking sidewalks, parking on unpaved grass, and large commercial vehicles using residential streets and loading areas. "This is dangerous," Rebel said, adding that children, seniors and weekend religious pedestrians are forced to share the road with tractor trailers. Rebel said neighbors believe a parcel rezoned to allow commercial activity was not properly noticed under town code "subsection 269.1(c)," and that residents "never saw a sign or receive[d] proper hearing notifications." He said trucks have blocked bus stops and school routes and alleged trucks are occasionally parked on grass where they may be leaking contaminants into soil.

On tree-preservation enforcement, Marcia Dittieri of Merrick asked whether the town follows up during and after construction to ensure preserved trees remain. Daniel (Dan) Leo, identified in the meeting as deputy commissioner of the Building Department, described the town's process: a proposed survey showing trees to remain is submitted before construction; the town requests a final survey when the project is complete and compares the final survey to the proposed plan. "At that point, we'll see if trees additionally were removed or they did comply with the plan," Leo said. He added enforcement and any remedies are handled "in the field" on a case-by-case basis and that removals sometimes occur for sewer, power or other construction necessities.

Marcia Dittieri also urged the board to consider a local ban on gas-powered two-stroke leaf blowers, citing noise, emissions and what she described as local health concerns. "I am asking that the alternative types of blowers be required to use, at least during prime season, to protect all of your constituents and the environment," she said, noting state-level discussion but arguing for local authority where homes are closely spaced.

Pearl Jacobs and other Uniondale residents raised longstanding complaints about overflowing trash and litter on Uniondale Avenue and questioned whether the town's Quality of Life task force is deployed equitably across ZIP codes. A resident who identified himself as Chris Jacobs asked which roads are slated for repaving and expressed concern that utility companies (NatGrid) have not fully restored tertiary roads after excavations; board members and staff said highway and utility representatives would follow up with him after the meeting.

A resident seeking assistance with property records said a parcel he had viewed had no clear tax or building-record entries; town staff directed him to the Building Department staff present at the meeting for immediate follow-up.

Board members and staff responded by offering follow-up: staff said building-department staff would meet with the resident with the missing property records; the deputy supervisor and highway staff were asked to coordinate with residents on quality-of-life and repaving follow-up; and the Building Department described the town's tree-survey process. Several board members encouraged residents to follow up with their councilperson or the deputy supervisor to trigger inspections or highway deployments.

No formal board action (motions or votes) on the resident complaints was recorded during the public-comment period; staff committed to follow-up with residents and to supply additional information after the meeting.