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Residents urge BESS moratorium, animal‑shelter fixes and expanded disability services at Hempstead meeting
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment to press the Town of Hempstead for an extension of a battery energy storage moratorium, reforms at the animal shelter amid lawsuits, tree‑preservation laws and expanded services for people with disabilities; the board acknowledged the concerns and offered follow‑up.
At the Nov. 18 Town of Hempstead meeting, several residents used the public‑comment period to press the board on three recurring themes: a request to extend the town’s moratorium on battery energy storage systems (BESS), concerns about animal‑shelter operations and lawsuits, and calls for expanded services and year‑round programs for people with disabilities.
A speaker (identified in the transcript as speaker 14) urged the board to calendar a resolution to extend Hempstead's BESS moratorium, citing fire‑safety risks and gaps in protections, including the need for air and water testing and guarantees for costs related to incidents. The speaker referenced fire incidents such as Moss Landing and warned of potential evacuations and environmental contamination if a BESS installation were to burn.
Diane Madden and other residents sharply criticized the town animal shelter’s operations, saying the shelter is underperforming despite a multimillion‑dollar budget and alleging three pending lawsuits related to shelter practices. "To save time, save a lot of money, and save a tremendous amount of embarrassment, start fixing the animal shelter," Madden said; Supervisor Ferretti replied that town employees are not incompetent and defended the workforce.
Advocates for people with disabilities also spoke. Ashley Gazes, founder of the Special Advocacy Coalition, asked the board to expand programs beyond summer offerings and establish a disability‑focused leadership group that includes people with disabilities and experts. Supervisor Ferretti responded by highlighting existing and recent initiatives, including Camp Banker (which he described as a year‑round program serving about 1,100 participants), ADA‑compliant bathroom funding at town facilities, mobility mats at beaches and a new adaptive pickleball court at Forest City Park.
Other public commenters raised concerns about tree preservation, enforcement against bamboo and local park amenities. Several speakers asked for follow‑up meetings with commissioners and for the board to consider ordinances to preserve mature trees and strengthen enforcement. The board and commissioners generally offered to meet with residents and requested staff follow‑up; no formal moratorium extension or immediate operational changes to the shelter were enacted at the meeting.
