Violations at gas station in Old Brookville?

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Worries about a gas station were once again one of the main topics of discussion at the Village of Old Brookville’s public meeting on Monday. Prior meetings focused on an abandoned gas station on Northern Boulevard. This time, complaints were targeted at a BP station at the corner of Glen Cove Road and Glen Head Road.

Robert Del Gadio, a resident, said that the gas station is packed with cars and rarely used for pumping gas. It is instead primarily used for transporting and repairing cars. “I brought this to the attention of the board two years ago,” he said. “There seems to be no enforcement to the regulations as to how many cars they’re allowed to have on their property.”

Mayor Bernie Ryba explained that the village responded to Del Gadio’s complaint two years ago by approving an ordinance that restricts gas stations from allowing unregistered vehicles to park on the premises. “They were forced to find an alternate site for unregistered vehicles,” Ryba said. “That has somewhat reduced the number of cars.”

But he added that he drives by the gas station occasionally to make his own observations, and agreed that the lot still has too many cars. Ryba also explained that BP had recently taken over the gas station, which was owned by Gulf. Perhaps, he said, BP is unaware of village regulations, adding that he was hopeful that the owners would reach out to the village. He would like to give them an opportunity to address some of the issues with the site before the village enforces the restrictions.

Del Gadio also complained about low lighting at the gas station, which he believes conveys a “bad image” to people who drive through the village. “The other stores and businesses near this station have made substantial improvements,” he said. “These people are the only ones that don’t.”

Village attorney John Chase said the gas station owners had contacted him last week, and he informed them that they needed to make improvements at the site. “I’ve been told that BP is looking to give that area a fresh look to give their station a nicer appearance,” Chase said.

Earlier in the meeting the village made three new appointments. Lisa LoRocca — who formerly served as chairwoman of the zoning board — was appointed to the village board. She will fill the seat of Michael Dergarabedian, who is stepping down after serving on the board for several years. Local resident Rick Schaefer was appointed chairman of the zoning board. Schaefer has held numerous positions in the village over the past 20 years, and most recently served as assistant police commissioner. Ryba was appointed by the village to Schaefer’s former position.

The village will hold its next public meeting on July 17 at 6:30 p.m.