Ticked off about being ticketed in Woodmere

Town of Hempstead parking summonses irk businesspeople and residents

Posted

Several Woodmere residents and businesspeople said they received parking tickets for the first time in about six years in the Town of Hempstead lot W-3, between Franklin and Irving places in Woodmere, last week.

Two town employees chalked tires, marking that the vehicle was parked in the lot, and then after about 90 minutes, which is the allotted time for the spaces, they wrote tickets.

Ken Stein, owner of Woodmere Locksmith on Broadway, said it was the first time in several years that he could remember seeing anyone in the lot writing summonses. “I park in the municipal lot behind my store and I had never seen them,” he said.

Living in one of the buildings on Broadway for the past five years, Mary Rosano said she had never been ticketed before, and she keeps her car parked in that lot all day. “There are signs up (denoting the 90-minute limit) but they are only at the entrances,” she said.

Dr. Tammy Roz, a dentist with an office on Franklin Place, said that when she received her approval from the town Hempstead officials said that lot was the place to park. “TOH told me when I got my variance the municipal lot is ideal,” Roz said. “All my staff got tickets.”

For a half dozen years Azi Graeber has worked at Barberry Rose Management Company, Inc. on Broadway and parked in the lot without receiving a ticket, he said. “It was definitely the first time,” Graeber said. “On Monday, I spoke to an apartment resident and she said that the person writing tickets said that a stretch adjacent to the building is where we could park. The next morning the entire row had tickets.” Everyone’s tickets are $135.

Graeber wrote a letter dated Aug. 18 to the parking and violations agency in Hempstead and copies to Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito, the town’s Department of Public Safety, County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) and the Herald. “I am hoping to eventually get a hold of someone and get the ticket waived,” Graeber said.

There was no response to his letter as of press time, but he said D’Esposito called him and advised that he and the others should park in other lots. Graeber said he would like to see the town create a parking permit for people who work or live adjacent to lot. “Even if there is a reasonable charge,” Graeber said.

Fines from tickets generated $1.097 million in revenue for the town and the budget figure for this year is $1 million, according to spokesman Mike Deery. He could not confirm if anyone had complained as at least one ticketed motorist claimed, but said that town government is “complaint driven” and they do respond.

“That lot is 90-minute parking and that has obviously been enforced,” said Deery, who added that the 90-minute limit has existed for that lot since 1974. “Folks looking for other parking alternatives can go directly across the street behind Broadway there are three other lots that all have a variety of parking options.”
Lot W-1 has 21 eight-hour spots, 20 90-minute and 20 30 minute spots, he said. W-9 has six eight-hour stalls and 36 three-hour spots. W-2 has a half dozen eight-hour, 16 three- hour and 29 90-minute stalls.

“If we need to improve the signage we will talk to traffic control and make the needed corrections and additions,” Deery said.

Have an opinion about parking in Woodmere? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.