Bay Parkers to officials: Knock down those abandoned homes!
The effects of Hurricane Sandy still linger nearly three years later for Bay Park residents — at least for those who remain. Of the 400 homes in the area, 28 are have been abandoned, according to the Bay Park Civic Association.
“They can’t sell the house,” Kim Stacel said of the home at 3 North Blvd., which has been empty since the storm. “The house needs to be knocked down. It’s not structurally sound. It’s mold-contaminated. And they come and take pictures and send these inspectors out every two months. Nothing’s changing. Like, what are you waiting for?”
Stacel lives next door to the Sandy-damaged house, which is owned by HSBC bank. The Town of Hempstead has deemed it unfit for human occupancy, although animals have come in through a hole in the garage.
Across the street, at 2 North Blvd., it’s the same situation. Chris Stromburg, who rents the house next door, said that a man tried to renovate the house by using the permit for a different one. After neighbors stopped him, she said, progress on the house stopped.
“And the grass gets to be 10 feet tall, and finally [Stacel] or somebody will call and they’re told to mow it and they do,” Stromburg said. “And the post office is still delivering mail … it was a beautiful neighborhood, now it’s a shame.” She added that the door of the house used to be open, which invited squatters and teenagers.
Stromburg lives on Sperry Street, which was also flooded. “But everything’s back now and everything’s great,” she said of her street. “But we’re ready to move on with the rest of the neighborhood.”
The Assembly speaker visits
Concerned residents and the Bay Park Civic Association showed State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie these and other deplorable conditions on Sept. 1, when he visited the area at the request of Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Beach whose district includes Bay Park.
