Meeting 12.1.2009 of Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners' Assoc.

Each of the above views can be enlarged by clicking on the photo. Both look west on Ocean Avenue, Seaford. At the far end of the block, Ocean Avenue turns north for about a half-mile to Bayview Street. Most of the meeting of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners' Association at the Seaford Library on December 1, 2009, concerned a plan by a developer ("Seaford Landing") to build 46 senior condominiums on two acres somewhere along the left side of this section of Ocean Avenue. Previously, the developer had considered building eleven single-family homes here. If the plot is east or west of this photo, please tell me. The address given for Seaford Landing is 3660.
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Three men from the developer addressed a group of about twenty-five at this meeting, which became quite contentious. It seems that the developer has not yet asked for a calendar date with the Town of Hempstead Zoning Board of Appeals for the variances needed for the 46 condos. Please do not confuse this project with the proposed condos on Arrowhead Place, located on the adjacent peninsula to the west. I was pleased to see this morning that a length of north-south Ocean Avenue is being repaved.
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I am certain that the Wantagh Citizen will have a more detailed account of this meeting.

Meeting 5.28.2008 of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners' Assoc.

For years, one of the problem topics in Wantagh and Seaford has been the sewage treatment plant at Cedar Creek, Wantagh, a large, covered facility operated by Nassau County and its Department of Public Works. At the May 28, 2008, meeting of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners' Association, the invited speaker, Ray Ribeiro, engineer and commissioner of the D.P.W., spoke for almost 90 minutes about the plant and several of the problems that are often raised. At the outset, please note that the telephone number on the WHSA page at http://www.wantagh.li is answered by a human at all times (for odor complaints at Cedar Creek and other problems there): 571-7364. Mr. Ribeiro explained how a recent foul smell got out. Air leaving the facility is scrubbed by two chemical agents. The pump providing one of the two agents failed, and there was a slower repair instead of a quicker replacement. The County is looking into a negative-air-flow system whereby an open door would cause an inward draft rather than a release of odor.
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On other Cedar Creek complaints, Mr. Ribeiro distinguished between the part of Cedar Creek under the jurisdiction of the D.P.W. and the part that is under the Department of Parks. There was a discussion of the identification cards employees will use at all times to gain admittance to the D.P.W. section. It seemed that one resident wanted the license plate number copied down of every car entering the park. There were questions about the staffing of the guard booth. Many of these topics have been discussed in the Citizen over the years, and I am certain the Citizen will continue to cover the topic well.
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The tone of the meeting was constructive rather than confrontational. Including the speaker, Legislator Dunne, and the Association officers, there were about eighteen present. Thanks to all.
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There was also some discussion of work this fall in which the D.P.W. will move curbs and turning lanes at the intersection of Wantagh Avenue and Merrick Road to aid pedestrians.
In answer to a question about how to distinguish between town streets and county streets, the speaker could suggest no hard-and-fast rules. Generally, the county streets will have painted yellow and white lines as lane markers. The yellow diamond warning signs on county roads will bear a county abbreviation. However, parking signs on county roads are the jurisdiction of the town. In some cases, drains marked "N.C. Drain" do not mean that the street is a county street, as the mark was sometime only an indication by the manufacturer that the drain met county specifications. That is how "N.C. Drain" will be found on some drains installed in private lots.

Meeting 1.30.2008 of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Assoc.

The Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association held a bimonthly meeting on January 30, 2008, in Room 152 of the Wantagh High School. The meeting, with an attendance of about eighteen, ran from 7:22 to 8:43 p.m. Following the Pledge, the slate of the nomination committee was presented and elected without challenge. I am sure the list of officers will soon appear on the Association's website here.
An attempt to summarize the meeting follows:
Assemblyman David McDonough explained the topic of Trump on the Ocean. Regarding PILOTS or payments in lieu of taxes, he pointed out that each assemblyman around the state would demand the same treatment if we succeeded in getting such payments for the Wantagh School District. As far as the Fire District is concerned, it may be possible to chart the added number of calls regarding events at the new restaurant and arrange some increased payment.
Floyd Earle, new president of the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce, spoke.
Richard and Lisa Shary spoke about park or environmental issues: the marine playground at Wantagh Park; security patrols at Wantagh and Cedar Creek; the rejection by Nassau County for the proposed Cedar Creek Park; windmills in the Atlantic; an artificial industrial island in the Atlantic; the Nassau Hub.
They distributed a map from the South Shore Bikeways Connection Study, which proposed connecting the Jones Beach Bikeway with the bike path in Massapequa Preserve. It would depart Cedar Creek on the east side, travel north on Cedar Street and Willoughby Avenue, east on Waverly Avenue, through Tackapausha Preserve, then east on Maple Street. Mr. Shary is president of the Friends of Masssapequa Preserve. He warned of 6,000 bikers daily on that route. He urged a route from Cedar Creek east to some unused paving on NY 135, then along the south side of the railroad to Massapequa.
As this blog concerns Seaford, I note that Waverly Avenue is a rather bumpy road for wheeled vehicles, bicycles, sedans or any other size. I am not certain, but I think Waverly Avenue was open by 1908 from Washington Avenue two blocks or so at least to the fire house. Perhaps in the 1920's, I understand it was lengthened west to Willoughby Avenue. Is the name "Waverly" Scottish in origin?

Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Assoc. 5.30.2007

On May 30, 2007, Ella Stevens chaired a meeting of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association at the Seaford Public Library. Scheduled for 7 p.m., the meeting began at 7:13 with twenty-one present. First was an informative and helpful presentation by Gary P. Sauer, Acting Director of the Traffic Control Division of the Town of Hempstead. The main discussion with him was the difficulty of cars exiting north out of Pine Street onto Merrick Road because of street parking at the new diner there. One interesting point: a sign totally lacking county or town identification is often non-enforceable. Town signs are now being marked TOH.
As for Town parking lots (such as near the railroad), a stall is defined as having a white line on both sides. Concerning the stalls in the center of a town parking lot, beware of parking outside the last painted line even if there is a curb nearby.
Other Wantagh items were then discussed. A Seaford discussion began at 8:18 p.m., thirty-two people present, with the proposal to build eighteen town houses at the south end of Arrowhead Place. The builders must get the zoning changed from commercial (the present marina) to a residential designation. A young woman (lawyer for the developer?) displayed large maps and sketches of the town houses and their adjacent docking spaces. If you see these maps again, be careful to note where north is, because not all their maps have north at the top. For an excellent aerial view of the marina, go to Google Maps, type in "Arrowhead Place, ny 11783," and later choose the hybrid view. You can count the boats!
She referred to a man there as "our client,' so I presume he was the developer. He made some verbal promises: that the homes would stay as "age 55 and older," that the lofts were not a third story, etc. The asking price may be $650,000 per townhouse, no basement, two floors (and a loft), two bedrooms, two baths, and a dock. "We are not asking for variances from the code." "Hempstead limits residences to a height of thirty feet." One boating enthusiast pointed out that several marinas in Nassau County have already sold out to developers and that dock and boat storage space is falling greatly. I left the meeting at 8:55.

Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Assoc. 3.28.2007

On March 28, 2007, about eighteen people attended a meeting of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association in the library of Wantagh High School. For twenty-five minutes, Nassau County Legislator Denis Dunne promised that he would fight any plan to process Suffolk County sewerage at the Cedar Creek Plant. He intimated that other Nassau County officials were in favor of the plan. Other topics discussed included:
1) The Neptune electric line along Wantagh Parkway and the restoration of the the bicycle path. Neptune is said to have promised repair work in early April, with completion some time before Memorial Day. Members explained that the repair work should be significant, not cosmetic, as the construction work has done much damage.
2) Again regarding sewerage, there was a discussion of the relationship of more dense residential construction and the sewerage volume. Someone pointed out that each added bathroom, each enlarged residence adds to the flow to Cedar Creek.
3) A question was raised about some vacant property in Seaford adjacent to Tackapausha preserve. Without variations from the 60 x 100 rule, the property is large enough for six houses. There seemed to be some proposal for purchase towards open spaces.
4) A cellphone company has proposed a tower near the southeast corner of Seaman's Neck Road and Jerusalem Avenue, close to the 7-Eleven. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 limits the ability of towns to forbid cell phone towers; instead of blocking the tower, one may offer a less intrusive location. However, the filing of intent does not have to be repeated if the new location is within a mile of the filed request. (All my notes are subject to dispute or revision.)
5) Arrowhead Place is a north-south street approached by Island Channel Drive and leading to the bay. Apparently, a marina there is looking for some sort of development. If it is home-construction, this is the second concurrent project in planning stages, the other being on the adjacent Ocean Avenue peninsula to the east.
6) The question of locked toilets at Cedar Creek Park and Wantagh Park was raised.

WSHA meeting of 1.31.2007

The Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association meets six times a year. Last night, 1.31.2007, the following topics were discussed. About twenty-two people were present for the meeting at Seaford Public Library. I realize that my notes are incomplete, particularly regarding who-said-what.
1) David Denenberg spoke of the Nassau County Environmental Bond issues and the period during which proposals can be made.
2) The voting members accepted the slate of officers proposed by the nominating committee. No additions were made from the floor.
3) One of the association officers encouraged support for the Harmony for Hope Buffet at Mulcahy's February 11, 2007.
4) There was a discussion of environmental and mechanical issues at Cedar Creek. There is worry that the "Wang" development in Plainview might overwhelm the capacity of Cedar Creek sewerage treatment plant.
5) Fred Parola explained the status of several zoning requests before the Hempstead Town Board.
6) The status of the diner at Merrick Road and Pine Street was discussed. It bears the name "East Bay" apparently because the operator of the "East Bay" diner on Merrick Road, Bellmore, owns the Pine Street location and will move there.
7) The attempts to replace marinas in Seaford Harbor by housing were discussed.
8) The laying of electric transmission cables the length of the bikeway to Jones Beach has damaged the bikeway, and current repairs are inadequate.
9) Police officers from the Seventh Precinct urged people to attend the February 1 meeting at Bellmore Library.
(Corrections are welcome. My email address is in the right-hand column.)