Town of North Hempstead officials said this week that relief is near for Manhasset resident Brian Bryer from the humming of a bagel shop’s exhaust fan outside his apartment window.
But, Bryer said, he will be believe the exhaust-fan problem has been fixed when he doesn’t hear it.
“I’ve been in contact with them, but they’ve been giving us the runaround for months,” Bryer said of the town.
Bryer said he was concerned about the humming from the exhaust fan used by Manhasset Bagels when he moved into his apartment on Vanderbilt Avenue, which overlooks the rear entrance of the eatery.
“When I moved in, I asked the owner to do something about the fan,” Bryer said. “He treated it like it was funny, like it wasn’t going to be a problem at all.”
Having lived with the fan’s noise for four years, Bryer said, the shop has done nothing to remove the fan, and beeping coming from delivery trucks arriving as early as 2:30 in the morning in preparation for the shop’s 5:30 a.m. opening is as big a nuisance as ever.
“[The shop has] never called me, they’ve never written me, they haven’t responded to letters,” he said.
The Town of Hempstead’s Noise Ordinance prohibits the operation of commercial equipment from 10 p.m. until 8 a.m.
Bryer said he’s filed complaints to the bagel shop as well as the Town of North Hempstead, but the fan still has not been moved.
“I’m not as concerned with what goes on at 8 a.m. when I’m going to work,” Bryer said. “It’s more at 4:30 a.m. when I’m trying to sleep and enjoy my property privately.”
Town of North Hempstead spokesman Collin Nash said the town is working with Manhasset Bagels owner Randy Malka to apply for a permit that would allow him to remove the fan.
“The permit application being filed by the owner of Manhasset Bagel is in the process and should be received by next week,” Nash said. “The town is aware of the concerns and is working with the owner to address them.”
“The only thing I can tell you is that I’m working with the town on it. I can’t tell you anything else,” Malka said.
According to published reports, Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Councilwoman Anna Kaplan visited the bagel shop in early February to listen to the noise and talk with Malka.
Bryer said the town has begun ticketing the delivery men for noise violations, and that the noise has somewhat been curbed. But despite the town’s efforts, Bryer said the process is not moving swiftly enough.
