Port Washington North trustees approved two laws last Wednesday that forbid inoperative vehicles from being parked on the street, and on private property.
“The purpose of proposing the law is that over the years, while it has not be frequent, there have been instances where cars that clearly could not be moved were in the street and because our laws only pertain to registration and license plates those are the only two factors that could be considered for ticketing or for possible removal of the vehicle,” Village Mayor Bob Weitzner said last Wednesday.
Village officials said the new law changes the definition of what the village considers as a junk vehicle to “a motor vehicle or trailer that is either inoperable, dismantled, missing parts or in disrepair such that it is incapable of operation or use is unregistered unsuspected or without a license plate affixed to the motor vehicle.”
Village Attorney Stuart Besen said prior to approval of the legislation if there was a vehicle that was inoperable but had a valid license plate the village wasn’t able to do anything.
“You can have a car that’s on somebody’s driveway that is completely wrecked, parts missing, dismantled and if it had a license plate or plates or registered there’s nothing the village can do about it,” Besen said.
“Obviously the building department superintendent will have discretion based on the code to follow the policy of the village to give warnings and notice before doing anything, which I’m sure they will continue to do,” he added. “But this gives a little more teeth in the sense that if you have a car that has a license plate but it’s completely wrecked and abandoned and operable for a long period of time it at least allows the village if a resident does zero nothing for a long period of time to be able to at least enforce its code.”
Traffic Safety Commissioner Steve Kaplan brought the proposal to the board at a meeting on March 2 and said he was concerned about junk cars being in public view.
Weitzer said prior to the board vote that the village now did not have the ability to take action.
“This is a bill that we’re proposing to again allow us to be able to react to cars that are inoperable on the street where as our current law is restrictive to license plates and registration,” Weitzer said. “This we feel is important for the aesthetics and quality of life for our village, while it does not happen often on occasions we have seen cars parked on the street clearly inoperable, flat tires, missing parts that interestingly had valid license plates and registrations we were unable to ticket them and cite them and improve the situation.”
“Cars that are on private properties that are in driveways that as our counselor has stated before we really couldn’t act on it for the soul purpose being a junk car or an inoperable car this language and amendment will rectify that and give the building department the ability to cite such vehicles and hopefully allow them to either correct the measure or remove their car, either by putting it in their garage or removing it from the premises,” he said.
Also at the meeting, the Trustees discussed the Bay Walk project.
Weitzer said they board is hoping construction will being sometime in June.
Weitzner said the total cost of the project was initially estimated at $1.5 million, but will cost $300,000 less with construction costs of $998,021 and an additional $180,200 in estimated engineering costs.
Officials said the first portion of phase two is funded by a $500,000 grant from the state Department of State.
The project, which was started more than four years ago, is intended to turn a former oil loading dock into an active waterfront park.
The master plan for the Bay Walk includes a kayak launch station, shade sales, new benches, lighting, bicycle racks and a garden.
The Bay Walk Park Project consists of 1.7 acres of waterfront property near Shore Road in Port Washington, and stretches from the town’s public dock to Manorhaven Beach Park.
“We’re so excited,” Weitzer said.
