Village Board Discusses Unpaid Parking Tickets Retrieval Plan, Drainage Issues

The Farmingdale Village Board formulated a plan during a work session on Oct. 15 to collect money from outstanding parking tickets. 

The board is looking to collect tickets as far back as from 2005, but are starting with tickets issued in 2010-2011. 

The board discussed giving partial amnesty to those with unpaid tickets but agreed on prohibiting the ability to register a new or re-register a current vehicle if tickets are not paid.

"We want to use a scare tactic," said Mayor Ralph Ekstrand. ""Our collections have no teeth," he said stating that those will up to three unpaid tickets can be considered a scofflaw. 

Deputy Mayor Patricia Christiansen said using similar tactics has retained a huge profit for the village in the past.

The board is working with the village's two sitting justices on the matter.

Drainage Issues

The Board discussed the successful, on budget, completion of a drainage issue in the intersection of Grant Avenue and Main Street.

The two-week project was taken on after the county's failed attempt to correct the issue and concerns for those attending the Adult Day Care Center at Farmingdale United Methodist Church to cross the road safely.

"It was a lake," said Christiansen, who stated that heavy rain would overflow the intersection. 

"The adult daycare center now has people in wheelchairs and crutches and four arm crutches and now there's a foot of water on the ground" said Mayor Ekstrand. "The church was happy, I can tell you that," he said.

The board discussed the possibility of the next draining project on the south corner of Hillside Road and Main Street. 

Other Village News:

• Dwarf plants are being added from Suffolk line to Roslyn Savings Bank, replacing tall grass for safety reasons. Mayor Ekstrand called the previous greenery a visual hazard.
• The board is working on cleaning up the empty Waldbaum's site and stated a desire to get better lighting in the parking lot for safety reasons.