Frustrated Levittown Man Fills In Potholes Himself
LEVITTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Frustrated by all the potholes in his neighborhood, a Long Island man has taken matters into his own hands.
Limousine driver Bob Fitzgerald, 55, has been filling potholes in Levittown himself for a couple of years after he said it became so frustrating waiting for the town to do the job.
L.I. Man Begins Filling In Potholes Himself
He claims the town ignored his complaints, so he began fixing the potholes himself.
L.I. Man Begins Filling In Potholes Himself
"I had a huge pothole right here in front of my house and they told me that I could've found another way of going around it to getting into my driveway, instead of fixing it, so that's when I started fixing it," Fitzgerald told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera.
Fitzgerald filled in the potholes with dirt or sand and used a broom to smooth it over, CBS 2's Carolyn Gusoff reported.
The town, however, wants Fitzgerald to stop, saying it's dangerous and illegal, WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs reported.
"It's not effective to put sand in a hole. It will absorb water, turn into ice and make potholes bigger. And sand won't support the weight of a car," Town of Hempstead spokesman Mike Dreary told Gusoff.
But Fitzgerald has the support of his neighbors, and he said he has no plans to stop.
"It's wonderful, he's definitely going to heaven," one man said. "It's nice that somebody's doing something. I mean, the town guys can only do so much."
"He should get a commendation for that," another man said.
Fitzgerald said he felt the town was neglecting his neighborhood, but in a statement, officials said "the Town of Hempstead has a strong record of performance when it comes to repairing potholes."
"The nine complaints regarding potholes that have been forwarded to the town by Mr. Fitzgerald since 2007 have all been addressed professionally and in a timely manner," the statement continued.
Town officials said residents should report potholes, not fill them in themselves.
The county has an app called "Nassau Now" that allows residents to take pictures of potholes and send them to the department responsible for making repairs.
"Hempstead Town has highway crews that repair potholes effectively and promptly," the statement read. "Hempstead Town has used over 90 tons of asphalt to repair potholes in the month of January alone."
A spokesman for the town said Fitzgerald has not been issued any citations, yet.
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