Hempstead Enlists Help Of Several Departments To Fix Potholes
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The town of Hempstead has declared war on potholes.
The reinforcements already have their hands full responding to complaints, TV 10/55 Long Island Bureau Chief Richard Rose reported Monday night.
As WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported, the town has summoned employees from other departments to assist highway workers to repair the large number of craters that have popped up following a barrage of winter storms.
Town Supervisor Kate Murray said Monday that trained employees from the Parks and Sanitation departments are being called upon, and workers from several other departments are being cross-trained to help out.
"Just like in a real war, we're calling up reinforcements, increasing the number of town workers to fight the war on potholes," Murray said.
Hempstead Enlists Help On Several Departments To Fix Potholes
Crews on Monday scrambled to fill all the holes they said were beyond count. But you don't have to tell Merrick resident Ricky Cottone that.
"I was driving, and all of a sudden it was pothole, pothole, pothole," Cottone said, "and then there was just like a good two-feet drop, and I went straight down to the ground, and then all of a sudden, my rim just totally bent, and I turned all the way to the right, and that was it. My rim was destroyed."
Cottone replaced the front tire rims, but the front axle was left bent and the suspension was shot. On Monday night, he was left wondering how to pay for a $1,000 repair job.
But Murray said her team of "pothole sharpshooters" would be fixing the situation, Xirinachs reported.
"Just like in a real war, we're calling up reinforcements, increasing the number of town workers to fight the war on potholes," Murray said.
Murray said a dozen extra crews will be on the road, which will mean more detours. But that was fine with Risa Egert of Merrick, whose daughter-in-law was just stranded by a big pothole.
"My daughter-in-law got stuck on the highway, and lost a tire," Egert said, "and that was a mess."
And Town Councilman Gary Hudes said the unusual approach is the only way to overcome the all-out assault by Mother Nature.
"Springtime can't come fast enough for me," Hudes said.
Town managers warned the first pothole repairs are just temporary until warmer weather allows crews to resurface them fully, which means they will all have to be patched twice.
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