Towne House Condominiums residents press Hempstead to address issues at abandoned buildings

Residents at the Towne House Condominiums at Lido Beach say they have been asking the Town of Hempstead to address issues at two nearby abandoned town-owned buildings for more than two decades, citing the presence of lead and asbestos, and their poor appearance.

On Monday morning, a small group of community members and local leaders spoke out again. They held a rally and news conference along Lido Boulevard, where drivers passing by honked in support.

Condominiums board president Gina Interdonato said residents continue to press the town to assess the buildings for health hazards and address structural issues and appearance, but to no avail.

"Nobody does anything. We’ve written letters — I have a letter here that I sent in 2023 to the town ... it went unheard, along with our numerous phone calls," Interdonato said.

Resident Jeannie Rogers said she's spoken out at town meetings and has not received responses, in writing, to requests for environmental reports and cleanup plans, prompting her to take matters into her own hands.

"I went out and bought a lead-testing kit and tested the buildings myself. They came back positive for lead on the overhangs ... I am here to make my voice heard," she said.

In an email to Newsday, Brian Devine, director of communications for the Town of Hempstead, acknowledged "the presence of asbestos and lead in these buildings as detailed in an independent engineering report," and said the town has "a plan in place to carefully and responsibly demolish these buildings in the fall." Devine did not provide a copy of the plan or engineering report.

The buildings were a focal point of political gamesmanship in the town on Monday. 

Joe Scianablo, the Democratic  candidate for Hempstead town supervisor, kicked off the rally by calling for immediately demolishing the buildings and cleaning up hazardous materials at the site, which he said, without evidence, likely affect residents at the nearby senior center and children and adults with disabilities attending nearby Camp ANCHOR.

 Scianablo faces County Legis. John Ferretti Jr. (R-Levittown) in November to replace Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. Clavin announced in April that he would not seek reelection so that he could run for a judgeship instead. 

"There shouldn’t be a double standard. This town-owned property shouldn’t fall short of ... standards that they place on the residents and business owners. It is unacceptable," Scianablo said.

Devine fired back at Scianablo in his email, accusing him of having "little to no knowledge of how government actually works." Devine added that demolishing the buildings now would interfere with the town's initial plan for environmental remediation and release dangerous chemicals into the air while camp is still in.

Carol Aragona said she has been living at the Towne House Condominiums for more than 20 years and said her balcony overlooks one of the buildings.

Aragona and Interdonato both said no one’s paying attention to the property.

"It’s frustrating. I just want to get rid of it," Aragona said.

Newsday's Ted Phillips contributed to this story.