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Politics & Government

Owners Angered Over Demolition of Atlantic Beach Building

Village also passes new law increasing the tax cap.

Following several months of deliberation, the village of Atlantic Beach demolished an 85-year-old property at 2035 Park Street late last month after the courts agreed the building was hazardous to the community, prompting anger from its owners.

Mayor Stephen Mahler and the village attorney took the case to county supreme court and bankruptcy court, and following a failed appeal to the state building commission, the property was torn down.

“It took us through every process, and the village justice, after a trial, found the building to be unsafe,” Mahler explained.

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Richard Libbey, a member of the family that owns the property, claimed the building was destroyed because the board saw it as an eyesore on the community. He also said he believes the village has a personal vendetta against his family.

“It’s something that could have been easily fixed if they gave us the permits,” Libbey said. “We could have had this building fixed in three days.”

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Repair work on the building began two years ago, but ceased after the village issued a stop work order because it didn't allow for the replacement of blocks, the Nassau Herald reported.

According to inspections provided by the Libbey family from Maple (LLC) Construction and Sion Assoc. NY LLC, the building was in need of repairs to the concrete foundation, roof and lintels; however, both companies claimed building demolition could be avoided following structural repairs. 

Libbey’s biggest concern for the destruction of the property was the amount of historical documents left in the building during its demolition.

“You may see in the future, the building winding up in a sheriff sale so we can recoup the property,” Mahler said. “The family can also sell the property themselves.” 

Property Tax Cap

While property values have been decreasing due to the current state of the economy, the village passed a local law authorizing an override of the tax levy limit, granting the village authority to raise the cap on possible village expenditures. 

Under current law, the village is not allowed to spend more than 2 percent of what they spent in a previous fiscal year.

“In Atlantic Beach, we believe in giving the taxpayers a break and providing great service at the lowest possible cost,” Village Attorney Charles Kovit said.

The new law goes into effect at the start of the 2012 fiscal year. 

Police Report

The handed out 14 speeding tickets in November, and in an Atlantic Beach monthly tradition, board members and villagers expressed their disappointment with the low number of tickets and concern for upholding safe roads.

County police gave out 113 speeding tickets in October and 59 speeding tickets this time last year, only further fueling this ongoing debate.

Mahler said that the Fourth Precinct and other police departments in Nassau County are in the middle of a “showdown” with the union, leaving many other villages with unusually low numbers of speeding tickets as a result.

“The problem is we had a slowdown long before there was a showdown,” Mahler said. “It’s very aggravating every time I drive over the bridge and you see one or two cars just sitting there in front of police headquarters.”

He added, “We should call it the ‘Fourth and a Half Precinct.’”

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