Following guidance from the Town of North Hempstead, unsanitary conduct in public – such as urination – will be prohibited in Baxter Estates with a new law approved by the board of trustees Wednesday night.
“We would like to have this sort of unsanitary activity curtailed,” Trustee Charles Comer said.
Village attorney Christopher Prior said that the village’s clerk had recently seen issues of unsanitary conduct near village hall.
“Incidents of that have apparently been a problem,” Prior said.
The board of trustees held a public hearing Wednesday night to discuss the new law, which prohibits public urination and defecation, unanimously adopting it into its code after the hearing was closed.
The Town of North Hempstead implemented a local law that prohibits public urination and defection in March. Prior said that in passing its own law, the town also urged the individual villages to adopt a similar local law.
The Village of Port Washington North also adopted a similar law in July.
Prior said the village took the town’s law and modified it to describe village properties and locations where the conduct is prohibited. The village’s law also has a penalty scheme that is consistent with the village’s code, Prior added.
Mayor Nora Haagenson said the village was also encouraged by the police department to adopt the law. Comer said the police encouraged the law to be implemented as they are unable to deter such conduct without a law in place that prohibits it.
The village also held a public hearing to consider an application from T-Mobile to renew its permit for its telecommunications equipment in the village.
T-Mobile has equipment on top of the roof of 299 Main Street, on the northwest corner of the street’s intersection with Shore Road.
The equipment is hidden behind a false chimney and Jonathan Bertram, a representative from Complete Development Services on behalf of T-Mobile, told the board it will continue to be hidden behind it.
Prior said the permits are reviewed by the board every ten years to assess any equipment changes or modifications needed to the permit.
The last permit was issued on March 4, 2010, which Prior acknowledged was more than ten years prior to the current application.
Bertram said the existing equipment has been upgraded since the last permit was issued.
He said that when upgrades are done, it is done through the village’s building department. Village clerk Meghan Kelly said the building department has no record of receiving any plans for upgrades or work done on the equipment.
Trustee Maria Branco said that communication in the past has been scarce and asked Bertram that the village be made aware of when work is done on the telecommunications equipment.
Prior suggested that if the board approves the permit, the village make it conditional on T-Mobile communicating with the building department to make sure it is “satisfactory” with its requirements.
The board did not vote on T-Mobile’s permit and will continue the public hearing at its next meeting.
The Baxter Estates Board of Trustees will convene again on Nov. 1.
