I was hoping this summer would be better...so much for that! (Hicksville: 2014, apartments)

[bigjretrac]

Originally Posted by dcasty

I just walked from the library to Dunkin D on Post and back.....I find this post hilarious. Do you even own a home? If not then you aren't tied to this neighborhood and should up and go. Westbury very diverse which I guess makes some uncomfortable? To each, their own. I do acknowledge that the schools are a problem and New Cassel needs to be focused on by TONH but that will never happen. TONH only cares about Manhassett/Great Neck/Port Wash. Eh, if I were you, I'd move.

I was in Downtown Westbury earlier this year-- the doomsday posts are nothing short of hilarious.

[MrBitterness]

Originally Posted by dcasty

I just walked from the library to Dunkin D on Post and back.....I find this post hilarious. Do you even own a home? If not then you aren't tied to this neighborhood and should up and go. Westbury very diverse which I guess makes some uncomfortable? To each, their own. I do acknowledge that the schools are a problem and New Cassel needs to be focused on by TONH but that will never happen. TONH only cares about Manhassett/Great Neck/Port Wash. Eh, if I were you, I'd move.

Nope. He rents. Doesn't pay a dime in taxes and has been moaning about Westbury for years but won't move. I can't imagine being so miserable somewhere and staying. Some people are happiest when they're upset and complaining.

[bigjretrac]

Originally Posted by MrBitterness

Nope. He rents. Doesn't pay a dime in taxes and has been moaning about Westbury for years but won't move. I can't imagine being so miserable somewhere and staying. Some people are happiest when they're upset and complaining.

It's a sad way to live, but you're right.

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by MrBitterness

Nope. He rents. Doesn't pay a dime in taxes and has been moaning about Westbury for years but won't move. I can't imagine being so miserable somewhere and staying. Some people are happiest when they're upset and complaining.

"You cannot be serious" - J. McEnroe

What you mean to say is "He does not pay taxes DIRECTLY and receives no Income tax deduction for all the taxes he pays through his landlord." Or do you really believe landlords reach into their own pockets to pay real estate taxes on their income properties rather than collect them from their tenants?

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by Johninwestbury

Every late afternoon & evening 10-20 men are just loitering around, often shouting & drinking, at the center of town. They leave behind trash all over the piazza by Post & Maple. This is what I have to look at the next morning.

I don't know why so many people who are occasional visitors to Westbury on here are hotly disputing this. It's true. Why don't you go there at the time John states and see for yourselves? I am not a frequent visitor to Westbury, but one of my relatives owns a business and has rented office space in an office building near there for many years and that's what he says too. As a matter of fact, all his employees know better than to leave their cars unlocked in the parking lot, because if you do, someone will get into your car and rifle through it, just as surely as every single day in LIRR parking lots where you need a permit, someone goes through and checks every single car in order to give out tickets. One of his employees, a Guido type, actually caught one of the amigos going through his car and punched him in the face. Amigo ran away; no cops called. It's reality over there. It's amusing how nobody wants to believe it, even when John posts a Google pic clearly showing it. It's also interesting how many people will unquestioningly believe negative stuff about other communities. What's so special about the Village of Westbury?

[grilba]

Loitering is not illegal, so they cannot do anything about it. If I was crammed into cramped multifamily lwellings I would loiter too. And that is another reason you will see trash there. Bellmore/Merrick people do not hang outside, they will go from train to home, not much time to litter. If you think it can do any good, prosecute for littering/public drinking/ect.

[hotkarl]

It is pretty bad over there. Not totally horrible, probably more annoying than anything else. Certain parts you just need to be a little more aware and careful. I love John's rants. They are very entertaining to an idiot like me with my childish sense of humor. The replies to his rants are sometimes even more entertaining so keep it going!

[BigMike50]

Originally Posted by MrBitterness

Nope. He rents. Doesn't pay a dime in taxes and has been moaning about Westbury for years but won't move. I can't imagine being so miserable somewhere and staying. Some people are happiest when they're upset and complaining.

Really? You almost sound like renters don't contribute to society Does he pay rent? frequent businesses? take public transportation? eat,shop and spend?

Maybe he stays because he might not afford other places? He's far from being the only one on this board complaining.. He complains because he wants better for the community and the empty promises from the town officials and government.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by hotkarl

It is pretty bad over there. Not totally horrible, probably more annoying than anything else. Certain parts you just need to be a little more aware and careful. I love John's rants. They are very entertaining to an idiot like me with my childish sense of humor. The replies to his rants are sometimes even more entertaining so keep it going!

Yeah, that's about what my relative says. More petty crime than serious violent crime. If it were totally horrible, like if the gangs who live in the area were targeting regular civilians instead of just each other, he would have moved the business.

[Johninwestbury]

Originally Posted by bigjretrac

I was in Downtown Westbury earlier this year-- the doomsday posts are nothing short of hilarious.

Where did I say Westbury was a crime-ridden ghetto? It's certainly not the worst part of Nassau County, but we have problems that need to be addressed, especially if the Village wants to realize it's vision of a full downtown revitalization. Having men loitering around and drinking is not something associated with a good community, period. Sure it's petty stuff but when petty stuff isn't addressed it becomes bigger stuff.
Maybe you've been here during the middle of the day when these guys are all out working, or maybe you've been here when there's a show at the theater. Take tonight, for instance, a show at the theater, and a free concert in the piazza, looks like a nice town, right? But on nights when there's nothing going on at the theater, there's no one strolling along Post Ave except for these men loitering. How safe would you feel walking down Post Ave from the train station at 8pm on a humid summer evening, with nothing but men loitering around, drinking, and staring at you like you don't belong there? Be honest now...
Now the Space has alot of shows this next week, so things wont look quite as bad, but the first week of July looks event-less, so you can be assured those guys will be out in force again.
I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, I've met others, some getting off the LIRR and waiting at the same bus stop, who take the bus for such a relatively short distance. As one woman put it "these guys are creeps and undress me with their eyes". At least I'm not a woman, but even as a guy these men scare me.
Hardly anyone walks home from the train station, most drive, or take cabs, and a few take the bus. They usually go right from the train to their cars. Contrast that to Bellmore or Merrick, where a good 30% actually walk to their homes.
The condos they built along Post Ave were supposed to attract more "yuppies", but they do not want to live here. The ones that do, rarely stroll through town, or if they do, they have their dog with them (these guys are afraid of dogs, so its good protection for a single woman).
They knocked down a building next to Alfredo's last year, they were supposed to construct new condos, but that seems to have fell through as there has been no progress with the construction. Every project is always a day late & a dollar short in this town.
Investors see the conditions here and are skittish. Is it as bad as Hempstead or even New Cassel next door? Not nearly, but there are problems, and if they are not addressed then they will get worse and stall the revitalization.
If this Village wants to really get serious, they will post code enforcement officers & arrange frequent NCPD patrols of the problem areas to disperse the men. Loitering for an extended period of time is already against village code, especially if they are drinking. They would shut down the illegal houses, and work on a long term solution to the school problem by separating the district from New Cassel. But they are afraid to ruffle feathers like most elected officials, for fear of being called a certain word.
I am sick of waiting for that revitalization. I'm sick of waiting to feel safe walking down a street that has activity that doesn't consist of strange men loitering around. Moving out is not of my choosing because I am in a housing program (NOT SEC.8). Basically I am not free to move & have to request it, and the last time I asked, they wouldn't. If the answer is the same I am stuck here & miserable. I try to accept it but I cant anymore. Especially with NICE Bus, since they change schedules every 3 months and I am always in fear that night service on the n35 will be cut back or eliminated, forcing me to take cabs I cannot afford, since I walking through town in summer evenings is such an unpleasant experience.
I see plenty of rentals in Bellmore I'd be much happier there. I have no more patience waiting for Westbury to ever improve. This summer was the last chance for that, yet the men are still owning the streets, just as bad as ever.
Once again those who dont realize the problems dont live here. I live here, I see Post Avenue every day. Tell me you wouldn't be bothered by strange men loitering & drinking every night!