Valley Stream curb law gets curbed

There were enough questions about Valley Stream’s proposed curb law at Monday night’s public hearing to push the vote off for at least a month.

The law would make it a property owner’s responsibility to repair a broken curb in front of their home or business. Village Clerk Vinny Ang said the law is consistent with other villages and towns.

But Trustee Vincent Grasso took issue with the law, saying it might be too burdensome for Valley Stream citizens. He noted that the law would protect the village from liability and litigation, but not others. “By removing our burden, we place it somewhere else,” he said. “With the passage of this law, the burden does not magically disappear, it simply shifts onto the shoulders of the local homeowner or business owner.”

Ang said the purpose of the law is to protect the village, which has to pay any liability claims directly. He noted that residents are already required to maintain the sidewalks in front of their homes, and the liability is part of their homeowner’s insurance. The curb law would also require that any claims be covered by homeowner’s insurance. It is not meant to put an undue burden on residents, Ang explained. “We are not going out and looking at everyone’s broken curbs and saying you have to fix them,” he said.

A property owner would be responsible for repairing curb damage, except if it were done by a village plow truck. Grasso noted that the village allows on-street parking during the day, so it would be unfair to make a homeowner pay for damage caused by another driver.

South Corona Avenue resident Tony Iadevaio echoed that sentiment during the public hearing. He said that a trucking business on Lincoln Avenue was responsible for damage to the curb along the side of his property. Dump trucks coming in and out would have trouble making the turn and ride up on the curb. Iadevaio said the damage dates back to the 1980s. “I will not be responsible for repairing this,” he said.