Freeport Mayor, Activists Protest Over State DOT Storage Yard On Village Property
FREEPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The mayor of one Long Island town has teamed up with environmental and civic groups in an effort to remove a state Department of Transportation truck yard and storage units.
On Wednesday, village officials and activists in Freeport held a protest led by Mayor Robert Kennedy, 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reported.
"We need to clean up this property. Remove the street sweepers, the old tires, the dumpsters, garbage, and shopping carts, and the contaminated waste," Kennedy said.
Freeport Mayor, Activists Protest Over State DOT Storage Yard On Village Property
The land, about 5 acres on Sunrise Highway, is being used as a truck and storage yard by the state DOT.
Freeport Village, which owns the land, has gone to court to try and push the state off the property, Rivera reported.
Village attorney Howard Colton said they're seeking a court order, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported.
"There's an order to command them to remove the structures, to remove the debris, to remove the fencing, to remove everything out of this parcel because again, they don't have the right to be here," he said.
Freeport Mayor, Activists Protest Over State DOT Storage Yard On Village Property
The village has entered a contract to develop the property for homes and other badly economic recovery efforts, but Kennedy said the state won't budge, Xirinachs reported.
"Why does DOT and the governor refuse to help the Freeport community?" he questioned.
A judge will hear the case next week.
