Snow Removal Border War Between Queens, Nassau
FLORAL PARK, N.Y. (CBS 2) -- One side of the street is a snowy mess, but the other is lean and clear. Why the difference?
That was the situation on Wednesday in Nassau County's Floral Park and Little Neck, just across the street in Queens.
"Once you get to Peninsula Boulevard it is all clear. You can see the streets in Nassau County," Queens homeowner Bina Zaiman told CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan. "But in Queens we're nothing, nothing."
Residents said they're in the midst of a border war. Queens roads remained blanketed in white, but 50 feet away Long Island roads showed asphalt. Slushing through communities that stagger the city and suburbs, it is easy to see who was losing.
<a href="PHOTO" href="<A href='http://newyork.cbslocal.com/gallery/2010/12/26/snow-storm-bears-down-on-tri-state-area/#photo-1"> Pictures</a>
Queens day care worker Lorenzo Ingram said he had children who were counting on him, but "Right now I'm supposed to pick up five that can't get here."
"That's Nassau County. They don't have the same mayor we got. This is his second term and he done nothing."
So McLogan, herself, put in an S.O.S. to the city. Less than an hour later plows came rolling up.
"We be working all day long, miss, since 6 o'clock this morning, working 12-15 hours a day," plow driver Cefirino Gonzalez told McLogan.
"It's funny. We have to get Channel 2 to come to get them to do their work. He just drove past with his plow up," one resident said.
However, plows are down in the border villages of North Hempstead where Joann Gaddis drives a mean sander, spreading brine and then salt to clear local Nassau roads.
"We pre-treat the roads, and the minute the storm hits we sand and we salt and then plow when snow gets high enough," Gaddis said.
The supervisor of North Hempstead said he's willing to lend beleaguered Mayor Michael Bloomberg a hand.
"We'd love to work with the city to get the job done. We have reached out over time but haven't quite gotten that call back. But we will keep on trying. Maybe his office will respond to us in the near future. Maybe this will light a fire," Jon Kaiman said.
Neighboring Nassau villages and towns hope New York City is listening. In the meantime, the town of North Hempstead will begin plowing Little Neck, Queens on Thursday at 6 a.m.
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