(The following letter was sent to Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, and was forwarded to this newspaper for publication.)

The fragile balance between residential and industrial property uses in northwest Hicksville is a juggling act at best. The NorthWest Civic has been acting with diligence and patience, but we feel we are ignored by your administration on most issues.

On July 10, 1998, a tour was made down West John Street. Lists were made for town action. Most of the problems are still waiting to be addressed. We have tried to work with the office of Code Compliance with little avail. While waiting to resolve the old problems, new problems have surfaced.

There has been one improvement. The removal of a used car lot at Route 106 and West John Street. A half-done cleanup and a coat of paint incorrectly applied on the Beach Russ property (304 West John Street) has left us with an eyesore. Mr. Pader of Code Compliance has been apprised of our numerous concerns about Beach Russ, the area being used by Waste Management at West John and Charlotte and various issues involving Twin County Recycling, including the height of their storage pile behind the Laidlaw Bus property. As far we can ascertain no corrective action has occurred on these issues. A letter was sent to you March 19, 2001 regarding our communications with the Beach Russ Company. You have not replied.

Twin County Recycling appears to continue to operate with free license, as does the Engel Street Asphalt Plant. We have long asked for the enforcement of the terms of the special use permits for these plants as well as the town's zoning laws. The town has proved to be unresponsive to our requests. On Tuesday, Sept. 12, some members of the NorthWest Civic went to the town board, to again plea for relief from the asphalt plants. They were told "we hear you." Things have not changed. You continue to maintain that "so goes Hicksville, so goes the Town of Oyster Bay" and that the residents of the town are your eyes and ears. Do you really mean this or do the words mean nothing?

The NorthWest Civic want to make Hicksville everything that it can be. We are not only maintaining what we have, but improving the neighborhood for our children and the future. The above issues range in duration from three to 20 years. Our patience draws thinner and thinner. You can help us make a difference by seeing that the town does its part.

Dale Bennett, Mildred Jones,

Harry Petersen, Jo-Ann Broska,

Anthony Sonillo, Irene Carlomato,

John Placek, Terri Carson,

Greg Yatzyahyn, John Russo