After years of neglect and abandonment, the house that stands at 2 Daisy Lane in Levittown has been sold to someone in the construction business and is being cleaned and fixed up, much to the relief of the residents in the surrounding area.

According to one resident, who asked that his name not be used, the house has been abandoned for approximately 24 years. He relates that he could not even let children play in his yard because there were so many wild animals in the area, living in the house and hanging out of the trees. "It was infested with all kinds of vermin and rodents and whatever else, flying and crawling and walking," said the Daisy Lane resident.

Though the resident is pleased that something is being done about the neglected property, "My feeling is that I don't think what they are doing now is really too wise." He said that he would have preferred that the house be torn down and a new one built in its place. This resident worries that the house will look better but still be somewhat unsafe for whoever buys it after it's fixed up. "I'm just hoping that before they do any work in there that the town inspectors- the electrical, plumbing, architectural- do their thing so that the people that do eventually end up buying this house doesn't get stuck with a lemon."

After decades of neglect and getting the run around from the health department and other organizations, the Town of Hempstead spearheaded an effort to get the property, which was a danger to the community, cleaned up. Some of the major problems with the house included structural damage, rodent infestation, and potential fire risk. The residence had also become a target of graffiti and other vandalism. "The appalling and unsafe conditions of the property on Daisy Lane prompted Supervisor Guardino and me to take appropriate actions which resulted in the property being sold and the subsequent cleanup by the new owner," said Town of Hempstead Councilman Gary Hudes.

Neighbors of the property credit Hudes with getting this cleanup to happen. According to Gina Interdonato, who for the past 15 years has lived diagonally across from the house, Hudes was the first person to help them in this fight, after 15 years of struggling with different government agencies. Interdonato said that everybody else had told them that as long as the woman who owned the house was paying her taxes, there was nothing they could do. For that reason, Interdonato stated, "We are just a little indebted to Gary for finally taking care of this." The other Daisy Lane resident also credited Hudes for keeping in touch with the residents and keeping them informed about what was going on and then finally finding a solution to this problem that had plagued the neighborhood for so long.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Richard Guardino and Hudes directed the Town of Hempstead Building and Sanitation Code Enforcers to visit and inspect the property. They also called upon the Nassau County Fire Marshal, the Levittown Fire Department, and the Nassau County Health Department to examine prospective hazardous conditions. "The property was cited for numerous violations of town and fire codes and summons were issued," said Hudes. Guardino added, "While it gives me little pleasure to witness a property owner receive numerous summonses, this particular residence has a host of health and safety conditions that needed to be addressed for the well-being of the entire neighborhood."

According to Interdonato, the neighborhood was so upset by the situation that they had at one time considered taking the property owner to court to try to get the property cleaned up. "It was a hazard," said Interdonato, noting that they couldn't even let their children go anywhere near the property.

"I am excited that Levittown residents can again allow their children to play along Daisy Lane without fear for their safety," said Hudes.

The first step of cleaning up the property happened last year when animal control went into the house and took out 15 opossum and other animals before boarding up the house so animals could no longer live inside. Both Interdonato and the other resident who spoke to the Levittown Tribune about this story relate often seeing animals on the roof and hanging out of the trees. "It's a horror story. We waited 15 years for this, so needless to say, the residents that live around the area are totally ecstatic about this. It took us 15 years. It's very sad that anybody could let their property get to that point," said Interdonato.

The other Daisy Lane resident noted that there was no way for real estate agents or visitors to the neighborhood to avoid passing the dilapidated property, so the house brought down their property values. Now that the house has been sold and repairs have begun, neighbors are optimistic that it will be an improvement. "Hopefully it will be a much better thing. It can't be worse, that's for sure," concluded Interdonato.