The Courtesy Hotel has long been a troublesome spot for the members of the West Hempstead Civic Association. The civic association has been trying for years to have the hotel, which is said to be the location of various acts of criminal activity and a blight on the community, closed down. The Town of Hempstead has served the owners of the Courtesy Hotel with a summons and complaint, seeking legal recourse before the State Supreme Court to close down the hotel under the town's nuisance law.

"We want the Courtesy closed and community leaders all over West Hempstead are banning together to force the town to close the Courtesy," said West Hempstead Civic Association President Bob Rabey.

According to Rabey, the town has the authority to close the Courtesy. "They have enough right now to close the doors, but for some reason they are taking this legal action in lieu of that, but the pressure continues," he said.

Rabey said the West Hempstead Civic Association has been meeting with Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino every three weeks.

It was approximately two years ago that town councilman Scott Banks of West Hempstead, who is no longer on the board, stood in the parking lot of the Courtesy during a press conference in which he urged his fellow board members to take action against the Courtesy. Still, the business remains open and some members of the West Hempstead Civic Association wonder why.

"It's been going on for quite some time and it's just gotten to the point where we have had enough and we want action taken," said Rabey.

One member of the West Hempstead Civic Association suggested that the town's lawsuit is only window-dressing and hoped the town would take a more aggressive stance against the Courtesy. "The option of padlocking the doors to the Courtesy is available to the town under the nuisance law. If the town believed that this provision lacked teeth, then why enact the measure in the first instance?" the member questioned.

Rabey said the town has been given more than ample opportunity to close the Courtesy. "They've been given adequate time. They've been given more than adequate information," he said. "The information is there. They have enough fuel. It just boggles my mind why they just don't do it," he said.

While the Courtesy remains open, confidence in the town's ability to take action is diminished in the eyes of some members of the West Hempstead Civic Association.

Attempts to reach town attorney Joe Ra for comment were unsuccessful.