Living near the Franklin Square downtown area, shopping for me is easily accessible. By walking, one has a close-up view of the neighborhood that is missed when driving a car. In recent days, I have become increasingly aware of cigarette butts littering the sidewalks outside stores, under the newly installed benches and in the gutters. This issue may not entirely fit into the "quality of life" category, but is most definitely a careless disregard for maintaining clean streets and can become a health hazard.

The cigarette law banning indoor smoking has created a new problem, i.e., employees smoking outside their offices and stores. The cigarette butts tossed on the sidewalks remain there until rains wash them away in clusters to other locations on the streets and in the gutters.

This issue of cigarette butt litter needs to be addressed by business owners and the Chamber of Commerce. A suggestion that may help would be to place sandboxes outside stores and other establishments. The Town of Hempstead could also provide the same at bus stops to take care of this unsightly problem.

Katherine Aliferis