(Judy Jacobs, presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature, sent the following letter to County Executive Tom Gulotta following a visit to a county storage facility.)

On April 19, 2001, I visited 404 Peninsula Boulevard in Hempstead, the site where the county stores all of its paper, which is used for all purposes. The building is an absolute disgrace.

Let me begin by relating what I saw. First of all, the entire building is an eyesore to the community. The windows are boarded up, the garage door is rotted and does not lock; there is garbage strewn about outside the building and on the sidewalk, and, in general, it is the worst looking building in the community.

Once inside, things get worse. Rolls and boxes of paper, which have cost the county thousands of dollars, have been rendered virtually useless; literally eaten by rats and destroyed by water damage and plaster board is areas where the ceilings have collapsed. All of this paper is totally ruined, yet it is still stored on site.

In the areas where the roof has caved in, exposed wires and lighting fixtures hang dangerously from the ceilings, some suspended in air, and others draped onto the floor, posing an electrical danger. There is no running hot water and the cold water contains rust, making it undrinkable. Those individuals on site, are disgusted and afraid to use the restrooms for fear that the exposed wires and water leaking from the ceiling could be a fatal combination.

Many of the walls have been eaten through by the rats. There are rat droppings everywhere, posing what I am certain is an extremely dangerous health situation for the community. To make matters worse, we rent a portion of the building to Long Island Council of Churches, which uses it as a base by which to distribute food to the needy. Food, which was meant for those in need, has been contaminated by the rats, which continually eat through the boxes and bags. The thought that rat droppings might actually be in the bags of food being distributed to the needy, and that people could get ill from food stored in one of our buildings is unacceptable.

Needless to say, I am in total shock and disgust. I am requesting an immediate investigation as to how this has been allowed to continue. Please provide me with a figure on the amount of money, which has been lost on paper, etc. for this county. Finally, this building must be immediately condemned and fumigated and then, if even possible, renovated to make it an acceptable part of the community.

I await your reply.

Judy Jacobs

Presiding Officer, 16th L.D.