Is This Any Way to Construct A Dunkin' Donuts?

Residents of Lancaster Avenue in Nesconset have accepted the fact that a Dunkin’ Donuts is going to be on the corner of Smithtown Blvd. and Lancaster Ave. They have even accepted the fact that the town approved the applicant’s request for a drive-thru at the site. What they have a difficult time accepting is the way the construction at the site is impacting on their lives. But that’s not their only concern, they worry about school starting and the safety of the children on the block.

Construction at the site began earlier this year. According to residents construction has been in a start and stop pattern for months. This was confirmed in conversations with Smithtown’s planning and building departments. Everyone seems to be pointing to PSEG as the cause of the delay. Architect of the project Steven Cataldo, in a telephone conversation, emphasized that the owner of the property Anthony Pellizzi would like nothing better than to have this job site completed. Mr. Cataldo said that the delays are out of the control of the owner. 

Patron leaving site after it was fenced offOn Wednesday, August 27th residents of Lancaster had enough. The contractor tore up the parking lot at the site eliminating the parking for nail salon which is open despite the construction. Patrons and employees were forced to park off the site. According to residents there was no signage and patrons of the salon were parking along Lancaster as were the construction vehicles and employees from an auto body shop. Neighbors reported having their driveways and access to mailboxes blocked.  One family, the O’Bray’s, posted a no parking sign on their mailbox and posted a trash can with the same sign on the road in front of the mail box. To no avail as people continued to park in front of the mailbox. One patron of the nail salon ended up hitting the trash can and having it wedged under her car. 

A trip to Lancaster verified the neighbors complaints. The road was almost inaccessible. People trying to access the salon were searching for parking, making dangerous U-turns. When they finally parked they were walking over a torn up parking lot around heavy equipment and heavy trucks. The site looked like a mine field. According to neighbors the contractor was leaving the site without cleaning up and fencing it in. Signs indicating where to park were not posted and the contractor was not listening to them.

A call to Public Safety, Building Department and Traffic Safety changed everything. Within hours a town engineer, building inspector and public safety visited the site and things began to change. The site was cleaned up, fencing was appropriately placed and signage telling people where to park. 

Building Inspector Joe Lorifus went to the site and identified problems. There was a report of odors on the site. Suffolk County Department of Health was also visiting the site and determined that wet sheet rock in the dumpster was the cause. Although there were no summonses issued, the contractor was told to address the dumpster and drainage.

Smithtown Building Permits Coordinator Joe Arico, in a phone conversation, said that the site was known to his department and stated that the department  had received calls from residents and Legislator Kennedy.  Mr. Arico promised to maintain a presence at the site with regular visits from Inspector Lorifus. Mr. Arico wanted all the parties to understand that the Building Department was very serious about addressing the concerns of the residents and about ensuring that the site was excavated and built according to Town Code and the site plans.

Legislator Kennedy said she was pleased that the residents concerns were being addressed. Ms. Kennedy said she was glad to call on the residents behest, but acknowledged that the problems could only be addressed by the Town.

Lori and Marissa Hagenbruch For people patronizing the nail salon it was confusing trying to figure out where to park and how to access the salon. Many of them spoke in favor of the Dunkin’ Donuts but were somewhat troubled that there wasn’t much thought given to safety during the construction or the impact that it was having on the residents and the nail salon.

 A healthy amount of skepticism remains with the families on Lancaster.  Mr. O’Bray and Mr. Gary, two of the most vocal residents on the block, were unimpressed with the contractor’s clean up of the site. “The contractor lied about everything. What we want is honesty. Clean up the site, put up the safety fence, post the parking signs and do the job right. That’s what we ask.” As for Mrs. O’Bray, she wants peace of mind that the kids on the block can be safe during construction and when the Dunkin’ Donuts opens.