The dispute between Haven Realty and Haven Marina houseboat residents continues.
Nassau County Supreme Court justice Daniel Palmieri on Monday ordered a temporary restraining order against marina owner Michael Boromand from trying to evict residents.
Haven Marina houseboat residents Arthur Fishbein, Edward Merkel, George Wendt, Peter Mohan, Nick Cyprus, Kathleen Sutherland, and Allan Glasser filed a lawsuit against Haven Realty seeking to prevent Boromand from evicting them
Houseboat residents said there was a sign posted at the marina telling residents to vacate the area.
Haven Marina attorney Anthony Placentini said Boroumand and Haven Marina co-owner Ed Mayourian, a developer, want their property cleared of boats to build waterfront condominiums.
In addition to threats of eviction, the approximately 30 houseboat residents residing at Haven Marina in Port Washington woke up on May 6 to no electricity and no water.
Manorhaven village officials said at a planning meeting on May 9 that the power outage was the result of vandalism at the marina, which is located at 12 Matinicock Ave., in Port Washington.
Placentini said an electric company will replace the meter, after a piece of the equipment becomes available.
“The power cannot be restored at such time until the underwriter approves of all the work that has been done with respect to the meter and the panel and then PSCG [Private Sector Consultative Group] will come and meet with the underwriter,” he said. “If the underwriter renders a favorable report then PSCG will restore electricity to the transformer then theoretically the electricity can be given to the houseboats.”
Placentini said he believed that before the houseboats can receive electricity from the new system each house boat will also have to be inspected.
Haven Marina resident Peter Mohan, who’s lived in the area for seven years, said he spoke to village code enforcer Kareem Buckly and asked what is the next step in restoring the power.
“He said he did not know or offered any description of the investigation,” Mohan said. “I feel like he either doesn’t know or can’t say.”
“We’re still not getting answers,” he added.
With no power, residents are forced to use gas powered generators.
“There are five gasoline generators that are running night and day, seven days a week,” Mohan said.
Village Attorney James Toner said at the May 9 planning meeting that the generators are a temporary solution only, and pose a hazard.
“The fire marshal indicated that it’s a temporary solution so part of our notice that we’re putting on the resident’s is that if they don’t permit the inspection they’re not going to be permitted to use a temporary solution as a permanent one so that they’re going to be ticketed for these generators and they’re going to be removed,” Toner said. “They’re fire hazards, there’s gasoline on the docks, a lot of these houseboats have fire places with burning stoves so it’s a real recipe for disaster.”
Holland & Knight LLP attorney Michael Frevola, who’s representing the houseboat residents, said he asked Manorhaven Village attorney James Toner if the village is requiring every floating home to be inspected the same way, and was told no.
Frevola said Toner told him that inspections need to be done before they allow power back into the houseboats.
Frevola said he told Toner that a houseboat owner that experienced the power outage has since moved to another marina in the area and was not required to undergo any type of inspection to hook up to an electric panel.
“I said the village is walking into a discrimination lawsuit and was told by Toner that if you have to sue the village sue away,” Frevola said.
“Each boat will have to be inspected to make sure they are safe and need to be inspected,” Manorhaven Village Clerk Leslie Gross said. “But the village is not taking the lead on this because it is a landlord tenant situation.”
The next public hearing is scheduled on June 23 at Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Center Drive in Mineola.
