Bungalow Bureaucracy....

From The Daily News:

Disposing of the shattered wood beams and sifting through ruined childhood relics might be the easy part for Steven Madigan.

Madigan's summer bungalow in Broad Channel collapsed after catching the brunt of Hurricane Irene in August. The storm toppled the scenic shack that is part of a strip of seasonal homes on Church Road.

The 48-year-old carpenter said he was dumbfounded when he returned to survey the wreckage of the home that has been in his family for more than four decades.

"It looked like the house was picked up and bounced right off its beams," he said. "It looked like the walls folded in."

Local advocates and fellow bungalow owners said Madigan may be in store for an even bigger surprise when he tries to rebuild.

The storm has exposed a little-known burden for property owners on Jamaica Bay - having to cut through reams of red tape to get the necessary permits in the environmentally sensitive area.

"The bureaucracy here is just ridiculous," said Dan Mundy , 73, a member of the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers and lifelong Broad Channel resident.

The owner must first satisfy the state Department of Environmental Conservation's criteria before he or she can submit paperwork to the Buildings Department.

Mundy said it often doesn't even make it to the second stage because of how rigid the state agency is.

"It's a rotten situation. I hate to tell the guy that he's not going to get a permit. It's a plight that should be bought to light," he said.

Mundy said he was a consultant for another bungalow owner, Glenn Marcisak, whose experience could become a cautionary tale for Madigan.

Each time Marcisak submitted paperwork, it was deemed incomplete by the agency.

Marcisak, who was trying to reinforce the support beams under his shack to avoid Madigan's disastrous situation, has spent four years volleying paperwork back and forth with the DEC.

"It's very upsetting," said Marcisak, 60. "It's supposed to be a simple process, but it's really a hassle to get a permit. It's not a user-friendly process."

Officials with the DEC said that to provide an "informative and accurate response," it needs an application to refer to, which Madigan hasn't submitted yet.

"As part of the process, we review the designs for the rebuilding to determine if they conform to the current tidal wetlands regulations," Thomas Panzone, DEC's citizen participation specialist, said in a statement.

When the Daily News provided Marcisak's application information, DEC declined to explain why his application has taken years to resolve. "This permit application is still pending. The department cannot comment on pending permit applications," Panzone wrote.

Officials with the Buildings Department said they have liaisons to work with the DEC.

"We have people that are dedicated to speaking with DEC and help people go through the permitting process at the department," said Buildings Department spokeswoman Ryan Fitzgibbon.

Location scouts for HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," which shot an episode on Church Road, were devastated that a hidden oasis in the city was compromised.

"It's a gem in the five boroughs. I hope when they do rebuild it, it has that charm," said location manager Amanda Foley.

Before Madigan can rebuild, he first has to remove the planks and personal effects so they don't contaminate the bay. But he vows to rebuild without any aid from insurance.
"That's been in my family since I was a kid," he said. " It's not something I want to give up."