(10/17/06) HAUPPAUGE ? An Orient road stayed caught in the crossfire of political finger pointing Tuesday.

Orient residents aired their concerns to the Suffolk Legislature over the terrible condition of Park View Lane, which has massive potholes from end to end. Jennifer Valentino lives on the street and says it is so unsafe that she does not allow her son to ride his bike there. While Suffolk owns the road, county officials say the Town of Southold should take over ownership. As a result, neither has paid to maintain the roadway.

Legislator Ed Romaine (R-1st District) proposes the county pay for 75 percent of the restoration before returning the road to the town. Suffolk Executive Steve Levy?s office rejects that notion, saying $150,000 is too high a price for the county to absorb.