Town to hold Bellmore bike locker lottery

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, Councilman Gary Hudes and Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmad are inviting residents to enter the town’s annual “planet-friendly” bike locker lottery.

Town officials said they are currently collecting entry forms, which will be used to select eight winners who will each have a one-year use of a bike locker at the Bellmore Long Island Rail Road station. The lottery drawing will be held on Earth Day (April 22) at the train station.

King Sweeney noted that riding a bike to the train station would be good for a resident’s health and the environment. Hudes explained that the lockers provide a place for residents to protect their bicycles during the workday.

“When it comes to environmentally friendly means of transportation, two wheels are certainly better than four,” Murray said. “We encourage residents to enter the town lottery and try their hand at winning use of a bike locker for a whole year.”

Each of the bike lockers is 4 feet tall, 6 feet long and 3.5 feet wide, and are all located on the north side of the tracks. Officials noted that each locker easily fits a standard bicycle, protecting it from damage, theft and bad weather.

The town requires a $40 key deposit, which is refunded at the end of the one-year lease. No sub-leasing is permitted.

Residents interested in the bike lockers should call Ahmad’s office at 516-812-3024 to obtain an entry form; only one lottery ticket per household will be accepted. Officials said residents must return the completed forms by Friday, April 17 to the Office of the Town Clerk, located on the first floor of Hempstead Town Hall (1 Washington Street, Hempstead). They may also mail them to the following address: Nasrin G. Ahmad, Town Clerk, ATTN: Bike Lockers, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, NY 11550.

While this program has been based out of Bellmore for years, town officials said they are looking forward to the installation of five bike lockers in Baldwin and Woodmere, respectively. For more information about the town’s bike locker program, call the Ahmad’s office.