RVC’s blossoming downtown

In an effort to beautify Rockville Centre, the Chamber of Commerce provided the village with flower baskets to hang around the downtown business district.

The Chamber worked with the village to hang 47 flower baskets in downtown Rockville Centre. It’s part of the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to work with the village to beautify the area.

“We want the town to be appealing,” said Chamber of Commerce President Larry Siegel. “We want people to come in and shop in our village, we want our merchants to prosper. We decided that we would assist the village in decorating.”

The basket project began in January when Keith Linsalata, the owner of Art Flowers, picked out the baskets. In February, he planted seeds in them and grew them in a greenhouse in Smithtown. Through the winter and spring, Linsalata tended to the plants to get them ready to be hung after Memorial Day.

The plants were delivered to the village DPW, which hung them and has been watering the plants.

Siegel said that the Chamber of Commerce is going to continue its beautification efforts. The flowers will be hung again next year, he said, and the Chamber also plans on putting up string lights in trees in the downtown area. The exact area is still being determined, but Siegel was thinking of Front Street, Park Avenue and maybe Village Avenue.

“We’re doing it in increments,” he said. “So getting it where most of the nightlife is is going to be our first priority.”

The project to hang the lights is currently out to bid, Siegel said, and should be completed in the fall.

Siegel thanked the mayor and the DPW for their help in hanging the baskets and said he is looking forward to the Chamber and village continuing to work together in the future.

“It’s a good joint-effort between the Chamber and the village to make the village look beautiful,” he said.