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Mostly Cloudy Extreme makeover: Elmont edition
Elmont is finally getting the face-lift that it desperately needs, according to many locals residents.
A streetscape project that was initiated in May by the Town of Hempstead on the south side of Hempstead Turnpike, between School and Elmont roads, was completed last month. Initially slated for completion in July, the construction is the third phase of a “triangle” project that includes improvements along the turnpike and Elmont and School roads and has been in the works since 2006.
Another project, on the north side of the turnpike, between Plainfield and Hendrickson avenues — approved by the town this summer, with construction beginning in September — is about 95 percent complete, according to town officials.
Both projects include new curbs, brick pavers, Victorian-style lighting and trash receptacles, and are being funded by the Community Development Block Grant, a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development program that provides grants to local governments and states. According to the town, the total cost of the two projects was just over $700,000.
The town recently initiated two other streetscape plans for Elmont — a comprehensive plan known by the town as “Phase 3-B,” totaling $235,855 — for which it is expecting board approval in December. Construction would likely begin in the spring. The Phase 3-B projects, which would also be funded by the CDBD, are both on Hempstead Turnpike, one between Hendrickson and Rocquette avenues and the other between School Street and Rockmart Avenue.
“The Town of Hempstead is continually looking to revitalize downtown commercial districts,” said town spokeswoman Susan Trenkle-Pokalsky, adding that the town has recently completed projects in nine communities as part of that revitalization effort.
