LIRR construction: Wantagh businesses hope for the best

With construction expected to soon begin on Wantagh’s Long Island Rail Road station, local business owners are bracing for impact.

The $23.9 million project to replace platforms that date back to the 1960s is expected to last 18 to 24 months. Other work includes new platform-level canopies, replacement of the escalators and the addition of an elevator to make the station handicapped accessible for the first time.

Business owners say they are hopeful that concerns raised during a pair of contentious meetings in the fall, hosted by the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce, have been addressed by the LIRR. The major concerns were parking and possible street closures.

LIRR representatives say they are looking to cause as little inconvenience to local businesses as possible.

Merchants on the south side of the station were particularly worried that customers would not be able to access their businesses if Railroad Avenue were closed at any point. The project does call for a crane to be set up during various stages of the construction project to lift materials to the platform. However, the LIRR officials say the crane would be out only from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and would not block the entire road.

Chris Brown, president of the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce, said the south side of the station is the only place the crane can go, because of high-tension wires to the north. “There’s nothing that they can do other than guaranteeing that the crane is not staying overnight,” Brown said, “and it will be in designated areas.”

Laurie Erb, owner of Drop N Lock, which allows customers to leave their laundry or dry-cleaning in a secure locker and pick it up within two days, noted that Wantagh is the rare community with businesses directly across the street from an LIRR station. Her store is one of several businesses that face the station between Wantagh Avenue and Beech Street.

Having opened her store in September 2014, Erb said that as a relatively new business, she is still trying to establish herself, and her concept, and if access is cut off, it could have a negative impact. “If you start disrupting that, if I have 10 customers who can’t come, that hurts,” she said.

Salvatore Arena, a spokesman for the LIRR, said that the primary construction staging area will be Triangle Park, between Station Plaza and Railroad Avenue, toward the east end of the platform. Railroad Avenue itself, he explained, will be unaffected except for some possible temporary interruptions.

“The railroad has no plans to close that,” he said. “It’s not part of the permanent staging area.”

County Legislator Steve Rhoads said that he and other officials are supposed to be briefed by the LIRR before the construction begins about any potential disruptions.

Arena added that the construction would result in the loss of some spots underneath the elevated tracks, adjacent to the staging area.

For business owners on the north side of the station, the bigger concern was parking. Gregg Markin, owner of Andy’s Luggage, said that he doesn’t want construction workers using the spots that are set aside for customers, which have time limits from 30 to 90 minutes.

“We were assured by the police officials and the county and town officials that parking enforcement would not be lax,” he said. “They promised that.

“We’re going to wait and see,” Markin added. “If it’s not taken care of, we will be on the phone on a daily basis.”

Rhoads said that the Nassau County Police Department would continue its enforcement of parking regulations and also work to maintain traffic flow in the area.

LIRR officials said that the contractor would be responsible for finding a location for its employees to park. Fortunato Sons Contracting was chosen for the project, which is expected to create 100 construction jobs. Fortunato referred all questions to the LIRR.

Erb, who agrees that the renovation is needed, said that more than anything, she just wants LIRR officials to communicate with business owners about possible road closures to give advance notice to her customers.

“We know it needs to get done,” added Markin, “so we’re willing to put up with the minor inconveniences. As long as customers of businesses can park.”

Brown said that he is in regular contact with LIRR officials, and has been told that construction vehicles would likely start arriving at the end of the month, with work beginning in early May. He has asked the railroad to hold a groundbreaking ceremony when the project is set to begin.

He added that the condition of the station is deplorable, and he wants the renovation to be something that benefits both residents and businesses. If the LIRR, town and county keep their promises, Brown said, that would go a long way toward ensuring that the project is met with the positive reception it should have. “When was the last time we had a $24 million project in our area, and it’s right in our business district so it should benefit us,” he said. “Hopefully they clean it up and it looks a lot more respectable.”