N.Park business owners will soon have new road

On the day when workers began putting up decorative lights on the lampposts of Rockville Centre in preparation of the holiday season, merchants on North Park Avenue are anticipating a gift of their own…a newly paved road.

Since May, construction to replace an aging water main and subsequent delays with the project have given many business owners on North Park headaches with declining customers and profits. The project was supposed to be complete by the start of the school year, but is now expected to wind down by the end of the month.

As the construction went on, the street became taboo with its rough surface, lack of suitable sidewalks and workers taking up nearby parking spaces with their personal vehicles. North Park was even closed for most of the day at the intersection of College Place on Nov. 4 as a crew continued the project with bulldozers and pavers.

But most merchants on Park have since become unfazed by the project and know that a new street and a return to normalcy is just days away.

“I have no complaints,” said Steve Frey, owner of The Centre Lock Shop. “I’ve got a new walkway and a new sidewalk. I’m happy.”

Across the street, Jose Dominguez, who owns Pioneer Hair Designs, said business increased while Park was being worked on, especially since July, when the heart of the construction was being done.

“We’re doing good, excellent here,” he said. “This year is even better than last year.”

One store that hasn’t been as fortunate is Colour Bar Hair and owner Izabela Saboski, who said the salon lost 40 percent of its business since the work started. At one point, Saboski said, she had to close for three days due to the lack of clients.

“We just had a receptionist answer the telephone,” Saboski said. “I had absolutely zero clients. Yesterday [Nov. 3], we had four clients.”

Despite her struggles, Saboski praised Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray for closely working with the store owners during their lean times.

“The mayor is a phenomenal man,” she said. “He’s on his feet all the time and is supervising this. So we just know that we have to pray that they will work very efficientlky and they will do the job as soon as possible.”

One of the more publicized businesses in need was Turn of the Corkscrew, which turned to an online public fund to survive. Co-owners Peggy Zieran and Carol Hoenig received $8,761 in donations on the GoFundMe website through Nov. 3, well short of their $75,000 goal, but remain optimistic that their struggles will soon be over.

“It’s slow-going. We’re not anywhere near our goal,” Zieran said. “The good thing about all of press is people became aware of it and they come in and shop now, so we have been getting our customers to be a little more cognizant. That’s a big bonus.”

Zieran said she was told by Murray that the work should be wrapped up by next week.

“This is the last phase of it up here, so now they’re going to repave,” Zieran said. “So hopefully, next week or the end of next week, we have a road!”

But the completion may come sooner than that. Village administrator Kathleen Murray said before the Nov. 7 trustee meeting that the work could be done in the next few days if the weather cooperates.