South Valley Stream to get Sandy funds

Valley Stream will receive a $1.7 million grant from the New York Rising Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Fund to help rebuild South Valley Stream’s shoreline, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray and Councilman Bruce Blakeman announced late last month.

When Hurricane Sandy ripped across Long Island in 2012, it destroyed much of the shoreline in South Valley Stream, including a pedestrian greenway known as “the path.” The shoreline and path have yet to be repaired, but residents can expect that to change.

“The restoration of the natural shoreline in South Valley Stream is a project that we are all very excited to see approved,” Blakeman said. “Thanks to the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program, this project is possible, and it will not be a burden to the taxpayers.”

The plan is to repair the shoreline along Cloverfield Road North up to Mill Road, and the work would include terracing the pathway with a naturally sloped shoreline, adding open space and removing abutments to a former pedestrian bridge at Cloverfield Road North.

Murray said that the project would not only repair the popular recreation area and restore its natural beauty, but protect the shoreline and nearby residents from future floods, thanks to the shoreline’s increased gradient.

“The South Valley Stream community was extremely affected by Hurricane Sandy,” Murray said. “It is comforting to know they are receiving much-needed assistance to continue to rebuild and protect residents from future storms.”

Mayor Ed Fare said that while the work site is not in the incorporated village, all local residents stand to benefit. “Anything that helps the shore in Valley Stream, that helps the water table, that prevents flooding there, is going to help and is good news,” he said. “I’m certainly in favor of it. If it can ebb the flow of floodwaters, it’s good for anyone in the area … [I]f we can prevent the water from flooding at the shoreline, that means it would never reach the village, and that’s a very good thing.”

Mike Deery, a spokesman for Murray’s office, said there is no start date set for construction. “We don’t really have any specific timeline right now,” he said. “This is really just a preliminary step. Now that the funds have been approved, plans for the project must be drawn up and submitted to New York state and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. After they approve it, which could take some time, we’ll have a better idea of when this can get done.”