Town to raise Jedwood Place

The Town of Hempstead approved a $1.1 million contract on Dec. 10 to raise Jedwood Place as part of a state-funded project to prevent flooding. Construction is slated to begin next spring.

The project is part of the state Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery Community Reconstruction Program for South Valley Stream, which was formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and will harden areas prone to flooding against future storms.

In total, $6 million in state funding was earmarked for anti-flood projects in South Valley Stream, and the road raising comes on top of the town’s completion in September of a nearly $3.8 million bulkhead replacement a few dozen yards to the north, in Mill Brook.

With roughly $2.3 million dedicated to raise Jedwood Place for both design and construction, the town’s awarding of the contract to the Amityville-based Allen Industries Inc. for construction represents the last use of state funding for anti-flood projects in the area, and will be the final proposed CRP project to be completed in Valley Stream. All such projects were identified using community input from GOSR’s Community Reconstruction Committees, comprising members of the public.

Taking place at the last Hempstead Town Board meeting led by outgoing Democratic Supervisor Laura Gillen, who narrowly lost her re-election bid in November to Valley Stream native and Republican Don Clavin, approval of the contract represented one of her final acts in office.

“My administration ushered in dozens of backlogged resiliency projects that had been ignored and overlooked by prior supervisors,” Gillen said. “I’m proud to help rebuild our community safer, stronger and smarter and urge the next administration to continue on this work.”

Jedwood Place runs along the southern shore of the neighborhood’s eponymous Valley Stream, and is one of the main thoroughfares to South High School, which the reconstruction program committee identified in its reports as one of the public sites vulnerable to flooding from storm surges coming up Jamaica Bay. The Forest Road Elementary School and Green Acres Mall are also located nearby.  In addition to Jedwood Place, portions of Sanford Court and Cluett road will also be raised.

According to state and town officials, work on Jedwood is intended to improve stormwater runoff and collection on the road, which is to be raised anywhere from six inches to a foot above where it is now. As is the case with all GOSR community reconstruction projects, design input and funding is provided by the state, while local municipalities, in this case the Town of Hempstead, are responsible for contracting and construction.

“To protect our South Shore communities from future storms, it’s critical we make substantial investments in local infrastructure,” State Sen. Todd Kaminsky said in a statement. “This road-raising project will help mitigate future flooding and improve the quality of life for South Valley Stream residents.”

“From the outset, the State’s NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program sought to apply lessons learned from recent storms and develop projects that would make New York stronger and more resilient,” said Alana Agosto, executive director of community reconstruction and infrastructure programs for GOSR. “The approval of this contract is an important milestone in the implementation of the South Valley Stream Stormwater Infrastructure Upgrades Project, which will protect and reinforce Jedwood Place for those who live, work, and go to school in South Valley Stream.”

The decision to use GOSR funding for Jedwood Place reportedly did not come without controversy. According to Mill Brook Civic Association President Gil VanEtten, at least some residents in the hamlet wished to have the remainder of funds left after the community’s bulkhead replacement project put toward the reconstruction of the tennis courts as well as benches and tables at Brook Road Park. State officials, however, reportedly told them that the funds were earmarked for environmental purposes.

“We were upset that they were using the money we were slotted outside the community,” VanEtten said. “. . . But the wording was that it couldn’t be used for recreational purposes.”

Mill Brook was one of the hardest hit areas of Valley Stream during Hurricane Sandy.

The Jedwood Place project is projected for completion next fall.