By TIFFANY RAZZANO
The committee, which met for the first time in January, has chosen a new Rockville Centre Pride logo, designed by local graphic designer Tom Chung, and ordered the first six banners sporting the logo. Eventually, 39 such banners will be hung around the village.
The logo is significant for the committee because it reinforces the village's community atmosphere, said Dr. Cyd Charrow, a committee co-chair.
"Rockville Centre is a family, a hub, a haven, quite literally, a 'Centre,'" Charrow read from the group's report at the May 14 Board of Trustees briefing session. "A place that just feels comfortable, complete. This is not simply a place to live that's close to a city; it's its own place. It's strollable - an urban suburb, where neighbors and families connect."
The group is now preparing to kick off the RVC Pride campaign at this year's Anniversary Fireworks Celebration in July. The logo will be unveiled to residents, with members of the committee on hand to provide information about the group, its plans for future projects and how others can get involved.
The committee divided its report into three categories: short-term, mid-term and long-term recommendations. The short-term plans, which could be completed within six months at little or no cost to the village, focus on image consistency, environmental awareness, education and the business district. They are the first projects the group will work on.
"All Pride Committees agreed on the need to develop one harmonious image for ... Rockville Centre that will enable residents and visitors to differentiate our village from surrounding communities," Charrow read from the report. "This image embodies an aesthetic ideal that builds on those existing elements of our village which were identified as the spirit of RVC ..."
The group also plans to work on the signage of the village so that it accurately defines the perimeters of Rockville Centre. Workers are already replacing damaged signs at various entrances to the village. The group also suggested that the village standardize equipment and materials to establish one style, such as in brick work, garbage cans, planters and benches.
As for its environmental plans, the group will provide cans for curbside recycling in the downtown area. It has already received specs for a project that would involve the landscaping and renovation of the two major entrances to the village: Sunrise Highway, near the Department of Public Works, and farther east on Sunrise. "These are big entrances that are not very attractive at all," Charrow said.
The Beautification Committee also plans to work with local groups on a "Pride Spot" program. The groups will volunteer to spruce up public areas of the village that have been neglected or are in disrepair.
Another of the committee's ideas is for the Board of Trustees to revisit and revise the village's tree ordinance to further regulate tree removal as well as tree abuse. Also, the Mill River Park Complex has already been nominated to receive grant funding from Nassau County to renovate areas of the park. A grant writer volunteered to prepare a 48-page grant proposal for the site.
The committee is also considering several short-term plans to beautify the business district. The first areas to be tackled are the parking lots and the backs of the commercial buildings. The village is already planning to place whisky-barrel style planters in the parking lots as a pilot program.
Charrow said the committee is working with the police department to have the current 30 mph speed limit on Sunrise Highway strictly enforced. "We were concerned about the speed," she said. "We wanted to lower the speed limit and found out the limit already is 30 mph."
Vincent Iacobellis, chairman of the Business District Committee as well as an architect, will develop a long-range business plan to present to the Board of Trustees. The plan will serve as a guideline for future projects, funding and ordinances in the business district. Iacobellis will also be appointed as an alternate to the Design Review Board.
The committee will focus much of its efforts on public relations, so that it can better educate village residents about what it is doing. "Several public relations outlets will be used to spread the word about beautification issues, announce projects and enlist the community through volunteer call action," Charrow read from the report. A Web site will be created for the committee, which will also utilize the village's cable channel. Committee members hope to eventually get their own work space somewhere in the village.
The group's mid-term plans, which can be completed within six to 18 months at low or moderate cost, include annual RVC Pride events, a pilot program to beautify Maple Avenue, the replacement of the south-facing railroad sign, the development of plans to improve Hickey Field, and the implementation of an urban forestry management plan.
Long-term goals will focus on a two- to five-year period and, while more costly, will be funded primarily by grants, ordinance revisions and private donations. These goals include replacing the streetlights on Sunrise Highway and, in the business district, lining the street with evergreens in planters, stylizing a consistent look throughout the downtown area, hiring a professional grant writer, and revamping Mill River and Centennial Park.
Comments about this story? TRazzano@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
