By Scott Brinton
Merrick residents have gotten their first glimpse of good things to come in the business district along Merrick Avenue north of Sunrise Highway.
Last week, workers installed a swath of red-brick sidewalk at the foot of the Long Island Rail Road station, as well as antique lighting and a planter. Call it phase one in the commerce zone's planned revitalization.
The Town of Hempstead and the Merrick Chamber of Commerce are overseeing the $300,000 project, which will give the business district its first common area for residents to gather. Summer concerts are already planned at a gazebo that is to be built there. State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) secured a state grant to finance the common.
David McDonough, the Merrick Chamber's revitalization liaison, says that in the coming year the business district will receive a makeover similar to that at the train station.
"There are so many times people have asked me what's happening. I'll have a big smile on my face when they start digging this and that. By this time next year, you're going to see a lot of things completed."
State, county and town dollars are paying for Merrick's new and improved streetscape.
The Town of Hempstead is financing storefront facade work for property owners who want their buildings to blend with their upgraded surroundings. McDonough says the red-brick Roslyn Savings Bank across from Chatterton Elementary was built according to the new look envisioned for Merrick's downtown.
The only thing about the facade program is that property owners must match the dollar figure the town contributes. McDonough says several landlords, who collectively own 200 feet of frontage along Merrick Avenue, have already committed to the facade program.
In November, the county sold $3.2 million in capital-improvement bonds to pay for revitalization projects throughout Nassau. Dubbed Operation Downtown, the program will make $450,000 available to Merrick, county Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) said during a recent Central Merrick Homeowners Association meeting. The money will go for red-brick sidewalks, antique lampposts, wrought-iron benches and garbage pails.
County Executive Thomas Gulotta (R-North Merrick) said, "These improvements will help upgrade Merrick's downtown to better enable its store owners to attract new business and compete with large shopping centers."
Also planned is a revamp of Merrick's aging train station. Sen. Fuschillo and the Metropolitan Transit Authority have teamed up on this $3.2-million project, which will provide commuters with a new ticket booth closer to Merrick Avenue.
As to when all these projects will start, McDonough said, "I think we'll see a lot of actual work begin this summer."
The former chamber president noted, though, that he doesn't plan to end Merrick's revitalization with its most-central business district. He's also eyeing projects along Merrick Avenue in North Merrick and on Merrick Road in southern Merrick.
"We'll find a way to get funding and assistance for the other areas in Merrick," he said. "We'll still be going on to get all the areas."
