By Andrew Coen
In the Village of Cedarhurst, the business district on Central Avenue, as well as the side streets, are being reconstructed. According to Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise, Central Avenue, between Spruce Street and Washington Avenue, is being finished with new sidewalks and curbs, and when that work is done, Cedarhurst Avenue and Maple Avenue will be tackled.
We're doing all this through state grants, and not at the taxpayers' expense, said Parise.
Parise does not have a timetable for when the street project will be completed, but said that he is disappointed with how long it has taken. It's been disappointing to me because of the timing, he said. It's been hard with the weather and traffic. It's been a lot slower than I anticipated.
Another project in Cedarhurst is the renovation of the train station, which has been under way for the past two years, with stations on both sides of the tracks being refurbished. The station on the north side was rehabilitated first, and the south-side station is being revamped now. Parise was not sure when the project would be completed.
The Cedarhurst Water Pollution Control Plant, a sewer plant next to Lawrence High School, is also being renovated.
The foundation also has been dug for the construction of a new commercial building on Rockaway Turnpike, near Mott Avenue, in Cedarhurst. The building is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Sandwich lovers will be happy to know that a Subway is opening soon in the new mini-shopping center on the corner of Peninsula Boulevard and Rockaway Turnpike, next to the recently opened 7-Eleven.
In Hewlett, a storage facility called Safeguard Storage is opening on Broadway. The site was formerly occupied by a car dealership, a CVS, a bus depot and then a store outlet that closed two years ago. The pilings are in place, and the foundation is being worked on now, with completion expected sometime during the spring.
There are many residents and businesses who need a facility like this, said Joe Gelb, president of the Hewlett Business Association.
One major benefit of the storage facility, according to Gelb, is that it won't produce much traffic on the already congested Broadway.
We're going to have an attractive facade with traffic controls, he said. It will help improve the attractiveness of the area.
Hewlett residents will also get the benefit of a new sandwich shop, with a Quiznos Subs soon opening on Broadway.
In Woodmere, two brand-new medical buildings are opening on Broadway, one near Woodmere Boulevard and the other next to the Trinity-St. John's Church, at the site of the former Friendly's restaurant. According to Woodmere Merchants Association president Sy Glass, the foundations for the two medical buildings will be laid down shortly.
Three parking lots in Woodmere are also being refurbished, with new lights and more spaces. The lots currently being worked on are behind Southwest Fitness Club, next to Conklin Avenue, and near the Woodmere firehouse on Irving Place and Central Avenue. It hasn't been done in a very long time, Glass said of the parking lots.
There are a lot of things we've been working on, Glass said. We haven't slept during the summer.
The Woodmere Docks are also being revitalized. According to Glass, his merchants group is also seeking to encourage the construction of new apartments in Woodmere. This is only the beginning, said Glass. We're developing very fast. We don't wait for something to happen. We initiate it and make it happen.
In the village of Atlantic Beach, a new restaurant just opened on Park Street, called The Park Street Restaurant, which is on the site of the former Bambino's restaurant. The official opening will come after Labor Day. I know the food has to be good, because anyone who opens after Labor Day has to have a lot of confidence, joked Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler.
New townhouses are being erected on the former sites of AJ's and Friends and KO's restaurants. The former AJ's property will have six luxurious 3,000-square-foot waterfront townhouses with views of the Atlantic Beach Bridge. The former KO's restaurant site will have five units. Construction has begun on the AJ's property, and construction at the KO's will begin shortly, according to Mahler.
