By Andrew Hackmack
Mayor Ed Cahill said the money would cover about two miles of village streets.
In 2008, long stretches of North Grove Street, North Cottage Street and East Avenue were repaved, along with sections of about a dozen other streets. Cahill said that Village Engineer Tony Cella would determine which roads are in the worst shape and should be repaved this year.
Once a year, Cella inspects all the roads in the village, especially those known to be in poor condition. As engineer, he said, I spend a large portion of each day driving around the village about 100 miles a week. At any one time I have a pretty good idea of where the worse roads in the village are.
After touring the streets and analyzing construction costs, Cella determines which roads need total reconstruction and which will do with just some patchwork. Roads with a concrete center may just need to have the asphalt shoulders replaced, which can be done by village crews.
Cella will make a priority list for Cahill and the board of trustees. In October of 2008, he said. I gave the mayor a list of 24 roads that need replacement, an estimated cost of $2.7 million.
Cella said he would revisit his list again in the spring, in case any road conditions have changed during the winter months. A final determination of the roads to be repaired will be made by village officials before they put the project up for bid.
One parking lot will also be repaved. Last year, Lot 15, at North Central Avenue and Fritchie Place, got a new coat of blacktop.
A $450,000 Streetscape program on North Central Avenue, from Merrick Road to Stein Street, was also completed in 2008. New sidewalks, brick pavers and street lights were installed. Cahill said the goal is to continue the work up North Central Avenue in 2009. We-ll see how far we can go, he said.
In the past, Rockaway Avenue and the Gibson area have been enhanced through the Streetscape program. Cahill said the long-term goal is to address all of the village-s business districts.
A small Streetscape program, funded by Nassau County, is in the process of being completed at Wheeler Avenue and Rockaway Parkway. Cahill said the work was made possible by a $50,000 grant from Legislator Fran Becker. The village is expecting another $50,000 this year, Cahill said, and will look for another area along a county road that needs work.
This year, Cahill hopes to get a downtown revitalization project off the ground. The village is still awaiting a $65,000 grant from Assemblyman Bob Barra and Sen. Dean Skelos. The board has already approved a consulting firm, which it will officially hire once the funding comes through.
Cahill said the firm would help the village create a downtown revitalization plan. One of the first steps, he said, would be to gather input from community members, local merchants and property owners. He hopes to have a redevelopment plan in place by the end of the year.
In another project, street lights will be installed on Sunrise Highway. The village has received a $1.08 million federal grant, which will cover most of the cost. Lighting will be installed from the city line to the Lynbrook border.
According to Cahill, lights will be installed in the center median, instead of digging new lines on both sides of the street. There are only a few sections of Sunrise Highway that have street lights, he said.
The village also has a $250,000 state grant for new lighting around Village Hall, the Henry Waldinger Library and the Village Green.
The village will spend $14,000 to send out hurricane and flood information to all households. The state Office of Emergency Management is picking up $10,000 of that cost, Cahill said.
Finally, a $10,000 grant will allow the village to purchase hazardous waste detectors for the sanitation supervisors- vehicles. Cahill said that if sanitation workers are concerned about possible hazardous material left with curbside garbage, they can call a supervisor to come and inspect it.
Meanwhile, the contract for village employees expires on May 30, and Cahill said negotiations will soon begin.
In the coming months, village officials will be preparing the 2009-10 budget, in preparation for the fiscal year that starts June 1. Cahill said that because of the reeling economy, he is asking department heads to be responsible with their budget requests and not make unnecessary purchases.
The mayor said that the priority will be to make improvements while being mindful of the taxpayers. The infrastructure of the village is of the utmost importance, he said. We-re not wasting any money. We-ll be looking very diligently at the spending and the budget.
Comments about this story? AHackmack@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
