Upgrade for Village Hall lots

The municipal parking lots around Village Hall recently are receiving a facelift with construction nearing completion.

One Valley Stream resident, Jason Coryell, said that it posed a problem on Election Day for those whose polling place is Village Hall. He said he went there at 11 a.m. and could not find a spot, so he went back home and walked.

Coryell noted that the parking lot behind Village Hall was blocked off by code enforcement officers and that spots in front of the building on Central Avenue were also taped off.

Mayor Ed Cahill said that the back and side lots were indeed closed for repaving, but said that Central Avenue parking was, in fact, available. He explained that the meters were taped off because people did not have to pay to park there that day, an accommodation he said the village always makes for Election Day. He also said parking was available in the lot next to the library and code enforcement officers were there to direct people where to park.

Cahill admitted that the construction was poorly timed, but said the work ran a few days late because of some rainy weather over the last few weeks. “It wasn’t done on Election Day so no one could vote,” he said. “It’s a big area. It couldn’t be done in a few days.

The work included repaving the lot between Village Hall and the Village Green, as well as the lot alongside the railroad tracks and behind the band shell. Some curbs were also replaced. All work was done as part of the village’s annual road program.

These lots were in disrepair, Cahill said, and the work was necessary. “It’s a safety factor,” he said.