By:Jeff Lipton
But delays in the project have frustrated residents, who said workers have left their streets messy and impassible.
The project, which began before the summer of 2003, takes in the Johnson Place-Trinity Place area of Woodmere and includes sections of Franklin Avenue, Midgely Drive, Frochan Court, East Broadway, Home Court, Crystal Court, Brower Avenue, Conklin Avenue, Yung Place, Combs Avenue, Loft Road, Links Road, Lefferts Road, Palmayra Avenue, Stanton Avenue and Longworth Avenue.
The town project is a storm water drain and road improvement, with work that includes construction of new concrete curbs, driveway aprons, installation of pedestrian access ramps at all intersections, improvements to the storm drain system, new asphalt pavement and the restoration of disturbed grass areas.
The work was originally expected to be completed by September 2004. "We have had a delay because of a design problem that had to be worked out," said Susie Trenkle, a spokeswoman for the Town of Hempstead.
She said the project was delayed a couple of weeks and work was to resume on Monday, Aug. 23.
The project is now expected to be finished in about six weeks, at the end of September or beginning of October, Trenkle said.
Residents said they are upset with the project's time frame and have written letters to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray demanding answers to when the project will be completed.
They said the project has produced terrible inconveniences and workers have left behind a concrete mess on some streets.
One resident, who has lived on Brower Avenue, off East Rockaway, for four years and did not want to be identified, said the project doesn't look like it's anywhere near completed.
"I am so mad," said the woman. "The town has been yessing us to death for a year. I pay $10,000 in taxes a year."
She said her neighbors are also extremely upset, including one woman who has tried to sell her house and may have a difficult time with the construction mess in front of her property.
Another neighbor has a wheelchair-bound daughter who has to maneuver the wheelchair around the construction.
In response to letters her office has received, Murray wrote back: "I am in receipt of your correspondence relative to concerns you have regarding the road improvement project on Brower Avenue. In order to be of assistance to you, I have requested Commissioner William Rockensies, of the Department of Engineering, to look into this matter. I have further asked him to respond to you directly so that you may be kept up to date with our efforts.
"I appreciate you taking the time to bring this matter to my attention. You may be assured of my continued interest and concern."
Residents said that for the most part neighbors have been patient, to a point. "I was happy when they said they were going to do the streets, but the time frame has been absurd," said the resident on Brower Avenue.
She said the workers showed up for about 10 minutes and then could not be seen for weeks. "They told me they were going to be done by the end of August, and they're not even close.
"And they are doing a sloppy job," she added. "There are detour signs and [construction] cones all over. No one is taking the time to clean things up.
"I would like to see them be present, but they're not. They come for 10 minutes, dump their concrete and leave you with a mess."
She added that neighbors have also complained about "dead grass" on their lawns after some of the sidewalks were done.
"It's an absolute disgrace," the resident said.
Joe Gelb, president of the Hewlett Business Association, who must drive through the construction to get to his law office in Hewlett, said the delays and detours are not at all surprising.
"Whoever has to deal with the construction, all I can say is that you're fighting a losing battle," Gelb said.
"I come up that way all the time and I get annoyed. It's a nuisance and it's annoying," he said.
