Thursday, October 1, 2026
What began as a handful of residents pulling weeds and planting flowers has blossomed into a communitywide effort to transform the overgrown Lakeview Long Island Rail Road station into a welcoming gateway for the neighborhood.
For the past several years, volunteers have dedicated their time, resources and expertise to maintaining the station’s landscaping after they noticed that the grounds had become neglected. Rather than waiting for someone else to address the problem, the community members took it upon themselves to improve one of Lakeview’s busiest public spaces, creating a project that has inspired others to pitch in and take pride in the neighborhood.
Among the volunteers is West Hempstead resident Gary Small, who has a passion for landscaping. After moving into his neighborhood about two decades ago, Small started helping neighbors maintain their properties. His love of gardening and community service gradually expanded from his own cul-de-sac to churches, public spaces and, eventually, the Lakeview train station.
“Beautify your community,” Small said. “Love thy neighbor, help each other and pass the knowledge that you know from this on to your fellow neighbors.”
Small also spends winters clearing snow in his neighborhood with his own snowblower, and says he enjoys helping others and has never sought compensation for his efforts. His goal is to inspire neighbors to take pride in their surroundings, believing that improvements to one property often encourage others to follow suit. Over time, he has watched his own block become increasingly well maintained as residents embraced that same sense of pride.
If you beautify one place, your neighbor is gonna wanna beautify his,” Small said, “and it trickles on.”
The station beautification project has been supported by Cilicia “Lisa” Jolly and several other volunteers who first raised concerns about the condition of the station to the Lakeview Civic Association. Each spring, they noticed weeds overtaking the landscape while routine maintenance was limited.
“This was an opportunity for me to make a community space as beautiful as I do my own backyard,” Jolly said.
Since then, more dedicated volunteers have worked throughout the growing season to weed garden beds, spread mulch and plant flowers, often donating flora grown in their own gardens.
The volunteers intentionally focused on Long Island native plants, selecting species that are drought-tolerant and well suited to the local environment. Without access to a water source at the station or regular maintenance by the LIRR, hardy native plants create a landscape that is both sustainable and environmentally beneficial.
The station gardens now feature black-eyed Susans, New England asters and more. Many of the plants also provide food and habitat for native pollinators, contributing to a healthier local ecosystem.
The group’s work extends well beyond the train station. Volunteers also maintain the Lakeview Peace Garden, along Woodfield Road, including the areas surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the fountain, as well as landscaping at Howell Walker Park. As native plants multiply in volunteers’ home gardens, many are transplanted to those public spaces.
The project, Jolly said, is about more than flowers. She hopes it encourages residents to take pride in their community, and demonstrates that local volunteers are committed to making Lakeview an attractive place to live. She added that even people who don’t live in the neighborhood but regularly drive through it have noticed the transformation, and thanked volunteers for their efforts.
“There are people here who truly care about what our community looks like,” she said. “I want [visitors] to know that the people who live here not only reside here but care about the community that they live in.”
The beautification work has inspired broader participation. While the civic association organizes community cleanup events each spring and fall, more residents have volunteered between those events to weed, plant and maintain the station gardens. Association leaders say that neighbors stepping forward on their own has become one of the strongest examples of Lakeview’s community spirit.
“This is what community looks like,” President William A. Anders said. “It was just a great example we wanted to show for the rest of the community to see.”
Those who are interested in volunteering, donating plants or landscaping materials or learning more about future beautification projects can contact the civic association at concerns.lakeview@gmail.com. The organization plans to resume its regular community meetings in September, and welcomes residents interested in future cleanup and beautification efforts.
For the volunteers, the ongoing project reflects a simple belief: When residents invest in the places they share, that pride spreads throughout the community and encourages others to do the same.
