Fire departments get grants

John Santa

Nassau County last week awarded the Village of New Hyde Park $125,000 to assist in improvements being made by the village to the business district along Jericho Turnpike.

New Hyde Park Mayor Daniel Petruccio said the federally funded Community Development Block Grant money, which the county has awarded for the past several years. has been a financial boost for the area.

“We’ve been doing very well with it because it pays for part of our downtown project. We still need some other pieces of the puzzle,” Petruccio said.

New Hyde Park is currently nearing the final phase of a project to improve the appearance and ease of use of Jericho Turnpike.

The project is being funded primarily through a federal transportation appropriation of $1.425 million secured by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy along with the community block grant funds, Petruccio said.

“That $125,000 was additional money that we had requested to finance the Jericho Turnpike project. They were able to accommodate us with additional funding,” said New Hyde Park Trustee Donald Barbieri, who has overseen the project.

The next step in the project will be the state Department of Transportation’s installation of countdown crossing signals for pedestrians and the resurfacing of Jericho Turnpike, Barbieri said. Jericho Turnpike is to be resurfaced from the Queens County line to the Mineola border.

Nassau County legislator Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) expressed his support for the grant to help finish the project.

“The village has consistently put these federal grant funds to the best possible use and has plans to do even more for the community.”

The grant money will be applied for the following ues:

•$50,000 for commercial rehabilitation on Jericho between Ingraham Lane and Hillside Boulevard that includes exterior improvements, new lighting and signs for aesthetic uniformity and code compliance.

• $50,000 for improved public facilities and infrastructure improvements for low- and moderate-income households in downtown New Hyde Park

• $25,000 to maintain affordable housing by providing loans, grants or both to low- and moderate-income homeowners to eliminate code violations and make needed improvements

“These funds will greatly assist the Village of New Hyde Park in its efforts to enhance local businesses, spur job creation and improve infrastructure,” Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said in a statement issued by his office.

Barbieri has said that, along with aesthetic improvements, the project is intended to improve pedestrian and traffic safety along Jericho Turnpike, consistent with legislation sponsored by state Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick) for “complete street design policy” to provide for safe access for pedestrians and motorists.

Plans designed by Saratoga Associates call for bulb-outs – rounded corners that would extend slightly into the roadway – to be added at locations yet to be determined, along with installation of solid medians with plantings and access to water sources to maintain the plantings.

Benches will also be installed on sidewalks, which would be paved with the same rustic red brickwork already in place in some sections near the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Lakeville Road.

Final revisions of the New Hyde Park Village Board’s plans to upgrade Jericho Turnpike are currently being reviewed by the state Department of Transportation.

Several engineering firms have been interviewed for the project, but the village board has not yet revealed which company will be doing the work.

Work on the project, including the road resurfacing, is expected to take four or five months to complete.

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