New Hyde Park seeking funds to beautify 3-block stretch in downtown shopping district
New Hyde Park officials are seeking at least $450,000 in federal funding to pay for another three blocks of improvements to its newly refurbished downtown shopping district.
Operation Main Street, a 12-year, $1.46 million project to transform a portion of busy Jericho Turnpike into a more pedestrian-friendly and aesthetically pleasing thoroughfare, was considered completed last August, village trustee Donald Barbieri said. But he said it has been received so well that the three-block expansion is being planned.
Barbieri said the additional work would be done in the area of Cherry Lane and First, Second and Third streets.
Completed improvements along a half-mile stretch of Jericho Turnpike from Ingraham Lane to Hillside Boulevard include pavers, planters in center lane medians with built-in irrigation systems, mini parks, bicycle racks, curb repairs, new benches, trash receptacles, traffic signals and countdown devices. Funding was provided by the federal government, New York State, Nassau County and the village.
"We're seeking at least $450,000 in Community Development Block grant funding," Barbieri said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "We're waiting for final plans for the project to be completed to get a final number. The $450,000 is an estimate for the work; we'll probably end up asking for more than that."
"We've been very happy with what has already been done and the way things turned out," Barbieri said. He said the refurbishment has caused businesses in the area to upgrade their facades and has given the village a distinctive, elegant look.
The additional upgrades would include new sidewalks, benches and planters.
"It's probably not going to be exactly the same," Barbieri said of the look of the area targeted for the new work. "It probably won't have the pavers; there will more likely be new sidewalks with a border stamped on the sidewalk to look like pavers."
Barbieri said that if the village receives the funding, the additional refurbishment will likely not begin for about two years. He estimated the work would take three or four months to complete.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.