RSS 2.0 FeedThursday, December 15, 2011, Bellmore Life
Streetlight project may finally come to light
Old-fashioned street lights to come.
Bellmore Life has learned that the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County’s Office of Community Development are ready to install old-fashioned streetlights in clusters along Jerusalem Avenue in North Bellmore, though a date for installation is still unclear.
Installing the streetlights would be the final phase of a project begun eight years ago to beautify Jerusalem Avenue at the urging of the North Bellmore community.
Earlier phases included new sewer drainage systems, new curbing, new road pavement and new traffic turns to alleviate what was once considered an unsightly and hazardous road prone to flooding.
Those projects were completed by the state, county and town.
Hempstead Town spokeswoman Susie Pokalsky told this newspaper that $153,000 had been earmarked for the streetlight project, and that the streetlights would be installed in clusters – on the north side of the street only.
She said the funds were from federal stimulus money obtained by the county.
Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg told this newspaper that phase two would likely come from $150,000 in funding from the Community Revitalization Project earmarked for the road during the Suozzi Administration.
These funds would install streetlights on the south side of the road. “The town agreed to accept this money years ago,” Mr. Denenberg said, “but there was no intermunicipal agreement in place.”
The Intermunicipal agreement must be in place for the transfer of funds to take place from the Community Revitalization Project to complete the installations.
The streetlights will be installed on the north side of the intersections of Bellmore Avenue and Jerusalem Avenue; Newbridge Road and Jerusalem Avenue; and Peapond Road and Jerusalem Avenue.
Phase two will complete the installation by including streetlights on the south sides of these intersections.
The town will install the streetlights.
Reinaldo Nunez, president of the North Bellmore Civic Association, which spearheaded the campaign to beautify the road, told Bellmore Life he will be “happy to see the final result” of several years of planning to beautify the road.
He said the original plan to push for beautification of the road was to help increase the values of homes in the North Bellmore community.
“Thousands of cars use Jerusalem Avenue everyday to avoid the main roads to get to Wantagh,” he said, “and we wanted an attractive, stylish road to reflect our values as homeowners.”
He wished to thank Supervisor Kate Murray, Councilman Gary Hudes and Legislator Dave Denenberg for their determination in working together on behalf of the community to see the project through.
