Ensuring that Meadowmere Park Bridge doesn’t fall down

Town gets $2.4 million in federal money to repair overpass

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With Christmas three days away, the federal government acted like Santa Claus, and has provided a $2.4 million grant that the Town of Hempstead will use to repair Meadowmere Park Bridge, which was damaged in Hurricane Sandy more than four years ago.

On Thursday, Town Supervisor Anthony Santino, Councilmen Anthony D’Esposito and Bruce Blakeman and Meadowmere Park Civic Association President Ruth Samuelson were joined by a jolly looking fellow in a red suit to announce the restoration project that is expected to get underway in 2017.

“It’ll be wonderful when it’s all finished,” Arleen Sliva, a Meadowmere Park resident for 12 years, said, adding that it will be helpful in the event of an emergency to make it easier for residents to evacuate. The only other access to Meadowmere Park is East Avenue, which was completely flooded after Hurricane Sandy swept the area, leaving residents stranded. The bridge is used by pedestrians and only emergency vehicles. It connects the Nassau County hamlet with Queens.


Hempstead Town and the engineering department drafted the Request for Proposal that was approved on Dec. 13. and will oversee the project. The Five Towns New York Rising Community Reconstruction Plan, created in March 2014, allowed for the rebuilding of the bridge by using federal storm recovery money from Housing and Urban Development, officials said. The Community Development Block Grant Recovery will be administered by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery as part of the New York Rising program, Santino said. He said the budget for the project is $2.3 million.

“The community of Meadowmere Park will have one more present under their tree this year as we set the stage for the new Meadowmere Park Bridge,” Santino said. “It is the gift that will keep on giving in the form of increased convenience and safety for homeowners on this enchanted island.”

The bridge has needed repair since Sandy and it is no longer reliable for emergency use, officials said. The restored bridge will be able to withstand future storms and expand in width to accommodate emergency vehicles. Wood planking and railings, along with new wooden pile supports will be used to maintain the structure’s visual appeal.

“We want to keep a wooden bridge because it gives character to the place,” said Samuelson, a resident since 1970. The original bridge was built about 45 years ago, she added, noting that it has undergone multiple repairs since then.

“This bridge will be a genuine and symbolic example of how we can bring communities together and make them stronger in the aftermath of tragic events,” Blakeman said.

Smiling, Joann Waters, in Meadowmere Park for 43 years, along with Bill and Arleen Sliva, recalled the tradition of kids in the neighborhood jumping off the bridge and into the water to swim anytime the fire department and civic association would host an event during the summer months. “It’s a very close knit area,” Peggy O’Connor, a resident for 47 years said.