Friday, October 2, 2026
Seaford’s welcome signs are getting a fresh look, as the Seaford Chamber of Commerce works to make the hamlet’s entrances more inviting to visitors.
Over the past two years, the chamber has replaced aging signs, added new landscaping and installed new Welcome to Seaford signs at locations where there previously were none.
The work has included improvements at Merrick Road and Washington Avenue, along Sunrise Highway, and at Jerusalem Avenue and Seaman’s Neck Road, as well as a new sign on Hicksville Road, near St. James Church. Another sign is being planned near Cedar Creek Park, where Seaford begins, on Merrick Road.
“Each year we try to do a little bit of beautification in town,” said Donna Jebaily, the chamber’s secretary, who was vice president when the projects began. “We noticed that some of our signs, the Welcome to Seaford signs, were a bit old and worn.”
The largest project was at Merrick and Washington, near the former Seaford Cinemas. In late 2024, the chamber began revamping the corner, where the existing sign and surrounding area had become worn and overgrown.
Jebaily worked with then chamber President Margaret Grubb to secure funding and organize the project. The group received a $15,000 Nassau County grant for four signs, while PSEG Long Island provided $10,000 beautification grants that helped pay for plantings.
The project also brought in local businesses. Mike Masone, of Masone Masonry, removed the existing brickwork and replaced it, donating the materials and labor.
“We got tired of looking at it like that,” Jebaily said. “We really wanted to redo the corner.”
At Jerusalem Avenue and Seaman’s Neck Road, the chamber added a Welcome to Seaford sign where there hadn’t previously been one. Signarama, in Bellemore, donated the sign, while landscaping was funded with the chamber’s grants.
Nick Parson, the chamber’s current president and the owner of Palmatum Landscapes, has overseen much of the landscaping work. The plantings, he explained, are different varieties than those at a typical home or business because most of the sign locations do not have irrigation and are exposed to heat, dry soil and road salt during the winter.
“We kind of chose plant material that would take more of a drier soil, less water and can also withstand the winter with the road salt from the plows,” Parson said.
The permanent landscaping includes varieties of oak-leaf hollies, Japanese hollies, ornamental grasses and junipers. Seasonal flowers are added throughout the year, including mums in the fall and tropical plants in late spring and summer.
The goal, Parson said, is to use plants that can return year after year rather than require constant replacement. “It’s kind of a one-time installation for something that’ll last and have longevity,” he said.
The landscaping also helps draw attention to the signs themselves, he said. “I think they would see the signs, they would be more noticeable and maybe they would say, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know that sign maybe existed,’” he said.
Chamber members hope the improvements make Seaford’s entrances appear more welcoming while also supporting the local businesses and residents. “If it looks nice, it’s more welcoming,” Jebaily said. “If it looks bad, it’s not.”
Hempstead Town Councilman Chris Schneider said the signs help shape visitors’ first impressions of Seaford.
“Seaford’s signs and landmarks are among the first things people see when they enter the community, so the care put into these spaces makes a real difference,” Schneider said. “We’re grateful to the Seaford Chamber of Commerce and to everyone in the community who takes the initiative to beautify them.”
The projects have been a collaborative effort, with chamber members coordinating grants and schedules while local businesses and residents contribute materials, labor and expertise. Parson said the work demonstrates what can happen when local organizations and businesses contribute what they can.
“You know, everybody joins together and does their little part,” he said, “and it makes a big difference.”
The chamber is continuing work on another Welcome to Seaford sign near Cedar Creek Park, and is awaiting the necessary approvals to complete the project.
