New Hyde Park Mayor Christopher Devane said Monday night the village plans to go out to bid for a new Department of Public Works building by January.
Devane said temporary trailers and the DPW’s trucks will be stored across the street on Stewart Avenue and Nassau County property and fenced off while the construction, which is expected to take at least 18 months, goes on. The mayor said the storage of the trucks is a change from initial plans, which would have had the vehicles parked on the baseball field at Nuzzi Park.
The village is also looking to go out to bid for the new Marcus Christ Hall community center in the first half of 2024, Devane said.
“We’re going continue to update the public on what the situation is for each of our facilities,” Devane said during Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting. “Hopefully, for 2024 we’ll bring it all to fruition, it will be a wonderful time and we’ll have facilities that will be used by many different people.”
During public comments, Devane said the original plans for the new DPW building came in a few years ago at over $7 million, which was more than the village’s budget of $5.1 million and has led to the delay on a bid until now.
“We feel confident that we can do within that framework and we told them that’s our number,” Devane said of his communications to the architecture firm in charge of the project.
Devane said the DPW employees deserve a new building “within reason” that includes an administration building with a new break room, offices and working area.
Nuzzi Park will also be renovated once the new DPW building is finished. The mayor added not storing vehicles on the field itself will save the village money when that project comes up in a few years.
“We’ll get prices and apply for grants to the best of our ability,” he said about Nuzzi Park. “We’re going to preserve the ballfield, redo the playground and the area in the back as well. We are going to work on that.”
Board officials said the village will not bond for the DPW project and that it has $1.1 million for the new Marcus Christ Hall, but the rest of the costs will require a bond. Trustee Rainer Burger said during public comment that the village is still gathering drawings and estimates on the new community center and more information beyond the conceptual layout will be available in the next year. Devane estimated the total cost for the new community center could be between $2 million and $2.5 million but will not be more.
Upgrading the village’s infrastructure and other capital projects has long been the focus of the board. Last month Devane announced that the New Hyde Park Little League will be donating $100,000 toward a new turf field at Memorial Park. The donation will be applied to the $350,000 total cost for the upgrade, which will be installed by opening day next year, Devane said.
Memorial Park has seen a number of renovations in recent years, including new fencing, bocce courts, a dog park honored after former Trustee Donald Barbieri, resurfaced basketball courts, a memorial and a brand-new playground.
In unrelated village news, Devane said that he spoke with property owners on Jericho Turnpike about an increase in litter. Devane said business owners are responsible for the section of the sidewalk and gutters for their buildings and the village will have to issue summonses if the problem continues.
The next New Hyde Park Board of Trustees meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 18.
