Two local contracting companies have won bids to continue work on the Hempstead Harbor Shoreline Trail, a long-running project which when completed will stretch along West Shore Road from Port Washington into Roslyn.
Galvin Bros of Great Neck and Plandome-based Madhue Contracting were granted a $700,955 contract to continue work on the trail, the first section of which was completed more than a decade ago during former Town Supervisor May Newburger’s administration.
“The construction of the Hempstead Harbor Shoreline Trail is a project that began under the May Newburger administration and has continued over the past decade as part of the Town’s commitment to preserving the environment and ensuring access to our open spaces over the longer term here in the Town of North Hempstead,” said Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman in a statement.
Galvin Bros has experience with the trail, having built the first phases of the project during Newburger’s administration, according to company owner Ed Galvin.
“We have a lot of history with the area,” Galvin said.
The work will be funded in part by a $296,000 grant from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and $100,000 through the Nassau County Environmental Bonds Act, according to an e-mail from town spokesman Ryan Mulholland.
“The contractor has been hired to complete the clearing of trees and brush, perform earthwork and regrading and placement of the trail,” wrote Mulholland in the e-mail. “The project will include locations for viewing Hempstead Harbor along the way.”
The new contract will extend the trail, which already connects North Hempstead Beach Bark to May Newburger Cove, an additional mile toward the Town Transfer Station, according to Mulholland.
The project’s origins stretch 15 years, when then-State Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli – now state comptroller – and state Sen. Michael Balboni helped secure nearly $190,000 in state funds to begin construction, according to a 1998 Manhasset Press article.
“Cleaning up this section of the harbor has been a top priority for years,” DiNapoli said at the time, according to the Manhasset Press. “By developing the Hempstead Harbor Shoreline Trail, we are giving the public more access to their waterfront. Hopefully the parents who bring their children to the trail to enjoy the wildlife and beautiful views will instill the importance of conservation and future generations will build on these efforts to protect our precious natural resources.”
The remainder of the project was divided into four segments to allow construction as grants and budgetary funds became available, according to Mulholland.
Galvin said he expects the project to take about two months once work begins.
The new work required permits from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and will use property that the town has purchased since the trail was first proposed, according to Mulholland.
