Riverhead will use grant money to improve lighting in Grangebel Park, downtown lot
Riverhead Town has received two Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization grants totaling $93,000, Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said Thursday.
The Downtown Revitalization Round 19 grant will update and enhance the lighting in the alleyway that connects the First Street Parking Lot and Main Street, in between the Suffolk Theater on the west and the Woolworth Building to the east.
The alley will have a new artistic themed light design, Ms. Aguiar said.
“The project will be a significant safety and aesthetic upgrade over the current lighting, which is poor and not capable of satisfactorily lighting the alleyway,” she said in a press release. “Ensuring public safety during the evening is a priority for the Town Board. Safer pedestrian passage through our Downtown will keep our residents and visitors continuing to come to Downtown Riverhead to experience all of the different events and amenities our town has to offer”
The total cost of this project is $50,000, according to Community Development Director Dawn Thomas. The $25,000 grant will be matched by $20,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding and $5,000 from the Business Improvement District Management Association.
The second grant, from the Downtown Revitalization Round 18, will update and enhance the electrical system and upgrade the existing light fixtures with replacement LED lamp heads at Grangebel Park, Ms. Aguiar said.
“The Town and the BID will be able to better utilize the park for events, such as Reflextions: Art in the Park, as a result of these significant upgrades,” she said. “New and brighter LED lighting will also make the park safer and more energy efficient.”
The total cost of this project is $98,000. The $68,000 grant will be matched $16,000 from CDBG funds and $14,000 from the BIDMA.
