July 4th Independence Day in Wantagh, 2022

 

As fitting, the Wantagh American Legion Post led the parade, followed by a long line of fire equipment.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. Next year, I will have to choose a location where the sun illuminates the banners. A better angle is along Island Road.

Above, the Wantagh Pipe Band.

The Wantagh Fire Department came, with equipment in company order, followed by the five helpful rescue squads.

Above, six members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians from Levittown. The tricolor, green, white, and orange, in 1848 was intended as inclusionary.

The Wantagh Masons (who meet in Baldwin) follow the Hibernians. For the aprons, please see https://www.freemason.com/behind-masonic-symbols-apron/
Again the sun angle on Park Avenue makes it difficult to read. Enlarge by clicking.

Please read THIS LINK, which describes the enthusiastic work of the Paumanacke Garden Club of Wantagh.

Because of the ceremonial swords and berets, I presume these are Fourth-Degree Knights of Columbus. The berets replaced fluffy chapeaux in 2017.

Another Hibernian group is Glór na nGael (Voice of the Irish), promoting the Irish language.

Scouts of Christ Lutheran Church, which the parade will soon pass on Island Road.

I could not determine whether this band, apparently from Wantagh High School, was there officially or unofficially.  They played vigorously and competently. 

Wantagh Public Library is open

One may enter the Wantagh Public Library, browse shelves, and check out books. Two noted restrictions: 1) No seating is allowed; 2) Book returns must be done in special bins near the entrances. Books may not be returned at the counter. Presumably, this is done to quarantine the books for a few days.

Independence Day parade, 2019, Wantagh

Many Wantagh and Nassau County organizations made today's Independence Day parade a half-hour success. My camera worked against me, and I lost the first 14 photos. The photos below are from the near end of the parade, after the Wantagh Fire Department's rolling equipment. Many thanks to all who participated. I was grateful that the Kiwanis club distributed good-quality flags to the enthusiastic spectators. 

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Street lighting

About two weeks ago, I encountered a fellow changing street light bulbs inside the globes of the stanchion lights in our neighborhood.  His truck carried the name of a private contractor, presumably hired by the Town of Hempstead.  The pink-orange sodium vapor lamps were replaced by LED lamps inside the same globes.
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Because these are enclosed, I am unable to determine what each bulb looks like.  I suspect they resemble the one in this link, as it has a screw base socket. Also, the new lights appear concentrated in a bulb, unlike the LEDs that the Town of Hempstead has affixed to utility poles.
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The photos below show a variety of street lights in and around Seaford. Clicking on a photo will enlarge it.

Of the new LED street lighting around Seaford, the type in the above two photos seems to prevail. There are five LED bulbs in an X formation, plus a bar of 8 buttons or smaller lights, the purpose of which I don't know.  On Oakland Avenue, this type does not illumine the width of the street.

Maybe six or seven years ago, the Town of Hempstead installed these decorative "bishop's crook" lamps along five or six blocks of Merrick Road.  The other night, some glowed a pinkish-orange, suggesting that the lights were high-pressure sodium vapor lamps.  I'm not too sure whether the whitish lights were mercury vapor or LEDs.   A 2009 article in the New York Daily News priced similar lamp posts at $10,000.

It's somewhat difficult to see that the above Seaford Avenue lamp has twice the LED's than the insufficient Oakland Avenue lamp in the previous photo.  Each position on the X has two adjacent bulbs.

I am fairly certain that the towns supply street lighting along Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road, resulting in a change of illumination for eastbound drivers when they pass over the town line at Tackapausha Park, the creek being the division existing for 200 years or more.  From about 1985 until 2015 something then shocked the eastbound motorist: traffic signals displaying yellow in Massapequa (Town of Oyster Bay) were the same color as the street lights!  With the recent introduction of brilliant white LED street lights, it is again possible to see all three aspects of signals.
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One old sodium vapor bulb was left on Saddle Path, Seaford, surrounded by new LED lights shining white.

Independence Day Parade, 2016, Wantagh

The parade went north on Wantagh Avenue, east on Island Road (where these photos were taken), and south on Beech Street to the elementary school.  Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Wantagh LIRR station rehab coming

New LIRR schedules go into effect March 7, 2016.  I note that this link refers to upcoming rehabilitation of the Wantagh station platforms.  Previous work at Seaford and Massapequa took almost two years for each project, but in Wantagh there is the constraint of working with hoists from Railroad Avenue.
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Please note this press release dated March 31, 2016. The estimated cost of the renovation is $23.9 million.  We will get an elevator and a new escalator.

LIRR Forum 9.29.2015

On September 29, 2015, County Legislator Steven Rhoads hosted a public forum in the Wantagh High School auditorium, the topic being the Long Island Railroad and its service to the stations between Freeport and Seaford.  About twenty residents attended the meeting.  The panel consisted of Mr. Rhoads, Robert Brennan (spokesman for the LIRR), Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, a MTA sergeant, the town head of traffic control, and another aide.  Thankfully, the meeting did not turn political, let's-blame-the-other-party.  Instead, most of the questions, the arguments, and the rudeness was directed at Mr. Brennan, who was too often interrupted as he tried to answer. I also interrupted him when I asked him to clarify in which month the renovation of the Wantagh platforms would begin.  The answer was next March or April, at the earliest.
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The meeting lasted from 7:15 p.m. until 8:45.  Each panel member stayed later for any further conversation. Councilwoman King Sweeney deserves praise for her willingness to look further into the questions raised about parking.  One resident complained that some parking spots east of Oakland Avenue seem to be permanently occupied or used by nearby commerce.  Only the parking directly under the trestle is administered by the LIRR.  The two spaces reserved for railroad personnel are needed by those conductors who are instructed to begin their run at Wantagh.
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The most time-consuming topic was pigeon dirt.  Mr. Brennan explained that the station is power-washed monthly.  The Federal Railroad Administration requires periodic inspections of girders and rivets and that the girders cannot be enclosed. Other topics discussed at length were the presence of homeless people, personal safety, aggressive begging, and at least one incident of physical threat. One resident demanded 24/7 presence of police at the station. The sergeant emphasized that charges are hindered when the victim refuses to give a statement. Both the MTA police and Nassau County police have jurisdiction at the station.  The county police can be reached directly at 911.  The MTA police can be reached through the menu at 511. I note that in previous forums, Dave Denenberg emphasized that a call to the 7th Precinct delays action because the call has to be forwarded to 911. Also, a call to 911 begins a record trail that will later show the results of follow-up action.
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A man presented Mr. Brennan with large photographs of duct tape used in repairs at the Merrick elevator.
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The renovation of the Wantagh station platforms in the budget includes also a new escalator and an elevator.  A business owner from Railroad Avenue expressed worry about loss to her business if Railroad Avenue is closed during the renovation.  I note that the high-tension lines are on the north side of the tracks, so the crane removing and replacing the canopies and platform slabs would probably have to work from the south side, as was done recently at Massapequa.
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The photo linked here looks west at Wantagh, showing the Beech Street crossing about 1967.  However, I have difficulty identifying the buildings.

LIRR Forum at the Wantagh Library 4.4.2013

LIRR FORUM at Wantagh Library, 4.4.2013

This report may contain errors. 

The meeting lasted from 7:38 p.m. to about 8:55 p.m.

ü Nassau county Legislator David Denenberg hosted Bob Brennan, Director, Government and Community Relations, LIRR, and Patrick Gerakaris, Branch Line Manager of some 38 south shore stations in Nassau County.  The email for the Branch Line Manager is pcgerak@lirr.org  As usual, both LIRR employees answered questions well.  Many thanks!

ü Legislator Denenberg pointed out the need for an appointment to the Long Island seat on the MTA Board.  Please note that this is a more important position that a seat on the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council.  Mr. Denenberg's quest is seen in this Merrick Patch article dated 4.4.2013.

ü As people drifted in and out, the highest attendance was about 20, including officials, aides, and reporters.

ü Mr. Denenberg reviewed the issues of escalator and elevator repairs and parking lot problems, particularly in Merrick where an auto body shop repeatedly uses commuter spaces.  He objected to Metro North's intentions to route trains from Co-op City over the Hell Gate Bridge and into the four-track East River tunnel after some LIRR trains are diverted to the 63rd St. tunnel.

ü From 7:55 to 8:05 Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy spoke of conditions at that station: elevator and escalator maintenance, safety, and cleanliness.  He said that the new energy-saving lights on the platform were too dim.  He said that video cameras should provide staffed surveillance at some desk.

ü Several times during the presentation and discussions, the lack of an elevator at Wantagh was noted.  A year ago, it was reported that the five-year MTA budget plan had not yet been released by Albany.  At this year, we heard from Mr. Brennan a statement that the Wantagh elevator was now in the five-year budget.  However, as an observer of the way government budgets go, I would not be certain of the money actually flowing to construction of an elevator at Wantagh.  Too often, under fiscal pressure, items are deleted from a budget or postponed.  I heard nothing specific of any money for the necessary reconstruction of the platform slabs.  According to Mr. Gerakaris, the slabs at Seaford were replaced first because they were in worse shape than Wantagh.

ü When the meeting was opened to questions from the audience, much time was expended on Bellmore and the new Town of Hempstead Parking stickers. A parent of Bellmore riders complained that more permits seem to have been issued than the number of parking places reserved for Bellmore residents.  The same person demanded that spots nearer the station be reserved for people arriving there later in the morning.  The same person complained that Seaford and Wantagh Town of Hempstead residents could purchase the same stickers.

ü An owner of a Wantagh business complained that there was insufficient parking for employees of the stores there.  The non-permit parking has a time limit of only few hours.  This person noted that a summertime bus stop takes up parking spaces on Railroad Avenue adjacent to the Wantagh Triangle.  I note that the Bus Stop and a similar one on Park Avenue near Beech Street have not had bus service in more than thirty years.  They are a holdover from long-discontinued service, predating MSBA.

ü Many of the Bellmore and Wantagh parking complaints were not issues for the railroad, as the Town of Hempstead controls most of the lots.  I heard no complaints about Seaford.

ü Someone observed that parking districts existed for tax purposes.  However, I reviewed our Town of Hempstead detailed tax bill and could not find a parking district tax.

ü Legislator Denenberg left the meeting about 8:20.  Claudia Boretsky, noting no more questions, closed the meeting about 8:55.
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Chris Boyle's excellent, detailed report of this meeting may be read at Wantagh Patch, linked here.
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A web page listing the working status of all LIRR elevators and escalators is linked here.  I am rather certain that the same list is now displayed on a new "smart" panel in Penn Station between the LIRR waiting room and the ticket booths.  A few such internet-connected panels have been installed around the LIRR concourse level.  I think I have seen one displaying the status of subway routes and another for the LIRR branches.

Wantagh LIRR escalator closed

At the Wantagh train station, the escalator is closed.  

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.
As of 9.14.2012, the Seaford escalator and elevator are working.