A new year, new doings in Valley Stream

The year 2020 is set to bring a fair amount of new to Valley Stream, with the village expanding some of its programs and looking to take on a few infrastructure projects, and a handful of new businesses preparing to open.

While this is not a complete overview of new things coming to the neighborhood, it serves as a primer for what residents can expect.

Village and infrastructure

On the village side, Valley Stream is seeking to expand both its Barrett Park summer camp and Summerfest programs.

According to village officials, Barrett Park’s long-running summer camp will add a full-day program for the first time this year. The camp is open to village and Central High School District residents ages 5 to 12.

Registration for the camp will begin on March 21 and end on June 27 at Barrett Park, with registration dates and prices posted on the village website, vsvny.org.

“Many parents have already reached out to the Recreation Department to express their interest and excitement at this opportunity for their children,” Trustee John Tufarelli said.

Additionally, Summerfest, which last summer featured a weekly car show and concerts at the Village Green bandshell, will be expanded to include more concerts at Arlington and Barrett parks.

It “will be bigger and better this year,” Tufarelli said.

Village officials said Valley Stream has applied to Nassau County for several infrastructure grants, specifically for projects to improve pedestrian safety along Sunrise Highway, with proposals to repave the sidewalks that run along the south side of the train tracks.

Despite announcements of a proposed sale in December of New York American Water’s infrastructure on the Long Island to Liberty Utilities for $608 million in cash, the water company is moving forward with plans to construct an enclosure around its iron filtration plant on West Merrick Road.

According to Lee Mueller, NYAW’s external affairs manager, the project will not be affected by the sale. The iron-removal plant is now operational, she said, and the enclosure is scheduled for completion by May.

New businesses too

Perhaps the highest-profile addition to Valley Stream this year will be an Aldi supermarket at the Green Acres Commons annex. Construction appears to be nearing completion on the more than 22,000-square-foot store, but the Germany-based chain is remaining tight-lipped about its plans for opening.

“As one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, we are excited to expand further on Long Island in 2020,” said Bruce Persohn, Aldi South Windsor division vice president, in a statement. “However, at this time we do not have additional information to share about Aldi opening in Valley Stream.”

“Aldi Supermarket promises to bring a different shopping experience,” Mayor Ed Fare said in a statement, “and we look forward to seeing what that company has in store for us.”

Additionally, Sipkin Orthodontics, which has its office on West Merrick Road, recently completed construction of another location on Rockaway Avenue. The new office offers a larger waiting room and added parking, with its all-female staff splitting its schedule between the Rockaway office on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and its original office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, according to Dr. Jennifer Sipkin.

The new office was built out of an old auto-repair garage, and she said she expects it to open next week.

At the Gibson train station, a new bakery opened in November on Dubois Avenue. Owned by Manuel and Lucia Quijada, the Lucy by Marina Bakery specializes in custom Dominican-style cakes, and is in addition to the couple’s location in Corona, Queens.

Finally, on North Central Avenue, construction is nearing completion on The Promenade, a six-story luxury rental apartment. It will comprise 31 two-bedroom and 13 one-bedroom units, and feature an enclosed garage, 24-hour concierge service, a recreational terrace, a tenant lounge, a gym and a laundry facility. Apartments are now available for rent. One-bedrooms are $2,400 a month and two-bedrooms are $3,000.