RVC Awarded $500K Grant for Centennial Park Improvements

The Village of Rockville Centre recently received two grants, one of which is a half million dollars, to make improvements at Centennial Park and the Phillips House Museum.

The board accepted the grants — $500,000 from New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and $20,000 from Nassau County — at its regular meeting Monday.

At Centennial Park, the village said it plans to to widen the walkway on the western shore of the Mill River so that it could be used as a walking, running, biking path. It also plans to extend the path so that it goes to Merrick Road. Currently, pedestrians have to walk through the Department of Public Works parking lot to exit the park to Merrick Road.

Also under consideration is the addition of pedestrian lighting, outdoor exercise stations, plantings, new signage, and benches, according to a village spokesperson. Some of the grant money may be used to plan the next phase of improvements, which may include stabilizing the bank of Mill River and renovating the eastern shore pathway.

The walkway plan has to be approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Transportation.

Rockville Centre recently rebuilt the the Police Auxiliary Building, which houses bathrooms for the park. It also refurbished the basketball courts and re-floored the playground at the park with the support of grant funding.

Meanwhile, the $20,000 grant from Nassau County will be used to make needed repairs at the Phillips House Museum, including waterproofing the basement, the installation of air conditioning and the replacement of windows. The museum, at 28 Hempstead Ave., is a former sea captain’s home built in the Victorian era that depicts life in the 19th and 20th centuries.