Phase three of the Incorporated Village of Farmingdale's ongoing downtown revitalization efforts is approaching completion, as the finishing touches are put on Conklin Street improvements, John Giordano, village clerk-treasurer reported this week.

The construction, which is funded by a state grant, entails new sidewalks for the commercial area of Conklin extending from Main Street west to Columbia Street, as well as new ornamental lighting for the area. Installation of the sidewalks, which was begun the week of July 4, was wrapped up by July 23, and now all that needs to be done is the lighting. The lighting, which is on order for delivery, is expected to be added in a few weeks, according to Giordano, who noted that he and other village officials are pleased with the impact the project is having on the community.

"It enhances the visibility of the downtown area. It gives definition to the downtown area, and it just makes it, aesthetically, more of a friendly place to shop," he said, adding that he has already received positive feedback about the project from local citizens.

The enhancements being made to the main thoroughfare mirror ones made to Main Street during earlier stages of the downtown revitalization. The project boasts the installation of bright red brickwork and Victorian-style street lighting in an effort to add character and charm to the local area.

The village expects local merchants, particularly, to benefit from the project's enhancement of the shopping district. One local business even plans to build on the improvements through putting matching brickwork on their private property.

"It's nice to see it's done," Ron Merrow, general manager of Lee Dodge, said of the village sidewalk project. Concurrent with the Conklin Street project, the car dealership is undergoing its own major renovation, and plans to incorporate some new brickwork into the plans. "In the front of us, where they didn't put the brick, we're actually going to probably, once we finish the construction, brick the rest of the front of ours to match the rest," Merrow added. "I think it enhances it a lot."

In addition to the brick sidewalks and ornamental lighting, the Incorporated Village's downtown revitalization efforts have included the creation of a pedestrian plaza on Main Street, and changes that have facilitated access from Main Street to the parking lots behind its shops. Initiated five years ago, the revitalization has been funded by a combination of federal, state and county community development grants.

The village hopes to complement the improvements that are currently being made to Conklin through other federal grant monies that are being sought under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Signed into law by President Clinton in June of 1998, TEA-21 supports the integration of bicycling and walking into the mainstream. Farmingdale Village applied for $375,000 to pursue enhancements that would make the community more bicyclist and pedestrian friendly, including the installation of brick sidewalks, ornamental street lighting and trees in other areas of the Conklin, and the construction of a bicycle rest station at the corner of Main Street and Melville Road. The grant application was submitted in April and has passed the first of two required review stages.