The $2 million renovation of the Massapequa Train Station that began in February 1999 has been completed, state officials announced last week.

After more than a year of using a trailer as a makeshift ticket office, and avoiding blocked off construction areas at the Massapequa Train Station, Massapequa's commuters are now enjoying brand new facilities. The renovation, which rebuilt the station from the inside out, was funded by state legislature monies secured by Senators Charles Fuschillo and Kemp Hannon, and Assemblyman Steve Labriola.

"The commuters from the Massapequa community deserve to have something as nice as this when they start their day," Fuschillo said during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new station last Friday.

The interior portion of the overhaul included a new ticket office layout, new, handicapped accessible restrooms, a relocated newsstand, ticket counter and bathrooms, new furnishings, and new windows and doors. Exterior work included a new brick facade, new sidewalks around the ticket building, renovation of the platform waiting area and stairs, and new roofs and gutters.

Improvements outside the ticket office also included new lighting, which Labriola said would help deter loitering by local teenagers at the station. He noted that train stations are often nighttime hangout spots for local youngsters, and that this is a "major concern of the community" which is addressed by the lighting. He added, "What we need here now is a diligent maintenance effort by the MTA and LIRR to keep up with it."

This is the first renovation of the Massapequa Train Station since the facility was constructed in 1953. "It needed it desperately," said Fuschillo, noting, for example that the ventilation system was poor, there was no air conditioning, and that stairs were deteriorated. The project was finished ahead of schedule, according to Fuschillo, who said that Massapequa's state representatives pushed contractors to get it completed before the onset of winter. Completion had been slated for December but was accelerated to September, he noted.

Improvement of the train station has also been a priority to local commuters, according to Fuschillo. In a commuter survey he conducted two-and-a-half years ago, respondents, in addition to saying they wanted better train service, said the station was old and in need of renovation.

The Massapequa Train Station serves about 1500 commuters a day. According to Nassau County Legislator Peter Schmitt, it is one of the busiest stations in the county, second only to Hicksville.

The state in recent years has been funding renovations at aging train stations throughout the county. In Fuschillo's district alone, the state is funding work at Baldwin, Freeport, Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh and Seaford stations. In addition, next week, Fuschillo plans to make an announcement about funds secured to renovate the Massapequa Park station.