Armed with state grant money, courtesy of Assemblyman Tom Alfano, and private donations, contributed by local residents, the Cathedral Gardens section of West Hempstead will soon be sporting new street signs, which would replace the worn, missing, bent and deteriorated street signs which have lined the streets for decades.

The new street signs have an old fashioned look to them, which proponents believe will give the neighborhood a cozy, hometown feeling.

"Truly, it's not until you stand at the corner of 'what' and 'where' that you realize how inadequate many of the streets signs are in our residential areas," said Scott Jablow, President of the Cathedral Gardens Civic Association.

The new signs are larger, more visible - especially at night - and will provide that hometown feel for those driving through the neighborhoods, according to Mr. Jablow.

The new street signs will be "planted" by the Town of Hempstead, without additional cost to the taxpayer.

Mr. Jablow, who spearheaded the pilot project to get the new street signs in the Cathedral Gardens section, has been working closely with the Executive Board of the West Hempstead Civic Association, with a view toward extending the project beyond Cathedral Gardens. "Our goal is to complete the re-signing of Cathedral Gardens, to partner with West Hempstead Civic to secure additional grant money, to mount a campaign to raise monies from residents, and to place the new signs in neighborhoods throughout West Hempstead," he said.

Phase I of the project, encompassing Cathedral Gardens, is expected to get underway later this year. Phase II will extend westward, toward residential areas north of the Hempstead Turnpike. Phase III will extend south of the Turnpike, toward Dogwood and the Southern State Parkway, with Phase IV extending east through Lakeview toward the Hempstead village line.

Depending on funding, and interest in the community in sponsoring this project, it is conceivable that these distinctive residential street signs could be gracing many of West Hempstead's roadways over the next few years. "If it works well and there's a positive response, we'll apply for some additional grant money and we'll seek some private funding," said West Hempstead Civic Association President Seth Bykofsky.

According to Bykofsky, street signs are a problem in West Hempstead since many have deteriorated and, in some cases, are bent, broken and even sometimes missing, even at major intersections.

The first signs are expected to appear in the fall of this year.