With words West Hempsteaders have been waiting years to hear, LIRR President, Kenneth Bauer, unveiled the railroad's plans to upgrade and revitalize the right-of-way, improving both safety and aesthetics along the tracks and around the train station proper.

Beginning this June, residents will see the replacement of what remains of the dilapidated chain link fencing, held up, where it still stands, by rotting wooden posts, along Hempstead Gardens Drive and Mulberry Lane, with a green, eight-foot tall, steel fence.

Once completed, some 20 weeks after work commences, ivy will be planted along the fence line, which will run from the West Hempstead station to Eagle Avenue, creating a protective green barrier.

Additional low maintenance plantings will also be considered after the new fencing is in place, and the railroad's chief executive assured residents that regular maintenance of the LIRR's facilities will be a top priority.

After a protracted battle, fought for the last four years by the West Hempstead Civic Association, and long before that, by residents who live along and near the railroad tracks, community advocates, teaming up with State Senators Dean Skelos and Kemp Hannon, Assemblyman Tom Alfano, Town Councilman Joseph Kearney, and County Legislator Vincent Muscarella, persuaded the LIRR, and its parent, the MTA, to take a closer look at issues of safety, appearance and maintenance along the railroad's right-of-way.

"Its been a long time coming," said West Hempstead Civic Association President, Seth Bykofsky, who was instrumental in putting together the coalition of community and elected leaders to spearhead the project. "The residents of West Hempstead helped turn the wheels. The Civic Association added the squeak, and our elected representatives, who are to be applauded for their tireless efforts, provided the grease. Now, with the long-awaited rehabilitation about to begin, the LIRR has sounded the whistle, and has started to move the train down those tracks."

The West Hempstead Civic Association will now turn its attention to the problem of parking at the West Hempstead station. "Inadequate, inconvenient, poorly maintained, and unsafe parking is a real issue," said Bykofsky. "We plan on working with the LIRR and town officials to see if we can come up with some practical solutions." Access to and from the station, and the creation of sidewalks where none now exist, will also be on the table.