Volunteers plant next phase of garden beds at Riverhead train station

About two dozen volunteers turned out to help plant the garden beds at the Long Island Railroad Station in Riverhead this morning. They planted hundreds of annuals and perennials donated by Gabrielsen’s Country Farm in Jamesport and Home Depot. Then they spread mulch throughout the beds.

The garden plans were designed by master gardener volunteers from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. The first round of planting took place last July, after overgrown brush, shrubs and trees were removed and the ground was prepared for planting by the Riverhead Town buildings and grounds crew. Last fall, volunteers did a garden cleanup and planted spring bulbs. This spring the beds bloomed with daffodils and tulips.

“It was beautiful,” Councilwoman Catherine Kent said. “It made a huge difference.”

Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said the town may learn as early as next week the result of a request for proposals issued by the MTA to lease the long-vacant ticket office. The deadline for submissions was Friday, she said.

Local officials are hoping that filling the space with a tenant will be beneficial to the surrounding area and Jens-Smith said the town is anxious to see what kind of interest the RFP generated.

The overgrown bushes and trees removed last year had blocked the view of the platform and, combined with poor lighting and old, no-longer transparent plexiglass panels on the platform shelter, contributed to people feeling uneasy about waiting on the platform, Jens-Smith said. The LIRR has replaced the plexiglass on the platform waiting area and installed security cameras.

East End Disability Associates makes sure the plants are adequately watered, which has to done manually because the irrigation system needs to be replaced, Jens-Smith said.

“It’s a really big improvement over what it was like before,” deputy chief of staff Meagan Zegarelli said.

“The garden and the other changes have made the area a much more welcoming place when people come to the train or get off the train,” Jens-Smith said.

This area is key to downtown revitalization, the supervisor said, though she acknowledges much remains to be done.

The storefronts opposite the train station have neglected facades, though Mae’s Market has recently installed two new awnings on the market and the stationery store next to it. A bar that was a trouble spot for town police has had been shuttered by the State Liquor Authority. Real estate developers have expressed interest in the area.

The Twin Forks Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society has four historic train cars parked on the tracks just north of the station, which some people have complained are an unsightly feature of the Riverhead rail yard. Adam Brower of the Twin Forks Chapter of NRHS, who was on hand to help with the garden work today, said the organization will be moving some of the cars out and cleaning up/painting others so they are more attractive.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti