By Tom Momberg
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) announced Monday his allocation of $210,000 in state discretionary funds for the city Department of Transportation to put toward a project in Douglas Manor.
Shore Road in Douglas Manor, with its Colonial-style homes, has an ambience far different from what most of the city can offer. So Avella, at the behest of the Douglaston Manor Association, allocated funds for a new guard rail on Shore Road that will be intended to fit within the contextual style of the neighborhood.
The current guard rail—stretching from 36th Avenue to West Drive—has fallen into disrepair, so the civic association drew up plans for a new one that would appear to be made of wood—fitting in with the charm of the homes overlooking Little Neck Bay.
The Douglaston Manor Association has asked that the new wooden guard rail be reinforced by steel to ensure driver safety, but to also fit aesthetically with the neighborhood’s character.
It is not an average request, but the discretionary funds made available by the State and Municipal Facilities Program are for such circumstances as this. Funds are included in the allocation for the projected higher maintenance costs associated with the guard rail design.
“As Shore Road began plans for reconstruction, the proposal to replace the existing guard railing with a wooden guard-rail representative of Douglaston Manor’s architecture was something the community strongly wanted,” Avella said in a statement. “After all, in the routine maintenance of our City, it isn’t often that we have the opportunity to infuse utility with art.”
Members of the Douglaston Manor Association joined Avella on Shore Road Monday to present the check to the DOT.
Reach reporter Tom Momberg by e-mail at tmomb
