The Nassau County Legislature may soon be providing nearly $200,000 in grants to the Westbury community.
Nassau County Legislator Olena Nicks (D – Uniondale) said she secured committee approval for a $162,150 Community Revitalization Project grant for the Westbury Water and Fire District, which would allow the district to construct a memorial honoring the fire department members who have died while serving the community.
The memorial would be cast on the east side of the Westbury firehouse and the current memorial on the east side of the building would also be updated. According to Nicks, plans for the memorial include a bronze statue of a kneeling, life-sized firefighter, benches, LED lighting, 25- and 30-foot flagpoles and brickwork around the monument.
Nicks said that the process of awarding the grant began before she took the District 2 seat earlier this year.
Nicks has been a volunteer firefighter in Uniondale for 14 years, and she said that she finds it special to provide this service for the neighboring fire department.
She said the fire department wanted something that would be a staple and would last for a long time.
Nicks’ office first announced the possible funding on Monday, Sept. 8, three days before memorials were held throughout Nassau County in honor of Sept. 11.
“Three days before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, it is especially impactful for the Legislature to take this step toward memorializing the men and women who lost their lives while serving the greater Westbury community,” she said in a statement.
Also on Sept. 8, the county Rules committee voted to advance a $10,000 Hotel-Motel Occupancy Tax Fund grant for Westbury Arts, a nonprofit organization that delivers arts and cultural programs to the community throughout the year.
Nicks said the funds will drive tourism in the area. The organization will be able to stage regularly scheduled art exhibits, continue its summer concert series, present a showcase of award-winning films, and continue to host cultural celebrations.
“For more than a decade, Westbury Arts’s diversified programming has given local artists a platform to shine and nourished the soul of the community that they serve so passionately,” Nicks said.
Both grants are expected to be voted on during the legislative session on Sept. 29.
