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VOL. 60 NO. 21
JUNE 18 - 24, 2026
Babylon Village’s Heroes Fountain fundraiser June 28 By CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD cbabirad@liherald.com
Carolyn James/Herald
Rob Free, president of the LIRR, speaks at the press conference.
MTA announces completion of Babylon RR station upgrades By CAROLYN JAMES & CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD Herald Reporters
The MTA held a press conference to announce the completion of a $127 million project at the Babylon Rail Road Station, the first major overhaul in roughly 60 years. Standing in front of the newly upgraded station with LIRR employees on Wednesday, June 3, contractors and public officials, Rob Free, president of the LIRR said: “Amazingly this was all done while providing continuous elevator, service and minimal customer impact.” “Governor Hochul has made a strong commitment to the operations of the entire MTA network, most certainly for us here on Long Island, where the LIRR is a vital lifeline to so many folks and a main component of our economy,” said Anthony Tufano, MTA Construction & Development Senior Vice President. The MTA recently reopened the western half of the station’s platform. That section had been closed for about eight months while crews replaced aging infrastructure dating to the 1960s.
The work completed so far includes: •Reconstructing part of the station platform. •Installing new ADA-accessible elevators. •Replacing or upgrading escalators. •Adding new lighting, digital information screens and platform canopies. •Installing an automated snow- and icemelting system beneath the platform. •Beginning upgrades to the station plaza and passenger areas. In addition, the LIRR has lengthened the platform so that riders now have access to all the cars pulling into the station. The overall renovation is expected to continue through 2026, with work shifting to the eastern half of the platform and remaining station improvements. Future work also includes completing one of the four new elevators and completing the station’s canopy. “The goal is to have all of that done for the summer season,” said Free. At the press conference expressing pride in the work were LIRR and Forte Construction men and women who worked on. the project. “It is the little things that bring a project like this all together,” said Devica Das-Collado, who CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Excitement is building at the Village of Babylon Historical and Preservation Society as invitations have arrived for the Heroes Fountain Cocktail Party and Tribute Brick Fundraiser, scheduled for June 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. The event will give the public an opportunity to purchase commemorative bricks that can be inscribed with the name and symbol of an essential worker while also learning more about the progress — and challenges — surrounding the Heroes Fountain project. “This is something everybody can be a part of,” said Judy Skillen, president of the Village of Babylon Historical and Preservation Society. The Heroes Fountain, planned for Hawley’s Pond, is intended to honor the essential workers who served the community during the Covid-19 pandemic and those who continue to do so today. The project, led by the Heroes Fountain Committee and spearheaded by Skillen and society historian Wayne Horsley, has been in development for nearly three years. Skillen said the fundraiser is designed not only to help offset costs, but also to keep the public informed about the project’s
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progress and setbacks. The fountain is being designed by California artist José Ismael Fernandez, whose work includes the Robert Moses sculpture and Baymen monument in Babylon Village. The concept was originally created by local artist and teacher Shawn Uttendorfer and his wife Allyson. “The Uttendorfers have been significant to the entire ongoing development of the fountain,” Skillen said. “Without them and their knowledge of the technology, this wouldn’t be possible; they made this process so much easier.” One of the project’s biggest challenges has been designing and constructing the fountain’s base, which will be created by a different manufacturer than Fernandez. “We have the cost of the statue of the nurse—we know how much that’s going to cost, but we’re trying to figure out the (the cost of the) base,” Skillen said. Horsley added that the committee hopes to use granite to ensure durability. Another unexpected obstacle involved the property itself. Committee members initially believed the village owned the entire proposed site but later learned a portion near Route 231 belongs to the New York State Department of Transportation. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7