New playground equipment at Robert Rowley Park, a new basketball court at the Boys & Girls Club, and money to convert the former East Patchogue Post Office into an annex for the Victory Church of God preschool and event space for the public are among eight projects in the North Bellport area that will receive state funding as part of a $4.5 million NY Forward grant.

Twenty-three projects on Long Island will receive a total of $19 million in NY Forward or Downtown Revitalization Initiative grants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on May 20. The others are in Kings Park and Mineola.

“Long Island’s towns and villages represent the best of our state, and I’m investing in 23 transformation projects so they can continue to be the hubs of industry and culture we cherish,” Hochul said in a press release. “These projects will make our communities stronger for generations of residents and businesses while honoring the historic character that makes New York special.”

The Town of Brookhaven applied for the grant, and supervisor Dan Panico has made revitalizing North Bellport a focus of his work as supervisor.

“The people and community of North Bellport have been, and continue to be, a priority of mine since being elected supervisor of Brookhaven Town,” Panico said in a Facebook post. “This investment continues the positive momentum forward toward brighter days. I have long believed that people believe more of what they see with their eyes compared to what they hear with their ears. Accordingly, this investment will deliver tangible improvements and will enable us to continue our work in the North Bellport community.”

The North Bellport projects were selected through a series of listening sessions in which community members and groups, including the Greater Bellport Coalition and the North Bellport Land Use Planning Committee, gave their input as to what they’d like to see.

The three that will receive the most funding are:

$1.3 million for improved streetlights and new sidewalks including along Atlantic Avenue

$1.25 million to help pay for 32 single-family homes with accessory dwelling units that the Long Island Housing Partnership will plan build on Ecke Avenue through a partnership with the Town of Brookhaven, and

$786,855 to create ground-floor retail and second-floor offices and community space at 1700-1742 Montauk Highway.

“It’s something we’ve worked on for a long time,” Brookhaven Town councilman Michael Loguercio said. “It’s going to bring jobs. It’s going to bring affordable housing, and it’s going to bring tax revenue.”

Joanne Neal, co-chair of the Greater Bellport Coalition community group, said she’s already noticed positive developments in North Bellport.

She says more homeowners are sprucing up their yards and the expansion of Suffolk County Transit bus service has made it easier for residents to get to church or jobs on the weekends, she said.

Neal said she’s happy to see improvements, but says North Bellport still needs a supermarket and a bank or credit union branch, so residents don’t have to travel for those services.

The NY Forward grant also includes $200,000 for improved landscaping at the Long Island Rail Road station in Bellport and $75,000 for facade and lighting improvements for the shopping center located at 1414 Montauk Highway.

State Sen. Dean Murray, in a press release, called the state funding “a positive step forward for the Bellport area and a testament to what can be achieved when community leaders, stakeholders, and partners in government work together.”

“These projects will not only enhance the quality of life for residents, but also attract new economic opportunities and provide a renewed sense of pride in the community,” Murray said.