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The people have spoken and the new street in uptown Port Jefferson will be named Station Street.
Port Jefferson Village recently put out a survey for residents to contribute to the naming of their new street, a roadway that was created to provide another egress to the LIRR station uptown. The street was built between the train station parking lot and the new apartment building at 1615 Main Street.
The winner, Station Street, if not wholly original, at least describes what it is.
But as usual, the internet can throw you a few curveballs and even Port Jefferson Village is not immune to online jokesters.
“Our street naming survey was a fun way to get our residents involved in what is happening in our beautiful village,” said village spokesperson Charmaine Famularo.
Through the Port eReport, an emailed newsletter designed to help residents “be in the know,” officials set up an online survey to involve residents in the process of naming the new street.
The village received 134 entries to the street naming survey. Station Street got 52 votes. Runners up included Rail Road and Port Place each getting 19 votes. Locomotion Lane garnered seven votes and Depot Drive got two votes.
Write-in votes were allowed and there were a few creative submissions, including Progress Place, Port Future Way, Revamp Path and Revision Road. Others involved an homage to Port Jefferson’s schools with Royals Way and Port Royals Place.
Still more had fun railroad and nautical references like End of the Line Avenue, Whistle Way, and Square Rigger Place (referencing a type of sailing ship). Submissions based on location or village history included N Port Place, Welcome Way, Village Way, Upper Port Drive, Founders Way and Sunken Meadow Drive among others.
Not to disappoint, there were some sillier entries that you would expect when the public is allowed to freely brainstorm these types of surveys. Of course, Roady McRoadface was among the suggestions.
Roady McRoadface calls back to a contest that went viral when a British research ship’s suggested name was put out to the public and Boaty McBoatface naturally won by an overwhelming majority.
“Our participants were very creative, and some of the suggestions had us laughing out loud,” said Famularo.
Officials were excited about public participation in the survey (even the funny suggestions).
“Now, as we all pass the Station Street sign as we enter Port, we will have pride in our new road,” Famularo said. “It is the one that we named.”
