Route 878 overpass in Lawrence to be renamed for longtime community leader
The late Peter V. Sobol, 64, a community advocate. Credit: Sobol Family
He was the unofficial mayor of Inwood.
Now, an overpass on Route 878 in the Village of Lawrence will be renamed in honor of longtime community leader and former executive director of the Five Towns Community Center, Peter V. Sobol, who died in February at age 64, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Thursday.
The renaming is to come following passage of a bill sponsored by State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) and Assemb. Melissa Miller (R-Atlantic Beach) to honor Sobol. Cuomo, who signed the measure Thursday, in a statement described Sobol as "a longtime advocate for the Long Island communities in which he lived and worked," whose dedication and service covered a broad range of needs — from post-Superstorm Sandy relief to food insecurity and issues affecting immigrant communities.
The section of Route 878 to be renamed for Sobol is an overpass bridge just north of the main Atlantic Beach Bridge, connecting the bridge to Seagirt Boulevard.
"Pete was the embodiment of everything that was good in the community," Miller said in a statement, adding: "His life's work was making things better for people."
And Kaminsky said: "Peter Sobol dedicated every fiber of his being to bettering Inwood, the Five Towns and the lives of its residents. Renaming a bridge on Route 878 is a fitting tribute to Pete and his lifetime of service to the community. While he may have departed, his legacy will continue to live on for generations."
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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