Storm recovery projects advancing to ‘go’

Money from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery and the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program is expected to be released within months based on where projects are in the system, state officials said.
“As far as a specific date, I can’t give you an exact date,” said Zachary Richner, a NY Rising director. “We are not talking weeks, but we’re not talking years. There are a lot of regulations and we are working as diligently and as quickly as possible.”
Richner said that some communities are further along than others based on the work they have already done. Those projects will be processed first, while following federal regulations and conducting the required state environmental review. The $650 million allocated for rebuilding and revitalization after Hurricanes Sandy and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee throughout New York is federal money.
In the Five Towns, where the villages of Cedarhurst, Lawrence, Hewlett Harbor and Hewlett Neck are grouped together with the hamlets of Hewlett, Inwood, Woodmere and Meadowmere Park; $20.5 million of the original $27.6 million designated for the communities is targeted for stormwater infrastructure upgrades.
These projects include strengthening the bulkheading where Mott’s Creek is near Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst, increasing pipe capacity and upgrades in Lawrence and installing pervious paving instead of asphalt to allow water to flow into the ground and bioswales and rain gardens in Hewlett Harbor and Hewlett Neck to improve water absorption. In addition, $500,000 is targeted for a backup power supply for the Meadowmere Park Fire Department and a charging station for residents. Based on hydrologic and hydraulic studies drainage upgrades will be made in targeted areas.

“This is great news, but we would like to see some movement,” said Bob Block about the $20.5 million. Block is a co-chair, along with Inwood resident Pete Sobol, of the Five Towns NY Rising CRP Committee, which hosted several public meetings and presented the plans to the state committee in Albany earlier this year. “We are sitting back and hoping for implementation and a timetable for their plans.”
Nassau County will serve as what is being called a subrecipient for the money for several projects. When given the go-ahead from the state, the county will be in charge of bidding out the work from design to construction and hiring the needed contractors. In some instances the Town of Hempstead and the villages are also subrecipients.
“We have heard from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery that this is project they wish to see,” said county spokesman Brian Nevin, regarding the Five Towns. “We do not have a date yet of when. We have submitted the requested documentation, but not yet the task that would identify the amount that would go into the subrecipient agreement.”
Nevin said county officials last met with storm recovery officials on Oct. 7, and are still awaiting word from the state on how to proceed. He said the Five Towns committee will be notified and informed about what procedures will be in place to move the projects forward.
“We spoke with [state officials] three weeks ago and we are moving along,” said Sal Evola, the village administrator for Cedarhurst. “We are anxious for the project to start.”

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