Officials ask state, feds for funding

County Executive Ed Mangano, center, and Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, left, addressed the crowd in Bay Park.

Alex Spychalsky/Herald

Two women attended the press conference dressed in Hazmat suits.

Alex Spychalsky

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County, state and town officials conducted a tour of the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant on Tuesday before assembling in Bay Park to speak to the media and dozens of local residents, including members of the Bay Park Civic Association, to address conditions and funding at the plant.

“Clearly, the Bay Park Sewage Plant has not been a good neighbor,” said County Executive Ed Mangano. He added that the county is relying on the state and federal government to supply the money needed for repairs and mitigation at the plant.

When his administration came into office, Mangano said, there were a lot of fines already in place against the plant for conditions that hadn’t been addressed. The county is seeking $740 million in state and federal aid for construction costs related to odor control, and upgrading the plant’s power supply. It is also seeking $500 million for construction of a new outfall pipe that would dump treated sewage into the ocean rather than into local bays and waterways.

Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg spoke about the safety of the residents. “This is a crisis situation,” he said.