The New York Regional Economic Development Council is awarding the Town of Southampton $350,000.00 in grants to fund two major improvement projects in Hampton Bays.
The first grant for $300,000.00 will go toward the improvement project for the Shinnecock Dock, home to the second largest fishing fleet in New York State. Suffolk County recently turned over sole ownership of the Dock to the Town but there are many long overdue repairs needed to the Dock to improve safety and operations at the dock.
“This funding comes at a critical time as we work to make vital improvements to the Shinnecock Dock,” said Parks Director Kristen Doulos. “We want to make the dock a safe place for the fishing vessels and for the men and women who work extremely hard to keep the commercial fishing industry alive.”
The State also awarded the Town a $50,000.00 grant for the Hampton Bays Downtown Overlay District Wastewater Treatment Plant Study. The funding comes at a time when the Town is working on revitalization plans for the Hampton Bays central downtown business district.
Vital to this revitalization effort is the installation of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). The STP would be a state-of-the-art facility that provides advanced sewage treatment, including significant nitrogen removal to protect groundwater and public health and would be equipped with odor control technologies. It is expected that as properties are redeveloped, existing substandard cesspools and septic systems would be removed or abandoned in accordance with SCDHS requirements, and these projects would connect to the STP, thereby protecting and improving overall groundwater quality. The grant will fund the engineering plan needed to make the STP a reality.
“It is our goal in the Town of Southampton to promote smart growth and preserve and protect the environment, said Assistant Town Planning Director Janice Scherer. “This all comes together in the Central Business District of Hampton Bays, where we are working to revitalize the downtown and at the same time remove antiquated sanitary systems and cesspools that contribute to the groundwater and nitrogen issues of Shinnecock and Tiana Bays.”
