$3.8 million in aid originally set aside for Manhasset Bay dredging to go to other projects instead

North Hempstead Town has reallocated $3.8 million in federal pandemic aid that had been earmarked for the dredging of Manhasset Bay to five other projects as the spending deadline nears.

The money, which comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, was set to expire by year's end if the project was not completed, according to town officials. The town had yet to obtain necessary permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The town board voted 7-0 to approve the resolution.

The money was spread across various town projects: $750,000 for the construction and maintenance of a 9/11 memorial in Manhasset; $1.39 million for the repaving and repair of Plandome Road following the installation of sewer connections from adjacent properties; $450,000 to the town’s nine chambers of commerce; $315,000 for the installation of sewer connections at Town Hall; and about $1 million to resurface turf fields.

“I’m not going to give that money back to the federal government,” Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in an interview. “So we were able to find several contracts that we already have, that we could allocate money to."

Last December, the town board approved a resolution allocating money for the dredging project along party lines: Democrats Mariann Dalimonte, Robert Troiano, Victoria Lurvey and Peter Zuckerman voted for it. DeSena, a registered Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, voted against it, as did Republicans Dennis Walsh and David Adhami.

Dalimonte said in an interview that she was under the impression the permits didn’t need to be obtained by the end of the year, since the resolution had been approved. She said she was informed two days before Thanksgiving by town attorney Richard Nicolello that, in fact, the town needed to have executed a contract with a dredging company before the end of the year to retain the money.

Asked about the town's pending application to dredge in Manhasset Bay, the DEC said it "subjects permit applications to a rigorous review of applicable federal and state standards to ensure the agency’s decision is protective of public health and the environment, upholds environmental justice and fairness, and meets applicable standards."

DeSena said in an interview that Republicans had warned Dalimonte last year that there wouldn’t be enough time to obtain the necessary permits.

Dalimonte said she plans to add the dredging project to the town’s capital plan in January. 

DeSena said the town is far from ready to begin the project. She said officials from the town's Department of Public Works had a meeting with the DEC last week to obtain permission to take soil samples from the bay.

David Doody, general manager of Safe Harbor Capri Marina, said he's noticed a downtick in recent years as low tide has changed from about 12 feet to sometimes as low as 6 feet deep. 

"The bay has been shoaling and shoaling for years and years," Doody said. "People don't come here because it's shallow, and bigger boats need deep water."

Doody noted that yacht owners often employ crews that then stimulate the local economy by shopping in Port Washington grocery stories and eating at restaurants.

"Without dredging, all that stuff goes down, and it really has a big impact, socially, business wise, the community, the whole spirit of Manhasset Bay being an active yachting center for 150 years," he said.

Dalimonte called the situation an emergency.

"It takes forever to get these permits," she said. "If we don't dredge soon, within the next two years, we're going to have problems."

DeSena said she was pleased to send money to the town's chambers of commerce; each will receive a $50,000 grant.

The grants to the chambers align with the mission of ARPA to help businesses recover from the pandemic, she said. 

"I'm glad that we're now able to spread this money all around the town for the small businesses," DeSena said.

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.