Central Islip firm lands Fire Island debris removal contract

The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded an $8.8 million contract to a Central Islip company for debris removal on Fire Island, the agency announced Saturday.

DS3 Enterprises Inc., a general contracting company with headquarters on Carleton Avenue, has been given the task of removing and transporting debris off the storm-ravaged island, according to the Army Corps announcement.

Many residents' destroyed property and roadside vegetation will be hauled off at no cost as part of the debris-removal program, which is expected to begin this month. All work is scheduled to be completed by the end of March.

An estimated 2,200 homes on Fire Island sustained some form of damage from superstorm Sandy.

"The debris-removal mission will help citizens with their recovery efforts," Lt. Col. John Knight, New York Recovery Field Office commander for the Army Corps, said in a statement.

As of Jan. 18, the county had received 1,500 right-of-entry forms from property owners, Suffolk County officials said, enough to satisfy the Army Corps to begin the project. The debris removal will most likely require a combination of trucks and barges to take the waste to landfills, officials said.