Stony Brook community pulls together to restore storm-damaged Mill Pond, Harbor Road

As the one-month anniversary of a storm that decimated parts of Suffolk's North Shore passes, supporters of Mill Pond and residents of other areas hit hard still feel a profound loss, as communities slowly start to rebuild.

Olivia Ross, 23, who lives in Port Jefferson Station and grew up within walking distance of Mill Pond in Stony Brook, has sold more than 200 wristbands in support of the repairs.

The light blue bands in white font read "Stony Brook Strong" on one side and "Save Our Pond" on the other, and sell for $2.

Each day Ross hand delivers or mails orders, some to as far as North Carolina or Florida.

She is among hundreds of community members, former residents and business owners who have donated to the Ward Melville Heritage Organization's ongoing fundraising and rebuilding effort after the storm hit Aug. 18-19.

Most people who donate attach a letter sharing their grief and personal anecdotes about the pond.

Growing up, Ross and her father participated in the Mill Pond Fishing Club’s annual contest. As an adult, she took her nieces and nephews to the pond.

"There used to be so much life there, and now you go and see it, and there's just nothing," Ross said. "So when I saw it, I was like, I need to just ... , do something, because I just can't sit back and watch this happen."

The influx of community support brings hope for the restoration process, said Gloria Rocchio, president of the heritage organization, as the journey has been slower than she had wanted.

"The community is very, very emotionally attached to the pond with memories they have as children, and now they take their grandchildren," she said.

After the storm hit, the first challenge was to understand which areas belonged to which municipality or organization, Rocchio said.

For example, Stony Brook Creek borders the towns of Brookhaven and Smithtown. The road past the Stony Brook Grist Mill is owned by Head of the Harbor and the organization. But below the mill, the portion that collapsed belongs to the Town of Brookhaven.

"It’s very complicated," she said.

Harbor Road also served as a main artery between Head of the Harbor and Stony Brook Village in addition to the dam of Mill Pond.

After determining property lines, Rocchio said, the organization has launched its first step and hired an engineering company to fix Mill Creek Road, a private street directly behind the creek.

The rainfall, which was more than 9 inches in some areas, resulted in the dam break and street collapse, cutting access to seven homes.

Within one month, the area has eroded drastically, thanks to more rainfall, active springs that run into the pond and the tide bringing the water in and out, Rocchio said.

"What has happened because of the breach, the channel has changed, and so now that channel goes against Mill Creek Road and is eroding it terribly," Rocchio said.

Trees that once lined the street are now at a 45-degree angle into the creek.

This week, the engineering company, which the organization did not wish to publicly name, inspected the road and the erosion and created a plan to fix it. The plan will be presented to the organization’s board in the coming week.

Rocchio did not confirm the amount of damage for the pond but said it is steep. The cleaning of the historic grist mill, which was buried in the sand but was undamaged, will cost around $3,000, she said.

Mill Creek Road is one of the 42 properties the organization owns, including the mill, Mill Pond and portions of Harbor Road.

Ron Borgese, whose Main Street home was condemned after the storm, said he and his wife, Hui Yan, are still living in a hotel. Their insurance rejected their claim, Borgese said, so they are looking for ways to move forward.

"All these promises are being made, and I'm still in a hotel and getting choked out financially," he said.

Quick action is crucial to the area’s restoration, as another bad storm could add to the damage, Rocchio said.

"Every time it rains, we’re afraid," said Rocchio. "You can’t stop nature. You’ve got to work with it."