With Harbor Road repairs at a standstill, angry residents plan rally Saturday 

Months after an August rainstorm left significant flooding damage to a stretch of road straddling Brookhaven and Head of the Harbor, residents frustrated with the lack of repairs are holding a rally Saturday calling for fixes to be made.

Rally organizers say they are getting the word out through their Facebook page “Rebuild Harbor Road, Restore Our Pond” and word-of-mouth. They seek to draw attention to the need to repair Harbor Road, a large portion of which was washed away due to 10-plus inches of rain that fell early Aug. 19. The storm also broke the mill pond dam that forms the roadbed, draining the pond.

“It’s horrifying that this situation has been unresolved in the last nine months," said Joan Farnum Montbach, of Stony Brook, who lives near the mill pond. "It’s really shocking for me, in many ways, that it’s gone on so long.”

Montbach said she is concerned about swans, ducks and other wildlife that frequented the pond and can’t do so anymore.

Road ownership in dispute

The repairs have been at a standstill due to a dispute between Brookhaven, Smithtown and local nonprofit the Ward Melville Heritage Organization over who owns the road. Brookhaven and Smithtown officials said earlier this month they are seeking help from state and Suffolk County officials to break the deadlock. The town officials claim the nonprofit has not signed paperwork necessary for repairs to move forward.

Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico said in a statement Tuesday that Brookhaven remains "fully committed to the restoration of Mill Pond and Harbor Road." However, Panico added, the nonprofit must sign the paperwork necessary to move repairs forward.

"This project will be 75-plus percent reimbursed by FEMA, but the owner must sign up to get the project going," Panico said. "Brookhaven doesn’t own the land, or the dam which the road sits upon. Neither Brookhaven, Smithtown nor the village can build a road in midair. It’s incumbent on the owner to sign the application, which we will support." 

Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, said Tuesday the nonprofit does not own the road and has conducted an “extensive" title search backing that.

Rally organizer Beth Zweig, a Head of the Harbor resident who lives near the road, said rallygoers are hoping that all agencies involved can come up with a compromise necessary to fix the road for everyone’s safety.

“We’re not here to prescribe a solution to it, but they need to understand that this is an emergency that needs to be fixed. Whatever the fears that are stopping them, it’s much more dangerous for them to just let this go and not fix it and see what happens."

Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utevsky said Tuesday it's vital for the road to be repaired for safety reasons, noting that the damages have made it harder for residents on the east side of the village to receive medical or emergency vehicle access.

“The road has to be rebuilt. It’s vital to the residents on the east end of our village,” said Utevsky, who plans to speak at the rally.

'Somebody needs to step up'

Lisa Davidson, a rally organizer and Head of the Harbor village trustee, said residents are “sick and tired” of the situation and want the road fixed soon.

“The point is to bring the frustration of the community to the forefront. From our perspective, we can’t just have no road. It belongs to somebody and somebody needs to step up and assume responsibility. It’s ridiculous, it’s been nine months,” Davidson said.

Rocchio said the nonprofit would be willing to work with whoever the lead agency will be on the repairs. The nonprofit will also conduct studies “to shortcut the process” and hand that data to that lead agency, Rocchio added.

Michael Martino, director of communication for Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, said in a statement Tuesday that both the county and the Town of Brookhaven "have offered to help fund the repairs, with the condition that the money will be repaid upon Ward Melville Heritage Organization receiving state and federal assistance. We are waiting for the WMHO to respond to this offer.”

Smithtown town officials did not immediately return requests for comment.

The rally will take place from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Harbor Road and Main Street in Stony Brook.