State awards Smithtown $21.3 million for downtown sewer project

New York State has awarded Smithtown $21.3 million for the construction of sewers in the downtown business district, officials said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the funding as part of the state's Local Water Infrastructure Improvements program. The initiative awards small, rural or disadvantaged communities that complete upgrades to their water infrastructure. Smithtown was among 102 projects statewide to receive funding from the program, according to the state Environmental Facilities Corp.

Suffolk County will use the money to develop the Smithtown Business District sewer project. The proposal aims to build sewer mains in downtown Smithtown. A total of $30 million had been allocated to the project before the state money was announced, Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim said.

With much of Suffolk County connected to cesspools that are difficult and expensive to maintain, a move to sewers would spur development including new housing, restaurants and businesses, advocates of the project say.

Wehrheim called the funding “a welcome surprise." Suffolk County officials say the project is expected to cost $101 million in total and have pledged to fund it through the county’s capital budget over the next three years.

Michael Martino, a county spokesman, said in a statement that Suffolk "continues to work to secure additional grant funds to lessen the debt service fees to be charged to property owners. The goal is to construct the project to provide sewer service which is affordable to the business district."

Work on connecting two other business districts to sewers is underway in Kings Park and St. James, officials said.

“Sewers are the main issue. You’re not going to be able to do a whole lot of revitalizing or renovation work in the downtown business districts unless they’re sewered, and this funding puts us on a great path to get to that point,” Wehrheim said.

Funding from the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act is also expected to emerge, he added. Last week, Suffolk voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to hike sales taxes by an eighth of a percent. That measure, Proposition 2, is expected to raise $3 billion over 50 years and finance a major expansion of sewers across Suffolk County. 

Jeff Troiano, president of the Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, said sewers will help to revitalize the downtown and reduce stormwater runoff.

Stormwater from the downtown district would flow into a sewer system that gets directed to a sewage treatment plant. This way, the runoff won't flow into the Nissequogue River.

Troiano, who runs an insurance agency downtown, said local business owners have experienced flooding issues because of poor drainage systems.

Funding for the sewer project could help mitigate those issues.

“Sewers are the first step, and then from there, we can attract other businesses to the area,” Troiano said.