Lindenhurst hopes its rebuilt marina will be open by spring

Lindenhurst Village hopes to open its marina to boats this spring for the first time since superstorm Sandy damaged the structure in 2012.

The village has put pressure on contractors to finish work on the Charles J. Cowan Marina at the southern tip of Wellwood Avenue by April 1, the opening of the boating season, said Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Cullinane. The marina was first damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

Cullinane said repair costs have already reached $850,000 and he expects the final total to be more than $1 million. As with the Irene damage, the village filed an insurance claim and will ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pick up the tab for whatever isn't covered. Of the $457,000 in damage from Irene, insurance covered $400,000, Cullinane said, with FEMA paying the remainder.

The village had just finished repairs on the marina when Sandy hit in October 2012. The storm did not damage the renovated portions of the marina but caused other damage, including to the electrical system. Last April the boardwalk was opened for walking, fishing and crabbing, but boats were not able to dock at the marina's 47 slips for the entire season last year, Cullinane said.

Conduits for electricity and water are still needed, he said, and workers are finishing up installing decking. Fixtures, a new flagpole and other equipment replacements are also needed, Cullinane said, but major restoration work is near completion.

"All of the superstructure has basically been repaired," he said. "This will get us up and running and ready for April 1."

He cautioned that weather could still delay progress, as it has already done this winter when workers on barges were not able to get through the frozen Great South Bay.