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Another Year Delay for Building Fire Island Dunes, Officials Say

Posted on February 17, 2017 by admin in Fire Island News

Officials say the start date for the federally-funded dune project, taking place from Fire Island’s Ocean Bay Park to Davis Park, will be delayed another year. The dredging contract should be granted this fall, Chris Soller, superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore, said. The predicted start date was originally late fall to winter of last year.

The $207 million project, which was first proposed back in 2013, also includes the dunes spanning from Kismet to Seaview. The creation of the western stretch of dunes has already been completed. This dune project was approved by both the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers; with the latter given the authority to hire the dredgers.

This large-scale project, meant to protect Fire Island from harsh weather, has been delayed for the past few years due to several factors. Weather problems, the task of 400 homeowners signing off on easements and other factors are included in that list. According to Vanessa Baird-Streeter, a spokeswoman for County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk county still needs 225 easements from homeowners. It’s especially tricky in certain areas of Fire Island, such as Fire Island Pines, where decks and pools need to be removed to make way for the dunes. In Ocean Bay Park, 19 homeowners were forced to accept buyouts for their homes to be leveled to make way for the dunes. Out of the 19, only five have been given checks so far.

It’s been a long road for this massive project, and due to the major renovations amongst the nine hamlets of Fire Island, real estate property values might be affected. William J Newman is always available for help with selling or buying homes in the area, in addition to rentals. Contact us at 631-312-7066 or 516-991-5717.


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