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Greenport exploring grants to extend village sewer system to Sandy Beach neighborhood

Greenport Village is taking the first step toward expanding its municipal sewer system into the Sandy Beach neighborhood. 

A resolution, approved unanimously last Thursday, authorizes village staff to work with outside entities to obtain grants to fund the expansion to the community off the southeast tip of Stirling Basin.

A 2017 engineering report from Cashin Associates  put the cost of the project at $1.1 million. The potential grants could offset the cost of the expansion and reduce the tax hike for property owners in Sandy Beach, where there are relatively few homes. 

The lack of a sewer system in the beachfront neighborhood off Stirling Basin came under scrutiny last month after residents Stephen Bull and Terese Svoboda submitted a wetlands permit application to raise their home by three feet to protect it against future storms. Only a part of Sandy Beach is in the incorporated village of Greenport, but that area is the only part of Greenport Village that isn’t currently connected to the sewer system.

At a previous board meeting, CAC member John Saladino pointed out that about 26 homes on Sandy Beach Road are affected by flood waters. At the time, he noted that their septic systems empty into the bay and creek.

Greenport had previously considered extending its sewer system to the Sandy Beach area, although cost has been an issue.

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