Village moving forward with plans for sewer project in Sandy Beach neighborhood

The Village of Greenport approved contracts to move forward with sewer connections for residents on Beach Road and two marinas on Sterling Basin at a regular meeting last Thursday. 

The project has been in the works for years. Both Safe Harbor Marinas and Sandy Beach residents have offered to help cover costs. A Sandy Beach spokesperson said at a September village meeting that 24 out of 28 homes in the community had offered funds at that point. 

The village approved a resolution accepting a proposal for professional engineering services related to the design and construction of a sewage system for Beach Road residents and the two marinas, including restaurants located there, for $265,000. 

The village has a $390,000 grant from the state to cover sealed designs and construction documents for the sewer extension. The grant will be applied towards the “cost of design and construction of the Common Usage System,” according to a memorandum of understanding with SHM Greenport, LLC.

Safe Harbor Marinas will pay, contract and construct an extension of the Greenport Village Sewer System by extending a line from the pump station to the Safe Harbor Stirling Marina and the Safe Harbor Greenport Marina, the MOU says. The extension will conform with designs and specifications set by the village, unless the cost is deemed unreasonable, in which case Safe Harbor can end the project.

The design plans and proposed construction work for the common usage system will be approved in advance by the village and Safe Harbor. The sewer connections will become village property upon completion. 

The village will not charge Safe Harbor connection fees for the two marinas.

According to an approved contract with Sandy Beach residents, Safe Harbor Marinas will design and construct an extension of the sewer system from the pump station to the Safe Harbor Marina and the Greenport Marina. 

Sandy Beach residents will pay the village $15,000 for connecting and providing sewer service — $1,500 when the agreement is signed, which would be returned if the village does not move forward with the project by the end of this year; $5,000 when the village signs with a contractor to construct the sewer line by March 31, 2023; and $8,500 when the sewer line is connected to Sandy Beach. 

The money will be returned If it’s “no longer feasible to extend the sewer service and main to Sandy Beach,” or if Safe Harbor Marinas does not extend the sewer main from the pump station to Safe Harbor Marina and the village terminates the agreement, according to the contract.

If a resident decides to raise their home prior to the sewer line’s construction and build a new wastewater system approved by the county and village, the money will be returned as well. 

The owner is responsible for the cost of the hook-up between the sewer main and their own waste system. 

A letter from the engineering company, Cashin Associates, P.C., indicated that the village is considering the construction of a wastewater collection system, pump station and force main. 

“The current project’s conceptual design includes a new on-site low-pressure sewer system at the Safe Harbor Marina,” the letter says. A second LPS system will be installed at the second Safe Harbor Marina site. 

The company recommended a phased approach to the project.