Officials renew efforts to get sewers in Wyandanch

In a renewed effort to obtain state funds for sewers in downtown Wyandanch, Rep. Steve Israel and Babylon town officials took the president of the state Environmental Facilities Corporation on a tour of the area Wednesday.

The town previously applied to the EFC for $14 million for the sewer line but learned in January it did not make the first cut. The town has since submitted additional documents and lowered its request to $9.5 million. Supervisor Steve Bellone has estimated the sewer line - which will include two components, one running to its ashfill, another to the downtown - will cost $18 million. The town said it will use $6 million from its solid waste fund and a $2 million state grant for part of the costs.

"It was a chance to visualize what I had heard a lot about," EFC president Matt Driscoll said of the tour. "From my perspective, I really want to make sure the community knows what's best for the long-term."

Israel (D-Huntington), who previously helped secure $450,000 for the project, saw the tour as a plus. "I don't want someone to just stamp an application approved or rejected," he said. "I want them to see why this is so vital to the creation of jobs."

The town estimates Wyandanch redevelopment will create 3,000 construction jobs, 825 permanent jobs, $6.7 million in sales tax and $6 million in property tax revenue annually.

Rich Groh, the town's chief environmental analyst, said the town is trying to "move money from two other projects into this one." Groh declined to name the projects. He said if EFC funding - to be decided by June - fails to come through, the town is considering a low-interest 30-year loan of $9.5 million. He said design work for the sewers should be completed within the next few weeks. The town aims to begin the project in July.

Babylon officials have said sewers are critical to getting their $500-million "Wyandanch Rising" redevelopment off the ground. Vanessa Pugh, director of the town's office of downtown revitalization, stressed the importance at a community meeting following the tour, saying, "It's not that I want to pitch and cajole for funding . . . but in the absence of sewers, we're at a tremendous deficit and almost stalled."

Alice Cone, president of the Belmont Lake Civic Association, voiced frustration there are no planned sewer projects for homeowners. Israel told her the Suffolk legislature is funding a study on implementing sewers in four communities, including other areas of Wyandanch.