Wyandanch sewer line costs rise by $404G

Babylon's sewer line through downtown Wyandanch just got a little more expensive.

Last week, the town approved an additional $404,000 in payments to Sidney B. Bowne & Son Llp, of Mineola, for design and construction services related to the Wyandanch sewer line being installed on Straight Path.

According to the company, because of various grant and county requirements, multiple inspectors have to be used on the project at an additional cost of $275,000. The remainder of the new costs came from a combination of delays in state permits and other requirements from the town and county that were not part of the original bid, it said.

"These are things that typically come up with a project of this size," town Supervisor Richard Schaffer said.

With the extra costs, Bowne will be paid more than $2.2 million for sewer work. The company is also being paid more than $800,000 for other work related to the Wyandanch redevelopment.

The nearly two-mile-long sewer line is expected to cost about $15 million. The town is using $14.7 million in federal low-interest financing for the project, which is considered a critical component of its $500 million public/private Wyandanch Rising redevelopment. The town has included an extra $2 million in its contingency plan, spokesman Tim Ruggeri said.

Work on the sewer line began last year and is expected to end this fall, officials said. Schaffer misspoke this year when he told a Newsday reporter the line would be finished by spring, Ruggeri said. The project is on schedule, and the additional work will not cause delays, he said.

As the sewer line is being installed, the town is also having LIPA, National Grid and Suffolk County Water Authority utilities placed underground along a portion of Straight Path, Ruggeri said. State funds will cover the $3 million cost, he said.

Once the sewer line is completed, Schaffer said, work will begin on phase one of the redevelopment, which includes a transit plaza, 50,000 square feet of commercial space and 150 rental and 90 condo units in four buildings north of the train station. Phase one is estimated to cost $100 million, with $80 million coming from the private sector and $20 million over time from tax revenue, Ruggeri said.

The buildings will be on land now used for LIRR parking, and the town is working with the MTA to create temporary parking to replace the more than 1,000 spaces at the station.