Port Washington Town Dock update: North Hempstead to pay contractor $11.9 million for transformation

The Town of North Hempstead has moved closer to beginning its long-awaited overhaul of Town Dock in Port Washington and hired a local contractor to oversee the work.

The town will pay H&L Contracting LLC of Hauppauge about $11.9 million to transform the dock, which looks out onto Manhasset Bay. It was badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and has been weakened by erosion. The contractor will build over the existing dock, Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in an interview.

"Town Dock is the heart of Port Washington, and not only the heart of Port Washington," DeSena said. "It is access to the water for the whole town. ... So many groups use the dock, and it brings everyone together."

H&L Contracting did not respond to a request for comment.

DeSena said the town hopes for work to begin on the dock by September.

In October, the town received final approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin work on the $19.6 million makeover, triggering the beginning of the bidding process.

North Hempstead has received $17.6 million in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with another $2 million coming from the state.

The value of vegetation

The work on the dock will include a more durable bulkhead, sloped shoreline structures that absorb the impact of waves, vegetation around the parking lot to capture rainwater, according to a town news release.

"This is a place where everyone comes together to see the sunset, to watch the waves," DeSena said. "It's a beautiful place and I can't wait for it to be preserved and enhanced ..."

Mindy Germain, a Port Washington Water District commissioner, said in an interview that the dock needs to be able to withstand storms and rising sea levels. She praised plans to add vegetation at the dock.

"It's critical because this is a public gathering center for our community, and it also is very close to a lot of important roadways, thoroughfares, infrastructure," Germain said. "Every opportunity to reduce polluted runoff, I think, is really important to protect the quality of our bay."

DeSena credited Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for helping to secure the federal funding.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a statement last June noted that he visited the dock in 2014. "I stood on the Town Dock with Town of North Hempstead officials and called on FEMA to not forget this project. Since then, I have worked tirelessly to make sure FEMA delivers for the Town Dock,” he said.

Part of a larger plan

The overhaul of Town Dock comes amid a larger transformation of Port Washington's waterfront along Main Street.

The town last week approved the building of a mixed-use development at Inspiration Wharf, a small business district next to Town Dock. The development, proposed by Gennaro and Gianni Sbarro, the father-son duo formerly of the eponymous global pizza chain, was criticized by some residents who fear that the addition of 38 new units of housing could lead to the privatization of the area.

The public hearing last Tuesday lasted about five hours, past midnight, with resident after resident stepping up to the dais to offer harsh rebukes. The Sbarros stood off to the side, quietly listening.

The plan includes the building of a "promenade," which must be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to town documents.