Lindenhurst OKs $2M in bonds for Sandy cleanup, repair

Lindenhurst Village has approved millions in bonds to pay for cleanup and construction related to superstorm Sandy.

The village approved bonding for $2 million during an emergency board meeting Thursday night.

Previously, village officials had hedged at borrowing the money, hoping to receive reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA has pledged to pay 75 percent of storm damage costs, with the state kicking in another 12.5 percent, Village Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Cullinane said.

But contractors already have submitted bills to the village and last month board members voted to pay out more than $900,000 for work related to debris removal. Contractors, Cullinane said, “have been good, they’ve been patient, but we feel we need to move forward” and pay for their services.

Half of the money is dedicated toward the cleanup, the rest toward fixing the village marina. Cullinane said officials have not determined the full extent of the marina’s damage, which could become costly if the substructure was compromised.

Photo: Nick Moligano helps a cleanup crew remove debris from a neighbor's house on East Shore Road in Lindenhurst. (Nov. 14, 2012)