The Town of North Hempstead Town Board on Tuesday approved Tuesday a 2016 capital plan and 2016-20 five-year capital plan, which requires $30.1 million in new bonding for infrastructure, public safety and preservation projects.
The town estimates spending $81.14 million over five years for the projects.
“One of our most important governmental functions is developing a capital plan,” Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said. “The five-year capital plan serves as a blueprint for the town to invest in the future and also provides a plan to fund the projects that are in the plan.”
Officials said federal and state grants would provide $48.16 million in funding and they will continue to seek more grant funding for the projects.
The most expensive project in the plan is a $10 million to $20 million project to remove sediment from Manhasset Bay and repair the Town Dock in Port Washington.
The proposed plan calls for creating a deep bay to attract more waterway business and reconfigure the dock to create an “economic hub” for the lower Main Street area in Port Washington.
Rehabilitation of the dock would also include “new ADA compliant walkways, new dock bulkhead, new parking lot lighting, new drainage system and parking lot, new landscaping, electric pump out station, and other various improvements to make the Town Dock more resilient to future storms.”
Officials said the town expects Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement for the project since the sediment build up was caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The town will also spend $2 million on a new sanitary system at North Hempstead Beach Park.
According to the proposal, the park’s sanitary system will be reconfigured to connect to the Port Washington Sewer District in an effort to give the park a “more environmentally friendly utility system.”
The town received a $450,000 grant from the state Water Infrastructure Improvement Act to use towards the project.
Also, the town will spend $700,000 to construct a 4,200-square-foot greenhouse at the Clark Botanic Garden in Albertson.
The greenhouse, the proposal says, would have two separate sections for cold and warm climates.
The town received a $250,000 grant from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York with the assistance of state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-Port Washington) to be used for the project.
The town will also spend $50,000 per year over the next five years to maintain the Stepping Stones Lighthouse.
The town acquired ownership of the lighthouse, which sits about 1,600 yards off the shore of Kings Point, from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2008 as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
Bosworth said over the next five years, the town would keep borrowing less money than the amount of debt paid off each year.
“Balancing this aggressive debt reduction strategy with ensuring the town’s infrastructure is addressed properly, and, of course, keeping our parks beautiful and our facilities functioning at high levels for our residents will be a challenge we will all continue to meet,” she said.
