Today, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that they secured $51,307,000 for critical local projects on Long Island in the FY2024 spending bill. The senators personally delivered funding for these projects as congressionally directed spending requests.
“I am proud to deliver a whopping $50 million in federal funding for community projects across Long Island – from the Town of North Hempstead to Islip to the Village of Sag Harbor and many communities in between,” said Senator Schumer. “These substantial federal funds will make important investments that will ensure cleaner drinking water, safer roads, increased emergency preparedness and coastal flood resiliency, better sewer infrastructure and much, much more. I won’t stop fighting to deliver the resources needed to support Long Island communities and the organizations that help them flourish.”
“I am thrilled to bring home more than $50 million in federal funding to Long Island,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This critical funding will help make clean drinking water more accessible, make improvements to our sewage system, update our public libraries so they can be enjoyed for generations to come, provide support for trauma-informed care, and so much more. I’m proud to have fought for these important projects, and I’ll continue to work tirelessly to make sure families, workers, artists, and businesses on Long Island have what they need to thrive.”
A full list of funded projects is below:
$5,000,000 for Village of Amityville Flood Remediation:
Funding will help the Village of Amityville raise and repave roads and complete all associated drainage in order to mitigate flooding in the area.
$5,000,000 for the Suffolk County Dept. of Public Works for Smith Point Bridge Replacement:
Funding will be used for the demolition of the 60+ year old Smith Point Bridge, and the replacement with a new 75-year service life fixed bridge.
$4,000,000 for Town of Babylon Land Acquisition and Remediation:
Funding will be used for the acquisition of property and remediation in the area along the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in East Farmingdale. With the potential re-opening of the LIRR station for passenger service and the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route planned for Route 110, the Town of Babylon plans to use this funding to help develop the surrounding area and support the new transportation network with new public spaces and storefronts.
$3,950,000 for the Trust for Public Land to Plan and Design the Long Island Greenway:
Funding will help with the planning, design, and environmental review for a 50+ mile multipurpose, active transportation corridor that will improve safety, decrease traffic and emissions, and enhance economic activity and quality of life.
$3,642,000 for the Kulanu Academy Building Project for Individuals with Special Needs:
Funding will be used to demolish the existing residential building on Kulanu Academy’s campus in Cedarhurst and construct a new building on the same site to significantly expand and enhance its programs for special needs children and adults, as well as the families of special needs children.
$3,330,000 for the Village of Bellport’s Howells Point Coastal Flood Resiliency Project:
Funds will support a coastal flood resiliency project along the shorelines of Howells Point. The village plans to install resilient infrastructure at the ends of three streets that terminate at the coastline to reduce flood recurrence intervals and mitigate flood damage.
$3,005,000 for the Town of North Hempstead for the Harbor Links Stormwater Recycling & Water Conservation Project:
Funds will be used to help reduce the potential of aquifer and Hempstead Harbor contamination by collecting and recycling stormwater and greywater from Harbor Links Golf Course and the Solid Waste Management Authority’s closed and capped landfills. The Town of North Hempstead also seeks to reduce consumption of municipal water through water recycling.
$2,500,000 for Long Beach Public Library Improvements:
Funding will be used for a first-floor renovation of the main branch of Long Beach Public Library, which will provide more square footage for public use and include flexible spaces that can be transformed for different individual, group, and community purposes.
$2,000,000 for Suffolk County for Wyandanch/Wheatley Heights Sewers:
Funds will be used to support construction of sewer infrastructure in the hamlets of Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights to reduce nitrogen runoff into nearby bays, harbors, and surface waters.
$2,000,000 for Suffolk County Dept. of Economic Development & Planning:
Funds will be used to progress wastewater infrastructure to serve approximately 700 parcels of the central business district along Route 25 in Centereach and Selden.
$1,500,000 for the Town of Hempstead for Stormwater Treatment & Drainage Improvements:
Funding will be used to install hydronamic separators and catch basin inserts, and to add green infrastructure and other surface runoff treatment measures for an area that currently discharges untreated storm-water in to the abutting creek that feeds Merrick Bay in Nassau County.
$1,500,000 for Nassau County for Shore Road Improvements in Port Washington:
These funds will be used to link Bay Walk Park in downtown Port Washington North to the downtown area of the Village of Baxter Estate, via a walkable/bikeable path with amenities.
$1,295,000 for Baldwin Public Library Improvements:
Funds will be used to renovate the Baldwin Public Library’s Children’s room to include a new story room, larger play space, more natural light, and better sightlines.
$1,250,000 for the Suffolk County Water Authority for a Water Main Extension:
Funds will be used to extend a water main to connect additional homes in Westhampton currently supplied by private drinking wells that have been or are likely to be impacted by PFAS contamination.
$1,250,000 for the Town of Shelter Island for a Wastewater Treatment System:
Funds will be used to help construct a municipal wastewater treatment system that will serve eight municipal facilities in the town to reduce contaminants in the drinking water supply and surrounding surface waters of the Peconic Estuary.
$1,250,000 for the Village of Sag Harbor Sewer Service Area Expansion:
Funding will help Sag Harbor construct a sewer system expansion to collect and convey approximately 27,008 gallons per day of sanitary wastewater to the existing Village of Sag Harbor Wastewater Treatment Facility in order to reduce nitrogen pollution in area surface waters.
$1,250,000 for the Town of Riverhead Public Water Main Project:
Funding will help extend the public wa3ter main within the Town of Riverhead to connect additional homes located south and east of the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant at Calverton. This project will extend clean drinking water to residents who rely on private wells and have been affected by groundwater contamination.
$1,000,000 for the Southampton Village Sewer System Installation:
Funds will help the Village of Southampton construct a sewage treatment plant that will treat sanitary waste generated in the central downtown business district and help achieve local and regional goals for environmental and economic sustainability.
$1,000,000 for the GiGi’s Playhouse Real Estate Project:
Funds will be used to help purchase a new building and launch new career preparation and job training programs for individuals with Down syndrome.
$1,000,000 for Stony Brook University – Offshore Wind Generated Hydrogen Usage for Domestic Heating and Power:
Funds will go toward the design, fabrication, and usage of a test platform to evaluate the use of offshore wind-generated hydrogen, hydrogen/natural gas blends, and other innovative technologies for heating and power in residential homes.
$1,000,000 for the Town of Islip to Demolish a Failing Sewer Plant:
Funding will be used to demolish a failing sewage treatment plant, and to construct a new pump station.
$1,000,000 for Suffolk County for Clean Water Septic Systems:
Funds will be used to install clean water septic systems by replacing failing cesspools.
$920,000 for the Theodore Roosevelt Institute at Long Island University:
Funds will be used to digitalize and archive unreleased biographical information from descendants and associates of American presidents whose tenure predated the presidential library archive system.
$750,000 for Ignite Long Island’s Manufacturing Support Center:
Funds will be used to develop an industry-led, public-private partnership focused on manufacturing job creation, skills training, career management, and business development, which will have a significant impact on Long Island’s low- and moderate-income persons and communities.
$565,000 for the Crime Victims Center Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner and Response Capacity Building Program:
Funds will be used to provide trauma-informed response, care, and expert Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) evidence collection services to child and adult victims of sexual assault in Suffolk County, as well as training for criminal justice and medical professionals.
$200,000 for the Town of Smithtown Emergency Operations Center:
Funds will be used for the renovation and modernization of the Town of Smithtown Emergency Operations Center.
$150,000 for the Institute for Disability Studies at the Viscardi Center:
Funds will be used to help create the first combined disabilities history education program and interactive cultural institution to promote social and emotional learning for disabled and neurotypical students and cultural awareness for the public.