Islip earmarks more funding to address flooding on Eaton Lane in West Islip

The Town of Islip has nearly doubled the funds set aside for a planned flood mitigation project on Eaton Lane in West Islip after cost estimates were more than expected. 

At a meeting late last month, the town board approved resolutions pulling the money from plans for the installation of a new upgraded pump and generator at both Ocean Avenue in Bay Shore and Browns River Road in Sayville. The town has now authorized about $1.45 million for the Eaton Lane project after originally setting aside $800,000.  

The approvals came ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline to allocate about $47.5 million granted to the Town of Islip through the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in 2021 to mitigate economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARPA funds had to be allocated by the end of 2024 and must be spent by the end of 2026. Unused funds will return to the federal government.

At a meeting this past fall, Islip approved funds to replace the bulkhead at the southern end of Eaton Lane, by the Great South Bay, and install a new upgraded pump on the street. For years, the street has been prone to chronic flooding, with rainy days that trap residents in their homes. 

The project at the time was bundled with the other flood mitigation measures planned for streets in Bay Shore and Sayville, other flood-prone areas in town, with appropriations of $400,000 for each of those. 

At the Dec. 26 meeting, the town defunded those two projects, shifting most of the funds instead toward Eaton Lane after estimates showed the three proposals would cost more than expected.

The town board also approved a $1.45 million, four-month contract with Waterside Contracting Corp. for the Eaton Lane improvements and allocated a little more than $1.5 million for drainage improvements across Islip after other budget items — a sewer project on Carleton Avenue and the purchase of sweepers and vacuum trucks — cost less than expected.

Islip instead plans to address the flooding situation in Sayville through its 2025 capital budget, “which will consist of upgrading the existing pump to alleviate flooding more efficiently, as well as installing a generator to ensure the public’s safety in the event of a power outage,” town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said.

John Tomasetti, 44, owner of the Cull House on Terry Street in Sayville, said the street flooded so badly last year that the restaurant had to shut down.

“This year, the flooding hasn’t been as bad, but I couldn’t get the kids to school one or two times,” said Tomasetti, who lives in Sayville. He said it had been too flooded for the family to leave the house.

“It is what it is, and hopefully” the town will allocate funds in the future for flood mitigation in Sayville, he said. Plus, “the town has always been there,” pumping water, “every time it’s flooded.”

Ken Stein, president of Sayville Ferry Service, said he was disappointed when he heard the new pump and generator had been defunded, but “the location that got the full funding was probably in a much more vulnerable area than us.”

“When the streets are flooded and customers can’t get to the ferry or to the catering halls or to the restaurants here, to [the town’s] credit, they are here with an army of people and they work very hard, pumping and trying to get the roads clear,” he said 

Ali Farhadzadeh, a Stony Brook University professor and coastal engineer, said he can’t comment on specific projects in Islip, but they may have cost more than expected, he said, due to inflation and increasingly rigorous design criteria for flood mitigation as storms “become more intensified and more frequent.”

Across Long Island, more needs to happen to “be proactive and avoid the consequences” of severe weather events, he said, including comprehensive studies of future flood impact.

Climate change is “real and it’s happening,” he said. “It’s going to impact everybody.”

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.