July 2016
Dear Port North Residents,
I wish to respond to recent comments and opinions which questioned the planning and timing of the construction of the Bay Walk Park Phase II Plan. Unfortunately, the timing of the start of construction is certainly inconvenient to some who access the Bay Walk on the northern entrance. We had been planning this project for the better part of five years and are relying on the coordination of funding and approvals from New York State, Nassau County and the Town of North Hempstead. Due to regulatory delays, the Village finally received all required approvals to put this project out to bid in January of 2016. It was determined that this project would last five months and we have a December 31, 2016 deadline to finish the project in order for certain construction costs to be reimbursed by both the NYS Department of State and Department of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation. This reimbursement amount is expected to total at least $1 million. So the Village had no choice but to start this project as soon we could, which has resulted in breaking ground at the start of summer. If we waited until the fall, after peak waterfront season, we would not have had the time necessary to complete the project without worrying about missing the December 31st deadline and risk further delays as a result of winter weather.
We understand this this construction is causing an inconvenience by not allowing full path access. However, I would like to assure the entire Port Washington community that the Village of Port Washington North, and the contractor are doing everything possible to finish the work along the walkway to allow the fences to be moved forward and allow the entire Bay Walk Park path to be open prior to completion of the entire project. We hope that this will be before the end of summer. In the meantime, the Park and Pier are still open and signs are posted to alert pedestrians of the closures and detours. We ask for your patience and understanding during this construction and believe that the inconvenience now will all be worthwhile once the new section is completed in a few months.
As always, if you need to contact me directly, please email me at mayor@portwashingtonnorth.org or call me on my cell phone at 516-233-9581. And please visit our website at www.portwashingtonnorth.org for information on a number of topics.
Regards,
Mayor Bob