Board Abandons Dune Restoration Plan
/By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com
Members of the Village of Asharoken Board of Trustees vote 4-0 Tuesday to abandon controversial plans for a dune restoration project.
A packed Asharoken Village Hall was filled with applause Tuesday night after the board of trustees voted unanimously to abandon a controversial sand dune restoration project.
The $20 million project, which would have been a collaboration between the village and Army Corps of Engineer, was intended to help prevent flooding on Asharoken Avenue and restore the north coastline of Eatons Neck. The moves were aimed at helping to ensure the 1,400 Eatons Neck residents would have a safe escape route in the event of substantial flooding to Asharoken Avenue, the lone road that runs from Eatons Neck back to the mainland.
As the local sponsor, the Village of Asharoken would have paid $2.5 million for initial construction, and then paid for recurring operational and maintenance costs. The Army Corps would have supplied the sand for the restorations, and additional funding.
The board moved 4-0 to abandon the plan. Trustee Laura Burke was not present for the meeting.
“This has been a contentious issue that the village has been facing since 2001,” Asharoken Mayor Greg Letica said in an interview after the meeting. “What the board did was listen to what the residents wanted to do and they made their case very clear. I think that burden has been lifted off the village.”
Many Asharoken residents had previously, and publicly, opposed the plan due to the financial responsibility and a condition that would have required them to open their beaches to the public.
Following a request from the Army Corps to village officials to double down on support for the plan, the village conducted a study in December to determine where the 650 village residents stood on the issue. Results showed that 85 percent of the 427 residents who returned surveys were against moving forward with the plan.
Robert Holmes, of Asharoken, said he is pleased with the village board’s decision.
“I’ve been a vocal opponent of the ASDRP [Asharoken Storm Damage Reduction Plan] since God knows when, and I want to give credit to the board for the vote,” Holmes said. “I know it was not an easy one and I know that it was subject to great debate.”
Holmes added that he hopes the village can reach out to its partners and join together again to find an alternative solution “to it to protect Asharoken Avenue.”
Debi and Bob Splaine, both of Asharoken, said they are happy with the village board’s verdict, but are also hopeful the village will find an alternative solution in the future.
“We keep our property, we keep our privacy, we keep our beach and our real-estate values don’t plummet,” Bob Splaine said.
There are no future plans for an alternative solution as of now, according to Letica.
The Village of Asharoken spans an area from Asharoken Beach Park north along Asharoken Avenue, and to the northern and eastern shores of Eatons Neck. Much of the western and southern portions of Eatons Neck are not part of the incorporated village.
