By Chad Kushins
;)
Photo by Jennifer M. KleiGovernment officials are continuing their efforts to revitalize Smithtown’s Main Street with a plan that includes construction of a sewage system and the reconfiguration of parts of rte. 25 into a single lane.
According to the office of Suffolk County Legislator John M. Kennedy, the sewage plan is based in part on a $70-million project that is currently underway in the Hauppauge Industrial Park. Kennedy, who backed that project, is one of the key figures now investigating how similar planning on Smithtown’s Main Street could aid in rejuvenating that road and its ongoing struggle with defunct businesses and vacancies.
In recent years other areas, such as Sayville and Patchogue, have seen economic growth after their own sewer system projects. Now leaders in Smithtown hope for similar success. With a sewage system in place prospective businesses and existing businesses looking to expand would have an easier time meeting the restrictions of Health Department codes – which is considered a primary cause of Main Street’s deterioration.
“All you need to see are the vacant properties all down Main Street,” said Kennedy, explaining the relation between a possible sewer system and its effect on business health codes. “And you always hear the same thing – the business owners can’t get the number of seats, or the needed approval for expansions. Everything is set, but it’s not up to code.” According to Kennedy his office is currently pursuing the needed funding to install such a sewer system in The Town of Smithtown. Such a project would cost an estimated $40 million to complete. “I think everything will fall into place,” he added, “but the final piece is the money.”
Last year Kennedy submitted an application to the Empire State Development Corp. [ESD] for additional funding towards a new sewer system, but the submission was rejected. This week the legislator is slated to meet with the organization’s Long Island Regional Director, Andrea Lohneiss, to inquire what steps could be taken to successfully move forward with the sewer system plans, following the ESD’s initial rejection.
One reason the ESD might reject the proposal is the lack of the necessary land and acreage needed to house such a system. After preliminary tests proved that an expansion and overhaul of the sewage facility located on Kings Park State Hospital property could take up to a decade, officials decided to set their sights on building a new facility all together. “Our original plan was to utilize the State Hospital grounds itself,” said Kennedy, “but we received a pretty stringent letter [from Public Works] that stated unless the County conducted extreme due diligence, don’t even bother.”Now Kennedy is hoping to negotiate with Kings Park’s St. Johnland Nursing Center to purchase enough land, approximately eight acres, of their property to construct the sewer system’s leeching fields.
In the eyes of some town leaders the lack of a proper sewer system is only one reason that Smithtown’s Main Street has failed to attract new and prosperous businesses. According to Supervisor Patrick Vecchio the high rent that it takes to operate a business out of downtown Smithtown is another key factor. When the town purchased an old golf shop on Main Street from New York State a few years ago, hoping to rent the prime real estate and attract new businesses to the area, state law mandated a survey of rental costs in the area and the restriction to only charge the spot competitively – bringing the property’s lease to a pricey $22 per square foot. “It was the location of Sunrise Golf,” said Councilman Edward Wehrheim. “[The Town] purchased it and it will be repaid by the State over a number of payments … the spot is planned to be the new location for Horizons Drug and Alcohol Center, which is a town department and the contractor is retrofitting as we speak.”
In addition to the inability to meet Health Department Codes and high rents, there is the growing concern about the thoroughfare’s overall safety. In response to the fatal and near-fatal accidents over the last two years, the New York State Department of Transportation [DOT] is currently planning to narrow portions of the busy street down to a single lane this spring. The plan would see a new traffic pattern, with one lane for westbound traffic and a designated turning lane. “The DOT showed us different concepts,” says Smithtown Planning Department Director Frank DeRubeis. “Right now, they’re leaning towards the plan for the one-way westbound and two-way going east.” According to DeRubeis construction would likely begin sometime later in the year, although the DOT initially planned for preliminary work this month.
The DOT revealed its prospective plans to a select group of elected officials and community leaders this past December, laying out a temporary re-striping plan while it considers other more permanent plans. Of the concepts discussed, the narrowing of Main Street became the most logical strategy. The project itself is expected to cost around $200,000.
Main Street, which has seen three fatal accidents since November 2009, has been a major source of controversy among both residents and town officials for years. The most recent incident involved two young sisters Mabel, 13 and Melody, 9 Burgos, who were struck by an SUV on May 5, 2011. Thus accident was the third major incident on Smithtown’s Main Street in a two-year time-span. In November 2009 a hit-and-run incident resulted in the death of 11-year-old Courtney Sipes and the similar death of 33-year-old war veteran Seamus Byrne on February 27 – both within a block of each other. The accidents occurred on the 1 1/2-mile stretch on the main road that extends, roughly, from the Nissequogue River to Route 111. According to the DOT, between 2003 and 2008, there have been 359 auto collisions along this stretch. An estimated 33,000 cars travel along this stretch on Main Street everyday. Since the death of Courtney Sipes, law enforcement officials and local leaders have made efforts to improve safety measures on the town’s main road. In 2010, a four-foot high fence was installed on that strip, as well as a widening of the crosswalks and a deliberate synchronization of the traffic lights at the intersections. As the public outcry for new safety measures followed, the Town of Smithtown added streetlights to the strip of road – changed right on red policy on problem turns on Main Street, Elm , Lawrence, Landing and Bellemeade Avenues – and boosted patrols by assigning Park Rangers to drive along the area during the daytime hours.
On May 25 of last year, the Smithtown Town Board began its own proposal to “narrow” Main Street in the hopes of slowing down dangerous traffic, particularly during the daytime hours when pedestrians of all ages flood the sidewalks to stroll along the many businesses. The town proposal would seek to remove one lane in either direction and add new turning lanes down the center of the road, lowering drivers’ overall speed. In addition, the proposal calls for the elimination of some of the road’s on-street parking.
But while no major incidents have occurred since last May, residents and officials alike have continued to voice their concerns that a permanent solution be sought; however, safety measures would have little effect on the economic downfall surrounding the popular road.
In Kennedy’s opinion, the safety measures along Main Street would most likely be the top priority when it comes to funding. “Any efforts of the DOT would, usually, come before anything having to do with the sewer system,” he said.
As of this writing, the DOT is continuing with its plan for the one-lane construction as county and state officials negotiate the possible construction of the proposed sewer system.