WITH SCUDDER'S POND RESTORATION PROJECT NEARLY COMPLETE, STILL A COUPLE OF ISSUES TO WORK OUT
The $2.6 million Scudder's Pond restoration project that began this past November, is nearing completion, with the full breadth of the pond and a sandy shoreline now visible to passersby walking or driving along Prospect Avenue, the dredging equipment removed, and the areas of the golf course affected by the work largely restored to their original condition.
Two significant issues, however still need to be addressed before the project is complete. This past Monday, the water quality unit that separates "floatables and sedibles" from storm water run-off before it enters the pond, and that was installed only a few weeks ago near the southwestern end of Littleworth Lane, overflowed, flooding the basement of an adjacent house and carving out a deep crevasse from a section of the property leading to the pond. According to Village Administrator, John Mirando, because the village has not yet signed off on completion of the contract, the company that has done the restoration work, Galvin Brothers of Great Neck, is responsible for correcting the problem, and addressing the damage caused to the Littleworth home. Mr. Mirando added that the overflow issue "may not be the contractor's fault - that has to be determined." The manufacturer of the unit, he said would be visiting the site next week to offer its diagnosis of the problem. "As a side note," Mr. Mirando said, "Galvin Brothers has been very responsive to the needs and requests of our residents." Additionally, the replacement of the weir (low dam) at the Prospect Avenue edge of the pond has been complicated by a gas line that runs through a sleeve located within the structure. Mr. Mirando said that National Grid has proposed doing the weir replacement itself, in order to avoid a more costly and complicated re-routing of the line, which serves as the main feed to Sea Cliff. "Because they do not have to pay their contractor prevailing wages," Mr. Mirando explained, "they feel they can replace the weir at a lower cost than our contractor and for less than a relocation of the main." In addition to the water quality unit installed on Littleworth, and the replacement of two weirs, the restoration project has involved the dredging of nearly 6,000 cubic yards of sediment from the pond's floor, bringing it closer to its original size and depth, the removal of phragmites, an invasive species of plant that covered much of the shoreline, and the planting of new vegetation along the slopes for stabilization. Before work began in the late fall, Sea Cliff Village secured $2.3 million dollars in federal and state grants, and a $200,000 contribution from the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee. Scudders pond is a New York State regulated tidal and freshwater wetland that acts as a filter for run-off into Hempstead Harbor, and so once completed, the $2.6 million dollar project should help to improve the harbor's water quality. The pond was last dredged in 1979. BACK TO WEEKLY BACK TO HOME |
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