STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Council May 2 continued to discuss how to save a $1.8 million Open Space grant the borough received in 2021.
The grant is in danger of expiring in July for lack of meaningful progress on a project at the municipal marina at 81st Street.
It was a topic of discussion at a previous council meeting which did not result in a decision on how to move forward.
Recreation Committee Chair Victor Foschini brought the issue back to council, urging immediate action. Foschini said it would be catastrophic for the borough’s future grant efforts if such a large an Open Space grant were allowed to expire due to municipal inaction two years after the award was made.
Borough engineer Marc DeBlasio said he made overtures to the county and doubted that any extension would be granted to the borough unless the borough could show it was moving forward with the project.
The project entails both flood mitigation efforts, as well as the construction of amenities that would make the marina a more attractive area for enjoying the borough’s bay side.
One issue stalling progress on the project is the need for the council to demonstrate a commitment to an expensive project price tag just when the town is looking for ways to better control municipal debt.
DeBlasio estimated the total project, as it was presented to the county in 2021, would now cost about $6.5 million given inflation. That leaves a sizable chunk of that expense for the borough after applying the grant total of $1.8 million.
The council approved having DeBlasio set up a pre-application permit meeting with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as a way of showing the borough’s intent to move forward. The plan then calls for using that display of intent as a means of gaining a one-year extension on the soon-to-expire grant.
Foschini spoke with a sense of urgency that the borough procures an extension soon.
