Asharoken declines $1 million in federal sea wall aid, seeks aid elsewhere

The Village of Asharoken has declined to accept $1 million in federal aid to fix a deteriorating sea wall, fueling concern from residents that the move could delay long-sought repairs.

The sea wall is about 1,000 feet long and holds back Long Island Sound from Asharoken Avenue. It was built in 1994 and has outlived its lifespan, village officials said. It has undergone millions of dollars in fixes over the past decade but now needs to be replaced.

Residents said they were hoping the $1 million would be used to make temporary fixes to reinforce the sea wall, but village officials said they are searching for other funding sources as they move closer to a plan to replace the entire structure. 

Mayor Greg Letica said he will draft a letter to the New York State Department of Transportation to decline the aid which originated from a congressional earmark. The village secured the aid in early 2023 to conduct emergency repairs on 180 feet of the sea wall.

The state DOT is the intermediary between the village and federal government. To accept the aid, the village would have to approve a resolution showing it has $1.25 million on hand for the repairs, Letica said. The village would also have to contribute $250,000 and be reimbursed for $1 million. 

“The financial requirements of this congressional earmark are above and beyond what the village can support,” Letica said.

For Eaton’s Neck resident John Ballow, the village’s decision to decline the money is concerning. The community is on the north end of the sea wall and is not part of Asharoken Village.

Ballow, who has lived in Eaton’s Neck since 1985, said the village's reasoning for rejecting the money ignores “the real danger: A structurally failed sea wall and undermined roadbed — the only road for 2,100 residents — endangering access to emergency services like ambulances and fire support, as well as underground utility infrastructure.”

He said no other approved funding or alternative near-term repair plans exist, adding that “any long-term projects are still merely conjecture.”

Trustees said they would not accept the funding during their Sept. 2 board meeting.

Earlier this year, the village asked federal officials if they could use the earmark for the permanent repair of the sea wall, instead of for an emergency fix. Federal officials approved the request, but Letica said ultimately the village could not approve a resolution to “attest” it had $1.25 million on hand.

Village officials will continue to search for other funding sources to repair the entire sea wall, he said. He hopes to find grants in which the village has to contribute nothing or very little to qualify for the larger sum.

This spring, 40, five-ton stones were added to the most compromised section of the sea wall. Letica said he believes that will be enough to bolster it until a permanent fix is completed.

In October, a consultant is expected to provide a comprehensive plan for a new sea wall, beach design and cost estimates. The report from Huntington-based GEI Consultants Inc., P.C. is being paid for with a $1 million FEMA hazard mitigation grant the village received in July 2023.

Securing the FEMA money to use for a long-term plan was game-changing and accelerated the timeline for construction, Letica said. That rendered making an emergency, or temporary fix, less urgent.

Philip Quarles, who lives in Asharoken on the north end of the sea wall, said the residents most at risk deserve a timeline for repairing the sea wall.

“The village is playing Russian roulette with the safety of Asharoken and Eaton’s Neck residents by failing to put down on paper some sort of conceptual project plan so we can all understand how much longer we’re all going to be at risk,” Quarles said.