After the public spoke out, answers could be coming soon for Greenport residents who’d like to see a section of the village included in a current New York State Route 25 repaving project.
A special meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Village Hall, located at 236 Third Street, to “authorize the paving project” for Moores Lane and Main Street from Bridge Lane to Manor Place, and to authorize the corresponding funding for the project, with contract work to be let out pursuant to Suffolk County and Town of Southold bids, a meeting notice said.
Last month, according to Eileen Peters, spokesperson for the New York State Department of Transportation, the NYSDOT met with officials from the Village of Greenport and the Town of Southold to address the issue.
“This segment between Front Street and County Road 48 was not included in the New York State Route 25/Main Road micro surfacing repaving project because it is not under NYSDOT’s jurisdiction,” she said. “Both the Town of Southold and the Village of Greenport have maintained their respective jurisdictions of this roadway for many years. NYSDOT encouraged the town to apply for local funding to repave this roadway.”
Last week, after the Greenport village board said they were looking into adding a three-quarter mile section of village streets into New York State’s current paving project, both State Senator Ken LaValle and the NYSDOT said the matter is being looked into.
The $6.9 million NYSDOT paving project, which kicked off in June, will repave 14 miles of New York State Route 25/Main Road between Tuckers Lane and the end of Route 25 in Orient.
At last month’s village board meeting, a resident asked the board about whether or not a .75 mile section of road along Main Street, from the blinking light in front of the Coronet on Front Street and ending at Knapp Place, might be excluded from the repaving project.
Deputy Supervisor George Hubbard said the three quarters of a mile, as it stands, would be excluded.
When residents asked if the board thought that was “okay,” Hubbard responded, “No, that’s not okay.” Hubbard said he’d spoken to LaValle, who said he’d spoken to a state engineer and been told that the area, which includes seven blocks located in the village and two in Southold Town, was “not in the plan”. LaValle, Hubbard said, asked the village to determine the cost of what it would take to add that section of roadway to the plan.
Village Administrator Paul Pallas tallied a projected cost and sent it to LaValle’s office. “Hopefully, that will end this,” Hubbard said.
Resident John Saladino asked, if the NYSDOT decided not to allow for the paving, if the village could “piggyback” on the state’s contract with Posillico Civil, Inc. of Farmingdale, to get the work done.
Hubbard said he’d also reach out to New York State Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo and said he’d suggested offering Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement, of CHIPS, monies to the tune of $43,000 from the village as a show of “good faith, in helping with the cost.”
