Mayor Bob Weitzner of Port Washington North defended the village’s decision to start construction on the Bay Walk Park Phase II in the summer.
He posted a statement on the village’s website in response to a letter to the editor in the June 29 issue of the Port Washington News.
Weitzner originally sent the statement to the Port Washington News to be published as a response to a letter by Andy Aaron, but the News didn’t publish the response.
“I usually don’t react to a letter to the editor,” Weitzner said, “but I felt like I needed to respond and give my side to it. I checked the paper the next week, and they didn’t put it in.”
Aaron’s letter addressed the timing of the Bay Walk Park Phase II, stating, “We do not dispute the need of the project, but find the timing most distressing.”
Construction for Phase II began on June 20, and Weitzner said it was necessary to start early in the summer because the deadline to be reimbursed by the New York State Department of State and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation is Dec. 31. The project’s cost is $1.5 million dollars, and the village will be reimbursed $1.3 million.
Phase II of the project is the final part to the Bay Walk Park master plan created in 2005, and will create additional parking access and a kayak dock, Weitzner said. He added that it will also include a boat resting area, a new network expanding the Outdoor Nautical Art Museum, a picnic area, an information kiosk, a rain garden and an expansion of the Port North pier float.
“Right away, I was ready to get the project going as soon as possible, so we didn’t lose our funding,” Weitzner said. “Once they were ready to mobilize a few days before June 20, I said let’s go.”
Weitzner said that only about 1/8 of a mile is closed on the Bay Walk near the northern entrance, and that everything from Mill Pond to the pier is open. He added that, although parts of the walkway are closed, they are scheduled to reopen in four weeks.
“I think we did a good job getting this through,” Weitzner said. “We didn’t rush the project. We were very efficient.”
As a response to Aaron’s letter stating that the construction was being done during “peak season,” Weitzner said that the village experienced delays while trying to obtain the appropriate permits. He added that he had to ask for extensions so the deadline for reimbursement didn’t pass.
“It took time, but we got it going efficiently,” he said.
