Posted on October 25, 2023
Federal dollars will help move forward a resiliency project meant to protect a South Shore neighborhood, the Advance/SILive.com learned this week.
Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) office shared a press release outlining the more-than $20 million in funds for the Tottenville Shoreline Protection Project that has been in the works since shortly after Hurricane Sandy over 10 years ago.
“I’m proud to support Staten Island’s shoreline protection projects and help deliver the federal funding essential to fortifying our infrastructure to be more flood resilient,” Schumer said. “Without these federal grants and the planned shoreline protection measures, the Tottenville neighborhood would continue to be at risk of flooding, and nearby buildings and structures overwhelmed by floodwaters during severe storm events and hurricanes. These federal grants will help increase Tottenville’s coastal resiliency and prepare the community for future storms for years to come.”
The total $20,072,965.25 for the city Parks Department will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program that received funding from the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, signed into law in 2021.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), who voted for that legislation, applauded the funding for the project and touted her prior work helping advance storm resiliency projects, including the East Shore Seawall ahead after years of delays.
“From securing funding for sewer infrastructure, to getting the final Seawall design approved and permits secured, to delivering federal funds for resiliency projects and shoreline protection, I’m proud to join my colleagues to deliver real results that will protect our community from heavy rainstorms and extreme weather events,” she said. “This particular project will restore berms, wetlands and dunes in Tottenville to reduce risk and mitigate shoreline erosion.”
The Tottenville Shoreline Protection Project will run along the Tottenville coast from Conference House Park to Butler Manor Woods, according to a FEMA report released in July.
Plans for the project consist of five elements — an earthen berm near Conference House Park, a trio of barriers protecting the coast line, and a raised edge along the coast from Sprague to Page avenues, according to the FEMA report.
Officials hope the project will reduce risk of damage, enhance the ecological environment, and improve resiliency.
“We welcome all federal dollars to our South Shore resiliency projects and I am glad Congresswoman Malliotakis, and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand stepped up,” Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) said.
The project compliments the state’s ongoing, $107 million Living Breakwaters project off the coast that is designed to blunt the power of waves during extreme weather.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said the latest funding for the Tottenville Project will help better protect the Island’s South Shore.
“Over a decade after Hurricane Sandy struck, residents still remember the storm’s devastating effects on Staten Island’s infrastructure and shoreline,” she said. “I’m thrilled to announce more than $20 million for the South Shore of Staten Island to support efforts to mitigate these kinds of risks from future storms.”
