The long-awaited Plandome Road sewer line in Manhasset has been installed, ending the project’s first phase and ushering in a new era for local businesses in terms of cost savings and environmental protection.
“It’s a renaissance for Plandome Road and for the Manhasset businesses,” state Assembly Member Gina Sillitti said.
While an honorary first flush was not made to signal the sewer’s placement, a collection of local community leaders and elected officials cut a ribbon in front of Villa Milano to mark the occasion.
Great Neck Water Pollution Control District Commissioner Steve Reiter described the implementation of the sewer line as a “win-win”, achieving cost savings for businesses and diminishing negative environmental impacts associated with septics.
Many areas on Long Island still use cesspools and septic tanks, including businesses along Manhasset’s Plandome Road.
“This town needed this project very desperately,” Manhasset Chamber of Commerce Council Member Robbie Donno said. “And the business owners and the landlords need this project.”
While the implementation of the sewer line has been three years in the making, the idea was first presented to the sewer district seven years ago.
The project was funded through a $5 million state grant secured by Sillitti and then-state Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills), and another $3.1 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, otherwise referred to as ARPA, allocated by the Town of North Hempstead Board.
The project was split into two phases: installing the sewer line along Plandome Road and then connecting the local businesses.
The completion of the project’s first phase was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the community, from the state assembly, to the Town of North Hempstead, the Manhasset Civic Association, the Manhasset Chamber of Commerce and the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District.
“Projects like this don’t happen without the help of many people,” Reiter said. “… It hasn’t always been easy, and this community should be proud of their hard work and dedication.”
While the main sewer pipe has been laid, the next step is to connect the Plandome Road businesses to it.
“We’ve still got some wood to chop,” Donno said.
Donno said the project’s federal funds will go towards aiding businesses in connecting to the sewer line.
“I know there are generations that will follow here that will benefit: our children, our grandchildren,” he said. “… This is a moment of impact and almost like an explosion. You can only imagine where these particles are going to fall in years to come, but they’re going to fall in a pleasant place and our inheritance is going to be a rich inheritance because of the investments made.”
A meeting will be held Thursday night at Town Hall on Plandome Road to inform business owners about the sewer line and steps to connect to it.
The meeting, which will include the Manhasset Chamber of Commerce, the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, and a representative for the pump system, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
