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Projects underway to improve drainage in Babylon Village
"In addition to putting in new systems to have the water that collects up north run more quickly, we are targeting points of pollution that threaten the local estuary going into the Great South Bay," said Babylon Village Mayor Ralph Scordino in discussing some of the work. The work at Boyd's Pond includes removing 9,000 yards of fill, which will be dried and sifted and used as topsoil. The dredging will allow the water that comes into the canal from the north to move through the system more efficiently, relieving some of the flooding in Twin Oaks to the north. In addition, the Village will be installing new and larger drains in the area from Perridale and Tappan Avenues to Beachwood Drive between Trolly Line Road and Montauk Highway. These will hook into the drains on Montauk Highway and that is expected to reduce the rainwater going into the creek behind the homes on Tappen Avenue and Perridale Court.
In an effort to completely protect and preserve the waterway, officials said the small island in Boyd's Pond would also be stabilized by installing a natural bulkheading made of cocoa fiber that encourages growth of mosses and other species of plants natural to the area. "And, we have provided protection for the Snapping Turtle that lives there too," said Skip Gardner, the Village's Public Works Superintendent. "Some of the residents living near the Canal were concerned about him." The final project, which has not been finalized yet, is to install drains on the west side of the children's park on Trolley Line Road. Those drains will help slow down some of the flow of rainwater into the system and will be added, if necessary, said Mayor Scordino. The Village has received $500,000 in state funds for the projects from the office of Senator Owen Johnson. With a lot of the work being done by Village Highway Department employees, the Mayor said he anticipates being able to pay for all of the improvements with those funds. The third project is the construction of a wood deck over the bulkhead along the canal adjacent to the Village Gazebo. The deck is on the west side of the canal and will not only provide a more efficient and effective drainage system for rainwater runoff from Montauk Highway but also add a safer and more attractive walkway. Work includes digging down two and a half feet, installing beams and then covering a portion of the trench with sand. A final layer of crushed stone goes on before the beams across the top are installed. The wood being used is the newest line of treated material that requires no maintenance and lasts for decades, said Gardner. Another benefit of the project is that it allowed the Village to put all of the overhead electric and telephone lines in the ground. Scott Glenn, the Village's Highway Department Crew Leader, reviewed the plans and made the suggestion to do that and install the Village's oldfashioned lampposts along the deck. "That was an unexpected benefit of this job," said the Mayor. "All of our employees have done a tremendous job." Funding for that project came through the office of S.C. Leg. Wayne Horsley, who applied for a grant under the County's Clean Water Act.
"I am very pleased to have been able to bring county funding to this project," said Horsley. "Mayor Scordino has been a leader in working to improve the quality of our waterways on the South Shore and he is to be commended for that."
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