(Photos Courtesy of Town of Brookhaven)
After a year of work, the newly renovated Sandspit Marina, jetty, and Patchogue Lighthouse are ready just in time for summer.
In 2018 it became clear that due to dredging of the Sandspit Marina in 2007, sand was leaking through the existing jetty causing an infill. This made it difficult for boaters to see a clear path around the jetty and into the marina, as in some places the gaps in the jetty had become fairly large.
In order to avoid future dredging and to keep the infill from preventing access to the marina through the inlet, a plan to repair the jetty was employed in February of 2019. The $1 million project was completed in April, using funds from the state, the Town of Brookhaven, and Village of Patchogue.
The result is a revamped marina, complete with a working jetty and a new Patchogue Lighthouse that clearly marks the entryway to the inlet. The lighthouse is bright and colorful, sending a signal of safety and warmth to boaters in the marina with its clear Patchogue sign and quaint landing beneath its bright light. Thanks to the repaired jetty the marina will remain clear of sediment for boaters and Davis Park ferry users.
The federal funding for the project was secured by Senator Croci in 2015. Of the $725,000 Croci procured, $600,000 was allocated for the jetty and $125,000 was designated for nearby Shorefront Park. This funding left $250,000 still to be secured in order for the project to be completed, a funding gap that kept the project from completion for four more years. This gap was later filled using funding from the Town of Brookhaven ($300,000) and the Village of Patchogue ($100,000). With this phase completed there are plans to construct an ADA accessible fishing pier over the jetty as well.
Despite the benefit the repairs will bring to the marina, it is likely the mouth of the Patchogue River will have to be dredged again to account for the damage that occurred while the jetty was waiting for repairs. However, thanks to the hard work of Senator Croci, Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, and Assemblyman Andrew Garabino the Sandspit Marina is safer for boaters to use this summer and beyond.
As Assemblyman Garabino said in a 2015 statement about the federal funding, “Repairing the Patchogue East River Jetty is another important step in what has been a long and fruitful revitalization of the Village of Patchogue.”
