Charging Forward

Not ones to rest on their laurels, Westhampton Beach Village officials, still fresh off the very successful Main Street revitalization project and the equally beneficial sewer district project, have their sights set on the next phase of the village’s meteoric transformation: improvements to the village’s waterfront, including the municipal marina.

At an Express Sessions panel discussion on March 21 at Fauna restaurant, an enthusiastic group of village officials, including Mayor Ralph Urban, Trustee Brian Tymann, Superintendent of Public Works Matthew K. Smith and Building and Zoning Administrator Brad Hammond were joined by Conservation Advisory Panel Chairperson Patti Schaefer, as well as Dr. Christopher Gobler, a water quality expert and professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, to talk about changes they’d like to implement to not only make the village’s waterfront more attractive, but also increase environmental protections, reduce flooding and improve water quality.

That all may seem like a daunting task, but the officials said they were up to the challenge and excited about the future. That’s the same type of can-do attitude that got the Main Street and sewer projects done.

A focus on the waterfront is not new to the officials. More than two years ago, with a $50,000 state grant, they began the process of formulating a Local Waterfront Revitalization Project, or LWRP, a massive study that, if ultimately approved by the state, federal government and village officials, will not only offer a roadmap for improvement projects but also allow the village to seek further state grants to finance them.

A 250-page draft of the LWRP plan was finalized and presented to the Village Board by its consultants earlier this year. It is currently being reviewed by the state and federal governments; it will come back to the village for public hearings and, ultimately, a vote by the board to codify it as a sort of waterfront master plan.

The initial state grant meant the LWRP essentially cost the village nothing to prepare, but it could turn out to be priceless, as officials set the framework for waterfront improvements, especially as both the region and the world face the looming effects of climate change and warmer waters.

But it’s not just about environmental concerns. The officials at the Express Sessions event explained that a major goal of the planned improvements is to increase the village’s draw to seasonal visitors, to expand on the accomplishments of the Main Street and sewer work to increase the village’s draw as a tourist destination.

After all, the village is a seaside community, so it just makes sense that waterfront improvements would only enhance people’s desire to visit. It’s the biggest resource the village has.

Turning their attention to the waterfront is the same kind of forward-thinking planning that resulted in the Main Street and sewer improvements — even as other villages on the South Fork have been stuck in neutral on such major undertakings — and it was encouraging to see the officials’ dedication and enthusiasm at last week’s Express Sessions event.

It’s that commitment to improvement that makes Westhampton Beach a key South Fork destination — now and well into the future.