After reading Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” to community members and elected officials in attendance at the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District (GNWPCD) at 236 East Shore Road, Long Island Assemblymember Michelle Schimel spoke to the decision to consolidate two wastewater treatment facilities.
“If the road were an easy one to take, everyone would be walking on it.”
After 10 years of discussion and five years of preliminary planning, members of the GNWPCD along with local elected officials broke ground on a new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility on Tuesday, August 31. The new plant will process sewage from both the District and the Village of Great Neck, subsequently decommissioning the existing Village plant while saving residents approximately $2 million per year.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman was quick to applaud local leaders and community members for their ongoing dialogue regarding the new facility.
“We argued until we got it right,” said Kaiman. “Surrounding neighborhoods will benefit for generations to come . . . this is about the future of Great Neck.”
The consolidated sewer plant is designed to include solar power and innovative, renewable energy resources while reducing the previous nitrogen discharge by 75 percent. GNWPCD commissioners Jane Rebhuhn, Deena Lesser and Jerry Landsberg were ecstatic that the day to break ground has finally come.
“The commitment and hard work of our employees have helped make this day possible,” said Landsberg. “Our diligent staff members get the job done.”
“Together we have worked hard to bring this project to life, bringing savings, green technology and jobs to the Great Neck peninsula,” said Lesser.
The cost of construction for the revamped wastewater facility is estimated at $60 million and has hopes of creating 400 jobs in the community. The anticipated completion date for the plant is December 2013.
