East Hampton Wins $250,000 Grant for Coastal Plan

During Tuesday's northeaster, water lapped at the shore along Gerard Drive in Springs, one of several low-lying areas in the town that are particularly vulnerable to storms and the threat of rising sea level.

Morgan McGivern

Dec. 12, 2014

Star Staff

East Hampton Town announced Thursday that it had won a $250,000 grant from New York State to develop a coastal assessment and resiliency plan.

In a release from the town, Supervisor Larry Cantwell said the plan will examine “erosion risks, storm vulnerability, and natural recovery.” He credited the Natural Resources Department and Concerned Citizens of Montauk with helping to secure the grant.

From the earliest days of his campaign for town supervisor in 2013, Mr. Cantwell spoke of the importance of developing “a mitigation and recovery plan to protect against the threat of coastal erosion and sea-level rise.”

The grant includes the $250,000 from the state and a matching $250,000 from “other private and public sources,” according to the release.

East Hampton Town was a co-sponsor earlier this week of a three-day climate adaptation training course at Stony Brook Southampton led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency’s office for coastal management and other experts in the field. The conference was also sponsored by Southampton Town, the Peconic Estuary Program, Concerned Citizens of Montauk, the Peconic Institute, and Stony Brook University.