Hempstead Town Announces Project To Stabilize South Shore

Officials from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR), the town of Hempstead and New York State Senate announced plans to move forward with building natural and structural storm protection features along the shoreline of Baldwin Park in order to create a promenade that minimizes further erosion and damage like that caused by Superstorm Sandy.

The project, anticipated to cost approximately $4.5 million, will create resiliency improvements in Baldwin Park and will include bulkhead replacements, natural shoreline stabilization, a well-defined pedestrian pathway and a kayak launch site consistent with the South Shore Blueway.

“Flooding is a significant risk for homeowners and small businesses in the Baldwin Harbor area,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen. “We need to constantly build safer, stronger and smarter before the next disaster hits. Stabilizing the shoreline by reestablishing critically important marshland will reduce the need for recovery resources following the next major storm event.”

The Baldwin Park project also calls for protecting water quality and stabilizing the shoreline through the re-establishment of marshes along 1,600 feet of living shoreline. Engineers also expect new vegetation to mitigate wave energy and reduce the risk of flood damage to surrounding homes.

It is estimated that an acre of marshland can store approximately one million gallons of water, equal to about three-quarters of a football field covered in three feet of water. Vegetation helps to slow the speed of flood water, resulting in lower flood heights and ultimately less flood damage.

“In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy dramatically changed the way that we’d come to think about, prepare for and respond to extreme weather events,” said Alana Agosto, executive director of the NY Rising Community Reconstruction and Infrastructure Programs for GOSR. “Through the community-driven framework developed by Governor Cuomo, we have been proud to champion investments such as the Baldwin Park Shoreline Stabilization Project that will collectively yield a stronger, more sustainable New York.”

The project will also provide public waterfront access at Baldwin Park, as well as access to the Blueway Trail, enabling residents to enjoy open space and recreational activities.

“Upon completion of the project, residents will be able to enjoy a key natural and cultural asset for generations to come,” Gillen said.

Town of Hempstead officials have recently completed designs for the project and will be placing the designs out to bid for an outside company and expect to begin construction by next spring.

"The next superstorm is not a matter of if, but when," said Sen. John Brooks. "Strengthening the integrity of our shoreline is a crucial step in safeguarding against the kind of devastation we've experienced previously and are still rebuilding from."