Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and the Town Board announced that the Town’s Department of Public Works is moving forward with a major sand replenishment project at TOBAY Beach in Massapequa. In recent weeks, nearly two million cubic yards of sand along with critical dunes were washed away – thereby exposing the pavilion foundation and the retaining wall which is the last line of protection from a total washout of Ocean Parkway. This sand replenishment initiative will save TOBAY Beach for this summer, but Saladino said further action from the federal government is necessary to secure a long-term fix.
“We know just how much TOBAY Beach means to our residents, which is why Town crews will begin rebuilding TOBAY Beach by trucking in yards of clean sand just in time for summer,” Saladino said. “Warm, sunny days are just around the corner and we’ll have the beach open in time for you to soak up the sun, swim in the ocean and enjoy summer.”
Saladino has requested emergency assistance from United States Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Congressman Andrew Garbarino and Governor Kathy Hochul, to begin planning for a long-term solution. Officials in all levels of government are needed to pressure the Army Corps of Engineers to develop a long-term solution that hardens the shoreline with additional sand, shields the primary nesting areas of protected species known as piping plover, defends the mainland and continues to provide the public access Long Islanders expect and deserve. While winter storms are partially to blame for the problems, town engineers believe a change in longshore currents contributed to the crisis and that such transformation is the result of dredged materials placed at West Gilgo Beach in the Town of Babylon.
Despite receiving no financial assistance from the state and federal governments, the town has spent millions of dollars rebuilding the beach and stabilizing dunes against erosion. A critical public access point to the shoreline, TOBAY Beach is located in the middle of Jones Beach Island, a barrier island off the south shore of Long Island. The beach suffered a direct hit from Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and serves as a critical asset toward protecting the mainland, its property and population. Recent erosion of the beach and dunes threaten not only the recreation at the beach, but also poses a risk of flooding to Ocean Parkway as well as homes and infrastructure on the mainland.
“I know the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the expertise to resolve this matter and I implore their immediate assistance,” Saladino said. “A long-term action plan must be implemented, along with the proper funding to achieve the goals of hardening the shoreline with additional sand, protecting the mainland and continuing to provide the public access our residents expect and deserve. The Town of Oyster Bay suffered enough during Superstorm Sandy and we must resolve this matter now.”