Head of the Harbor sues Ward Melville Heritage Organization over collapsed Harbor Road
The lawsuit declares WMHO as the owner of the road and is requiring the organization to repair the road.
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The Village of Head of the Harbor filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) over the collapsed Harbor Road.
The road has been in disrepair since the historic storm last August collapsed the road and the dam under it.
The lawsuit declares WMHO as the owner of the road and is requiring the organization to repair the road and the dam.
The Town of Brookhaven is also named as a nominal defendant to allow the Suffolk County Supreme Court to allow to hear arguments between all parties involved concerning ownership of the road.
Village Mayor Michael Utevsky released the following statement:
“Our residents in the eastern half of the Village have been deprived of a primary access road to services in Stony Brook and neighboring Villages. Most dangerously, the path for emergency access vehicles to our residents has been disrupted, which results in substantial delays in critical services, including ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles. We have worked tirelessly for many months to persuade WMHO and various government entities to work together to restore the road, but without success. The 2 parties seem as far apart ever, and we believe we have no choice except to bring this lawsuit. We need the dam and road rebuilt now."
Village attorney Brian Egan also released a statement:
“The Village has been frustrated by the lack of progress and cooperation from WMHO. We have assembled an unprecedented coalition of intergovernmental entities, from the State, County and two Townships, but WMHO keeps moving in the wrong direction and escalating the conditions for their cooperation. Enough is enough,” he said. “To paraphrase Winston Churchill, ‘this may not be the end, but perhaps it is the end of the beginning.’"
The village is also requesting the court to order WMHO to immediately repair the dam and clear the nearby Stony Brook Mill Pond of debris.
