Proposal unveiled to rebuild Harbor Road; controversy remains over funding
What’s left of Harbor Road is still in pieces, and the nearby Stony Brook Mill Pond — drained by the same storm — has not returned.
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Nearly one year after Harbor Road collapsed during a devastating storm, residents in Head of the Harbor and Stony Brook remain without answers — and without a road.
What’s left of Harbor Road is still in pieces, and the nearby Stony Brook Mill Pond — drained by the same storm — has not returned.
In its place, weeds and trees now grow, marking the slow passage of time with little visible progress.
Locals, like Beth Zweig, are demanding action.
“It’s been extremely frustrating,” said Zweig, who has been pushing for repairs since the collapse. “I’m hoping to hear a plan. To be honest with you, I’m not highly optimistic that there will be something tenable presented. And any plan that’s presented will honestly be here a year too late.”
The issue has been mired in a bureaucratic standoff over who owns the road and who is responsible for fixing it.
The Town of Brookhaven says a FEMA application was not submitted, claiming the road is owned by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO), which would not sign the needed forms. But WMHO disputes that, pointing out that the town had been maintaining the road prior to its collapse — implying the responsibility lies with the town.
In the midst of this stalemate, residents have seen no reconstruction, no restoration of the pond, and few clear answers.
A glimmer of movement may come during a Head of the Harbor Village Board meeting scheduled for tonight. Graham Scaife, a trustee with the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, is expected to deliver an update on the organization’s efforts to get the road repaired.
“My meeting tonight is to show what Ward Melville is doing behind the scenes to make this work,” Scaife told News 12. “I know there’s been a lot of criticism of Ward Melville because we’ve been quiet, but we’ve been very diligent, moving forward.”
