Comment Period Extended for Fire Island to Montauk Point Project

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — Congressman Lee Zeldin announced Wednesday that the public comment period for the Fire Island to Montauk Point, or FIMP, project, a $1.16 billion plan that contains funding for essential dredging and shoreline projects across the district, has been extended.

Previously set to end on September 29, the comment period was extended to October 19, he said in a release.

With the last hearing taking place only one day before the September 29 deadline for public comment, Zeldin sent a letter last week to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commander, Colonel David Caldwell, formally requesting an extension of the deadline for public comments. View a copy of the letter here.

Last week, Zeldin also announced the dates, times and locations for the four scheduled public hearings on Long Island to discuss the next phase of FIMP, which will be held:

· September 14 for the Babylon and Islip area, at Islip Town Hall Annex, located at 655 Main St, Islip, NY, 11751.

· September 20 for the Brookhaven area at Patchogue Watch Hill Ferry Terminal, located at 150 West Ave, Patchogue, NY, 11772.

· September 27 for the Southampton area at Southampton University, located at 239 Montauk Highway, Southampton, NY, 11968.

· September 28 for the East Hampton/Montauk area, at Montauk Playhouse, located at 240 Edgemere St, Montauk, NY, 11954.

All four meetings will begin at 6 p.m. with a poster board session. The formal presentation will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a moderated question and answer session.

In addition to attending a public hearing, residents can also submit public comments by mail or email. The address is: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, Planning Division-Environmental Branch, Attention, Robert Smith, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278-0090, or by email to: Project Biologist Robert.J.Smith@usace.army.mil and Project Manager Mark.f.Lulka@usace.army.mil, the release said.

“In Congress, I have been fighting to secure the many victories coming to our district as a result of the FIMP project, which covers a distance of 83 miles, 80 percent of which is in the First Congressional District," Zeldin said in the release. "This critical project, which has been a long time coming, will greatly improve our environment, economy and coastal way of life on Long Island’s South Shore."

He thanked the Army Corps for extending the public comment period two weeks to allow South Fork residents to have more than 24 additional hours to comment after a public hearing. "It is so important that the residents of the South Shore participate in the public comment period to ensure that their voices are heard and any requests are received," he said.

On August 18, Zeldin was joined by local elected officials and community leaders at Westhampton Beach Village Hall to discuss many of the key components of the Draft General Reevaluation Report, or GRR, which was released in July.

Watch the full press conference here.