Smithtown to Contribute $1M Towards Sewers in Kings Park Downtown

A plan to extend county sewer service to Kings Park's downtown commercial district received its first financial backing from Smithtown town officials. 

Smithtown Town Board voted to authorize town planner Frank DeRubeis to apply for county funding for the project at its May 24 town board meeting, Newsday  reports. The town has already agreed to contribute $1 million. 

"It’s tying us into the existing sewer treatment," said Kings Park Chamber of Commerce President Anthony Tanzi. "It can only be beneficial to economy and the environment for Kings Park." 

Elected officials and Kings Park business leaders have blamed the lack of sewer capacity for limiting the area's commercial growth. The plan now call for expanding Sewer District 6 by using the existing sewer treatment plant on St. Johnland Road and existing sewer lines along Route 25A. 

Tanzi said preliminary estimates put the cost for the project are $20 - 24 million. If Kings Park business leaders and elected officials can secure $8 million in county funding out of the $30 million surplus in the county sewer tax stabilization fund, it would be enough to allow the project to get underway, according to Tanzi. 

Read more on Newsday [subscription required].