U.S. SenS. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced Wednesday, Feb. 4, that the Town of North Hempstead will receive an additional $1 million in federal funding for its long-planned Town Dock Revitalization Project, part of a broader $10,859,000 package for Long Island projects included in the Fiscal Year 2026 spending bill signed into law.
The $1 million allocation, secured as congressionally directed spending through the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill, will support activation of the 117,000-square-foot Town Dock and adjacent Sunset Park, enhancing public access to the waterfront and aiding ongoing downtown development. Plans include the creation of a public plaza and green infrastructure improvements.
“I’m proud to deliver more than $10 million in federal funds for these critical projects across Long Island,” Schumer said in a statement. “From neurodegenerative disease research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to supporting downtown development in North Hempstead, these funds are boosting projects that will make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers.”
Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the funding will “power real growth across Long Island.”
“This money will make a real difference for New Yorkers,” she said in a statement. “I’m proud to have fought to secure these funds, and I’ll keep working to bring more federal dollars home to support growth on Long Island.”
North Hempstead Council Member Mariann Dalimonte praised Schumer’s efforts for the waterfront project.
“I’m proud to thank Sen. Chuck Schumer for securing an additional $1 million in federal funding for the Town of North Hempstead’s Town Dock Revitalization Project,” Dalimonte said. “This is a major milestone for this long-awaited waterfront project.”
Dalimonte also credited former Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth for advocating for the project’s original $18 million in FEMA funding, as well as Schumer’s continued collaboration with her office to build federal support.
“The Town Dock is a treasured public asset, and this investment will help deliver a revitalized waterfront space our residents can enjoy for generations,” Dalimonte said.
The latest funding adds to more than $19 million already secured for the Port Washington Town Dock restoration project, which recently cleared its final regulatory hurdle with approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The authorization allowed previously obtained permits from the New York State Department of State’s Office of Coastal Management and the Department of Environmental Conservation to be released, paving the way for construction to begin.
Originally damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the dock has deteriorated for more than a decade. The storm caused an estimated $65 billion in damage across Long Island, killed 13 people and damaged more than 100,000 homes.
A recent $6.3 million FEMA grant helped push total funding past $19 million, including more than $17 million in federal support secured through Schumer’s office, along with additional state contributions.
According to town officials, the restoration will repair and upgrade the dock without demolishing it, extending it outward by eight inches to streamline construction. Improvements include a taller, more durable bulkhead built in front of the existing structure, erosion revetment along the shoreline, and sloped features designed to reduce wave impact.
Additional upgrades will relocate overhead utilities underground to guard against storm damage, redesign drainage systems with adjacent rain gardens to manage stormwater and support wildlife, install permeable pavers to absorb runoff, and deploy turbidity curtains to contain sediment and improve water quality.
