The Suffolk County Water Authority this week introduced an innovative program by which developers can save time and money on projects by hiring their own contractors to install water main. The water main would then be inspected, as under current procedures, by SCWA personnel and would also still require approval by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey W. Szabo, Long Island Builders Institute Chief Executive Officer Mitchell Pally and Greenview Properties Inc. Owner Larry Gargano met this week at the first site under the program, a project under construction by Greenview Properties called Westbrook Village in Great River. Under the program, sites requiring more than 1,000 feet of water main would be eligible and developers would be required to use ductile iron pipe, which is the standard material currently used for water main installation.
"From our point of view, while maintaining the same high standards the Suffolk County Water Authority has for water main installation, we’re able at the same time to make the building process easier for developers, which is good for Suffolk’s economy," said Szabo.
"We wanted to provide another opportunity for our builders to implement their infrastructure needs," said Pally. "The program offered by SCWA gives builders the option of installing pipe themselves under certain rules, which saves us time and money."
"The SCWA has taken a very big step in helping developers overcome the high cost and significant timelines associated with development approvals," said Gargano. "We are very pleased to participate in the new program and look forward to future initiatives and methods to assist developers build responsibly on Long Island.
From left are pictured Long Island Builders Institute Chief Executive Officer Mitchell Pally, Suffolk County Water Authority Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey W. Szabo and Greenview Properties Inc. Owner Larry Gargano at the Westbrook Village construction site in Great River this week.
The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.