EAST PATCHOGUE, NY-- Brookhaven Councilman Timothy Mazzei, Supervisor Mark Lesko and Suffolk County Legislator Jack Eddington announced today that the Town Board will designate the area along the Montauk Highway business corridor in East Patchogue as a Recovery Zone.  The board will also vote on a memorializing resolution to create an East Patchogue Sewer Improvement District to stimulate local economic development.
 
 “Extending commercial sewers along Montauk Highway is the single most important thing we can do to improve downtown East Patchogue, attracting businesses and jobs to the area,” said Councilman Mazzei.  “Together with our other efforts in this area, and by working with Suffolk County, we are on the way to removing the blight this community has suffered for so long, and returning prosperity to East Main Street.
 
The East Patchogue Sewer Improvement Area, a special district that would be created following a public hearing by the Town Board, would extend the commercial sewer district from Patchogue Village East along Main Street through the East Patchogue business community. 
 
“This project will be a major step in rebuilding this important business corridor, and a critical component in the revitalization of East Patchogue, bringing new jobs to Brookhaven Town,” said Supervisor Mark Lesko.  “By designating this as a Recovery Zone and creating this special district, we will be able to use funds from the federal Economic Stimulus to subsidize bonding for this capital project, saving tax dollars.”
 
The project, which the Town of Brookhaven would be eligible to fund through low interest financing under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, would be the first of 16 areas in Brookhaven designated for Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds through the federal Economic Stimulus package.
 
 “With condemnation of the Plaza Theatre and construction of the county road project underway, sewering East Main Street is an important step to effect the economic revitalization of this downtown area. The county has already completed both the sewer study and the engineering phase in anticipation of being able to add sewers to the road project. And now the town will act to form the sewer district using federal economic stimulus money,” said Legislator Eddington.  “Once again, I would like to thank Councilman Mazzei and Supervisor Lesko for working with me on behalf of the residents and business owners in East Patchogue.”
 
Councilman Mazzei has led the Town Board in working to revitalize the East Patchogue corridor over the past several years.  Through his efforts, the Town made a series of purchases of buildings along Montauk Highway on Swan Lake, which have been demolished to create a park along the shore – revealing sweeping views of the lake from the roadway for the first time in over 50 years.  Brookhaven also commissioned and accepted the findings of the East Patchogue Blight Study for the purpose of providing land use guidance to the Town for the East Patchogue area.  Mazzei has also led the Town in efforts to condemn the Plaza Theater and acquire the property under Eminent Domain laws for Economic Development purposes.