On Thursday, Aug. 4, it was announced that downtown Central Islip had received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a new sewer connection.

At a press conference, Town of Islip supervisor Angie Carpenter welcomed congressman Andrew Garbarino, who secured the $3 million from HUD.

Carpenter said that the downtown project has been a long time coming. Back in 2016, when New York State announced the first round of downtown revitalization initiative grants, the town applied but did not receive the grant. The town then applied in 2017 and again did not receive the grant. The town then went about trying to secure grants for the needed funds and needed an impactful letter of support, so they reached out to Garbarino. With Garbarino’s support, the town was able to secure $7 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Agency for a grant for the sewers. The remaining $3 million came from the HUD grant.

“With its close proximity to the Long Island Rail Road, we plan to continue the plan for economic development that will make downtown Central Islip a hub not only for the community, but for the entire town, and probably beyond,” Carpenter said.

The press conference took place in a town-owned parking lot just north of the Long Island Rail Road in Central Islip, which Carpenter noted will be the site of a multi-use project with retail, apartments, and outdoor space. The project is still a proposal, but town councilman Jim O’Connor said he has seen the renderings and is “really excited to be representing the community and to see what it’s going to look like.”

“This would not have happened without the supervisor’s vision of what the downtown of Central Islip could be,” Garbarino said. “And also, the community leaders, without their support of this project, again, we would not have been able to get the funding.”

Garbarino noted that residents in Central Islip shouldn’t see any increase in taxes and shouldn’t have to make any payments for the new connection. He also explained that sewers are something that both business leaders and environmentalists can agree on, as they allow development and also remove a lot of nitrogen that flows into the Great South Bay every day.

John Cameron, of Cameron Engineering, was on hand at the press conference and said that the project will be going out to bid next month, with about 18 months of construction.

The proposal calls for a three-story mixed-use development with about 100 apartments (mix of studios, one- and two-bedrooms), commercial space, a public plaza, public parking, and an outdoor sculpture garden.

“This project is going to change the rest of this community,” Garbarino said. “Change it for the better.”

“This is the final piece of the puzzle,” echoed Carpenter.