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It took 14 months, public clashes and a boatload of finger-pointing, but the bitter ownership battle that froze the Harbor Road and dam reconstruction on the North Shore is finally cracking.
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WHMO) and the Village of Head of the Harbor have reached an agreement over who owns the collapsed dam and the washed-out stretch of Harbor Road — an important access route between the village and Stony Brook that has been closed since a ferocious storm slammed Long Island in August 2024.
The deal, quietly reached in mid-September and announced Tuesday, could finally clear the way for FEMA funding and long-delayed repairs.
According to a joint statement from Brookhaven Town, the village and the heritage group, WMHO has submitted documentation to FEMA — including title reports from Brookhaven and Suffolk County — that indicate the nonprofit owns the property where the road and dam are located. WHMO is now waiting for FEMA to determine whether it’s eligible for reconstruction funding.
If FEMA signs off, officials say a tentative intermunicipal agreement is in place to coordinate between WMHO, the town, the village and other agencies to get the project rolling.
“This is a complicated project that requires the approval of multiple agencies, extensive engineering, and proper procedures for engaging a contractor before there will be a ‘shovel in the ground,’” the joint statement read. “The Town, the Village and WMHO share everyone’s concerns that we once again have a Mill Pond and Harbor Road and are working together to make this happen as quickly as possible.”
The breakthrough marks a dramatic turn after months of public clashes.
This summer, the village sued WMHO, declaring that the nonprofit was the owner and demanding it repair the road and dam it said it owned. Mayor Michael Utevsky warned at the time that the road’s collapse had deprived residents in the eastern half of the village of a primary access route to services in Stony Brook and neighboring villages. In particular, it was causing significant delays for emergency vehicles.
“Our residents in the eastern half of the Village have been deprived of a primary access road to services in Stony Brook and neighboring Villages,” Utevsky said in announcing the suit. “Most dangerously, the path for emergency access vehicles to our residents has been disrupted, which results in substantial delays in critical services.”
Tensions also boiled over earlier in the summer when WMHO trustees told village officials during a heated public meeting that the nonprofit simply didn’t have the money to rebuild.
With the pond drained, the road still split in two, and no clear owner willing to foot the bill, the standoff dragged on — until now.
Top photo: Taken by Nicholas Esposito
