Dunkirk’s Director of Planning and Development remains optimistic that federal funding will be coming for a section of breakwaters in the Dunkirk Harbor that will mitigate against future storms and provide some wave attenuation that has plagued the city marina. Vince DeJoy’s comments came after a recent Economic Development Committee meeting this month and after more than $3 million was awarded from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative to the marina.

“The city of Dunkirk has submitted a Congressionally Directed Spending request to Sen. (Charles) Schumer and Congressman (Nick) Langworthy to construct breakwaters in the Dunkirk Harbor to mitigate risk of future violent storms that can again wreck the seawall and cause millions of dollars in damage, not to mention the critical infrastructure running along Lake Front Boulevard,” DeJoy said. “All of the city’s sewage is transported under Lake Front Boulevard, and we are concerned that if the roadway was compromised, the environmental damage as well as the costs to replace all of the infrastructure would be devastating and astronomical.”

He said that the request is through the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA for Risk Mitigation. New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Services also support the project.

Funds from a previous appropriation in 2023, DeJoy also noted, were not diverted to US Army Corp of Engineers. “The appropriation was always for Operations and Maintenance, however, we believed that the appropriation was secured to build new breakwaters,” he said. “The funds to rebuild the outer breakwater have been long in coming to this phase that will restore the 1800s era breakwater that is in desperate need of repair and rebuilding. The U.S. (Army Corps of Engineers) have been wonderful to work with, keeping the mayor and our development team as well as County officials informed at every step of the design, engineering, and scoping process.”

He said the Army Corps of Engineers is about to embark on a nearly $10 million construction project to rebuild the existing outer breakwater and is expecting to announce plans this summer. It will be a two-year project that may start this year depending on the contractor’s schedule.

DeJoy said the city of Dunkirk is also working with Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and the Coastal Resilience Program for strategy, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground implementation for this project as well as NY Sea Grant and potentially National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.