Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today congratulated the Town of Southampton on its recent $456,807 grant for the first phase of work required to lift the boathouse 2' above flood elevation. The Tupper Boathouse was just one of fourteen historically significant properties that suffered severe damage from Superstorm Sandy to receive a grant. $5 million was awarded in total. The funding will be used to assess, renovate and protect the landmarks so that they can be appreciated by future generations.

This first round of funding is provided by the National Park Service and administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Grants are being made available to properties that are on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by municipalities or not-for profit organizations and located in one of 13 FEMA-designated counties. Work must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties and be pre-approved by the State Historic Preservation Office.

The Southampton Town purchased the Colonial Revival style boathouse 10 years ago for use as an educational facility that will interpret the area's maritime history and provide access as a "trailhead" to the Peconic Bay/Conscience Point environmental/scenic and recreational area.

Applications for a second round of funding, with an additional $5 million available, will be announced in the near future.