New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today announced that the Town and Village of East Hampton have been awarded $400,000 from the Local Government Efficiency Grant Program for construction of a new Joint Fuel Facility.

This grant will enable the Town East Hampton and the Village of East Hampton to implement a Shared Fueling Facility which will replace and relocate the aging and inadequate fueling facilities located throughout the township. A feasibility study conducted by the Town concluded that a new joint fuel facility will result in significant cost savings for taxpayers, through a reduced per gallon cost for fuel, provide for state of the art fuel inventory control and billing, reduce the environmental impacts with above ground technology and consolidate multiple fuel depots into one operational facility. The facility will be equipped with a new generator and the necessary safety measures to ensure the site is operating according to Local, State and Federal requirements for toxic and hazardous materials.

A total of $4 million in funding was awarded through the Local Government Efficiency Grant Program which is administered by the New York State Department of State. The Local Government Efficiency Program provides technical assistance and competitive grants to local governments for the development of projects that will achieve savings and improve municipal efficiency through shared services, cooperative agreements, mergers, consolidations and dissolutions.

“I applaud the Town of East Hampton and the Village of East Hampton for taking the initiative to reduce costs of government operations, protect our environment, and ultimately save their taxpayers money.”