After nearly 15 years of hard work, the Village of Sea Cliff jubilantly celebrated the completion of its boardwalk at Sea Cliff Beach with a dedication ceremony on Saturday, June 23.

Sea Cliffers both recently arrived and those genealogically ensconced can tell any listener that the original boardwalk was destroyed 53 years ago, during a 1944 hurricane. "A boardwalk was part of the history of Sea Cliff as a coastal resort community," said Mayor Eileen Krieb at the dedication. "It served residents and visitors for many years and helped them enjoy this beautiful, scenic harbor. Unfortunately, it was always at the mercy of Mother Nature... It's long been a dream to replace the boardwalk."

The plan to rebuild the boardwalk began with the vision of former Mayor Ted Blackburn when he formulated a plan to revitalize Sea Cliff's shoreline. He turned Bathway Steps into a landscaped walking park and had the Tilley Steps rebuilt. Fundraising efforts for the boardwalk also began at this time, with the implementation of a volunteer Boardwalk Committee. Mayor Blackburn said, "This wasn't any one-, two-, three- or four-person effort. It was a universal effort; a village-wide effort; a state-wide effort." Angelo D'Avino, chair of the Boardwalk Committee remarked, "It's a dream come true for the people of Sea Cliff, and everyone can enjoy [it]. The dream of many people is now a reality. It returns Sea Cliff to its late 18th century and early 19th century roots."

Work toward the new boardwalk continued when the village's next mayor, Mayor Claudia Moyne, took office. She worked hard to earn grant funding for the project, ultimately being awarded a $1 million grant from the Department of Transportation. With these funds, the walkway along Cliff Way was redone and a design idea for the remaining part of the waterfront was drawn up. At the dedication, Mayor Moyne said, "This was a typical Sea Cliff project because it required persistence. It really and truly was carried out by the Sea Cliff residents to a large extent. It was a great project because it was a community project."

The village received additional grant funding over the years for the revitalization of the shoreline, including a $180,000 grant from State Division of Coastal Resources, which will be used for the new beach park that will be built on the old Holm property. The village also received a $250,000 grant, secured by Assemblyman Chuck Lavine, which helped salvage the project after the village found the project going over the original grant estimate after three years of construction cost inflation. Nassau County Legislator Diane Yatauro awarded the project County Revitalization Program funds to pay for the new lights on the north section of the boardwalk. Also, the Boardwalk Committee helped to raise more than $45,000 for the project, while Alyse Bogart, a Glen Cove resident who lived along the shoreline, left the proceeds from the sale of her house to the Village of Sea Cliff when she passed away in 2003.

Dated June 23, 2007, the dedication plaque reads "Completed in 2007 to replace the boardwalk destroyed by hurricane in 1944. Dedicated to former Mayors Charles 'Ted' Blackburn & Claudia Moyne and in appreciation of the Boardwalk Committee."

This summer will be a bit more like summer used to be on the boardwalk in Sea Cliff.