The Suffolk County Water Authority and New York State Assemblyman Mr. Fred W. Thiele Jr. helped expedite a water main project at the Bridgehampton School last week, helping to get students back in class earlier than expected.

The new building at the school campus needed a water main as quickly as possible, with students already learning remotely for longer than expected due to COVID-19 pandemic-related construction delays. Superintendent Mr. Robert Hauser sought help from Assemblyman Thiele to see if anything could be done to speed up the project so the new building could be opened and students welcomed back.

Mr. Thiele called SCWA Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jeffrey W. Szabo, explained the situation, and SCWA agreed to get the project on its calendar within two weeks of the call.

“Our students have been working hard to stay connected to learning while working remotely for many weeks and our emphasis has been to get them back here as soon as we can,” said Mr. Hauser. “The district appreciates the efforts Mr. Thiele and Mr. Szabo made to help expedite this project. Mr. Szabo kept the lines of communication open and got us on their schedule within 14 days, which is very reasonable. We are eager to move forward with the next phase of our reopening plan.”

SCWA contractors began digging Nov. 16 to install a new water main under Montauk Highway to connect to the new 30,000-square foot school building, which includes a full gym and cafeteria and will supplement the existing building. The new building will also allow the district to remove temporary classrooms that have been used since 1968.

The new building had been expected to open in September, but Mr. Hauser said construction work was halted last spring because of state-ordered restrictions at the height of the pandemic. Mr. Thiele and SCWA’s assistance allowed the district to open the new building on Nov. 23.