SODUS POINT, N.Y. — Winter is the quiet season in Sodus Point. A place that's known mainly for what happens in the summer.

“We draw people from all over the northeastern United States," said Tim Habecker of Krenzer Marine. "They come here for wonderful summer recreation.”

On the largest freshwater bay on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the protection of Sodus Point has become a major issue.

“It’s unique both for its beauty and for its protection. So if the lake has got 12-foot waves on it, you can sail over here in the bay," said Don Riling, Save Our Sodus president.

"If you look along the whole wall, the area straight ahead of us is among the worst," said Sodus Point Mayor Dave McDowell.

The 50-year-old breakwall is crumbling and looks like swiss cheese.  

"When you’re up close you can see right through it," said McDowell.

The mayor says this situation is really bad because the crumbling wall is the only buffer between a raging winter lake and this summer hot spot.

“Without that protection, we would all be a lakeshore community and the property here just can’t survive that," said resident Kristy Fowler Ritter.

“If it goes and we have a big northeast storm, this village is gone, this part of the village is gone," said McDowell. "These walls will not hold up to the waves that the lake generates.”

“Without the wall, this will all change," said Habecker. "It will just be shoreline.”

The wall is just the latest issue in Sodus Point. In 2017 and again in 2019, it was flooding.

Tom Frank owns Captain Jack's, the bar and restaurant where flood waters came right up through the floorboards.  

“It was bad," said Frank. "It was really bad. And you sit there and say 'are we going to go through this year after year?'”

People who live here say the flooding only made the breakwall situation worse.

Riling recalls a conversation with one of the wall's original engineers — a wall built in the 1970s.

“And we got talking and he said he looked at the wall and he said well, he said '50 years later it's in terrible condition,'" said Riling. And I said 'well what are the odds that it will fail?' He said 'if nothing happens it will fail within a certain number of years.'"

Fixing the wall takes money — a lot of money. Despite years of asking the federal government, it never came.

“Because we’re not a commercial port we’re at the bottom of the totem pole," said McDowell.

That's why the news that was delivered around Christmas was surprising.

“I was amazed," said Frank. "I was jumping up and down at home. I’m like 'oh my God, we finally got it.'"

Sen. Charles Schumer secured $20 million to fix the breakwall. It's much-needed money for a wall that people in Sodus Point say will preserve homes and businesses.

“There's a million other things that need to be done, eventually, but that's the big thing," McDowell said.

The big project is expected to commence next year — providing protection for a divine destination.

“This community is a very strong community and it sticks together very well," Frank said. "If it didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”