Ground broken on $67 million Ocean Bay-Oceanside reconstruction

New York, NY The de Blasio administration, U.S. senator Charles Schumer, congressman Gregory Meeks and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) chair and CEO Shola Olatoye broke ground on a $67 million reconstruction project at the Ocean Bay-Oceanside development funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The news comes on the heels of last year’s $3 billion Sandy recovery assistance provided by FEMA – the largest in FEMA history.

“Many of us still remember the weeks of cold and darkness after Sandy–including thousands of NYCHA residents. People across all five boroughs are still feeling the impact today. However, with this $67 million investment, we will continue to fortify NYCHA buildings and create a more resilient city and so that residents never have to go through this again,” said mayor Bill de Blasio. “We have thus far made much progress–from increasing the amount of elevated boilers and standby generators to flood protection–this additional investment will go a long way for NYCHA residents thanks to a strong federal and municipal partnership. I want to thank senator Schumer for his continued leadership and partnership as we build a stronger, more resilient New York, and to FEMA for these vital funds.”

Ocean Bay-Oceanside, a New York City Housing development which is home to more than 400 families, was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. The $67 million in recovery and resiliency work underway includes a full roof replacement, stand-by generators for back-up power, new electrical systems and flood-protected equipment annexes, resiliency measures to prevent flooding, upgraded playgrounds and recreational areas and new lighting, security cameras (CCTV) and security doors (Layered Access Control).

NYCHA’s recovery efforts (recovery to resiliency) are complemented by extensive coastal protection and other resiliency measures in place are underway around the city – key elements of de Blasio’s OneNYC $20 billion multi-layered resiliency program, made possible by the strong degree of cooperation and interagency coordination at all levels of government.

Last year, after three years of negotiations and strong support from U.S. senator Schumer, New York’s congressional delegation and the de Blasio administration, FEMA reached an agreement with NYCHA to provide $3 billion in Sandy recovery assistance. The Rockaways project marks the first of 33 major public housing recovery and resiliency projects funded by the historic $3 billion FEMA grant to move forward into construction.

To date, more than $396 million in other federal disaster assistance and insurance payments have funded pre-construction work, such as boiler demolition, asbestos abatement and other site preparation and rebuilding, such as renovations of first-floor apartments damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The $3 billion in FEMA funding flows through the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), which will review and approve disbursements to NYCHA.

Currently, NYCHA has put project contracts out to bid for FEMA-funded work at Coney Island Site 1B, Coney Island Sites 4/5, Astoria Houses, Smith Houses, Coney Island Site 1B, Carleton Manor, and Rangel Houses.

A priority of NYCHA’s reconstruction and resiliency centers is resident communications and engagement, including providing job-training and connections to career opportunities. More than 110 New York City public housing residents have been employed through Section 3 on Sandy-related contracts at NYCHA developments. Section 3 is a federal mandate that requires employment and other economic opportunities generated by federal assistance to public housing authorities to be directed, whenever possible, to public housing residents and other low- and very-low-income residents. In the Rockaways, there have been more than 60 Section 3 hires – of which 42 are NYCHA residents. At the Ocean Bay-Oceanside site specifically, the contractor has committed to hiring 20 Section 3 employees.

All recovery work underway and planned at each Sandy-impacted development can be viewed and tracked through NYCHA’s Interactive Sandy Transparency Map.