Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $200 million investment to replace boilers and upgrade the heating systems at 20 NYCHA developments experiencing chronic outages today. The funding will go towards replacing outdated boilers, and modernizing heating system controls and hot water-making technology.
The funding comes off the heels of a boiler and hot water crisis that saw almost 300,000 NYCHA residents suffer from outages. According to reports, NYCHA currently reports 13 heat and/or hot water outages in progress in various NYCHA buildings through the five boroughs.
The 20 developments set to receive one of the planned upgrades through City funding include Morris I, Morris II, Taft, Sotomayor Houses, Rangel, Long Island Baptist Houses, Robinson,Astoria, Baruch Houses Addition, Baruch, McKinley, Melrose, Pelham Parkway, Pomonok, Soundview and South Beach of which Cypress Hill Houses, Farragut Houses, Fiorentino Plaza and Rutland Towers are located in Brooklyn.
“Like our investment to replace aging roofs, this commitment to new heating systems cuts right to the heart of the biggest problems NYCHA residents face, and will make a difference thousands of them will feel. The record-setting cold this winter has hit these aging boilers and pipes hard. We’re coming to the table with real resources to attack these problems, and urge our federal and state partners to do the same,” said de Blasio.
City Councilwoman Alicka-Ampry Samuel (D-Brownsville, East New York), Chair of the Committee on Public Housing, was quick to applaud the Mayor’s investment, she also called on the Governor to inject additional funding.
“I applaud Mayor de Blasio for stepping up and making NYCHA residents a priority. While the city is finding ways to fund NYCHA’s boiler and heating crisis, I call on our state colleagues to push the Governor for additional funding to address this never ending emergency,” said Ampry-Samuel.
Starting in Fiscal Year 2019, the $200 million will be invested over three years toward replacing outdated boilers at 10 developments with chronic outages; modernizing hot water systems at 12 developments by separating hot water from the heating boilers to reduce the strain on boilers; and installing new heating controls at 15 developments to regulate boiler temperature.
City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo (D-Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Crown Heights), a member of the Committee on Public Housing, lauded the investment, applauding the heating upgrades to the Farragut Houses in Downtown Brooklyn.
“All NYCHA residents must have heat and hot water, the most basic necessities of life.I am delighted that my requests for Farragut houses were answered and they will be receiving the necessary heating upgrades. I am certain that Farragut residents will rest a little easier knowing repairs are coming soon,” said Cumbo.
City Councilman Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, East New York) praised the Mayor for the investment.
“Making this level of investment is a bold move by the Mayor to ensure NYCHA tenants get the proper heat they need and deserve. Not only will it repair boilers, but upgrade the systems so that the loss of heat and hot water become more rare. This is a win for tenants across the city, but especially those in ENY’s Fiorentino Plaza,” said Espinal.
State Senator Brian Kavanaugh (D-Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Lower Manhattan) highlighted the importance of funding NYCHA that is home to 1-in-14 New Yorkers.
“From leaky roofs, to crumbling façades, to faulty boilers, decades of disinvestment have taken their toll on our public housing. NYCHA is in crisis, and as far too many New Yorkers have experienced this winter, failing to invest in public housing has real consequences. We all must do our part to ensure NYCHA is safe and well maintained,” said Kavanagh.
This latest investment brings the Mayor’s funding to the authority’s heating systems for this year to $213 million including the $13 million investment given earlier this month to heating emergencies and replacing failing equipment.
Additionally, this investment brings the Mayor’s total commitment to NYCHA’s capital infrastructure to $2.1 billion from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2027 and $1.6 billion in NYCHA’s operations from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2022.
These renovations are expected to be completed by 2022 and will benefit approximately 45,000 public housing residents. The Housing Authority expects to save about $5 million per year in energy costs with these new upgrades.
“The Mayor has demonstrated through his previous commitments that when NYCHA has the funding, residents get real improvements to their quality of life. This new investment will help us improve service to our residents and provide them with the safe, warm homes they deserve,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye.
