Is it a case of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents facing the cold this winter, or Mayor Bill de Blasio feeling the heat for being a bad landlord?
Either way, the de Blasio Administration today announced measures to expedite major heating upgrades at public housing by 8 to 20 months, depending on the size of the project.
The announcement comes off the heels of a lawsuit filed last month by New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents for “years of neglect,” according to reports. The lawsuit cites the embattled authority’s struggle this winter to provide proper heating and hot water for some 320,000 of 390,000 residents and revelations that NYCHA Head Shola Olatoye submitted false certifications for lead paint inspections for 55,000 units.
Residents claim the city authority has failed to protect the safety and health of it’s tenants.
“Our investment in new heating systems goes right to the heart of the biggest problems NYCHA residents face, and will make a difference thousands of them will feel. We are cutting through red tape to expedite these critically needed repairs for tenants, and urge our state partners to do the same by authorizing design-build immediately,” said de Blasio.
In January, the mayor announced $200 million in heating system upgrades at 20 developments experiencing chronic outages including Cypress Hill Houses, Farragut Houses, Fiorentino Plaza and Rutland Towers in Brooklyn. The funding was allocated for replacing outdated boilers, and modernizing heating system controls and hot water-making technology.
In addition, the administration conducted a review of NYCHA’s capital program and will make the scoping and design, procurement and construction processes more efficient.
The Administration reviewed NYCHA’s capital program and identified several ways to expedite repairs including:
Design Phase: NYCHA will provide estimated load calculations to engineers to minimize pre-design services. They have also committed to reviewing fewer submissions from designers, and will create a single standard specification to streamline design. These steps will shave 6 months off what is normally a year-long process.
Procurement: NYCHA is seeking authority from the NYCHA Board to delegate authority for awarding contracts ahead of Board approval; the Board would ratify the contracts. This would cut 30 – 45 days each time a contract is awarded.
Construction & Commissioning: DEP has agreed to expedite review and approval of NYCHA installations for usages, saving 3 weeks. NYCHA will also work with DOB to streamline the inspection and approval processes.
The City is also pressing the State to grant Design-Build authority, which would save an additional 12 to 15 months on the upgrades.
The announcement was lauded by many Brooklyn lawmakers who feel the new measures will go a long way in improving the lives of public housing residents.
“Expediting the process to implement boiler replacements and other capital projects will improve the quality of life for many thousands of families and individuals in NYCHA apartments. I commend NYCHA, Mayor de Blasio and DEP for moving forward on these critical projects,” said Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach), Chair of the Assembly’s Housing Committee.
“In February, I called and lead a hearing where my colleagues and I asked NYCHA to provide answers to and definitive plans on the Hot Water and Heating Crisis faced by thousands of residents. Since then, we have asked NYCHA to be transparent around what they’ve been doing to expedite the convoluted city procurement process. Today’s press conference is in response to addressing the immediacy and need to install heating systems and boilers,” said City Councilwoman Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Flatbush, Crown Heights)Chair of the Committee for Public Housing.
“For too long NYCHA residents have been living in unacceptable conditions. Heat and hot water must be a basic right, which is why I was proud to allocate $500,000 in the past to fix boilers in developments in my district. These investments must go to where the aid is needed most and I hope the work gets done speedily and efficiently,” said City Council Member Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, East New York) . “
“We [Ampry-Samuel] shared a commitment to providing every NYCHA tenant with a safe, healthy, and – in these winter months – warm home. We will not leave anyone out in the cold, as we continue to monitor the implementation of this plan and, to the greatest extent possible, to expedite these repairs,” said Senator Roxanne Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City)
“A speedy installation and set-up of boilers in my district and across the city are past-due. Many of the NYCHA developments are suffering from antiquated systems that have been ignored and have lacked crucial capital investments. As extreme weather conditions and frigid temperatures continue to affect our residents, I look forward to the city establishing a long-term strategy to remediate these conditions,” said Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (D-Brownsville).
