$30M flowing to Long Beach

Schumer: FEMA sending money for boardwalk reconstruction project

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More than a month after the city marked the grand reopening of its iconic boardwalk, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $30 million in federal funds to cover the bulk of the city’s rebuilding costs.

The 2.2-mile boardwalk was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, and the entire span reopened in October following the completion of a $42 million reconstruction project that the city began in April.

City officials had initially estimated that the project — which includes more durable materials such as a tropical hardwood, a retaining wall and concrete edges in the center of the span — would cost $44 million, but said that the project was brought in under budget and ahead of schedule.

On Nov. 27, Schumer said that the city was officially receiving more than $30 million from FEMA, and called it the final hurdle in clearing the funds. The new boardwalk will be fully paid for through a combination of FEMA aid and federal Community Development Block Grant funds administered by New York State. Schumer said that FEMA officially released the money to the state last week.

“On behalf of the city, I would like to sincerely thank Senator Schumer for his incredible support with this monumental project,” City Council President Scott Mandel said in a statement. “This initial funding from FEMA, along with additional funding from New York State, ensures that our brand new, more resilient boardwalk will be fully paid for by recovery funding — at no additional cost to Long Beach taxpayers.”

Schumer said that when Congress wrote the Sandy Relief Bill earlier this year, it included language making it clear that mitigation efforts should be reimbursable. He said he pushed for a combination of reimbursements from FEMA and flexible CDBG funding derived from the Sandy Aid bill to cover the entire cost of the project. In October, Schumer said that HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan had approved his request. Cuomo said that the state would use the federal block grant funds to cover the roughly $9 million gap, leaving Long Beach taxpayers in the clear.

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