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Overcast FEMA to foot remainder of boardwalk bill
Restores more than $9 million in funding after successful appeal
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had restored over $9 million of previously denied Public Assistance program funding to reimburse the City of Long Beach for rebuilding its boardwalk after it sustained heavy damages during Hurricane Sandy.
FEMA had previously committed to funding the project, but declined to cover additional expenses to improve the boardwalk to enhance resiliency — which included the use of more durable materials such as a tropical hardwood, a retaining wall and concrete edges in the center of the span.
The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services led the effort to overturn the initial denial of funds and ensure that the city received full federal funding for the project.
“This boardwalk is the social, cultural and economic heart of Long Beach, and its restoration after Sandy was a critically important part of Long Island’s recovery after the storm,” Cuomo said in a statement. “I am pleased this funding was rightfully restored for a boardwalk that, like the community, is better, stronger and more resilient than ever before.”
Prior to last week’s announcement, the new boardwalk was to be paid for by a combination of FEMA aid and federal Community Development Block Grant funds administered by New York state, at no expense to Long Beach taxpayers. It will now be fully funded by the federal government.
“The Long Beach boardwalk was a symbol of the damage that Sandy inflicted on the Long Beach community, and it is now a symbol of our resilience and our commitment to rebuild better and stronger than ever,” U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice said in a statement. “I’m pleased that full federal funding has been restored to help cover the costs of rebuilding the boardwalk.”
The 2.2-mile structure, destroyed by Sandy, reopened in October 2013, when a $42 million reconstruction project that the city began that April was completed. City officials had initially estimated that the project would cost $44 million, but it was brought in under budget and ahead of schedule.
