Lower East Side's Smith Houses Gets $31.5M For New Boilers

TWO BRIDGES, NY — A public housing complex on the Lower East Side will get $31.5 million in new boilers after hundreds of million dollars in cash was formally designated for upgrades at developments across the city, according to the New York City Housing Authority's federal monitor.

Alfred E. Smith Houses will get six new boilers as a part of $450 million in state funds slated to bring hundreds of new elevators and boilers to various NYCHA complexes, the federal monitor for the the housing authority announced Thursday.

"This capital project is a testament to the commitment of all parties to achieving long-term improvement in the living conditions at NYCHA for all of its residents," said NYCHA's federal monitor Bart M. Schwartz, appointed by the Trump administration in February as a part of a sweeping oversight deal.

"A project of this magnitude requires planning, design, engineering, due diligence, a procurement process among many additional steps and procedures all of which we take very seriously," Schwartz said.

The $450 million in state funds had been held up while Gov. Andrew Cuomo was reluctant to sign off on the cash for the housing authority until outside oversight was secured, according to the New York Daily News. The latest action plan implements an agreement reached between NYCHA and the state's Dormitory Authority in September, according to Thursday's announcement.

"This is a remarkable first step towards dramatically improving the lives of NYCHA residents," said recently appointed NYCHA Chair Greg Russ.

Resident Association president at Smith Houses, Aixa Torres felt otherwise about the news, noting she's been pushing for the influx of funds for nearly five years to date.

"This is what happens when you leave residents out of the loop," Torres told Patch. "I'm just totally, totally disgusted because this should've been done immediately."

She added that she and residents were hoping additional funds would go towards new water and sewage piping, referencing frequent leaks residents experience.

"Until those pipes are fixed, those issues will continue to pop-up," said Torres, who's been the association president for nearly a decade and fought for new gas pipes at the complex. "I have been sitting in meetings where we had to move tables because one of the pipes busted and water started falling on us."

Lower Manhattan Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou said it was "unacceptable" residents hadn't been heard.

"These repairs needed to happen years ago and the failure to address these problems now means that the conditions have only worsened," Niou said in a statement Friday afternoon.

"Our community leaders and tenant leaders have expressed that resident needs have not been met and that the community's voice has not been heard. This is unacceptable," Niou said. "We need to fully fund NYCHA's capital needs and work towards cost-effective projects that focus on engaging our residents and putting their needs first."

Officials chose which complexes will get new equipment to improve quality of life for residents based on an analysis of work orders and how old existing elevators and boilers were, according to the announcement. Some $31,460,000 of boilers at Smith Houses are slated for the second phase of work with the state funds.

The $450 million still remains a small dent in the $32 billion in capital needs over the next five years for buildings where more than 400,000 people live citywide.

Russ added, "But our work has only just begun. NYCHA will quickly move to expedite the planning and construction process."