Mayor Bill de Blasio and Senator Chuck Schumer announced over the weekend that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has agreed to pay $100 million for new boilers at 110 public housing buildings in the city that have been stuck with unreliable temporary boilers since superstorm Sandy. The boilers heat nearly 9,000 homes in buildings across the Rockaways, Coney Island, and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. FEMA also agreed to reimburse the city for the $56 million it's spent to rent the temporary boilers. Before the agreement, new boilers were being held up because the city had to negotiate with FEMA over each boiler. But now, cost estimates from independent engineers will be accepted. The new boilers will be more water-resistant, isntalled at higher elevations, and burn natural gas instead of oil. Installation is scheduled to begin within six months.
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Beyond Pre-K: What Else is at Stake for NYC in the State Budget
While the debate over pre-K funding continues to dominate the headlines, there are several other key budget decisions being made in Albany. David King's latest dispatch from the capital outlines several under-the-radar aspects of budget negotiations to be aware of. Read more here.
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