Long Beach Gets $2.7 Million To Repair Maintenance Building

Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced on Tuesday that the City of Long Beach would be getting more than $2.7 million in federal funding to help prepare the city for another storm.

The money is going to fund the implementation of the city's Hazard Mitigation Proposal. It will be used to install back flow preventers, remove and relocate electrical panels, and install a flood wall, flood plank barriers and interior slab replacement for the city's Maintenance Building.

The Maintenance Building -- which houses the city's sanitation garage, beach maintenance and highway garage -- was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy and was flooded by up to three feet of water. It damaged the architectural features of the building, as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems throughout.

“In the continued aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, delivering federal funds such as these are crucial to repair the damages caused by the devastating storm surge and are essential to fortifying our critical infrastructure against future weather events," Schumer said. "With these funds, the City of Long Beach’s Maintenance Building and the offices housed within will be returned to their pre-disaster function and capacity. These federal funds will help make the City of Long Beach whole again and make our infrastructure stronger than before, without leaving local taxpayers on the hook for these expenses.”

“There is still so much work that needs to be done for the City of Long Beach to fully recover from Hurricane Sandy and to prepare for the next big storm," Gillibrand said. "This funding is an important investment that will allow the City of Long Beach to install critical protections and improve the resiliency of the city’s Maintenance Building.”

“The city’s Maintenance Building plays a vital role for daily public works operations and emergency response during extreme weather events, and it is also home to an important resource for those in need – the Long Beach Soup Kitchen,” said Long Beach Council President Anthony Eramo. “These funds will go a long way in making sure the building, its offices and the vehicles stored there are operational during extreme weather events, so we can maintain services and aid in recovery efforts.”