BY JASON COHEN
More than $2 million allocated
by the state for the reconstruction
of the Edgewater
Park Firehouse still has not
been dispersed, leaving residents
hoping for a Hail Mary
before the funds expire in February.
With the deadline imminent,
Democratic state Assemblyman
Michael Benedetto
and Progressives like state
Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and
District 13 Councilwomanelect
Marjorie Velázquez are
advocating on behalf of area
residents for the state to help
complete a project that includes
rehabilitating and hardening
the structure of the fi rehouse,
purchasing a generator
and fuel tank, upgrading the
electrical systems, installing
an Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) platform lift
and improving the exterior
and interior lighting.
However, the project has
come to a complete standstill
since summer 2020.
The North Tower Firehouse
has a long history of
serving the east Bronx waterfront
community during emergency
events. Constructed
in the mid-19th century, the
building was originally used
as a general store and later
became the home of the Edgewater
Park Volunteer Fire Department.
Residents are hopeful that
lawmakers can convince the
Governor’s Offi ce of Storm
Recovery (GOSR) to roll the
money over and that the pols
would be able to allocate additional
funds for the project.
“I called up the Governor’s
Offi ce immediately after a recent
conversation with the
Edgewater Park residents and
they said they were going to
look into it,” Benedetto said.
The Edgewater Park Owners
Cooperative had previously
sent a letter to the GOSR
expressing its concerns with
the situation.
“Our intentions are to save
the funding that has been allocated
to the construction of
the Edgewater Relief Center
by rolling these funds into a
future fi scal year, thereby preserving
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 30 EC. 17-23, 2021 BTR
them from expiring
and ensuring that they can be
there for future use for this
project,” the letter said.
Since 2014, GOSR has invested
more than $64 million
in the Bronx, including $2.2
million allocated to renovate
the fi rehouse/community center
in Edgewater Park. Serving
as a safe haven during storms,
the co-op board wanted to upgrade
the fi rehouse using fi -
nancial assistance from the
state.
Deborah Roff, president of the
Edgewater Park Owners Cooperative
Inc., told the Bronx Times
that the board agreed to also renovate
the bathroom and make it
ADA compliant. So, in 2019, the
co-op hired a company to demo
the bathroom with the expectation
that the state was going to
fi nish the rest of the work.
The state opened bids for
the entire project in January
2020, but by June 2020 a contract
couldn’t be awarded because the
lowest bids were more than 50%
The Edgewater Park fi rehouse still awaits state funding to complete a
long overdue renovation. Photo Jason Cohen
over budget. Today, the project
remains unfi nished.
“Here we are in Edgewater,
and we don’t have a functioning
resource center,” she said.
“Why is our community being
excluded?”
Roff said the local fi rehouse
is a huge part of the community.
As the roads in Edgewater Park
are too narrow for the FDNY
to drive through, the smaller
trucks at the volunteer fi rehouse
can be a lifeline for residents. She
stressed that people were excited
for the planned renovations, but
after two years, it seems they
have been forgotten about.
The elected offi cials have really
stepped up and are trying to
solve the situation, Roff said.
. “If we lose our fi rehouse
we would be in real trouble,
she said. “The state dropped
the ball, and we don’t know if
they dropped it intentionally or
if there were more important
projects.”
Paul Onyx Lozito, deputy executive
director for the housing
program at GOSR, said the fi rehouse
will be receiving the necessary
monies.
“GOSR has identifi ed a path
forward to construct improvements
to Edgewater Park’s
North Tower and will be briefing
elected offi cials and community
members in the coming
weeks,” Lozito said.
Money still missing to fi x
Edgewater Park fi rehouse
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