Two Years After Hurricane Ida Floods Rye Y, a Boiler Room in the Sky
Twenty-seven months after the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept across Westchester County, devastating the Rye YMCA’s first floor pools, child care classrooms, boilers and mechanical equipment, Y leaders and guests cut the ribbon on a new rooftop mechanical room. The 900-square-foot “boiler house” will shelter the Y’s two boilers and most of the organization’s mechanical and electrical panels from future flooding.
The project is being funding by FEMA (90%) (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and DHSES (10%) (NYS Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services). According to Rye Y officials, final project cost for moving the boilers and mechanicals to the roof will be approximately $1.8 million. FEMA has “obligated” $1,425,006.42, of which $1,282,505.78 is the federal share and $142,500.64 is the state share. The Y has been informed that FEMA will pay for the actual final cost of the project beyond the currently committed $1,425,006.42.
The ceremony – or “boiler house warming” – was held on December 5th on the Y’s flat roof. Speakers included Rye Y CEO Sabrina Murphy; board president John Weber; Irvin Peters, FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Task Force Lead; and Christopher Hanse, Hudson Valley Regional Director for Senator Charles Schumer.
In her remarks, Murphy thanked the many people who transformed the project from concept to reality, including the Y’s board of directors; staff; architects from Crozier-Gedney; general contractor Robbie Howard; subcontractors; Luke Powell from Senator Schumer’s office; FEMA team members Irvin Peters and Daniela Heppard; and James Bukowski and Sarah Taegder from the DHSES.
“We’re so grateful for all of the support we’ve received,” Murphy said. “This project is a significant step toward a more sustainable future for the Rye Y. We’re making our building resilient for the working families who rely on us to be open for child care; for the seniors who stay active and connected by taking water aquatics classes; for the cancer survivors who participate in our LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program, and for so many more. Our community depends on the Y and we need to weather every storm for it.”
