Floor damage puts Senior Center Work in Limbo, by Nathan Weiser

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated the original Red Hook Senior Center. Today, the seniors of Red Hook are still waiting to move back into a center of their own. While they wait, they are using a room in the basement of the nearby Miccio Center.

“When you are doing construction, and it is something that has been impacted by Hurricane Sandy, of course, and it is an old building to start with, you never know what you are going to find,” Bea Byrd, who is both on the board of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and a Red Hook resident, said. “That has been the story here.”

According to Byrd, every time it has been announced that it would open on a given date, that date has come and gone, and then the process has started all over again.

“Even if I say it’s opening in January or February, January or February could come and conceivably it is not done,” Byrd said.

Construction on the building has uncovered many problems, such as the building’s roof, which had to be repaired in previous years. Currently, structural concerns having to do with flooring in this old building have halted progress, according to Byrd.

A NYCHA spokesperson explained, “the project was delayed due to an unforeseen issue with the concrete floor, which was deteriorating due to damages caused by a water tank leak underground, heat, humidity and poor ventilation over time.”

The spokesperson added that the issue with the flooring became obvious in the late stages of construction when workers gained access to the underside of the concrete following the final clearing of crawlspaces beneath the site.

Flooring issues are preventing progress on other aspects of the senior center as well – some of the construction requires equipment that can’t go in until everything is stable and secure. The floor is not going to be able to hold the refrigerators, stoves, kitchen appliances and other equipment at this time, according to Byrd.

The city and NYCHA have had to go back to try to find funds to fix the building.

“They thought it would be $2 million at first,” Byrd said. “That $2 million a few years ago has now ballooned to maybe $4 million now. When you open up the facility construction-wise, you are going to find things that you didn’t anticipate.”

NYCHA is currently working with engineers, designers and contractors to assess and determine the best solution for repairing the concrete slab that has deteriorated. The spokesperson said that they expect to have an official cost estimate soon.

“Once we receive a final cost estimate to address the deterioration of the concrete floor, we will work towards securing funding to complete the work,” the NYCHA representative said.

During this process, NYCHA and elected officials have said that they want to do it one time and want to do it right. They want to make sure everything is taken care of before the doors open and seniors walk through.

“It is frustrating for everybody,” Byrd said. “It is frustrating for the seniors. It is frustrating for the elected officials who say I am going to get it done for you and then it comes and goes and it’s not done. Everybody is frustrated.”

In the beginning of the process of planning the new Red Hook Senior Center, there were tenant association meetings every other week about the new building. However, that schedule has become too much for people, so they are not meeting as often.

Byrd believes the construction company is doing all that they can to get the job done.

“I am sure it is nobody’s fault,” Byrd added. “It is just the state of the building.”

The spokesperson for NYCHA added that they are committed to completing the senior center as soon as possible. Like Byrd, she noted that safety is a priority and that they need to make sure everything is secure.