7 yrs. later, Sandy repair-delay rage
We cannot ca get someone someon from this city to sit s down and speak to us to solve the problems. pr — Contractor Gary Allen Casazza, who’s still waiting for payments
The de Blasio administration continues to botch the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts seven years later — leaving families with mold, faulty piping and other construction problems because the city hasn’t paid contractors, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis charged Friday.
She was joined at a Staten Island press conference by nine families and two contractors fuming over the performance of the city “Build It Back” storm-recovery program.
The pol, who is assisting a total of 21 borough property owners, recalled how de Blasio came to Staten Island in 2015 and promised residents that construction of their damaged homes would be completed by 2016.
“Yet here we are after that, and we still have families that are dealing with Build It Back issues, and we have a few that aren’t even back in their homes yet,” recalled Malliotakis (R-SI).
“To me, that is unconscionable. It is completely unacceptable.”
Among the angry property owners was Diane Doyle, who moved back into her South Beach house in April 2018 after repairs were finally made through contractors tapped through Build It Back.
Doyle said the work was shoddy, adding the house she returned to years later was poorly insulated and had faulty ventilation systems including in the bathroom and stove areas. She also said her sprinkler system froze in February, flooding the entire home and causing her to move out again for another five months until problems were rectified. The city “just left it dangling,” Doyle said. “We had the contractor at our own expense fix everything that [Build It
Back] didn’t fix, and we’ve been fighting back and forth with them ever since to take responsibility.”
Gary Allen Casazza, a Brooklynbased contractor, said his business is suffering greatly because the city still owes him more than $1 million for repair work he has performed through Build It Back.
“I’m a little contractor,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of money. I’ve taken mortgages on my house; my partners have not gotten paid.
“I have subcontractors that have not gotten paid and they did the work. Part of the reason why this program isn’t moving forward is because we cannot get someone from this city to sit down and speak to us to solve the problems.”
The Mayor’s Office defended Built It Back, boasting it has helped rebuild more than 1,300 home since Sandy. Spokeswoman Jane Meyer said the city “works closely with each contractor to expedite payments, finalize change-order reviews and evaluate all outstanding contractor issues before making final payments.”