Last summer, several contractors told NY1 they were owed millions of dollars by the city's Hurricane Recovery Program build it back, and weren't getting paid because the program was out of money.
The city responded saying that was categorically false.
But now the de Blasio administration is doing an about face, seeking $92 million dollars to close out the beleaguered program.
"It's a shame that last year they felt the need to say everything is good when obviously it wasn't,” said Roque Schipilliti, a contractor for Build It Back.
Roque Schipilliti is one of the nearly two dozen contractors believed to be waiting for payment with debts first reported last summer by NY1.
Build It Back had blamed the late payments on the lengthy audits required before cutting final checks to contractors.
But in seeking new funds this week, Build It Back says the additional cash will be used in part, to pay contractors and close out construction permits.
"We were misled. Something wasn't right, and if there's new funding, you connect the dots. You have new funding; now you're paying. So that must have been the issue, right?" said Schipilliti.
Build It Back once hailed the rebuilding work at MaryLou Barcia's home as a success story. Mayor de Blasio visited four years ago to celebrate its completion.
But she says she's had to spend $25,000 of her own money since then to fix faulty work done under the city program,
And the contractor hired by Build It Back placed a lien on her home because he still hasn't been paid by the city.
"Where did that money go? It should have been there! Not now you're begging for money all over. That don't seem right," said Marylou Barcia, a Build It Back participant.
This isn't the first time Build It Back has asked for more money.
In 2016, the city requested and received an additional $500 million in an attempt to complete its recovery work.
That brought the total cost of the troubled program to $2.2 billion.
A little more than half of the additional $92 million needed would come from the U.S. department of housing and urban development; the rest from city taxpayers.
In addition to paying contractors, the money would be used to buy properties damaged by Sandy, and to build 37 flood-resistant homes on acquired lots in Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens.
7 comments:
It cost about $800k to raise homes that aren't even worth $400k. Go figure.
Yet they seem to find all the money in the world to fund "undocumented immigrants" welfare and Medicaid.
@Anon #2
The money "They" find is from our hard labor that is taxed in a unfair way in the middle class. Some good news the Far-Left can cry about, The SUPREME COURT 5-4 ruling now allows Trump's plan to deny green cards to those who may need government aid.
I’m sure the city will be much quicker paying those residents whose basements flooded due to the sewer pipe. Lol
I remember the mayor complaining a few years ago because more people dropped out of the program than were in it. Imagine the amount owed if they all stayed.
Well, yes! But then you're missing the point. Last year Big D. was sure he was going to be president of the whole U.S. and now? Well now he's just hoping to be reelected to top dog on the junk heap.
Build it Back is another affirmative action sham employer who gives paychecks to the supposedly oppressed who literally do nothing all day. Oh, wait, they loudly glad hand,order in huge lunches and alienate anyone who is not the same ethnicity or race as they are. Want to guess which bunch that is? I worked at the Build it Back at Fort Tilden, there were subcontractors of subcontractors and the sleazy Man power temp agency. Everyone was getting a large piece of the pie.
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