Halcyon Park Flood Prevention Update
The Halcyon Park neighborhood, just south of Iona College, is prone to serious flooding and was among the areas most heavily impacted during the April 2007 storms that hit the Sound Shore region. Since then, the City has cleared obstructions in the neighborhood’s storm water lines, which has helped to some degree. We also completed an engineering analysis that recommended significant redesign of the storm water system. Unfortunately, the cost of implementing the latter, estimated at $3 to $5 million, exceeds our local funding capacity, so we are dependent upon the receipt of grants to proceed.
This month, a new potential funding source became available to us. Thanks to the City’s adoption of a Hazard Mitigation Plan (which was spearheaded by Assistant to the City Manager Omar Small), New Rochelle is now eligible for federal funding through the Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program. During our September meeting, the Council authorized the submission of a grant application through this program. There are certainly no guarantees with respect either to the success or timing of this application, but residents can be assured that we will continue to pursue this priority aggressively and seek whatever funding alternatives may exist.