A recent move by the city to get rid of a temporary boiler it had placed at P.S./I.S. 288 in Coney Island in the wake of Superstorm Sandy in 2012 marked an important turning point in the still ongoing rebuilding to rebuild the hard-hit community, according to Councilmember Mark Treyger, who represents the neighborhood.
Treyger (D-Coney Island-Gravesend-Bensonhurst) said that with the removal of the temporary boiler at P.S./I.S. 288, all of the temporary boilers at Sandy-affected schools in his council district have been removed.
Treyger is the chairman of the council’s Resiliency and Recovery Committee.
The temporary boilers, which were put into use due to flooding in school buildings after the Oct. 29, 2012 storm, proved to be problematic, Treyger said.
The devices were installed on streets outside of schools, leaving them exposed to the elements.
School staff members were unable to adjust the temperatures of the boilers, leading students and teachers to spend their days in classrooms that were either too cold or too hot. Studies have shown that temperature and comfort in the classroom can play a significant role in determining how well students perform on exams and complete class work, Treyger said.
In addition, since each boiler occupied several parking spaces, local residents complained, Treyger said.
Treyger met several times with representatives from the Department of Education and the School Construction Authority to urge them to remove the boilers.
“I am thrilled that members of this community will no longer have to walk by our local schools and see these hideous eyesores, and even happier that our students will again have the opportunity to spend their days in classrooms that provide a safe and comfortable environment — the right environment — for the learning process to take place. As a former educator, I know firsthand that when classroom conditions are less than ideal, students have difficulty paying attention and engaging with their class work, making the job of educators all the more challenging,” said Treyger, who taught history at New Utrecht High School in Bensonhurst before entering politics.
The temporary boilers were placed outside the following schools: I.S. 303; P.S. 90; Kingsborough Early College School; P.S. 329; P.S. 288; Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 for the Gifted & Talented; and P.S. 188.
“There is still plenty of work to do, but removing temporary boilers in our schools and replacing them with fully functioning, permanent boilers is another step toward making our community whole again,” Treyger said.
