STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Residents of 168 Brabant St. will be able to cook their holiday meals at home once again.
Tenants rejoiced at the news that the cooking gas service was restored Thursday after being off throughout the Mariner’s Harbor Houses building for more than three months.
“Glory, glory. Hallelujah! Praise Jesus Christ!” resident Belinda Dixon, an Advance Woman of Achievement, said after confirming that her stove and oven are working again.
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), owner of the property, verified that the restoration process was complete, but did not provide additional details.
“Gas service restoration at Mariner’s Harbor has been completed today,” a spokesperson for NYCHA said in a statement on Thursday.
National Grid shut off cooking gas service in the 35-unit building on Saturday, Sept. 3 as a safety precaution following a routine inspection during which multiple gas leaks were observed. The company cannot restore service until the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which owns the property, makes the necessary repairs, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported.
Local elected officials were pleased to hear about the restoration being completed.
“Thanks to the efforts of NYCHA and National Grid, as well as the persistent pressure from the collective elected offices and community leaders, I am pleased to hear it is finally safe for the gas to be turned back on at 168 Brabant Street, just in time for the holidays,” Assemblymember Michael Cusick (D-Mid Island) said. “Although the wait was long, safety precautions were paramount to avoid a larger problem.”
City Councilmember Kamillah Hanks pointed out the larger implications of the gas outage.
“I am glad that the cooking gas has been turned on at 168 Brabant, but it is a travesty that its residents were without a basic amenity for so many months. This situation really emphasized the importance and strength of community, with so many local organizations coming together to support and assist our Mariner’s Harbor residents during this time,” she said.
“Our office has been monitoring this situation since the start, and although there is a positive ending here, this issue points to much larger, pervasive problems across all of our NYCHA housing complexes on the North Shore and citywide. I look forward to continuing to hold NYCHA accountable and fighting for safe, human living conditions for all,” Hanks added.
There are currently 45 gas outages at NYCHA developments across the city, including 16 entire buildings, according to NYCHA’s service interruptions records. The longest outage, which is listed as “in progress” is at O’Dwyer Gardens in Brooklyn and was reported on Feb. 17, 2022.
Earlier this year, cooking gas service was restored in the Stapleton Houses after nearly 100 families were unable to use their stoves and ovens for 11 months.
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