Hundreds in Yonkers public housing using temporary boilers after gas leak

YONKERS, N.Y. (PIX11) — Yonkers public housing officials are looking at the source of Thursday’s big problem: a natural gas outage at the Palisade Tower Development.

Outside, large temporary tractor-trailer-based boilers provide hot water for baths and showers in every development’s 415 occupied units.

But no one here can use their gas stoves – to cook.

The problem is critical leaks in the underground natural gas service lines that wind through this 70-year-old development.

The temporary fix is city-issued hot plates and microwaves, which are expected to be needed for at least the next few months.

Yonkers Housing Authority CEO Wilson Kimball said the city is now considering electrifying the entire development – at a potentially enormous price tag.

“Probably the cheapest fix that we had looked at previously was about $5 million. And that was just to bring the stoves online for electric,” said Kimball. “If we went electric stoves and electric hot water – if we went all-electric, that would probably be about 60 million. electric is 4X the cost of gas at this moment. Our budget has been blown up by this.”

In the interim, the Yonkers community has donated, including hot meals.

“I’m here, boots on the ground every day, to ensure that our residents have some sort of meal to supplement this huge inconvenience. We’re looking at all our government partners to assist with this endeavor,” said City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy.

Kimball is trying to be realistic and bluntly warns residents here in these towers that they will likely be cooking Thanksgiving meals using the microwaves and hot plates issued to every unit.

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