S.I.-based Coast Guard to receive $5M in federal funds

Staten Island’s Coast Guard will receive $5 million for housing upgrades as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed last year.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), who voted in favor of the legislation, announced the funding in a Monday media release describing it as “long overdue.”

“I recently visited with leadership from USCG Sector New York and the need for housing upgrades was one of the main issues brought to my attention,” Malliotakis, who’s a member of the Coast Guard-Maritime Subcommittee, said.

“From handling search and rescue missions, conducting anti-terrorism activities, and ensuring our goods are safely transported into our ports, adequate housing plays a critical role in attracting and retaining the finest Coasties to serve in our city.”

The funding will go toward upgrades for 154 legacy housing units at the Coast Guard’s Fort Wadsworth base, according to the media release.

In 2019, a two-alarm fire tore through one of the base’s residential buildings severely damaging the structure. None of the residents were injured in that incident.

When she voted for the bill in November, Malliotakis was a target of criticism from the further right elements of her own party.

The first-year congresswoman defended her vote as a major economic benefit to Staten Island and a political calculation against the more progressive “Build Back Better” legislation that has yet to pass after being decoupled from the bill that passed.

Captain Zeita Merchant, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York, thanked Congress for the funding.

“The Coast Guard is grateful for the support of Congress, which will assist us in helping ensure our members and their families have access to safe, modern, and affordable housing in the New York metropolitan area,” she said.