Long Beach receives $250,000 grant for safety purchases
The Long Beach boardwalk, seen here on Aug. 9, 2017, will get cameras for police surveillance and investigations with a new state grant. Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
The City of Long Beach was awarded a $250,000 state grant to purchase beach wheelchairs, ATVs, defibrillators and security cameras.
Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) secured the grant for the city under the state’s Community Capital Assistance Program, he announced Monday.
“Long Beach is the crown jewel of Long Island, and so I was pleased to secure this funding for the city, which will improve accessibility, storm preparedness and the security of residents and visitors alike,” Kaminsky said in a statement.
Kaminsky said the new equipment purchased with the grant money will protect beachgoers and provide greater access for people with disabilities to get to the beach.
Long Beach officials will use part of the funding to purchase four beach wheelchairs for public access. The new wheelchairs will bring the city’s total to nine, and they will be available for those with disabilities to use on the sand. The city also is separately receiving a donation by the Commanding Officers Association of Long Beach of two 17-by-50-foot beach access mats.
In addition, the state grant will go toward installing bike racks in the city, placing defibrillators in police cars and obtaining 25 new emergency pagers for firefighters.
Beach patrol responders carry three defibrillators, and all lifeguards are trained to use the devices to revive someone who has had a heart attack. The city is planning to equip every police car with defibrillators.
Long Beach police will receive grant money to fund a previous plan to install cameras on the boardwalk for surveillance and investigations.
City officials said they can also use the cameras to monitor storm surges with Nassau County to prepare for hurricanes and natural disasters.
A portion of the grant will be used to convert a portion of City Hall into the city’s emergency management center to coordinate response and prepare for future storms, city officials said.
The City Council had approved the purchase last month of four ATVs to replace some of the city’s fleet of seven aging ATVs, used to patrol the beach. The grant money will be used to reimburse the city for the new vehicles, which will be equipped with lights and sirens to respond to beach emergencies.
“The grants provided by the Community Capital Assistance Program will go a long way toward fulfilling these long-standing public-safety needs,” City Councilwoman Chumi Diamond said in a statement.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
