New Rochelle council approves memoranda to formalize library and school cooling centers

The New Rochelle City Council on June 17 approved two resolutions to formalize the city’s network of cooling centers, authorizing the city manager to sign a memorandum of understanding with the New Rochelle Public Library and an intermunicipal agreement with the New Rochelle City School District to use school facilities as designated cooling centers.

The measures, carried as agenda items 24 and 25, add a written protocol the city will use to trigger and operate cooling centers during extreme-heat events. City Manager: “No. This is, basically to memorialize from our last conversation about establishing set, cooling centers, that we can have a set protocol to go to,” said the city manager during opening remarks on the item.

Why it matters: City officials said the written agreements aim to speed deployment during heat waves and clarify which locations will open and under what conditions. Council members said they supported the formalization but pressed staff to expand the list of sites beyond the historically used locations so that residents who cannot travel far—particularly older adults and people living in subsidized senior housing—have closer options.

Details of the agreements and activation protocol: The MOU with the library and the intermunicipal agreement with the school district will set conditions for activation, staffing expectations and hours. The deputy city manager told the council, “There’ll be a comprehensive list. And we’ll also inform the county of of these designated cooling centers.” The proposals name the New Rochelle Public Library, the Doyle Center and a high school as initial, standardized sites and authorize staff to finalize the terms.

Council concerns and follow-up: Council member Peters said she was concerned the initial list relied on historically used sites and might not reach all neighborhoods. “We talked about some of the churches perhaps. We had talked about some other things in District 3 around the cooling center, but I don't see anything,” Peters said. Deputy city manager and other staff reported the district has been “very open” to using school buildings, but with one constraint: schools would make space available primarily during July and August and not during regular school hours. Council members also said the city is in conversation with the Remington Boys & Girls Club and that many senior housing buildings have community rooms with air conditioning that might be available as emergency sites.

Council action and next steps: Council member Stern moved to adopt item 24, with Kaye seconding; the council voted in favor. For item 25 the council similarly adopted an intermunicipal agreement with the school district (motion recorded in the meeting). Council members instructed staff to complete a comprehensive list of designated centers, confirm agreements with partners, coordinate with Westchester County on public messaging, and continue exploring additional neighborhood locations—including senior buildings, faith institutions and Boys & Girls Club sites—to expand geographic coverage.

Looking ahead: Staff will finalize the written MOUs, produce the full designated-site list, and return to the council with any additional proposed sites or operational details if needed.