Long Beach council approves block vote on capital and equipment items; discusses boardwalk grant, city hall facade

The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, approved a block vote to pass eight agenda items, including a budget amendment moving roughly $1.6 million into the capital projects fund for the North Shore critical infrastructure project and the purchase of fitness and emergency medical equipment funded in part by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) monies.

The measures passed by block vote included (1) a budget amendment to reclassify a disbursement for the North Shore project; (2) approval to purchase new fitness equipment for the Long Beach Recreation Center from a New York State contract using CDBG funds; (3) authorization to hire professional engineering services for a city hall facade rehabilitation design and report (an initial commitment of $51,000 of a $129,000 contract); (4) purchase of a Lucas mechanical chest-compression system with a three-year maintenance contract; (5) entry into an intermunicipal cooperation agreement (IMA) with Nassau County to receive funding for new auxiliary police radios; and (6–8) publication-only approvals to set hearings for a local law on financial and ethical disclosure (hearing Feb. 18) and for an amendment to the city zoning code (hearing March 4). The council voted to block-vote the agenda and all items passed on a unanimous recorded “yes” block vote.

Why it matters: the board’s approvals move grant dollars and procurement forward for routine capital and public-safety needs while authorizing up-front design work for a larger, costly building envelope rehabilitation at city hall. The facade item in particular signals a potential multi‑million-dollar construction project to replace windows and reconstruct the building envelope.

City manager Dan Creighton reported a recent $1.5 million grant from the governor’s office to enhance the boardwalk. “We anticipate these funds will be used to add a concession or two, as well as some bump out extensions on the south side of the boardwalk for use as flex space,” Creighton said, and said public input on specific plans will be sought in the months ahead. Creighton added the award brings total grants obtained by the administration to over $8 million.

On the Recreation Center equipment purchase, staff said most cardio machines had exceeded their usable life and five units were out of service as recently as last week. The replacement machines are being procured under a New York State contract and paid for by a CDBG grant, so there is no additional net cost to the city’s capital budget. Joe Brand, a staff member on the item, said manufacturers will provide warranty terms that vary by piece: common coverage cited in the discussion included three years for frames and parts and one year for labor, with some components carrying longer-frame warranties.

The city approved a contract to procure professional engineering design and construction documents for the city hall facade. Staff and a consultant described prior testing that showed deteriorated lintels, a lack of an air barrier and insulation, and salt‑air corrosion risks. “It will be in the millions,” Russell (staff) said when asked for a cost estimate; consultants proposed stainless-steel lintels to resist the salt environment. The council approved committing $51,000 now for the design report, with further construction funding contingent on a later award.

The council also authorized purchase of a Lucas mechanical chest-compression system and a three‑year maintenance contract; staff said the device will be used on the career ambulance and that CDBG funding is available to cover the purchase. Separately, an IMA with Nassau County was approved to obtain funding for new auxiliary police radios; staff said the county contribution will cover more than two-thirds of the radios’ cost.

Votes at a glance: all items on the published agenda were approved in a block vote. The council recorded a unanimous “yes” block vote and declared the block passed.

What’s next: staff said the North Shore project will receive a consultant update at a future council meeting; the next meeting will include a sewer consolidation update and the facade designer’s report will define construction scope and cost estimates. Notices were set for public hearings on the charter amendment (Feb. 18) and the zoning amendment (March 4).