Council Candidate Mark Treyger Demands Action On Coney Island’s Carey Gardens

City Council candidate Mark Treyger is outraged at the conditions of Carey Gardens (2955 West 24th Street) and is demanding actions to fix problems still plaguing the housing complex eight months after Superstorm Sandy struck the area.

Carey Gardens, which run between Surf Avenue and Neptune Avenue, running from West 22nd Street to West 24th Street, houses nearly 1,700 residents in 683 apartments, and was hit hard by Sandy. Treyger, who is running for the 47th District City Council seat occupied by Domenic Recchia, toured the grounds with Shirley Aikens, president of the Carey Gardens Tenant Association, this past weekend. Treyger, who penned a letter to New York Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea, found the conditions deplorable.

“It is completely outrageous that almost eight months after Hurricane Sandy, the storm related damage at Carey Gardens Houses remains unaddressed,” Tregey wrote in the letter.

Treyger cited the large sinkholes in the area that can create rainwater ponds that attract West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes and lead to mold growth. The roofs of the building complex still have many leaks which can also lead to mold growth and exacerbate asthma conditions.

Also damaged are the playground and the complex’s community center, which remain closed.

“The families who live in Carey Gardens have limited resources, and depend on the playground and community center to provide summer youth activities,” Treyger said in a release. “The loss of the Community Center is devastating to the residents. The playground is in dangerous condition. Children are liable to get seriously injured, and get themselves into trouble this summer, because NYCHA has ignored Carey Gardens.”