Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato met today with Chris Norton, the new General Manager of the Breezy Point Cooperative, and Denise Lopresti-Neibel, the BPC’s Secretary and Assistant General Manager. The Assemblywoman and the Co-op leaders compared notes on major issues confronting beachfront community, which occupies the Western end of the Rockaway Peninsula and houses upwards of 12,000 people during the summer. Special attention was given to the Peninsula’s environmental vulnerability, as changing climate and storm damage have been literally washing away parts of Breezy Point.

Pheffer Amato committed to working closely with the Co-op leadership to address their strategies for mitigating the effects of erosion, reinforcement and cleaning of sidewalks and other issues on which it will be crucial to develop local-state partnerships. Foremost among items Pheffer Amato and the BPC leaders coordinated on were those related to resiliency and rebuilding, especially A. 4068, a bill introduced by the Assemblywoman to extend work contract renewals in vulnerable communities for another two years, so that recovery work can continue.

“Denise and Chris have been relentlessly focused on looking out for the well-being of their community, and it’s a joy to work with them for the protection of this beautiful and iconic area,” said Pheffer Amato. “I’m looking forward to working with the community as closely as possible, and hopefully we can together make sure this community is secure prosperous for many generations to come.”