Officials announce plans to convert the Palisade Towers to electricity after a gas leak

Officials have found a solution to the gas leak at the Palisade Towers. – They plan to convert all eight buildings to electricity.

News 12 spoke with residents in the area who said they are hoping for a resolution soon.

The Yonkers Municipal Housing Authority said a new transformer, feeders and electrical panels are needed. The switch to electricity will take place in three phases, it is said.

In this first phase, electric stoves will be installed in all units and then the hot water production will be converted to electricity.

In the third phase, the heat is converted to electric.

“I can't live like that… I have to spend most of my money on eating outside because it's difficult to cook there. You can’t really cook a meal on those stovetops,” said Jada Wilson, a Palisade Towers resident.

The city's housing authority said it hopes to begin installing electric stoves in the next few weeks. However, it says it could take until the end of the year or early 2025 to install them in all units.

“It's a matter of money and resources when it comes to getting our union electricians and plumbers and everyone who needs to get involved to do the job,” said Wilson Kimball, president and CEO of the Yonkers Municipal Housing Authority. “How fast.” If it happens in one building, we can make a prediction about how fast it might go in the other seven buildings.”

News 12 spoke with several residents. They all said they were worried about not having a stove or hot water in time for the holidays.

“You can’t cook a meal, not a real meal. “I’m going to spend a lot more money on outside food again,” says Wilson.

But officials said there are still obstacles in the way. They are now working to secure funding through grants. The city housing authority estimates replacing the furnaces and hot water will cost $18 million and the heating will cost about $60 million.

“We left no stone unturned when looking for funding sources or revenue to make this possible,” Kimball says.