Chelsea Piers loses ballroom, driving range and sports facilities in storm

Roland Betts and the Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex before the storm
Roland Betts and the Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex before the storm

Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex, like many business impacted by the hurricane, is sifting through the rubble and preparing to renovate and reopen. But it is problems with infrastructure — as much as the clean-up — that stand in its way, the New York Daily News reported.

“Obviously we cannot open until Con Edison restores power to the city and actually it’s really up to the MTA too because we have 1,200 people who work here, and many more who visit here and they use mass transit,” Roland Betts, chairman and co-founder of Chelsea Piers, said.

Chelsea Piers sustained five feet of water that destroyed its Field House, which housed gymnastics, dance and daycare facilities, a soccer field and basketball courts. Chelsea Piers also lost its multilevel driving range, bowling facility and ballroom.

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“Once the water broke in here, it went from two or three inches to three or four feet in about 40 minutes or less – very, very fast,” Betts told the Daily News. “We had several workers trapped in here who moved to higher floors and spent the night.”

Now Betts is looking to renovate the complex, but he is trapped in a waiting game in regards to city infrastructure. “I have no idea how severe Con Edison’s problems are. I can only imagine,” Betts said. “This is a storm unlike any other storm.” [NYDN] —Christopher Cameron