Chelsea pier employees come together to restore what is now a community necessity
The day after the hurricane, management of Chelsea Piers arrived to find water 5 ft. deep at street level throughout the complex, making the interiors unsalvageable and a complete power outage. Fortunately the piers were not damaged structurally.
While surveying the damage, management was amazed at the arrival of large numbers of employees who were showing up to help, unsummoned. CEO Roland Betts is reported to have been so moved by the outpouring of support as to shed his usual seemingly gruff manner and declare, “We will rebuild. This is more than a job to our people.”
For five weeks, employees at every level and from every department worked in the cold alongside employees of 42 contractors, tearing up flooring and wall board, hauling debris, and renewing everything. Greta Wagner, the chic manager of the Sports Center, became foreman, wearing old work clothes while assigning jobs.
Trainer Jenny Otto joined the interview to talk about the work as a “great experience.” She says she’s going to make sure that her son does manual labor in his teens so he’ll appreciate what it’s like. Someone was surprised to see Jenny out running after working all day and was told, “Sure, she’s a trainer.”
Closing up the ice rink prevented the ice from melting while the power was out. The swimming pool filtering system continued to operate. Most of the boats in the marina had already left for the season. Others were moved in anticipation of the storm, as were cars in the parking lots.
Members of the Sports Club were not charged during the period of the closing. Employees were paid. Management will not comment on the status of insurance claims or the amount of loss incurred. Meanwhile, attendance at all the venues seems back to normal. Morale is high.
