I’m reaching out about an issue in Peekskill that I believe deserves public attention.
For nearly two years, a Peekskill community leader has tried to use the Kiley Center, run by the Peekskill Housing Authority, for free indoor soccer leagues open to all families. Simon Guaman helped make Peekskill a sister city with Cuenca, Ecuador, and leads our annual Hispanic Heritage celebrations. Here is what he got:
• Winter 2024: Denied, told he was not a Housing Authority resident.
• A Bohlmann Towers resident then requested the space on his behalf. That resident was told construction would begin in summer 2025, so no one could use the building.
• September 2026: I’m not aware of any construction. Follow-up emails have gone unanswered. The last one that included me was sent July 7th.
It’s one thing to tell residents no. It’s another to ignore them, or to give them reasons that don’t hold up. That is how communities lose trust, and how people begin to feel shut out and unwelcome in their own city.
This matters to me personally. I grew up in Peekskill. My family held repasses at the Kiley Center. I hosted movie nights and glow-in-the-dark dodgeball for the neighborhood kids. It was a community center, and the Housing Authority Board has since redefined it as a resident center. Today, it seems to serve no one. The kids Simon wants to serve don’t have time to wait on a board that won’t answer its email.
I’m a former Mayor of Peekskill, and I’m asking one simple question on behalf of the community: what is going on at the Kiley Center?
Andre’ Rainey
Former Mayor, City of Peekskill