Dear Friend,
I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather today and had a nice Valentine's Day. I am reaching out with some exciting updates from our office over the past couple days:
1. York Avenue Art Project Unveiling
2. $3 Million in Funding for JREC
3. Pickleball in Carl Schurz Park
4. Healthcare Pricing Transparency Rally
5. East Side Antisemitism Unity Event
6. Letter on Assembly Redistricting
7. Anti-hate workshops at East Side Middle School
8. Apply to join a Community Board
9. Climate Jobs Apprenticeship Facility Tours
10. Community Events Corner
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1. York Avenue Art Project Unveiling
Over the past year, I have heard numerous complaints from constituents about the blighted DDC construction site on York Avenue between 61st and 63rd that has been delayed for many years. That's why I was thrilled last week to join DDC Commissioner Tom Foley to unveil the art of 60 P.S. 183 5th graders now adorning the construction site's barrier. As Pix 11 and AMNY reported, I began a project this summer to task P.S. 183 5th graders with creating artwork in response to the question, "what does NYC mean to you?" Their artwork is now printed and featured on a new barrier between the construction site and the sidewalk along York Avenue. Their artwork feature incredible representations of the city and it is wonderful to see students getting involved in beautifying our community. I will continue to push the DDC and Con Ed to expedite this site, but I am so pleased to see this lovely new barrier.
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2. $3 Million in Funding for JREC
I was very proud to deliver $21 million in capital funding to our District in last year's budget through the Council, the Borough President, and the Mayoral Administration. One of the major allocations I fought for, was $3 million in funding for improving the pool and locker rooms at Julia Richman Education Complex. I was thrilled back in June when Council Speaker Adrienne Adams granted that funding request. As Our Town and Patch reported, last week Speaker Adams accompanied me for a visit to JREC with the School Construction Authority to kick off planning for this major project. We had a great visit and I enjoyed showing the Speaker around JREC, a school building that hosts over 2,000 students of all ages and from so many diverse neighborhoods in the city. I look forward to working with the SCA as this project moves forward and am so grateful to Speaker Adams for her support of our community.
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3. Pickleball in Carl Schurz Park
Since the beginning of the pandemic, pickleball has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity and that rise has certainly made its way to the East Side. My office has heard from many constituents clamoring for permanent space in Carl Schurz Park and in other areas of our District for pickleball courts. As Upper East Site reported, last week, Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright and I joined Community Board 8's Parks Committee Meeting to share those sentiments our offices have heard ahead of changes being proposed by Manhattan Parks Commissioner Anthony Perez. I am excited that the Parks Department will be creating permanent space at the Park for pickleball to satisfy the growing need while also understanding the need to preserve space for children to play and run around within the Park. Our District ranks 47th out of 51 in terms of green space, so we face many constraints when making these decisions. However, I am pleased we will be able to find some permanent space and I will be working with the Parks Department to find more space in the other parks our community has.
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4. Healthcare Pricing Transparency Rally
As I have mentioned, I recently introduced groundbreaking legislation to create an Office of Healthcare Accountability. This would bring about healthcare pricing transparency and empower consumers while also saving the city billions of dollars per year. I am thrilled that my bill will have a hearing on Thursday, February 23rd at 10am. Ahead of the hearing, at 9am we will be holding a rally on the steps of City Hall with advocates and many of the city's largest labor unions to show support for these changes. I hope you can join me at City Hall for this rally and I am also encouraging people to testify on the topic at the hearing. Sign up to testify here.
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5. East Side Antisemitism Unity Event
With antisemitic hate crimes surging in New York City over the past couple years, it's critical that we work together with community organizations and law enforcement to address this. Monday, I joined my colleague Council Member Keith Powers at the Moise Safra Center at a unity event his office hosted regarding combating antisemitism. It was great to be joined by Mayor Eric Adams, Congressman Jerry Nadler, and the NYPD's 19th Precinct. I spoke about the work I have been doing on multiple fronts, most notably efforts at better education and teaching individuals how to identify and report hate crimes. As the daughter and granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, this issue is very personal to me and I was very grateful for the robust discussion from everyone involved.
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6. Assembly Redistricting Letter
Our office has heard from many constituents expressing concerns about the draft State Assembly maps put forth by the Redistricting Commission. In those maps, areas of Midtown East and Sutton Place and other parts of the East Side were drawn into a majority-Queens Assembly District and severed from nearby communities of interest. Last week, I submitted a letter of testimony to the Redistricting Commission articulating my concerns and recommending changes to the maps based on this public feedback. You can read my letter here and I appreciate the robust testimony of so many constituents both to my office and to the Commission.
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7. Anti-Hate Workshops at M.S. 114
One critical element to combating the rise in hate crimes across our city across different categories is teaching our next generation how to identify and combat online hate. Many of the stereotypes form through engagement of social media and other areas of the internet. To address this, in last year's budget I allocated $20,000 funding to the Simon Wiesenthal Center to conduct anti-hate workshops at schools in our District. I visited East Side Middle School to see the first of these workshops in action. Students went through exercises in: identifying stereotypes, discussing the kinds of hate that exist around them, and talking about personal experiences with prejudice. Education like this is vital for the development of our children. I was thrilled to be able to see one of these workshops in action. It was especially great to hear how engaged, open, and honest the students were.
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8. Apply to join a Community Board
Community Boards play a critical role in our local civic environment. As a former Community Board Chair, I know how much of an influence these Boards can have and how they often serve as an effective vehicle of grassroots democracy. That is why I wanted to write to you to encourage you to apply to join a Community Board. The application deadline is just over a month away on March 17th. You can apply here. My office will be working with the Borough President to review some of the appointments and we look forward to reading the applications!
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9. Apprenticeship Tour with the Speaker
The Carbon Free and Healthy Schools Campaign (CFHS) is doing great work making our schools greener and bolstering our educational infrastructure in the fight against climate change. Recently, along with several colleagues from the Council, I joined a tour of apprenticeship facilities participating in the campaign hosted by Climate Jobs NY. It was so wonderful to see these facilities where there is a steady pipeline to well-paying jobs that also take on climate change. This work is vital to our city's future and I look forward to seeing more facilities across the city.
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10. Community Events and Updates
It was a busy past couple of weeks of community events highlighted by a wonderful visit to the Community Board 8 Winter Crafts Show last weekend. I wanted to highlight some upcoming events and announcements. If you'd like to feature something in our newsletter, please email ckoffman@council.nyc.gov
Urban Justice Domestic Violence Clinic: Our office provides funding to the Urban Justice Center for a variety of services. One of them is a domestic violence legal clinic that runs every Tuesday from 10-3 at their Rector Street offices beginning 2/28. Interested constituents can be referred to make an appointment by calling 1-833-321-4387 to leave their contact information and the type of issue they want to discuss in a private consultation.
NYC Ballet Family Saturday, February 25th, 11am-12pm, Lincoln Center (63rd and Columbus Avenue)
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Muslim Volunteers for New York Sweet Dreams Drive: MV4NY is holding its “Sweet Dreams” Pajama and Book Drive to benefit at-risk babies and children partnering with two great organizations, Pajama Program and Room to Grow. You can make a donation at this link.
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First Tech Fund Fellowship: First Tech Fund is recruiting students for their 4th cohort of students in their virtual high school fellowship program. Fellows will participate in weekly virtual workshops around careers and foundational digital skills for the future, be eligible to receive free technology depending on their technology needs (laptop and/or WiFi hotspot). Learn more about the program and apply here. The application is due April 1st.
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Contact Us
Email us at district5@council.nyc.gov, call our office at 212-860-1950, or visit us at 444 East 75th Street #1B (75th and York Avenue)
Best,
Julie
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