Dear Friend,
I hope you're staying safe and dry during this storm. I wanted to reach out with some exciting updates to share:
1. East 79th Street and 1st Avenue Noise Mitigation
2. Roosevelt Island F Train Closures
3. Participatory Budgeting Coming Soon!
4. 19th Precinct Community Council Proclamation
5. Council Budget Hearings
6. Mammogram Bus on Roosevelt Island
7. NYC Hospitality Alliance State of the Industry
8. Coler Hospital Legislative Breakfast
9. Constituent Services Corner
10. Important Petitions to DOT
11. Community Events and Updates
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1. Construction Noise Mitigation
My office has received many complaints from constituents regarding noise from the construction site at 79th and 1st Avenue. We have been very active on the issue requesting over a dozen visits from the DEP and DOB for noise inspections. The inspectors have found that the site has always been in compliance with the noise code. Back in the fall, I did a walkthrough of the project with Extell and offered many solutions for noise mitigation. Beyond approaches such as cantilevered walls and sound blankets, I suggested Extell think outside the box to explore novel ideas for mitigation. As Patch reported, after sustained advocacy, I was thrilled to announce a couple weeks ago that Extell installed special custom-fit hammer blankets ordered from Australia. These devices are designed to reduce noise by up to 20 decibels by muffling drilling. My office went to the site to see the mufflers in action. I'm happy to secure this mitigation to address quality of life concerns from residents. Please continue to reach out to my office with any questions and concerns regarding the site.
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2. Roosevelt Island F Train Closures
A few weeks ago, the MTA briefed my team and me about upcoming work on the 63rd Street Subway track (the F train line from 6th Avenue all the way into Queens). The track fixation work requires significant disruptions to F train riders for extended periods of time and is not relegated just to weekends and nights. I crafted a letter to the MTA and RIOC with suggestions to mitigate this work including supplemental shuttle bus service to Manhattan and increases in tram services during rush hour. You can view the MTA's service plan for Roosevelt Island here and see the dramatic issues this will cause for residents and commuters. I appreciate that my colleagues, Congressman Nadler, Senator Krueger, and Assemblymember Seawright, all joined me on this letter and we will continue pushing for changes to address these issues.
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3. Participatory Budgeting Preview
Participatory Budgeting is a great way to engage our neighborhood in the civic process. I am excited to be running participatory budgeting for the second straight year with some strong projects on the ballot. Voting on participatory budgeting will be held from March 25th through April 2nd and can be done either online or in-person. I will be giving comprehensive information on vote sites and the projects next week, but here is a list of projects that will be on the ballot.
- New trees and tree guards for district 5
- Lighting upgrades for Stanley Isaacs Park
- New security cameras for Holmes Towers
- New garden for P.S. 151’s rooftop play space
- Renovation of P.S. 527's indoor rooftop play space
- Gym pad upgrades for P.S. 183
- P.S. 217 Bathroom upgrades
- New Security System for P.S. 198 and P.S. 77
- Tech Upgrades for East Side Middle School
- Bathroom Upgrades for Talent Unlimited High School
We're excited for a great PB cycle! Stay tuned for more information!
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4. 19th Precinct Community Council
The 19th Precinct Community Council is a great forum for community engagement with the NYPD. I always have a team member in my office attending these meetings to be a part of constructive dialogue between the Precinct's Commanding Officer and residents of the neighborhood. I was thrilled to attend the meeting last week to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the Community Council and join my colleague Council Member Keith Powers in issuing them a proclamation. Before the Community Council Meeting, I sat down with our new Commanding Officer, Inspector Gallagher, who has actually had strong prior experience at the 19th Precinct at one point serving as the Executive Officer. It was great to sit down with Inspector Gallagher and discuss some of my priorities including increased foot patrols in our retail corridors and increasing security cameras.
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5. Council Budget Hearings
In addition to working with the Mayor to pass laws, one of the Council's other primary responsibilities is working to pass the City's annual budget. Last week, I chaired the Small Business Committee’s annual budget hearing and listened to testimony from the Department of Small Business Services. In this upcoming budget, I will be advocating for robust funding to best support the continuance and creation of small business development programs. As Crain's reported, some focuses for this year are funding the creation of a "One-Stop-Shop" portal (legislation I introduced to streamline business interaction with city agencies), and continued support of the Opportunity fund, a fund that provides low-interest loans to businesses across the city struggling with access to capital. I look forward to continuing my advocacy for supporting small business as the budget is negotiated.
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6. Mammogram Bus on Roosevelt Island
Early detection of breast cancer can save a life. That is why I'm proud to be funding free mammogram screenings with the American-Italian Cancer Foundation next month on Roosevelt Island. The mammogram bus will be coming to Roosevelt Island on April 1st, parked by Good Shepherd Plaza from 9:00am-4:30pm. As an advocate for women's health care, this is an issue that is close to my heart. According to the American Cancer Society, when Breast cancer is detected early, the 5 year relative survival rate is 99%. That is why our early detection mammogram can be so incredibly important for you, or a loved one. If you'd like to sign up for a screening or receive more information, please call my office at 212-860-1950.
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7. NYC Hospitality Alliance State of the Industry
As the Chair of the Small Business Committee, I enjoy working with many of the organizations that support our city's small businesses. That is why I was proud to kick off the New York City Hospitality Alliance’s State of the Industry conference a couple weeks ago. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy of our city, and I remain committed to focusing on improving the quality of services that the city renders for our small business operators. The Hospitality Alliance has been a great partner in advocating for many of my priorities including decreasing onerous city fines, streamlining government bureaucracy that is inhibiting small businesses, and supporting Business Improvement Districts across the City.
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8. Coler Hospital Legislative Breakfast
I am proud to have an NYCH+H facility, Coler hospital, in my District. Coler is a unique NYCH+H facility focusing on long term care with a specialization in memory care. Last week, I joined the Borough President, Mark Levine, at Coler for their annual legislative breakfast. I got to speak to the hospital's CEO, patient leaders there, and health advocates to discuss capital priorities for the hospital. Last year, I was proud to secure funding to bring a new fire alarm system to Coler Hospital. I will be fighting for a strong allocation again this year and will be advocating for some of these critical upgrades requested by Coler.
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9. Constituent Services Corner
Our constituent services team has been hard at work helping the members of our community over the past couple weeks. Some of the notable issues we addressed for constituents were securing secure higher SNAP benefits for senior citizens in the wake of COVID emergency allotments running out, working with the Parks Department to increase the levels of sand in sandboxes across our district’s parks, expediting the repair of a broken street light on East 72nd Street, and assisting a new childcare center coming to our District to ensure their opening on-time.
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10. Important Petitions to DOT
My office has been working hard with constituents to address multiple DOT-related issues:
A. As P.S. 290 gears up for a flood elimination project for its roof and the erection of scaffolding over its small rear yard play space, it's critical that the recess space on East 82nd Street is as safe as possible. Unfortunately, the sidewalk on that block is dangerous in a few places. P.S. 290 parents have drafted a petition to DOT to ensure that this stretch of sidewalk is fixed in a timely fashion to provide a safe temporary play space on 82nd Street (I was thrilled to secure $5.5 million in last year's budget for the upcoming construction of a rooftop play space there). You can sign the petition here.
B. The East 72nd Street cul-de-sac is a beloved treasure in our community with its unique cobblestones and benches overlooking the East River. Unfortunately, some of the cobblestones are coming loose causing safety hazards and DOT (the agency that maintains the site) has been slow to fix these. Residents of the Edgewater, 530 East 72nd Street, drew up a petition to DOT asking for repairs to ensure safety there. You can sign the petition here.
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11. Community Events and Updates
It was a busy past couple of weeks of community events highlighted by a great visit to a 3-K center for Read Across America Day. 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
Community Board Applications: The deadline to apply to a Community Board is on Friday, March 17th. Serving on a Community Board is a great way to increase community involvement. You can find more info on applying here.
Jewish Museum Family Day: On Sunday, April 2nd the Jewish Museum is hosting its annual Family Day from 11am-330pm. This is a great event every year and you can learn more about it here.
DSS Job Opportunities: DSS-HRA-DHS is Hiring! The City Dept. of Administrative Services (DCAS) manages job recruitment for city government, including examinations for Civil Service. Search for jobs here (to search by agency or area of interest) or here (to search by job ID# or agency)
DSNY Waste Setout Times: On April 1st, Waste setout times are changing for both residents and businesses. This is part of the Administration's rat mitigation efforts. You can learn more about what will be required under the new rules at https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/collection-setout-times
Medicare Rights Presentation: See information below on an event we're cosponsoring with the Medicare Rights Center...
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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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