Big Bird is a vertically gifted, empathetic leader who dedicates his life to teaching kids and learning himself. To be compared to him is a badge of honor.
– New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, @NYCMayor
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Project Marks Latest Milestone in LaGuardia's Complete Rebuild to Date, Following Opening of Terminal B in June 2020
"A completely redesigned road network — with state-of-the-art traffic management systems and fewer signaled intersections — will make it far easier for travelers arriving by vehicle to get to terminals or parking garages, representing a significant step forward as we create a world-class travel experience at a new LaGuardia Airport," Governor Cuomo said. "Along with plans to build AirTrain LaGuardia, which will create the airport's first reliable and fast mass transit rail link to Manhattan, the new roadway network puts LaGuardia Airport well on the way to becoming one of the most accessible airports in the nation."
Governor Cuomo today also announced $1.5 million in additional funding to the Council for Airport Opportunity for the LaGuardia Career Center which, working with Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities and Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens CDC, will continue to provide opportunities for local residents to benefit from the airport's redevelopment through 2025. The Council for Airport Opportunity is a nonprofit organization that provides airport-related recruitment and job placement services to Queens residents, including those who are minority and disadvantaged.
Governor Cuomo's vision for a new and unified LaGuardia Airport — the first major new airport in the United States in 25 years — was unveiled in 2015, following the recommendations of the governor's airport advisory panel. Construction started in 2016, with significant milestones coming at a brisk pace, including the opening of a new Terminal B garage in February 2018, a new Concourse B in November 2018, a new Delta Concourse G in October 2019, a new Terminal B headhouse in June 2020, the first phase of Concourse A in August 2020, and the opening of the first taxiway beneath a pedestrian skybridge in May, 2021. Currently, more than half of LaGuardia passengers are using new gates and facilities.
The project — one of the largest public private partnerships in aviation history — includes the demolition and replacement of every terminal and concourse except for the historically landmarked Marine Air Terminal, all while continuing to maintain full flight operations which included passenger volume records in 2018 and 2019.
Completion of the Outer Roadway Network
Central to the vision for a new LaGuardia is creating a unified airport with two new main terminals connected by a Central Hall and a new, simplified and highly efficient roadway system that will allow for speedier vehicular movements.
The Port Authority has allotted $625 million to new roadway/bridge construction as part of the overall $8 billion LaGuardia Airport modernization project. This includes LaGuardia Gateway Partners work on the western half of the airport at the new Terminal B and Delta's rebuilding of the entire eastern half of the airport to replace existing Terminals C and D with a single new Terminal C, which will be complete mid-2022.
Twenty-six new bridges/flyovers replace 15 existing bridges and significantly eliminate the need for on-airport traffic signals. Prior to the start of the modernization program, there were 19 traffic signals for drivers to navigate at Terminals B, C and D. Following completion of the modernization project, only three of those 19 traffic signals are expected to remain. Most of the on-airport road crossings will have been eliminated by raising traffic up onto bridges, sometimes three levels high. To further improve traffic flow, the 8.4 miles of new airport roadway will feature more and wider lanes than the previous 7.7 miles of airport roadway.
As Governor Cuomo announced last spring, roadway construction was accelerated during the pandemic as a result of reduced traffic and travel volume at the airport during the COVID-19 pandemic, which slashed six months off the scheduled time for completion.
The additional funding for the Council for Airport Opportunity announced by the Governor is in addition to the $1.4 million allocated by the Port Authority of NY&NJ and airlines serving the airport in 2018 to establish the new partnership with Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities and Neighborhood Housing Services to provide the following services to local residents:
Operating out of a new satellite office opened in April 2019 at 107-20 Northern Boulevard in Corona, the career center has already assisted 3,575 customers and placed 376 people in jobs at LaGuardia Airport, including 245 from Queens.
The extension of CAO funding is intended to maximize access to job opportunities for local residents, both during the redevelopment and beyond, and is among the many community benefits associated with funding for AirTrainLaGuardia. Funding for the office was set to have expired at the end of 2021.
CAO recruits candidates for airport employment and provides them with job readiness counseling, career orientation and instruction in interviewing skills and job search techniques. Elmcor and NHS will add their in-depth knowledge of the community to ensure that the new CAO office reaches all local residents seeking to benefit from economic opportunities at LGA.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Acting New York Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Amanda Hiller today announced the conviction of Brooklyn-based gas station Verrazano Enterprises, Inc. for Grand Larceny, stemming from the theft of over $244,000 in sales tax in connection with the sale of motor fuel. Gas station owner Muhammad Adrees also pleaded guilty to Criminal Solicitation. As part of their pleas, Verrazano and Adrees collectively paid over $189,000 in restitution and executed a confession of judgment for the entire amount that was stolen from New York state.
“While this gas station may have stolen from New York state to fill up its own bank accounts, our prosecution pumped the brakes on Verrazano’s illegal operation,” said Attorney General James. “Any company that attempts to defraud New York state will find there’s no getaway car waiting, because our office will not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal to stop these bad actors dead in their tracks. I want to thank Acting Commissioner Hiller for her partnership and her department’s important work in protecting New York taxpayers.”
“The gas station blatantly disregarded an obligation to report millions in taxable sales and to pay sales tax owed — violating the trust of customers, depriving Brooklyn of revenue for vital services, and gaining an unfair advantage over similar businesses,” said Acting Commissioner Hiller. “We'll continue to work with all levels of law enforcement, including the Attorney General's Office, to root out this type of illegal behavior.”
A joint investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau and the Department of Taxation and Finance’s (DTF) Criminal Investigations Division revealed that Verrazano systematically underreported taxable motor fuel sales and, additionally, failed to remit collected sales tax from December 2009 up to and through November 2015. A DTF audit of sales tax returns for the relevant time period revealed that Verrazano underreported its taxable sales by $10,552,877. As a result, after crediting sales tax of $531,913.28 that was pre-paid to DTF by the wholesale supplier, Verrazano failed to remit $244,581.85 in sales tax due to New York state.
This morning, before the Honorable Abena Darkeh in Kings County State Supreme Court, Verrazano tendered a plea of guilty to one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony. Also, this morning, before the Honorable Abena Darkeh in Kings County State Criminal Court, Adrees tendered a plea of guilty to one count of Criminal Solicitation in the Fifth Degree. Both Verrazano and Adrees jointly paid over $189,000 in restitution to DTF, executed a confession of judgment for the benefit of DTF for the entire amount that was stolen, and were sentenced to a conditional discharge.
The OAG wishes to thank DTF’s’ Criminal Investigations Division for their valuable assistance in this investigation.
The investigation by the OAG was conducted by Detective Investigator Brian Metz, under the supervision of Supervising Detective Michael Leahy and Deputy Chief Antoine Karam. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.
Statewide Positivity Rate is 0.44%
7-Day Average is 0.60% - Declined 59 Consecutive Days
Hospitalizations Fall Below 1,000 for First Time Since October 21
77,131 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours
10 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the statewide single-day COVID-19 positivity rate dropped to 0.44 percent yesterday, and the seven-day average dropped to 0.60 percent - both record lows. Additionally, hospitalizations statewide fell below 1,000 for the first time since October 21.
"COVID rates across the state have never been lower and hospitalizations are under 1,000 for the first time in 8 months, all while businesses are reopening and people are coming back together again," Governor Cuomo said. "Our state is back, and that's a testament to the New Yorkers who have stayed tough and smart over the last year - but most of all, it's a testament to the more than 19 million vaccinations we've put in arms. The vaccines are safe, free, and effective, period, and the sooner we get each and every eligible New Yorker vaccinated, the sooner we can finish off this pandemic once and for all."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
· Test Results Reported - 128,002
· Total Positive - 565
· Percent Positive - 0.44%
· 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 0.60%
· Patient Hospitalization - 970 (-37)
· Patients Newly Admitted - 112
· Patients in ICU - 245 (-7)
· Patients in ICU with Intubation - 143 (+7)
· Total Discharges - 182,602 (+130)
· Deaths - 10
· Total Deaths - 42,745
Total vaccine doses administered - 19,226,670
Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 77,131
Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 510,701
Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 65.7%
Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 57.6%
Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 54.0%
Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 46.3%
Mayor Bill de Blasio today appointed Victor O. Olds as Chief Procurement Officer and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS). Olds, who has served as General Counsel at MOCS since 2016 and spearheaded the M/WBE program at the agency, is succeeding outgoing Chief Procurement Officer and Director Daniel Symon.
“Victor is a true New Yorker dedicated to serving the people of New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “From getting PPE for our heathcare heroes during the height of the pandemic to bringing more City business to MWBEs, Victor has made our city a fairer and safer place. I thank Dan Symon for his incredible service to New York City and continued success.”
“It has been my honor to work side by side with Vic. More than anything else, he is a world class person. Yes, he is perfect for this job, but more importantly the right leader for MOCS to continue the work we built together,” said Daniel Symon, outgoing Chief Procurement Officer and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services.
Olds began his career as a Litigation Associate at an international law firm, where he litigated arbitration disputes and commercial contract agreements. He also served as Director of Young Adult Ministry at The Brooklyn Tabernacle, a multicultural, non-denominational church in Brooklyn.
Olds is a graduate of Cornell University and earned his JD from the Fordham University School of Law. He is a native New Yorker and lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.
“Victor is a world class public servant and perfect fit to lead MOCS as our city continues to recover from COVID,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin. “His commitment to equity is unparalleled, and I’m thrilled he will be taking on this new role.”
