Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Laguardia Airport's New Outer Roadway Network as Part of Airport's $8 Billion Transformation

 

Project Marks Latest Milestone in LaGuardia's Complete Rebuild to Date, Following Opening of Terminal B in June 2020 

New Airport Roadway Network Opens Six Months Ahead of Schedule, in Time for Summer Travel Season as Passengers Return to the Skies  

   

26 New Bridges/Flyovers Reduce the Need for Congestion Causing Traffic Signals From 19 to 3, Improving Traffic Flow Around LaGuardia  

   

Governor Announces Council for Airport Opportunity's LaGuardia Career Center Will Be Extended by Four Years to 2025 to Continue to Help Queens Residents Find Jobs at the New LaGuardia Airport

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the opening of LaGuardia Airport's new Terminal C outer roadway system, completed six months ahead of schedule and in time to improve traffic flow at the airport as travelers return to the skies this summer. The roadway opening is the latest milestone in the ongoing $8 billion transformation of LaGuardia Airport into the 21st century gateway New York deserves. 

"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 piece of the Outer Roadway network that is being activated was a section of roughly 1 mile in length on two new bridges, consisting of upper and lower level roads, in front of the new Terminal C, which is under construction by Delta Airlines. 

   

Council for Airport Opportunity 

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:

• Job placement assistance with airport employment opportunities
• Job development, skills training, and readiness programs
• Career counseling, interview preparation, and orientation for success in employment

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. 

Attorney General James and Acting Tax Commissioner Hiller Pump Brakes on Brooklyn Gas Station That Pocketed Almost $250,000 in Sales Tax

 

 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. 

Governor Cuomo Announces New Record-Lows for Single-Day and 7-Day Average COVID-19 Positivity Rate

 

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 de Blasio Appoints Victor Olds as Chief Procurement Officer and Director of the Mayor's Office of Contract Services

 

 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 is truly an honor to be appointed the City Chief Procurement Officer and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services,” said Victor Olds, incoming Chief Procurement Officer and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. “I believe deeply in the work we are doing to support our City agencies in providing the goods and services the people of this City need. I will continue the work of making business with the City more equitable, efficient and

accessible for all New Yorkers.”

“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.

Victor Olds brings experience and a passion for equity and innovation to citywide procurement.

At MOCS, Olds spearheaded multiple new initiatives to bring efficiency and increase equity, including developing and implementing PASSPort, a citywide overhaul of the procurement process and increasing the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise contract utilization to over $1 billion annually. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Olds established a personal protective equipment global supply chain for New York City. As General Counsel at MOCS, Olds also advised Chief Procurement Officer, senior Administration officials and Mayoral Agencies on $20 billion City procurement spending. 

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.”

Four Arrested in Sixteen-Defendant Oath Keeper Conspiracy Case for Activities Leading to U.S. Capitol Breach

 

Fourth Superseding Indictment Identifies Additional Conspirators, Alleges Obstruction and Assault on Law Enforcement

  Three Florida men and one Alabama man were arrested for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Joseph Hackett, 50, of Sarasota, Florida; Jason Dolan, 44, of Wellington, Florida; William Isaacs, 21, of Kissimmee, Florida; and Jonathan Walden, 46, of Birmingham, Alabama, are charged with federal offenses that include conspiracy, among other charges, related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. Dolan was arrested on Thursday, May 27, and Isaacs self-surrendered the same day. Hackett was arrested on Friday, May 28. Walden was arrested today, June 3. Hackett, Dolan, Isaacs and Walden are the latest four of 16 defendants to be arrested in this case.

As alleged in the indictment, the defendants agreed to plan and participate in an operation to interfere with the certification of the electoral college vote by coordinating in advance with others, using websites and social media to recruit participants, and traveling to Washington, D.C., with paramilitary gear and supplies including firearms, tactical vests with plates, helmets and radio equipment. As early as Jan. 3, Hackett, Dolan and Isaacs joined an invitation-only encrypted Signal group message titled, “OK FL DC OP Jan 6”.

Sometime before Jan. 5, Walden sent a message to co-defendant Joshua James expressing his interest in joining the quick reaction force team. His message to James reads, “I am interested in the QRF team in D.C. I am a former Firefighter, EMT-B and have a K-9 trained for security patrol (82 ib. German Shepherd named “Warrior”) I have a Jump Bag with Trauma supplies and have ALL the necessary 2A gear that the situation may require. PLEASE ADVISE. As soon as I hear from you I can hit the road and join up! Jonathan Walden,” followed by a phone number.

On the afternoon of Jan. 6, Walden and others rode in a pair of golf carts toward the Capitol, at times swerving around law enforcement vehicles. After they arrived at 2:33 p.m., Walden and others aggressively berated and taunted law enforcement officers in riot gear guarding the perimeter of the building. At 2:35 p.m., Hackett and Isaacs joined together with others known and unknown to form a column or “stack” of individuals wearing Oath Keepers clothing, patches, insignia and battle gear, each keeping at least one hand on the shoulder of the other in front of them. Dolan joined the stack at the top of the steps and the group collectively and forcibly entered the Capitol.

Hackett, Dolan, Isaacs and Walden are each charged with conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, and entering and remaining on restricted grounds. Hackett, Dolan and Isaacs are also charged with destruction of government property and aiding and abetting. Isaacs is also charged with civil disorder and aiding and abetting as well as assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.

The superseding indictment adds charges for previously arrested defendants, including Joshua James, charged with one count of obstruction of justice and assaulting and interfering with law enforcement in addition to conspiracy, civil disorder and other allegations. As alleged, James deleted evidence of offenses from his cell phone and assaulted Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers who blocked his path into the Capitol Rotunda.

Kelly Meggs and Kenneth Harrelson are additionally charged with one count of obstruction of justice for deleting evidence of these offenses from their cell phones.

Donovan Crowl, Jessica Watkins, Sandra Parker, Graydon Young and William Isaacs are jointly charged with one count of interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder and aiding and abetting for helping to push a crowd into MPD riot police officers who had formed a line blocking the hallway that leads from the rotunda north towards the Senate chamber.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida and Middle District of Alabama.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the FBI’s Tampa, Miami and Birmingham Field Offices. 

In the first 120 days after Jan. 6, approximately 440 individuals were arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, including over 125 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.  

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

The charges contained in any criminal complaint or indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BXDA- National Gun Violence Awareness Day March & Resource Fair

 

The Henry Tops Out At 2395 Palisade Avenue In Spuyten Duyvil, The Bronx (Riverdale)

 

Construction is now topped out on The Henry, a new rental property at 2395 Palisade Avenue in Spuyten Duyvil, The Bronx. The building will eventually comprise 55 apartments, a sub-grade parking lot, a communal lounge, a fitness center, and a shared roof deck with outdoor cooking areas and a landscaped garden.

The Henry is the latest rental property from developer Timber Equities, which confirmed that construction is on schedule for completion and delivery by early 2022.

Designed by Kutnicki Bernstein Architects, the façade is constructed of gray and tan masonry with large windows encased in dark metal framing. When complete, many of the units will offer a private balcony or a terrace facing the Hudson River.

“Given the breathtaking bridge and river views and unrivaled proximity to transit, The Henry stands out as a best-in-class destination for luxury, waterfront living,” said Timber Equities principal Mitch Perle. “The volume of leasing inquiries we’ve received to date, well in advance of completion, underscores the interest in high-quality new construction residences in this location.”

Timber Equities has retained Bohemia Realty Group as its exclusive leasing and marketing agent.

Waterfront and other views of ‘The Henry’ (2395 Palisade Avenue) – Courtesy of Timber Equities

213 Days and Counting - Go Brooklyn Nets

 

Well well, the Brooklyn Net advanced to round two of the NBA playoffs, and the Knicks were eliminated, Boo Hoo for the Knicks they didn't belong in the playoffs anyway, and now they are gone. Go Brooklyn all the way to the championship.

The mayoral debate was last night, and you have a tough choice as voters. I will tell you my choice after the election as I have written it down and put it in a sealed envelope. Charlene you marked each envelope so I know which one to choose after the winner is known so I will be right.