Council Member Marjorie Velázquez - This Week in District 13

 

Dear Neighbor,

This weekend, my office will be participating in several events across the district, including the highly-requested, HPD in Your District program. This is a great opportunity to ask housing-related questions, apply for affordable housing, file a complain and more. For additional information or to find a pop-up near you, scroll to ‘What’s Happening in District 13.’

In this week’s email, you will find information about school year 2023-2024 enrollment assistance, Back-to-School events, Giving Friends’ Community Baby Shower, New York City Parks’ Flag Football, MTA fare rates, the MTA Mobile Sales Van, job opportunities, and more. I’m also excited to inform you that the Empire State Development has extended its Covid-19 Capital Costs Tax Credit Program for businesses. To learn more about this initiative or to apply, scroll to ‘Commerce Corner.’  

To contact our office for additional information or concerns, please call us at  (718) 931-1721 or email us at District13@council.nyc.gov.

Wishing you all a safe and wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Council Member Marjorie Velázquez

Drive In Movie Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Join me and Friends of Pelham Bay Park on Friday, August 25 for the annual drive-in movie, featuring Black Panther: Wakanda Forever! I am so excited for this year’s event, including the activities planned by Friends of Pelham Bay Park. This year’s event is at the Orchard Beach parking lot, so get there early for a parking spot!

Movies Under Stars: Super Mario Bros

Get ready to level up for our epic movie night at Mazzei Playground next Saturday, August 26! Join us as we dive into the nostalgic world of Super Mario Bros and embark on an adventure, relive childhood memories, and embrace the magic of the Mushroom Kingdom. Grab your family, popcorn, and Power-Ups, and let's make this movie night one for the books!

Construction Advisory Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge From Friday, August 11 to Thursday, August 31, the NYCDOT Division of Bridges will conduct maintenance on the Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge over the Hutchinson River. As a result, two southbound lanes of the bridge will be closed weeknights from 12 Am to 5 AM. This work is subject to weather condition. Whitestone Expressway The New York State Department of Transportation has announced that there will be closures of the Exit 9E ramp from the eastbound Grand Central Parkway to Whitestone Expressway (I-678) on Friday, August 11, Tuesday, August 15th through Friday, August 18, Tuesday, August 22 through Friday, August 25, and Tuesday, August 29 through Thursday, August 31 at 12 AM (midnight) and continuing through approximately 5 AM each morning. This closure will also occur from Saturday, August 19 at 12 AM through Monday, August 21 at 5 AM.  Shore Road The New York City Department of Transportation will continue routine maintenance of the Shore Road Bridge over the Hutchinson River. As a result, single-land closures will continue from Tuesday, August 15 to Friday, September 15. Daytime Northbound - 7 AM to 9 AM Northbound and Southbound - 9 AM to 1 PM Nighttime Northbound and Southbound - 10 PM to 7 AM The New York State Department of Transportation has announced a 24-hour lane closure, impacting the center westbound lane between Shore Road and Hutchinson River Parkway. This closure is necessary for reconstruction work and will take place until Friday, August 25. August 7 - 11 One lane will be closed eastbound between Hutchinson River Parkway and Shore Road from 10 AM to 3 PM for storm drainage installation One lane will be closed westbound between Shore Road and Hutchinson River Parkway from 10 AM to 3 PM. This closure is necessary to install traffic signals August 7 - 13 There will be a 24-hour, partial ramp closure, westbound ramp to southbound Bruckner Expressway (I-95). This closure is necessary for reconstruction work. Whitestone Bridge Please be advised there will be overnight construction at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge requiring Queens-bound lane closures this weekend. There will be a single-southbound lane closure from Friday, August 4th at 11 PM through Sunday, August 6th, at 9 AM. In addition, a second lane will be closed from Friday, August 4th at 11 PM through Saturday, August 5th at 6 AM, and Saturday, August 5th from 11 PM through Sunday, August 6th at 7 AM. No Parking The NYC Department of Design and Construction has announced a ‘No Parking’ advisory for Pelham Parkway North Service Road between Eastchester Road and Bronx Park East, though Thursday, August 31, from 7 AM to 4 PM. This restriction is necessary to facilitate ‘end of construction’ work and is a moving operation. Lane Closures The NYC Department of Design and Construction has announced a ‘Lane Closure’ advisory on Pelham Parkway Westbound Main Road and Eastbound Main Road between Boston Road and Stillwell Avenue through Thursday, August 31, from 7 AM to 4 PM. This restriction is necessary to facilitate roadway reconstruction and is a moving operation. Back-To-School Giveaway and Community Baby Shower Join Giving Friends and my office this Saturday for a Back-to-School Giveaway and Community Baby Shower at PS 71! Everyone needs a little help now and then, and as a community, we’re making sure no one is left behind. Stop by and pick up a backpack, school supplies, or baby essentials - we’re all in this together.  Location 3040 Roberts Avenue Bronx, NY 10461 NYC Summer Streets The New York City Department of Transportation will be hosting Summer Streets in the Bronx on Saturday, August 26 along Grand Concourse between East Tremont Avenue and Mosholu Parkway. Participants will enjoy free fitness classes, cultural performances, and family-friendly activities along the route and at rest stops. Please be advised there will be a ‘No Parking’ regulation in place beginning Friday, August 25 at 11 PM through Saturday, August 26 at 2 PM. Street closures will begin at 5 AM, Saturday, August 26 and will reopen at 1:30 PM. Back to School Enrollment SY 2023-2023 The first day of school is Thursday, September 7, and with thousands of families enrolling their children, Family Welcome Centers will provide information on what happens during this time period, as well as other information to help navigate the enrollment process. To better serve families across the city, Family Welcome Centers will close some of their smaller locations and will operate in nearby schools. Families interested in scheduling an appointment can do so by calling 718-935-2828 or emailing their local Family Welcome Center by visiting schools.nyc.gov/FWC. Families who have children with a placement will be best served by contacting Family Welcome Center’s enrollment office. Responses may take up to three business days. 3-K, pre-K, kindergarten, Gifted & Talented: ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov Middle School: msenrollment@schools.nyc.gov High School: hsenrollment@schools.nyc.gov If you child is not enrolled in school or you are new to the community, below is information to support during the enrollment period. New Student - schools.nyc.gov/NewStudents or call  311 Find Your School District - schoolsearch.schools.nyc Use MySchools - MySchools.nyc MTA Mobile Sales Van The MTA Mobile Sales Van will be at 3033 Middletown Road, from 1 PM to 3 PM, on the fourth Friday of each month. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about your MetroCard, apply for a reduced fare rate, replace expired or damaged cards, and more. Express bus fares will be $700 7-Day Express Bus Plus MetroCard will be $64 All discounts for seniors and reduced fares will remain in place. OMNY Seven-Day Fare Capping is More Flexible & Tailored to Each Rider’s Usage OMNY customers can start their seven-day fare capping period any day of the week, giving customers the best deal for any seven-day period, beginning on the day of the rider’s first tap. It will renew upon the rider’s first tap after the seven-day period has concluded. The OMNY “best fare” initiative gives customers the financial flexibility to pay-as-they-go until they have spent $34 in any consecutive seven days, after which the cap will be in effect through the end of seven days.

RIKERS ISLAND INMATE INDICTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER FOR STABBING MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN

Defendant Was Being Held at Rikers Island for Deadly Subway Stabbing 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Rikers Island inmate has been indicted for Attempted Murder and other charges for stabbing a mental health clinician with a makeshift dagger. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The victim was interviewing detainees in the Mental Observation Unit when he was allegedly stabbed by the defendant with a sharpened piece of metal. The health care provider fought for his life and Correction Officers came to his aid. This was a brutal attack on someone who helps people with mental health issues.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Claude White, 24, of the Bronx, was arraigned today on Attempted Murder in the second-degree, Attempted Assault in the first-degree, three counts of second-degree Assault, first-degree Promoting Prison Contraband, and fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Beth Beller. The defendant was remanded and is due back in court on October 12, 2023.

 According to the investigation, on July 29, 2023, in the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island, the victim, a mental health clinician who was working in the Mental Observational Unit, was interviewing a client/detainee when White approached from behind and stabbed the clinician with a metal shank. NYC Department of Correction Officers detained White. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital with two puncture wounds to his face, one puncture wound to his arm, and blunt force injuries to his chest.

 White was remanded for the fatal stabbing of a man on a 4 train in Manhattan on June 19, 2023.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Department of Correction Intelligence Bureau Investigators Paul Smith, Cecil Phillips, and Walter Holmes for their work in the investigation.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

Governor Hochul Announces Major Construction Complete on $121 Million Project to Reconstruct Section of Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) in the Bronx

 

Project Rehabilitated Major Thoroughfare to Ease Congestion and Reduce Backups at Busy Location

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that major construction is complete on a $121 million project that reconstructed the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) in both directions between West 161st Street and the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. This significant construction project will improve traffic flow, enhance safety, and encourage economic growth in the Bronx, allowing traffic and goods to move more efficiently through New York City and beyond via this key corridor.

“The Major Deegan Expressway is a crucial route for commuters and commercial vehicles heading to and from New York City,” Governor Hochul said. “The modernization of this important segment of infrastructure will enhance the traveling experience for all motorists, improve traffic flow, and encourage commerce via this key interstate artery.”

As part of the project, a northbound auxiliary lane was added between West 161st Street and Depot Place, which will reduce backups that have occurred historically at this location as motorists exited and entered the highway, including from Sedgwick Avenue. By giving motorists more space to merge, the new lane also eases congestion in the existing left and middle lanes – ensuring that traffic headed to Westchester County and other northern destinations is now expedited.

Additionally, the new auxiliary lane provides motorists on Sedgewick Avenue with direct access to the Cross Bronx Expressway without having to merge onto the Major Deegan Expressway, which eases traffic on local streets. The construction of a new entrance ramp just north of the intersection of Sedgwick and Undercliff Avenues provides additional direct access to the northbound Major Deegan Expressway.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “This is a major milestone in our continued efforts to rehabilitate the Major Deegan Expressway and surrounding transportation infrastructure in the region. New Yorkers traveling on this important transportation corridor will notice the advantages and benefits immediately on both the state and local transportation networks. With every project that we undertake at the Department of Transportation, we aim to make travel easier while improving the quality of life in the community, and that’s just what this project on the Major Deegan Expressway has accomplished.”

The project eliminated the 2,400-foot-long southbound steel viaduct, which ran from just south of Depot Place to near the ramp from the Major Deegan Expressway to Yankee Stadium, and the 60-foot-long northbound steel viaduct near 161st Street – reducing future maintenance and inspection costs. The viaducts have been replaced with new roadways built on earth fill, and the pavement within the project limits has been reconstructed.

A new traffic signal was installed at the intersection of West 167th Street and Sedgwick Avenue, which has been synchronized with the existing traffic signal on Undercliff Avenue, further improving traffic flow. The crosswalks and sidewalks at this intersection were reconstructed to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Other improvements include the replacement of an existing 48” watermain along Sedgwick Avenue that was over 100 years old, the installation of new LED lighting, upgrades to the expressway’s drainage system, a modern traffic management system, including new closed-circuit cameras and fiber optic cables, and the installation of new signs with enhanced reflectivity and improved readability.

Minor finishing work will continue on the bridge carrying Depot Place over the Major Deegan Expressway for the next several weeks. Improvements to this bridge include a new concrete deck and bearings and higher vertical clearance over the northbound and southbound lanes of the Major Deegan Expressway and ramp to I-95, which allows trucks to pass underneath more safely. Additional enhancements to the bridge included steel repairs, replacement of railings with a low concrete wall and fencing, replacement of an 8” watermain with a 12” watermain to increase the line’s capacity, the addition of a new 8” watermain helping to improve the resiliency of the water supply system and upgraded utility lines.

The bridge includes a new 5-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of the bridge and a new 9-foot-wide sidewalk and 12-foot-wide bikeway along the south side of the bridge. The sidewalks provide ADA compliant routes and crossings from Sedgewick Avenue to the ramp from Depot Place to Exterior Street and the waterfront. The new dedicated bike lane has been integrated into the existing bike route on Sedgwick Avenue.

Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use

Upcoming Events, Legislative News, Grant Opportunities, & More

(Friday) Extra, Extra Click here for this week's video: Mayor Eric Adams Signs Dining Out Bill at Havana Cafe $10M Fund Increases Capital Access for Bronx Small Businesses Legislative Updates & Advocacy Trash Containerization Takes Effect for Food Businesses Upcoming Events Mott Haven Business to Business Block Party, 8/26/2023 - Alexander Avenue at Bruckner Boulevard, 2:00pm - 8:00pm Business to Business Back to School Festival, 8/31/2023 - 1377 Jerome Avenue, 11:00am - 6:00pm Business to Business Networking & Financial Education w. Councilmember Marjorie Velazquez, 9/14/2023 - The Living Room, 2883 Dill Place Bronx, NY 2023 Gala - The Bronx is Building, 9/21/2023 - Marina Del Rey, 6:30pm

DINING OUT NYC LEGISLATION BECOMES LAW

New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed Intro. 31-C into law and unveiled “Dining Out NYC” — New York’s permanent outdoor dining program and the largest outdoor dining program in the nation. The product of more than a year of negotiations between the Adams administration and the City Council, with extensive input from the restaurant industry and communities across the entire city, the signing of the bill — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez — and creation of this new program represents a major legislative accomplishment for the Adams administration after Mayor Adams championed the bill as a top priority in his “Working People’s Agenda” in January 2023. For more information, click here

$10M LOAN FUND LAUNCHED TO ASSIST BRONX SMALL BUSINESSES

A new $10 million loan program for Bronx businesses, funded with money left over from the long-forgotten Bronx empowerment zone, will be announced Thursday morning by U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-The Bronx) and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. The loans, to be administered by the Bronx Economic Development Corporation, will range from $5,000 to $350,000 and can be used for a variety of purposes including payroll, inventory and equipment. Eligible businesses will be primarily in the South Bronx, which was the heart of the federal empowerment zone. For more information, click here

LEGISLATIVE & ADVOCACY UPDATES

Commercial Containerization for Food Businesses - Effective August 1, 2023 - ALL food-related businesses in NYC must use rigid containers with secure lids when setting out trash for collection. Who is affected The new rule impacts ALL food-related businesses. This includes catering establishments, food manufacturers, food preparation establishments, food service establishments, food wholesalers, and retail food stores. Restaurants, grocery stores, delis, bodegas, caterers, and other businesses that sell or handle food MUST comply. What material is impacted Any putrescible material — refuse or organic material — set out on the curb for collection MUST be in a container with a SECURE LID. The requirement does not apply to other recyclables (metal, glass, plastic, or paper) or to businesses that have waste collected from a loading dock. This rule does not require the separation of trash and organics, only the use of containers for collection. However, some businesses are required to separate their organic waste. If your business meets the minimum requirements, you must comply with the NYC Commercial Organics Rules. When to set out In accordance with recent setout rules, businesses that place waste on the curb have two options: Place waste at the curb 1 hour before closing, OR After 8:00 PM. If placing out after 8:00 PM, recyclables do not need to be in a container. How to store bins Containers should be stored inside or in a rear yard if possible. If space is not available, bins can be stored within three (3) feet of the building line when not set out for collection. Bins must be maintained in a neat and orderly manner and always allow for a clear path of pedestrian travel on the sidewalk. NOTE: Businesses required to source-separate organics under Local Law 146 of 2013 must continue to do so by placing their food waste in a separate container with a latching lid. Garbage must be set out in a separate container.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mott Haven Business to Business Block Party August 26 at 2:00pm Alexander Avenue Open Streets, Alexander Avenue at Bruckner Boulevard Join the Bronx Chamber, the Avenue NYC - Mott Haven Program, Mott Haven Merchants Association for a Block Party celebrating the businesses and residents of the Bruckner Boulevard area. During the event there will be live music by Johnny Mambo and Friends, DJ Menyu, dancing and information on business improvement district formation, marketing, and more!

Business to Business Street Festival August 31 at 11:00am - 3:00pm 1377 Jerome Avenue Bronx, NY Join Councilmember Althea Stevens, The Bronx Chamber of Commerce, New Settlement, and New York City government agencies in celebrating back to school while supporting local businesses. Enjoy face painting Bouncy Castles Music & Games Business to Business Networking NYC Agencies On-Site Assistance M/WBE Certification Information This is the culmination of economic and business development work in District 16 and seeks to continue to build strong neighborhoods and relationships between businesses and our young people. Reserve Your Spot

For the complete Bronx Chamber Events Calendar, featuring educational workshops, networking events and other opportunities hosted by the Chamber, its members, & partners, please visit and bookmark our website events calendar link in your browser - new events are added weekly!