MAYOR DE BLASIO SIGNS LEGISLATION TO LAUNCH BASEMENT APARTMENT CONVERSION PILOT PROGRAM

City to partner with community organizations to finance creation of safe, quality basement apartments in East New York

  Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed landmark legislation to create a pathway for transforming certain basement and cellar apartments into safe, legal, affordable homes. The new law establishes a three-year demonstration program to facilitate the creation and renovation of apartments in the basements and cellars of qualifying one- and two-family homes in Brooklyn Community District 5.

“There are thousands of basement apartments in our City, but too many are illegal and unsafe. This program will help New Yorkers secure safe, affordable homes and give homeowners a new legal source of income,” said Mayor de Blasio.

Residents in illegal basement and cellar apartments typically have no lease, limited rights, and live in substandard conditions. This new law will add to New York City’s existing housing stock by allowing property owners to create safe, legal, and affordable apartments in their buildings. The City will also use the pilot to learn about how to overcome barriers that owners face when seeking to convert basement units.

Last summer, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a Request for Expressions of Interest to identify a Community Based Organization to administer the program.  HPD will partner with Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC), a local non-profit that will subcontract with four community non-profits.  The program will provide eligible low- to middle-income homeowners living in one- to three-family homes in East New York and Cypress Hills, Brooklyn with low or no-interest loans to convert their basements into safe, legal, and rentable apartments, based on the altered Building Code. The homeowner will also be provided with the technical assistance needed to close on a loan and complete the construction project. Homeowners can learn more by calling 311 or visiting nyc.gov/basementconversion.

“Finding a path to create safe, legal basement apartments that will add to our city’s affordable housing stock while stabilizing homeowners is an idea whose time has come,” said Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “We are grateful to Councilmembers Lander, Espinal, and Barron for their leadership on this issue and our partner City agencies for helping us to advance this innovative pilot program that promises to unlock more safe, quality housing opportunities.”

“The Buildings Department is pleased to join our colleagues in city government to promote the Mayor’s vision for affordable housing. This legislation varies several existing city code standards and provides additional protections to help homeowners build safe and legal cellar and basement dwelling units in certain properties in Brooklyn. We thank the City Council and our partner agencies for their work to enact legislation creating this important new program,” said Acting Buildings Commissioner Thomas Fariello, RA. 

Modifications of code standards include minimum ceiling heights and window sizes in basement and cellar spaces and strengthened requirements for emergency egress and fire safety. Each proposed modification to the code standards for this program took into account the health and safety of residents. The changes will modify requirements in order to reduce costs and facilitate conversion of new residential units.

Brooklyn’s Community District 5, including East New York, has an existing building stock of one- and two-family homes that makes it ideal for the launch of this program. The basement conversion pilot program was a commitment made under the East New York Neighborhood Plan, and is the result of a study conducted by a working group convened in October, 2016. This working group was comprised of Administration officials, elected officials including Council Member Espinal; Community groups, residents and housing advocates including CHLDC, Community Development Project at Urban Justice Center, CHHAYA CDC, Pratt Center for Community Development, Coalition for Community Advancement - Progress for East New York/Cypress Hills.

MAYOR DE BLASIO & US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ANNOUNCE ROCKAWAY BEACH RESTORATION

Agreement with Army Corps means beach re-nourishment will take place between Beach 92^nd Street and Beach 103^rd Street; goal is to have work completed in time for summer beach season

  Mayor de Blasio, Senator Schumer, Comptroller Stringer, Representative Meeks and Borough President Katz announced an agreement between the City and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to use dredged sand to re-nourish and restore Rockaway beach between Beach 92^nd Street and Beach 103^rd Street. Depending on when dredging work commences and the severity of spring storms, the project should allow for the reopening of this stretch of beach this coming summer.

“Rockaway Beach defines summer in New York City,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Reopening this beach means a lot to this community and families all over the city. We’ve worked months with the Army Corps and our federal partners on a solution to get it done.”

“I cannot be prouder of the team effort to award this vital maintenance dredging contract with our partner, the City of New York,” said Colonel Thomas Asbery, Commander, USACE, New York District. “The safety of the navigation channels and shoreline resiliency is USACE’s top priority in our world class harbor estuary of New York and New Jersey. We have seized the opportunity to beneficially reuse dredge material to provide coastal storm risk reduction measures along the heavily eroded portion of the Rockaway shorefront. This is a tremendous benefit for the community and for the City of New York.”

USACE New York District has awarded a contract for $10.7M to Weeks Marine of Cranford, N.J. to perform needed maintenance dredging of the East Rockaway Inlet Federal Navigation Channel. The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is contributing $2.7M to pump the sand two and a half miles farther west in order to avoid potential environmental impacts. The work will restore and ensure safe passage for both commercial and recreational vessel traffic through the inlet. USACE is expected to remove approximately, 300,000 cubic yards of sand from the inlet and place it between Beach 92nd and Beach 103rd Streets to replace lost sand due to heavy erosion after last March’s back-to-back nor’easters. Maintenance dredging of East Rockaway Inlet is expected to begin in spring 2019.

In 2013, USACE placed 3.5M cubic yards of sand on the beaches following Superstorm Sandy to help strengthen the resiliency of its coastal storm risk reduction project, which was originally built in the 1970s.    

In addition, the USACE New York District is in the process of receiving final approval from USACE headquarters for the East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet & Jamaica Bay General Revaluation Report, with the goal of beginning the first elements of construction in late 2019. The plan calls for a reinforced dune (composite seawall) with a height of 17 feet. This structure will stretch from Beach 9th Street to Beach 149th Street.

The plan also calls for increased beach berm with 1.6 m cubic yards of sand for initial placement, the extension of 5 groins already in place and the construction of 13 new groins --all designed to help reduce the risk from future coastal storms and provide additional resiliency for the residents of this community.

“Rockaway beach is not just vital to our city as a whole, it’s the bedrock of surrounding Queens communities. I’m glad that the City and the Federal government came to the table, and that my office was able to take swift action to move this project forward for the Rockaway community,” said Comptroller Scott Stringer. “We all know how resilient the Rockaway community is, but we can’t let delays take over this process. We’ll keep the spotlight on to ensure the community is always put first.”

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We left in Comptroller Stringer's comment, because he seems to understand that if Rockaway Beach is allowed to decay further then it would allow the Atlantic Ocean to cover the Broad Channel, Howard Beach, and other parts of Southeast Queens as the rising water level of the ocean increases. 

It is mentioned that in 2013 only six years ago this process had to be done after Hurricane Sandy. One only has to wonder how soon this process will have to be repeated again.

  

MAYOR DE BLASIO HOLDS MEDIA AVAILABILITY TO DISCUSS WINTER WEATHER RESPONSE

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I want to give all New Yorkers an update on the storm that we’re experiencing right now and I want to let people know from the beginning – this is going to be a serious storm. People should be ready for really tough conditions in the morning even though right now in a lot of the city all you’re seeing is rain – that’s going to convert to snow soon, and we expect, as the night goes on, the snow is going to pick up and it’s going to get more and more intense right before the morning rush hour. And this is our concern right now, that we expect actually the biggest snow accumulation we’ve had all year, the whole snow system – excuse me – snow season, so far. This will be the biggest accumulation that we’ve had all year. But in particular, what we’re concerned about is it’s going to hit right before the morning rush hour, in fact, it could drift into the morning rush hour with very fast accumulations.

So, there’s a great deal of concern that it’s going to be a very tough commute in the morning. It’s going to be very tough for people to get around. I want to right now urge all New Yorkers who do not need to use their cars in the morning, please do not. We’re going to have very messy conditions, slippery conditions, dangerous conditions. We want to keep people off the streets to allow the Sanitation Department to do the work that they do. We’re going to have a real problem if there’s too many vehicles out there. So, I’m urging all New Yorkers – if you have to go out, please use mass transit. If you don’t have to go out, stay in in the morning so the Sanitation Department can do their work clearing the streets.

Now, I want to thank right off the bat the Sanitation Department, and Emergency Management, and all the city agencies that have been working so intensely over the last 48 hours to get ready for this. Of course, Sanitation is out in force right now. 695 salt spreaders have been out now throughout the day, all over the five boroughs, getting the roads ready. We have 1,600 plows ready to go, as soon as the snow accumulation amounts to the point that the plows can get into action. But we do expect to see the snow in the next few hours, and then it will intensify, through the night. When we get to the early morning hours, we could see snow coming in at the pace of one to two inches per hour. And we’ve seen that before. Those kinds of conditions really cause us a tremendous amount of concern and those are very tough conditions to drive in. For that reason, school will be closed tomorrow. I’m making a formal announcement now that school will be closed tomorrow, and all activities related to school – field trips, after school – everything will be cancelled tomorrow, Monday.

We’re also announcing that alternate side parking will be cancelled tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday as well. So, we want to make it easier on people who are worried about what they’re going to be doing with their cars the next few days, alternate side – we’re cancelling it Monday, we’re cancelling it Tuesday, it was already cancelled because of a standing government holiday on Wednesday. So, for all New Yorkers with a car, you will not have to move it Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Hopefully that will help us get through this storm.

Additional information – Code Blue is in effect. We have a very intensive outreach effort you’ll see today and tomorrow. If there’s anyone on the street who needs help, they’ll be led by Department of Homeless Services working closely with the NYPD and the FDNY. Also want people to know that it will be not only difficult to get around on the streets but on the sidewalks as well. So as you’re trying to get around tomorrow, what we expect is a lot of precipitation overnight and then it’s going to freeze up during the day tomorrow. Very cold temperatures will be setting in throughout the day tomorrow and overnight Monday into Tuesday. So we really want people to mindful. There’s going to be a lot of ice. Please be very careful when you’re out there. As always, urging all New Yorkers – look out for your neighbors, look out, in particular, for senior citizens who might need a little help or anyone who lives in your building or in your neighborhood who might need some help. It’s very important to check in on them during storms whenever you can. And for anyone who sees a dangerous situation – if it’s urgent, or immediately life-threatening, call 911. If it’s something that’s important but not immediately life-threatening, call 311. Also, for anyone who does not have heat or hot water, please call 311. We need those reports so that we can make sure that we are working to get heat and hot water restored. That’s for people who live in every type of housing. Obviously most of our heat complaints come from private buildings. We need those complaints quickly so we can push landlords to get the heat back, or, if necessary, the City will go over to the buildings and put the heat back on ourselves.

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi District 34 Budget Forum at Manhattan College

  This was a reschedule of a previous Budget Forum at Manhattan College two weeks ago which was cancelled at the last minute. State Senator Biaggi may have wanted to listen to residents of Riverdale on their opinions of the upcoming New York State Budget, but this forum fell quite short of the goal intended. While there were people who said they lived in Riverdale most were there with special interest in mind, like the group that wanted the film industry tax credit renewed. Then there was the man from Pelham, and others from outside the 34th Senate district who wanted to lobby Senator Biaggi for their causes. 

  It was quite clear to me that the local Riverdale residents Senator Biaggi wanted to hear from either didn't know of the meeting or didn't care because Senator Biaggi has made it clear that she will back all twenty points that Governor Cuomo wants in the upcoming budget including Congestion Pricing. 

  The group NW BRONX INDIVISIBLE which helped elect Senator Biaggi were at the Budget Forum handing out, and even speaking about putting pressure on state assembly members Jeffrey Dinowitz and Assembly Speaker Heastie to back the campaign reforms which the Governor and State Senate (as well as this group) want passed in Albany. 

  So it was crystal clear by the forty people in total in attendance that this event Senator Biaggi held seems to show the little or lack of real community support that the senator has in Riverdale. Was it that people really voted for her, or was it that they were voting against former State Senator Jeff Klein?

Claudette Colvin Day March 2, 2019

  

Sheikh Musa Drammeh Host of the Claudette Colvin Day event held at St. Helena's Church 1315 Olmstead Avenue in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, Saturday March 2, 2019 opened with the following.

Dear New Yorkers,

It is snowing in New York today. But if she could stood her ground in exercising her “Constitutional Rights” at the tender age of 15 on Wednesday, March 2, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama for us to sit-down, we shall defiantly celebrate her world-changing day under any weather conditions. Claudette Colvin Day.

Ms. Claudette Colvin was to have a street renamed for her, but complications at City Hall will make that happen in the spring or summer when the weather will be much warmer and nicer, with the hope that Ms. Colvin will be able to see the street co-naming. The other problem was that Claudette Colvin is not well as she approaches her 80th birthday. Organizers of Claudette Colvin Day, and having a street co-named in her honor would like to have Ms. Colvin present to see the street being renamed for her. 

Father David of St. Helena Church gave the opening prayer. Assemblyman Jose Rivera then went on to say that it was people like Claudette Colvin who are the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, and it is people like Ms. Colvin who children do not know was the first person, not Rosa Parks to refuse to give up her seat on a bus in an unrespectful time in the south to people of color. 

Recently elected Parkchester Assemblywoman Karines Reyes said that she is a nurse who is a rabble rouser, and that Jose Rivera is a trouble maker. 

Councilman Andy King sent his Bronx District office manager (and Yo-Yo Wizard) Brian Melford with a certificate of recognition of Ms. Claudette Colvin. 

Parkchester District Leader John Perez who was at last years Claudette Colvin Day where Ms. Colvin received a flag that flew over the capital from the previous congressman, brought his daughter Emma with him. District Leader Perez said that he is teaching his young daughter about icons like Claudette Colvin, because it is very important that children know who really made the history, and that those people don't always get the credit they deserve. 

This event was presented by Project Peace Lights. 

Above - Assemblyman Jose Rivera speaks about the history of Claudette Colvin, and Assemblywoman Karines Reyes added to what Assemblyman Rivera said.

Below - Councilman Andy King's Bronx District office manager talks about the Certificate of Recognition he brought from Councilman Andy King for Ms. Colvin.

Above - Parkchester District Leader John Perez brought his daughter Emma up on stage with him. He said that it is important for young children to know the real events that happened like Ms. Colvin being the first Black woman not willing to give up her seat in the 1950's, and not just what is written in history books that Rosa Parks was the first Black woman not willing to give up her seat. 

Below - A survivor from the Rwanda Genocide of young girls spoke of the importance of speaking up and not allowing one to give in to the pressures young girls face today. 

Speaker Corey Johnson and New-York Historical Society Announce New Installation in City Hall Celebrating Iconic New York Women

  City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and the New-York Historical Society’s Center for Women’s History announced Women’s Voices: Shaping the City, a new display in City Hall created to honor a diverse and iconic selection of women whose contributions to New York City history deserve public recognition. The special installation reflects the New York City Council and Speaker Johnson’s commitment to addressing the vast gender disparity in public artwork and monuments around the City. Portraits of eight female figures will be displayed in City Hall along with biographical information and inspirational quotes that help define their legacies. Women’s Voices: Shaping the City will be unveiled at City Hall on Friday, March 1, 2019, at the start of Women’s History Month in conjunction with the Council’s month-long Herstory celebration.

“As New Yorkers realize that we as a City have utterly failed to adequately recognize the contributions of women and try to fix it, this City Council is proud to lead the way in creating public monuments to our City’s monumental women,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.

“Most New Yorkers agree that the future is female, but the past was female too, and the entire City needs to do a better job of celebrating that fact and telling stories that have gone untold for far too long. I am proud beyond words that Shirley Chisholm, Frances Perkins, and Antonia Pantoja will now grace the same City Hall walls as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The men we have memorialized in this building have gone without strong female representation alongside them for far too long.”

“The New-York Historical Society is thrilled to partner with the City Council and heartened by Speaker Johnson’s support of our Center for Women’s History,” said Valerie Paley, senior vice president, chief historian, and director of the Center for Women’s History. “By showcasing our important work on the walls of City Hall, the City Council reminds all New Yorkers of the vital contributions of women to the city’s story. The timing of the launch, during Women’s History Month, couldn’t be more appropriate.”

The New Yorkers featured in Women’s Voices: Shaping the City are:

Alice Austen, an LGBTQ “amateur” photographer whose work is a window into her New York City experience;

Antonia Pantoja, Puerto Rican educator and community activist;

Beverly Sills, Brooklyn-bred opera soprano;

Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement and newspaper;

Frances Perkins, the first ever female United States cabinet member;

Dorothy Lee, a Chinese-American “Rosie the Riveter” at the Brooklyn Navy Yard;

Shirley Chisholm, the country’s first African-American Congresswoman who represented Brooklyn’s Twelfth District for seven terms and ran a groundbreaking presidential campaign in 1972;

Zora Neale Hurston, famed writer, anthropologist, and fixture of the Harlem Renaissance.

I am delighted and deeply moved that the City Council and New-York Historical Society have joined forces to honor some of the women who have made a lasting impact on our city. This special installation is a wonderful start to our celebration of Women’s History Month, and begins to address the pervasive absence of women from what is considered “official” history. Beginning in March, visitors to City Hall will finally be able to learn about some of the women who changed New York, and the world, for the better,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Chair of the Committee on Women.

The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s preeminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

New-York Historical’s Center for Women’s History is the first of its kind in the nation within the walls of a major museum. Its work explores the lives and legacies of women who have shaped and continue to shape the American experience. As a hub for scholarship and education, the Center demonstrates how women across the spectrum of race, class, and sexuality exercised power and effected change. Guided by a committee of distinguished historians and informed by the latest research, the Center features permanent installations, temporary exhibitions, and a vibrant array of talks and programs, enriching the cultural landscape of New York City and creating new opportunities for historical discovery. To learn more, visit nyhistory.org. 

Long Island Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Assault and Murder Two United States Senators

Threatening Voice-Messages Left for Senators in Connection with the Nomination and Confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court

  Ronald DeRisi pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco to threatening to assault and murder United States senators in retaliation for their support of the nomination and confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.  When sentenced, DeRisi faces up to 10 years in prison.  As part of his plea agreement with the government, DeRisi will forfeit two rifles to the United States.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Matthew R. Verderosa, Chief of Police, United States Capitol Police, announced the guilty plea.

“This defendant threatened to assault and murder two sitting United States senators in an effort to intimidate them and interfere with their performance of official duties,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “Ours is a system of laws – not threats – and the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute those who seek to undermine the integrity of our constitutional system through violence.”  Mr. Donoghue extended his grateful appreciation to the United States Capitol Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Suffolk County Police Department for their investigative work and assistance in the case. 

 “The mission of the United States Capitol Police is to protect the Congress, the U.S. Capitol, and all who work and visit here. I want to thank our investigators for their excellent work as well as our law enforcement partners and Mr. Donoghue and his staff for bringing this investigation and trial to this satisfactory conclusion,” stated U.S. Capitol Police Chief Verderosa.

In September and October of 2018, DeRisi telephoned and left more than 10 threatening voice-messages at the offices of two United States senators in connection with the nomination and confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.  When DeRisi was arrested on October 19, 2018, members of law enforcement recovered the prepaid cellular telephone that had been used to make the threatening calls, as well as live ammunition during the execution of a search warrant. 

Governor Cuomo Deploys State Assets to Regions Expected to be Hit Hardest Ahead of Winter Storm

New York City and Mid-Hudson Regions to Experience 4 to 8 Inches of Snow; Long Island to Experience 4 to 7 Inches of Snow

Winter Storm Warning for Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Bronx, New York, Queens, Richmond, Nassau and Suffolk Counties Goes into Effect at 1:00 p.m. until March 4 at 7:00 a.m.

New Yorkers Urged to Use Caution While Traveling as Storm Will Impact Monday Morning Commute

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the deployment of state assets to regions of the state expected to be hit hardest in advance of a widespread winter storm that has the potential to bring heavy snowfall on Sunday night into early Monday morning. The system is expected to produce 4 to 8 inches in the New York City and Mid-Hudson regions, and 4 to 7 inches on Long Island. This system could create difficult driving conditions for the Monday morning commute and New Yorkers should use caution while traveling.