Why Has Renovation Work in Loreto Park Stopped

 

That was the question Monday evening as people gathered outside the shuttered Loreto Park as renovation work ground to a halt. Loreto Park is a large square block of Parkland sitting on Morris Park, Tomlinson, Haight and Van Nest Avenues which is known as Loreto Playground X163 by the Parks Department. There are many different areas in the Playground/Park used for different purposes. The area under construction will be used for a Soccer/Softball field or Multi Purpose Play area that borders Morris Park Avenue. 

Their are three different phases that happen called Design, Procurement, and then Construction. The Design phase began February 2018, and was completed in February 2019. The Procurement process then began ending in November of 2019 where two million dollars coming from the Mayor's office, Borough President, and State was put together to fund this project. Then the construction phase start date was September 2020 with a projected completion date of September 2021.

According to a letter dated May 14, 2021 the construction was halted due to the 'Excess Materials disposal plan' needing to be revised by the contractor and approved by the Parks Department, which has been completed. Also a revision to the 'electric point of entry' needed to be coordinated with Con Edison, which has been completed. The letter also states that 'Work will be resuming at the site in the near future, with the anticipated completion date remaining at September 2021. 

What may have happened here is that the contractor moved on to a different project, and will come back to this project when they are finished. That is not uncommon with projects that are bid out by the city, and a contractor may bid on more than one project at the same time knowing there may be delays to move equipment from one site to another. However the community wants this park renovation to be completed so it can be used.

Community Board 11 Chair Al D'Angelo wants to know why the contractor all of a sudden stopped work on this park project in the middle of the work. He said that all the local elected officials were invited to come, but none showed up. 

Republican candidate for Mayor Curtis Sliwa speaks while he points to his head. He said " this process is now in its fifth year from the community asking for this. Baghdad was blown up and rebuilt in less than one year". He added that Loreto Park is named after police officer Alfred Loreto. 

Republican/Conservative candidate for City Council to replace Mark Gjonaj, Aleksander Mici spoke at the rally to finish the Loreto Park construction.

 

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Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19

 

1 COVID-19 Death Statewide Yesterday—Matches Lowest Since Pandemic Began For Second Consecutive Day

Statewide 7-Day Average Positivity is 0.88%

20,895 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.

"New Yorkers are continuing to fight COVID-19 throughout the state, and it's critical to remember that getting shots in arms is the key to our ultimate success," Governor Cuomo said. "I urge all New Yorkers who haven't been vaccinated yet to do so today at any one of the open sites across the state. Millions of New Yorkers have taken the vaccine and done their part to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe—everyone who's able should do the same."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 51,890
• Total Positive - 573
• Percent Positive - 1.10%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 0.88%
• Patient Hospitalization - 348 (+9)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 46
• Patients in ICU - 78 (+4)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 36 (+2)
• Total Discharges - 185,462 (+48)
• Deaths - 1
• Total Deaths - 43,011
• Total vaccine doses administered - 21,577,298
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 20,895
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 244,967
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 70.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 65.1%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 73.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 66.7%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 58.7%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 54.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 61.1%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 55.3%

MAYOR DE BLASIO HOLDS MONDAY MORNING WEEKEND WRAP UP

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. Well, the Summer of New York City continues and last week, amazing things. We had the Macy's 4th of July fireworks. We had the incredible parade saluting our hometown heroes. And the Summer of New York City is amazing because it's big events and special things, but also spontaneous things happen. And look at what happened yesterday with the celebration for Italy in their amazing victory in the European Cup. I want to tell you as a proud Italian-American, I am so proud of this Italian team. There were celebrations all over New York City, Arthur Avenue, up in the Bronx, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, Greenwich Village. People came out to celebrate this beautiful victory. And I got to tell you, there's something of a metaphor here because this Italian national team, they were in really tough shape a few years ago, but like New York City, here's your metaphor, down, but never out, they rebuilt, they recreated, they came up with a new approach and found their way to victory. And that's going to be the story of New York City. A special shout out to the Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi – excuse me, Gianluigi Donnarumma. Donnarumma, the goalkeeper for the Italian team. Amazing effort. Forza Donnarumma. Forza Azzurri. Amazing victory. And the people in New York City got to enjoy it with celebrations all over the city. And this is what the Summer of New York City is all about. 

  

And the reason we are able to celebrate the Summer of New York City is because of vaccinations. The vaccination effort keeps growing, as of now 9,616,298 doses. Well on our way to 10 million doses soon, and we've used incentives as a crucial part of this. A lot of people have gotten great prizes because they chose to get vaccinated. We want to keep that going. The big prizes, some of them that have been very, very popular, we're going to continue to the end of July. So, if you're into some of these particular prizes, the $2,500 cash prize, I know that one's very popular, the staycation weekends, we're going to be running those for the next few weeks and this is your opportunity. If you have not yet gotten vaccinated, get into the game so you can get these amazing prizes. If you're 18 years old or older, you can enter the contest. Now, you have to get your first dose at a City-run site by 9:00 AM on August 1st to win one of those prizes. Then we're going to phase those out, but we're going to keep the other great prizes after August 1st. And those will continue at City-run sites – Citi Bike memberships, free NYC Ferry rides, NYCFC tickets, Coney Island tickets, great opportunities. And then beyond that, the referral initiative that we've been doing with grassroots organizations, with community organizations, houses of worship, very, very popular, that's going to be incredibly helpful because it brings money back into the community for everyone who gets vaccinated through those efforts. Anybody who wants to participate in that bonus referral effort, you can go to nyc.gov/vaccineincentives. 

  

Okay, now, community efforts are where it's at. That's true with vaccination. That's true with keeping us safe as well. So, a wonderful community effort was launched this weekend. It's called Saturday Night Lights. This is part of how we build public safety from the grassroots up. Saturday Night Lights is a key part of our Safe Summer NYC plan. And the idea is to get young people a positive alternative. So, NYPD, Department of Youth and Community Development, local partners, altogether, opening 100 gyms citywide on Saturday nights to help kids have a safe place to be, a quality place to be, a warm, inviting place to be, obviously someplace free for them to be. It builds a connection between our police officers and our kids, because our officers are there for our kids. This is the focus on helping youth, that Commissioner Shea’s been talking so much about. It's a way to proactively keep people safe. Saturday Night Lights, a wonderful initiative. We've put $5 million into our Recovery Budget to make sure this could happen, and to have, in all five boroughs, gyms open on Saturday nights, 100 gyms. Police officers will be there playing with the kids – middle school kids, high school kids. And this is how you build trust, you build relationships, you build a sense of everyone's in it together. This is a really exciting initiative that I think has got to make a big impact this summer. 

  

And continue on the theme of amazing things that are going to happen this summer, unprecedented things that are going to happen this summer. Another reason why New Yorkers are going to have an amazing summer and anyone who's not from New York City needs to come here this summer. Restaurant Week, launching next week in a new, amazing form, not just one week, five weeks, five weeks of Restaurant Week with great discounts, great specials from Monday, July 19th to Sunday, August 22nd. I want to thank NYC & Company. This is an amazing initiative. 500 restaurants participating across all five boroughs. This is going to be amazing. Think about restaurants you've always wanted to go to, here's the opportunity to experience them. And it's a wonderful, super Restaurant Week that is going to be really inviting, again, for New Yorkers, a special opportunity to come out and celebrate for folks who are not from here. This is the moment to be here. This is the Summer of New York City. We've gotten so much energy around this idea. I want to thank everyone in the restaurant community who's a part of it, but also in the City Council, really extraordinary efforts. I want to give the City Council a lot of credit. They really focused on how to bring our restaurant community back. With their help we've been able to do amazing things like Open Restaurants, Open Streets, cut red tape, make it easier. 

Alright, let's go over our indicators for the day, and we're going to continue to analyze the indicators. Publicly, what we're seeing is, again, some greater number of cases and positivity, but we also see the thing we care about the most, thank God, hospitalizations staying very low and people not being put in dangerous results. So, let's go over the indicators. Number one, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19 – today's report is 78 patients, confirmed positivity level of 6.10 percent. Hospitalization rate per 100,000, 0.28. Number two, new reported cases on a seven-day average – today's report, 328 cases. And number three, percentage of people testing city-wide positive for COVID-19 – today's report on a seven-day rolling average, 1.27 percent.

DEC Announces Temporary Shellfishing Closure of Three Mile Harbor for Annual Fireworks Show

 

Temporary Closure begins July 17; Harbor Expected to Reopen to Harvesting on July 22

 

 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the temporary closure of shellfish harvesting for Three Mile Harbor in the town of East Hampton, Suffolk County, during the upcoming Clamshell Foundation Fireworks event. The closure will begin at sunrise on Saturday, July 17, and continue through Wednesday, July 21. During this time, no shellfish may be taken from Three Mile Harbor.

“As a precautionary measure, DEC annually prohibits shellfishing in these waters during the fireworks event because of increased recreational boating activity,” Commissioner Seggos said. “We strongly encourage boaters to act responsibly and be aware of the no-discharge zones in Three Mile Harbor and to use pump-out facilities to prevent impacts to our natural resources and protect public health.”

Since 1993, DEC has closed Three Mile Harbor to shellfishing on the day of the fireworks, as well as the following four days. DEC enacts the temporary closure due to the increased potential for contamination of shellfish beds from the large number of recreational boats that gather for this popular event. Potential discharges of waste from marine sanitation devices (toilets) may temporarily contaminate nearby shellfish beds, rendering them unsafe for human consumption.

The annual event draws hundreds of boaters each year, including many that remain in the area overnight. Boaters are reminded that they are required to use pump out facilities in the Peconic-Gardiners Bay area, which includes Three Mile Harbor, because the area is a No-Discharge Zone. A No-Discharge Zone is a body of water designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where discharges of treated or untreated boat sewage are prohibited. The Town of East Hampton Trustees operate a pump out boat that can be reached by using marine radio, VHF Channel 73, or calling 631-644-7162. The Town Harbormaster’s office at Gann Road has a self-serve facility. Both are available at no fee for boaters.

DEC will designate the following area as closed to the harvest of shellfish beginning at sunrise on Saturday, July 17, and continuing through Wednesday, July 21: all the normally certified shellfish lands in Three Mile Harbor, including tributaries, located south of a line extending due east from the northern end of the western jetty at the inlet of Three Mile Harbor, to the northern end of the eastern jetty, on the eastern side of the inlet. This area of approximately 945 acres includes the entrance channel into the harbor.

Shellfish harvesting is expected to resume in this area on Thursday, July 22. If the event is canceled or postponed due to inclement weather, DEC may rescind the closure and reopen the areas to harvesting earlier than July 22.

A recorded message advising the public about temporary closures of any shellfishing areas in New York State is accessible 24 hours a day by calling (631) 444-0480. The recorded message also advises harvesters when such areas have reopened. Information, including maps showing the affected areas, is available on DEC's website.

Governor Cuomo Announces Results of the July 4th Weekend Crackdown

 

New York State Police Issue More Than 10,238 Tickets During the July 4th Weekend Enforcement Period

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today in conjunction with the New York State Police announced that 10,238 tickets were issued statewide during the July 4th Weekend enforcement campaign.

"Putting others in danger by driving impaired is unacceptable in the State of New York and those who do it will be held accountable," Governor Cuomo said. "Thank you to the women and men of law enforcement around the state who patrol our streets to keep us safe. Lives were saved this holiday weekend because of your hard work and dedication to the people you serve."

The special enforcement period began on Friday, July 2, 2021 and ran through Monday, July 5, 2021.

During the campaign, partially funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, State Police utilized sobriety checkpoints, targeted reckless and aggressive driving, and ticketed distracted drivers who used handheld electronic devices.

Troopers arrested 195 people for DWI and investigated 648 crashes, including 122 personal injury crashes and two fatalities.

As part of the enforcement, Troopers also targeted speeding and aggressive drivers across the state. Below is a sampling of the total tickets that were issued.

Speeding                    3,955

Distracted Driving          202

Seatbelt violations          671

Move Over Law              132

During last year's 4th of July Weekend enforcement campaign, which ran from July 3, 2020, through July 5, 2020, the State Police issued 8,214 total tickets and arrested 180 people for DWI.

Consumer Alert: The Division of Consumer Protection and DMV Warn of Text Message Phishing Scam

 

Scammers Use Fake Text Message to Try to Get Users to Click on Fraudulent Link 

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection and the Department of Motor Vehicles today warned New Yorkers of a text message phishing scheme. Phishing texts are fraudulent messages designed to obtain data or sensitive personal information to be used to commit identity theft or trick the recipient into installing malicious software onto a computer or mobile device. The illegitimate text messages reference the Secretary of State NY Drivers License Facility and tells recipients they are required to update their data for their current NY Drivers License. Anyone who received such a text message should delete it right away.               To help protect against phishing or smishing (SMS phishing) scams, the NYS Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) and the Division of Consumer Protection recommend the following precautions: DO exercise caution with all communications you receive, including those that appear to be from a trusted entity.  Inspect the sender’s information to confirm the message was generated from a legitimate source. DO keep an eye out for telltale signs of phishing - poor spelling or grammar, the use of threats, the URL does not match that of the legitimate site. If the message does not feel right, chances are it is not. DON’T click on links embedded in an unsolicited message from an unverified source. DON’T send your personal information via text.  Legitimate businesses will not ask users to send sensitive personal information through text message. DON’T post sensitive information online.  The less information you post, the less data you make available to a cybercriminal for use in developing a potential attack or scams. For more information on phishing scams, as well as steps to mitigate a phishing attempt, visit the NYS Office of Information Technology Services Phishing Awareness resources page at https://its.ny.gov/resources  or the Division of Consumer Protection Phishing Scam Prevention Tips page at https://dos.ny.gov/identity-theft-prevention-and-mitigation-program. The New York State Division of Consumer Protection serves to educate, assist and empower the State’s consumers. For more consumer protection information, call the DCP Helpline at 800-697-1220, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm or visit the DCP website at https://dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection. The Division can also be reached via Twitter at @NYSConsumer or Facebook at www.facebook.com/nysconsumer

Governor Cuomo Directs State Agencies to Prepare Emergency Assets as Storms are Expected to Impact Downstate Areas with Heavy Rain, High Winds

 

Up to 4 Inches of Rain and Localized Flooding Possible as Rainfall Rates Could Reach Up to 2 Inches Per Hour at Times

  

Wind Gusts Up to 60 MPH Expected Throughout the Watch Area

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed State agencies to prepare emergency response assets as storms are forecast to bring heavy rain and high wind gusts to the downstate area this afternoon, threatening localized flooding conditions and isolated power outages.  Up to 4 inches of rain are possible in some areas, with rainfall rates up to 2 inches per hour at times, and wind gusts up to 60 mph.  Governor Cuomo urged New Yorkers to prepare for flash flooding conditions and stay tuned to local forecasts for updated conditions.

"Another round of storms are expected to hit downstate this afternoon with heavy rain and high winds bringing with them possible flash flooding and isolated power outages, not to mention difficult travel," Governor Cuomo said. "I have directed state agencies to stand ready to assist local partners if needed, and I encourage New Yorkers to pay close attention to weather forecasts and help to ensure loved ones and neighbors are prepared and safe."

For the downstate area, including the Lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island, showers are expected to begin this morning, changing over to thunderstorms this afternoon.  Some storms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall, and an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.  It will be humid with highs in the mid-80s and winds generally at 5-10 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph in some locations at times.  More showers and thunderstorms are forecast to impact the downstate area throughout the week, bringing more rain and the potential for flooding and power outages.

A Flash Flood Watch also remains in effect for parts of Central New York, including southern Oneida County, until noon today.  Showers this morning may contain locally heavy rainfall.  Parts of the area that already received significant rainfall during the past several days are at risk, especially in poor drainage areas and locations that have very wet soils from recent rains. Rivers are expected to crest between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. tomorrow.

Multiple Flash Flood Advisories, Watches and Warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service through Tuesday morning.  New Yorkers can view weather alerts in their area by visiting the National Weather Service website here.

Comptroller Stringer Audit: NYPD Lacks Adequate Controls in its Management of Seized Property

 

The NYPD holds cash, jewelry, weapons, vehicles, and other general property as evidence, contraband, assets subject to possible forfeiture, and lost property; audit found NYPD lacks adequate controls over the collection, recording, and reporting of seized property and related revenue it obtains following arrests and other activities

Missing documentation; cash receipts records that did not match the supporting documentation; late and absent reconciliations of revenues collected from vehicle auction sales

Significant weaknesses affecting NYPD’s Property Evidence Tracking System (PETS)—the computer system used by the NYPD to track seized property—including the NYPD’s inability to use it to track seized property on an aggregate level

Comptroller Stringer recommended 16 measures to ensure proper accountability and transparency regarding seized items, revenue, and other property the NYPD holds

 Today, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released an audit that revealed weak management and controls over the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) collection, recording, and reporting of property brought to police precincts following arrests, property seized in investigations and other law enforcement activities, including for potential forfeiture, and property retained for safekeeping. The audit found significant deficiencies in the Property Evidence Tracking System (PETS), the NYPD’s computerized system meant to track this inventory, which compromise the NYPD’s ability to track and account for it on a centralized, aggregate level.

The audit findings included unaccounted-for gaps in PETS invoice numbers and discrepancies in the NYPD’s records concerning seized and retained property, asset forfeitures, and related revenues the NYPD reported to the public for Calendar Years 2017 and 2018, pursuant to the requirements of Local Law 131.

The revenue-reporting discrepancies in the NYPD’s records involved missing documentation; cash receipts records that did not match the supporting documentation; late and absent reconciliations of revenues collected from vehicle auction sales, owing in part to the NYPD’s delays in billing a vendor for the City’s share of the proceeds of such sales; and mismatches between the NYPD’s recording of revenue it received from two federal agencies, the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and documents it received from those agencies.

“The NYPD has a responsibility to the public to safeguard, track, properly dispose of, and account for all the property and revenue it receives on behalf of the City,” said Comptroller Stringer. “Our audit found that the NYPD’s system for tracking and accounting for property and revenue is inadequate — resulting in inaccuracies and gaps in its legally required public reports and the records that should support them. New Yorkers deserve to know that their police department is appropriately and accurately tracking seized property, the public revenue it generates, and the items that are supposed to be returned to their rightful owners when legal proceedings are resolved.”

When the NYPD makes an arrest, any property seized is brought to the precinct where an invoice for the property is created in PETS, the agency’s computerized system of record for inventorying and tracking the movement of property that comes into its possession. The precincts transfer the property to one of the police department’s borough offices, auto pounds, or warehouses, depending on the size and type of the property. The NYPD returns property that is not subject to forfeiture proceedings and can be legally returned to its rightful owner; destroys contraband, including weapons no longer needed for a criminal case; and disposes of unclaimed physical items, including jewelry and vehicles, through online public auctions, once the applicable retention period for that property expires.

The NYPD also deposits unclaimed cash and revenue derived from auctions into the City’s general fund. During the period the audit covered, the NYPD worked with two private companies that conduct auctions for the NYPD — PropertyRoom for general property and IAA for vehicles.

Comptroller Stringer’s audit found the following inadequacies regarding the NYPD’s management of seized property and related revenue:

• The NYPD lacked adequate controls over the collection, recording, and reporting of seized property and related revenue.
• Significant weaknesses affected the NYPD’s Property Evidence Tracking System (PETS) — the computer system the NYPD used to track seized property during the Comptroller’s audit scope period. Among other things, the NYPD could not use the system to track seized property centrally on an aggregate level.
• PETS lacked adequate data input controls, which weakened its reliability and affected the accuracy and usefulness of the records it contains and the reports it generates.
• Unaccounted-for gaps in the invoice numbers PETS assigned could signify that transactions that should have been recorded were not or that transactions were inappropriately deleted.
• As a result of the above-mentioned deficiencies and limitations, the NYPD could not efficiently and effectively determine at a central management level whether the property that came into its custody was being properly maintained and disposed of.
• Discrepancies were identified in the data concerning seized property and retained property that the NYPD reported to the public for Calendar Years 2017 and 2018 pursuant to the requirements of Local Law 131. For example, the information the NYPD reported for four of the eight mandated categories for one or both years was not supported by its backup documentation. In addition, the NYPD did not timely report the data that Local Law 131 required regarding seized and returned property.
• The NYPD did not maintain adequate supporting documentation for the amounts it recorded in the City’s Financial Management System (FMS) as revenue received from the State’s District Attorneys’ Offices.
• The audit also found that the cash receipts the NYPD recorded in FMS as revenue for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2019 did not match the supporting documentation for DOJ and Treasury receipts.
• NYPD incorrectly classified some entries in FMS.
• NYPD did not perform a timely reconciliation of the vehicle auction sales and did not timely bill its vendors for its share of vehicle auction sales proceeds.

To address these findings, Comptroller Stringer recommended 16 measures to improve the NYPD’s collection, recording, and reporting of seized property and related revenue to help ensure full accountability for the proper disposition of all property and related revenue. They include the following:

• Ensure that the system the NYPD reports it is deploying to replace PETS — known as PETS 2.0 — is designed with adequate reporting capabilities so that it can track and report on the location and disposition of seized property on an aggregate basis and utilize that capability to ensure that the property is being properly maintained and promptly disposed of.
• Ensure that PETS 2.0 is designed with appropriate input controls relating to edit checks and data validation.
• Ensure that any unaccounted-for invoice numbers are appropriately investigated, documented, and approved and that adequate documentation is maintained for skipped invoices.
• Ensure that adequate reconciliations of revenues received are performed and that the required information concerning those revenues is checked for accuracy before the NYPD posts the Local Law 131 report on its website.
• Maintain a cash receipts record of the revenues it receives from the State that includes all relevant information required to adequately track the receipts.
• Post the annual Local Law 131 report on its website timely and comply with all the reporting requirements.
• Ensure adequate supervisory review of the NYPD’s tracking of seized and forfeited revenue to ensure that proper reconciliations, including follow-ups on discrepancies, are timely performed.
• Ensure adequate supervisory review over the NYPD’s entries in FMS to ensure they are correctly classified and applied to the correct fiscal year.
• Develop a process for reconciling reviews of auction vendor revenues and monitor its implementation.