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: Governor Hochul's State of the State Address Metro North Information Session City of YES Public Hearing City Council Discretionary Funding Applications Released Upcoming Events How To Do Business With FDNY - 1.11.2024 10:30 am to 12:00 pm Emerging Professionals: Navigating Financial Literacy 1.18.2024 - 6:00pm to 8:00 pm The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York 2024 3.3rd - 5th 2024 -10:00am to 5:00 pm

Happy New Year from the Bronx Chamber of Commerce

On behalf of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, we wish you a year filled with prosperity and success. Thank you for supporting our mission of being a voice for small businesses in the Bronx. To learn more about our mission or to join the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Click Here

Governor Kathy Hochul's  2024 State of the State Address

Governor Kathy Hochul will deliver her 2024 State of the State address on January 9th, 2024 in the New York State Assembly Chamber. The annual State of the State Address highlights executive proposals and goals for the legislative session. To watch the State of the State Address, select one of the platforms below:  Facebook Twitter/X If you do not have Facebook or Twitter/X, RSVP Here

Public Input Sessions for Future East Bronx Metro-North Stations

The plan to open four new East Bronx Metro-North stations in 2027 is chugging along, but there’s still time for the public to weigh in on the specifics. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, the Department of City Planning will update New Yorkers on the latest iteration of the project, developed with input from a series of previous public meetings and surveys from 2018 through 2023. For more information about the input session, Click Here

City Of YES Public Hearing

On Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024, Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick announced that the agency will host a virtual online information session to answer frequently asked questions about the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity proposal to be held on Tuesday, January 9 at 11:00 am via Zoom, the event will offer a venue for community leaders to ask DCP questions that have been raised during the public review of the proposal.  On January 24, the City Planning Commission (CPC) will hold a public hearing, followed by a vote in the spring; if the CPC votes to approve the initiative, the City Council will hold a hearing and vote to approve, modify, or disapprove the proposal. To RSVP, Click Here

LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY

Updates on New York State Legislation At the end of the year, Governor Hochul vetoed the bill that would ban all new non-competition agreements for workers in New York. State Legislature passed the bill in June, wanting New York to join other states that have cracked down on the use of noncompete agreements, which companies use to bar employees from working for a competitor for a set amount of time after leaving a job. For more about Assembly Bill A1278B, Click Here Bill S636A, would have required companies and corporations to report certain and specific data, including gender, race, and ethnicity of employees. The bill would have upended a long-held and legitimate belief that the company information is privileged and confidential and should be used only by governmental organizations to determine - on a wide scale - progress in the EEO presented by federal contractors.  For more about Bill S636A, Click Here Bill A6698/S6636 otherwise known as the Grieving Families Act, would have allowed the families of wrongful death victims to receive compensation for emotional harm they suffered. The bill has a decades-old legislative history and would update the state’s 175-year-old wrongful death statute. Hochul vetoed a version that passed last year. In her veto this year, Hochul again cited concerns about intended negative impacts on small businesses and the possibility of increased insurance premiums as a result of the legislation. For more information about Bill A6698/S6636, Click Here

Fiscal Year 2025 Discretionary Funding Applications Released The applications for discretionary funding are now available. The FY2025 application was posted on the Council’s website on Thursday, January 4, 2024, and the submission deadline will be on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. For more information, or to apply, Click Here

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

NYC Funds Finder NYC's Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and Next Street announced the launch of a new platform connecting small businesses with trusted resources they need to open, grow, and maintain their business. The user-friendly platform – NYC Funds Finder is where small businesses can review funding options, including loans and grants, and request free 1-on-1 financing assistance from the SBS team.  NYC Funds Finder is a partnership between SBS and Next Street and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. Next Street Scale, the platform that powers NYC Funds Finder, was created to address the hurdles that small businesses, especially those run by women and minorities, face in accessing the resources required to grow their business and build wealth.

M/WBE Certification Unlocking Opportunities The Bronx Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner with NYC SBS to help guide you through the application process of getting certified as a Minority/Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE). This certification program, offered by NYC Small Business Services, is a critical initiative aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion in government contracting and procurement processes. The program seeks to create opportunities for businesses owned and operated by minority individuals and women, ensuring they have fair access to government contracts and economic opportunities, opens your business up to increased opportunities from New York City agencies, free advertising in the NYC Online Directory of Certified Businesses, mentorship programs and workshops, networking events, and more. The City has committed to awarding $16 billion in contracts to M/WBE

MAYOR ADAMS, GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND FLOATING POOL COMING TO CITY WATERS, FURTHER EXPANDING SWIMMING ACCESS FOR NEW YORKERS

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a first-of-its-kind floating swimming pool in city waters — expanding swimming access and addressing equity gaps for city residents as extreme heat events rise. Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul announced that the city and state will jointly fund a +Pool — a water-filtering, floating, portable pool that will offer New Yorkers a new space to swim in the waters surrounding New York City.

 

 “When we came into office two years ago, we had a mission: Protect public safety, revitalize the economy, and make this city more livable for hardworking New Yorkers. Every day, we are delivering on this vision for New Yorkers, including by investing in our children’s safety with new swimming infrastructure,” said Mayor Adams. “I’m proud to partner with Governor Hochul to bring the +Pool, a unique and innovative swimming pool, to New York City — expanding access to swimming for all New Yorkers.”

 

“As part of my new NY SWIMS initiative — the Statewide Investment in Municipal Swimming — I’m proud to partner with Mayor Adams to advance a long-stalled, innovative floating pool concept: the +Pool,” said Governor Hochul. “Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 and extreme heat is making the need for safe summer recreation more urgent than ever. NY SWIMS is a bold ambitious plan to tackle this issue here in New York City and across the State of New York.”

 

“Whether you are a young person taking swimming lessons or an older adult enjoying recreational time cooling off in the water, increased swimming access is a benefit to all New Yorkers,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “We are hopeful that this unique project will ultimately result in expanded access to swimming, help address equity access gaps, and show how a strong city-state partnership can benefit the community and the environment.”

 

 “With ever-rising and more frequent heat waves, we need to be bold and creative on the ways New Yorkers can stay cool,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “With today’s announcement we are expanding our cooling efforts as well as our aquatic footprint, using our waterways for double duty — fun and safety. We’re just getting started.”

 

“Public pools play a vital role in New York City by providing recreational opportunities, access to water safety instruction, and critical relief from increasingly hot summers,” said New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Today’s announcement is a much-needed investment in our city’s future, and one that will enhance equity by increasing swim access for all New Yorkers.”

 

The +Pool will be tested in the summer of 2024 and, after fulfilling all health and safety requirements, is scheduled to be opened to the public next year. To help ensure floating pools meet all appropriate public health standards, the New York State Department of Health is releasing new guidance covering this new category of swimming pools.

 

Today’s announcement builds on the city’s work to expand access to swimming pools across New York City, including $147 million for a new recreation center with an indoor pool at Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans, Queens, and the $141 million Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center with an indoor pool in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. NYC Parks is one of the largest providers of free swim classes in the city and their free, year-round aquatics programming allows New Yorkers to make swimming a lifetime recreation and fitness habit.

 

VCJC News & Notes 1/5/24

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders

1. Shabbos
   
   

   Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.
   Here are the times you need:  
   Shabbos Candles Friday 1/5/24 @ 4:24 pm
   Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely. 
   Shabbos Ends Saturday 1/6/24 @ 5:28 pm
    

2. Sunday’s Sisterhood meeting is cancelled due to weather
   

3. Thursday,January 11 – Rosh Chodesh – Shevat

   
   

4. Blood Drive
   VCJC will be holding a blood drive on Sunday 2/4/24 from 9:30 to 2pm.  Please plan on donating.  Additional info to follow.

   
   

5. Reminder: Send us recollections
   We are planning a salute to our recently passed members and would welcome any recollections of them that you can share.  In particular: Ted Meyrowitz, Mayer Sodden, Joel Garfinkle, Shirley Spira, Daniel Sullivan and Howie Kamiel.  Thanks in advance.

6. Your opinion is requested

   The VCJC Board has had discussions about having group meetings that we have not quite clarified as a book club, a current events discussion group, a mix of those, or something else.  Please send us an email with your thoughts on the matter.  We are interested in whether this is something you would attend and participate in, how frequently you think it should meet, what mix of topics it should address, and any other thoughts you might have.  Even if you find this of either no interest or of no value, please let us know. Thanks in advance.

Our mailing address is:

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

3880 Sedgwick Ave

Bronx, NY 10463

City Planning to Answer Frequently Asked Questions about City of Yes for Economic Opportunity at Online Public Event

 

Community Leaders Will Pose Questions Based on Community Feedback about City of Yes Proposal

Event Comes as the Zoning Initiative is Being Considered by Community Boards, Borough Boards, and Borough Presidents

Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick announced that the agency will host a virtual online information session to answer frequently asked questions about the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity proposal. To be held on Tuesday, January 9 at 11:00 am via Zoom, the event will offer a venue for community leaders to ask DCP questions that have been raised during the public review of the proposal. RSVP here.

City of Yes for Economic Opportunity, the second of Mayor Adams’s three City of Yes zoning initiatives, would support small businesses and entrepreneurs, revitalize commercial corridors, boost growing industries, and bolster the city’s industrial sector. DCP held five info sessions before the start of public review, and has made over 100 presentations to community and borough boards since the formal public review process began on October 30.

Tuesday’s event aims to provide a convenient online forum for interested New Yorkers from across the city to get answers to the most commonly-heard questions from these meetings, and dispel any misconceptions or unanswered questions about the proposal. Community leaders representing a diverse array of neighborhoods and stakeholders will bring questions for DCP: Kevin Guscott, a small business owner and Special Projects Manager for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; Rafael Espinal, Executive Director of the Freelancers Union; and Laura Rothrock, President of Long Island City Partnership. A recording and transcript of the event will be available online after it concludes.

The event comes during community boards’, borough boards’, and borough presidents’ formal review period on the proposal, which includes 18 proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations. 4 community boards have already voted in support of the proposal, while 4 have voted to disapprove. On January 24, the City Planning Commission (CPC) will hold a public hearing, followed by a vote in the spring; if the CPC votes to approve the initiative, the City Council will hold a hearing and vote to approve, modify, or disapprove the proposal.

City of Yes for Economic Opportunity is the second of three City of Yes initiatives to update New York City’s zoning for a more sustainable, prosperous, and affordable city. The first, City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality, was adopted by the City Council in December, lifting barriers to clean energy and sustainability efforts like building retrofits, solar panels, electric vehicle charging, and more. The third, City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, aims to build a little more housing in every neighborhood. It is currently undergoing environmental review and will begin formal public review in the spring.

Department of City Planning

The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide, and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s 10-year Capital Strategy. DCP promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City.

In addition, DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists both government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.