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Friday, February 23, 2024
MAYOR ADAMS, DDC, NYC PARKS BREAK GROUND ON $92 MILLION MARY CALI DALTON RECREATION CENTER ON STATEN ISLAND
New 45,000-Square-Foot Waterfront Center Will Feature Sports Courts, Four Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Indoor-Outdoor Running Track, and Fitness and Cardio Rooms
First Staten Island Recreation Center Groundbreaking in Over 14 Years
Project Will Be Completed By 2025 Through Competitive Bidding Via DDC's Design-Build Program
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley, and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue today broke ground on the new $92 million Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center in Tompkinsville, Staten Island.
Today’s groundbreaking marks the first groundbreaking for a recreation center on Staten Island in over 14 years. The recreation center is a key part of Mayor Adams’ “Staten Island North Shore Action Plan,” a roadmap that details strategic investments to the North Shore of Staten Island that will unlock 20 acres of public open space, create over 7,500 family-sustaining jobs, generate an estimated economic impact of $3.8 billion, and accelerate the completion of over 2,400 units of housing.
“For too long, Staten Island has been neglected and ignored, but this administration is changing that. From opening part of Freshkills Park to expanding the Staten Island Compost Facility, and now, building a recreational center here for the first time in 14 years, we're delivering on our vision for a better Staten Island,” said Mayor Adams. “The Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center will be a community hub where Staten Islanders can learn, play, and enjoy public space together, and it is a fitting tribute to Mary Cali Dalton, a leader who understood the power of parks and public space. Our administration looks forward to continuing to invest in Staten Island — whether through parks, jobs, housing, or quality of life improvements — and delivering for all of the borough’s residents.”
Rendering of the future Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center in Tompkinsville.
Source: NYC Parks
"Today we celebrate a tremendous milestone for Staten Island and New York as a whole. One of the first NYC Parks projects using design build, bringing the construction team into the design process. The Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center will be open for business two and a half years earlier than it would otherwise — an example of what's possible with alternative delivery, " said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. "With Albany's help, we can expand the use of these tools to deliver New Yorkers more needed civic projects like Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center quicker and cheaper, and with greater M/WBE participation. This is a win."
"This center will be a gem of the Parks system, offering North Shore residents a variety of recreational amenities and a wealth of programming right in their own community,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Donoghue. “This marks the second recent groundbreaking for new recreation center construction under Mayor Adams, reinforcing this administration’s commitment to increasing equitable access to green space and park facilities. We’re thrilled that the facility will feature solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations, and also that the design build process employed for this project will allow it to be completed two years faster than usual."
“The current parking lot next to Lyon’s Pool will be transformed into a wonderful recreation center that will include sport courts, multi-purpose areas, fitness equipment, and other amenities for the people of Staten Island to enjoy,” said DDC Commissioner Foley. “This center is not only a great step forward for recreation in the borough, but also a huge step forward for the city’s capital program and for the administration’s efforts to improve capital project delivery. The Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center is one of the city’s first Design-Build projects. With Design-Build, we expect this project to be completed by the end of next year, saving two full years. This project emphasizes the need to reform DDC as a new state authority, so we can bring these much-needed facilities to communities sooner and at lower cost.”
“Today’s groundbreaking is an important moment for the community and marks another milestone for the revitalization of Staten Island’s North Shore,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “As a key part of the Adams administration’s North Shore Action Plan, this recreation center will be accessible via the new Tompkinsville esplanade and part of the two-mile ‘green-ribbon’ along the North Shore that will give Staten Islanders access to the waterfront at last. We are thrilled to work alongside our partners in government and can’t wait to watch this community thrive as a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood.”
"As a native Staten Islander who spent countless hours at the Cromwell Recreation Center during my childhood, I am deeply honored to be part of this mayoral administration as we break ground on the Mary Cali Recreation Center,” said Jasmine Ray, director, Mayor’s Office of Sports, Wellness, and Recreation. “This moment feels full circle for me, as I witness firsthand, and am a product of the transformative power of accessible recreation facilities in our community. I am proud to contribute to the creation of a new space that will undoubtedly shape the lives of countless individuals, just as it did for me. Today, we celebrate not just the construction of a building, but the continuation of a legacy of health, wellness, and community on the North Shore of Staten Island.”
The center will be named in memory of beloved NYC Parks Chief of Recreation for Staten Island Mary Cali Dalton. Dalton began her career at NYC Parks in 1999 as a Work Experience Program participant before being hired as a playground associate one year later. Less than five months later, she was promoted to recreation specialist where she worked to enhance recreational programming until taking over as borough director of recreation in 2002. Dalton was best known for her mantra of “being in charge of the magic,” and diligently worked to provide Staten Islanders with the most innovative, cutting-edge programming and recreational opportunities possible.
The new 45,000-square-foot center will offer a variety of recreational amenities, including sports courts, four electric vehicle charging stations, an indoor-outdoor running track, and fitness and cardio rooms.
NYC Parks gathered community feedback about the new recreation center through two community input meetings during the design phase in December 2020 and January 2021. The new facility will be adjacent to the former Cromwell Recreation Center, which closed in 2010, and will be located at 1 Hannah Street, along the waterfront in Tompkinsville and adjacent to NYC Parks’ Lyons Pool.
This project was completed through DDC’s Design-Build initiative, which delivered the project two-and-a-half years faster than through the traditional approach, with expected completion at the end of 2025. Design-Build helps reduce project costs and shorten construction time by having one entity — instead of — execute both the design and construction processes.
Attorney General James Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Children from Harmful Effects of Asthma and Allergy Drug Singulair
New York Attorney General Letitia James called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take urgent action to address the potential dangers of the asthma and allergy drug montekulast, known by the brand name Singulair. Singulair has been linked to harmful behavioral and mental health issues among children who use the drug to treat asthma and respiratory allergies. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) highlights recent reports of significant mental and behavioral health risks associated with Singulair use among minors, including aggression, depression, and even suicide, and urges FDA to implement new, more stringent safety regulations for the drug.
“Parents and guardians have the right to be fully informed of a medication’s potential side effects when making choices about their children’s health,” said Attorney General James. “The risks associated with taking Singulair are far too dire to come without a very clear warning. I am grateful to our partners at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the steps taken thus far to protect our most vulnerable from these dangerous side effects, and I urge the agency to adopt more stringent, clear warnings that reflect recent research.”
Singulair has been on the market for 25 years, throughout which multiple studies have shown a correlation between Singulair usage and the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. In March 2020, FDA issued a black box warning for Singulair, citing the documented mental and behavioral health risks associated with the use of the drug. Despite this, reports of tragic adverse mental health events for pediatric patients, including aggression, depression, and suicide, remain prevalent.
Data recorded following the issuance of the black box warning suggest that the potential neuropsychiatric risks of Singulair are much greater for children than for adults. Of the estimated 12 million people prescribed Singulair, approximately 1.6 million are children under the age of 18. A 2022 study found that patients prescribed Singulair experienced higher rates of generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and prescriptions for antidepressants in the year after they began taking the medication as compared to those who were not taking Singulair. Another recent study found that 62.4 percent of children with asthma between the ages of three and 18 reported neuropsychiatric events.
An alarming number of anecdotal reports submitted to FDA highlight the harmful side effects experienced by children taking Singulair. Parents shared that their children were displaying abnormal and aggressive behavior, intense nightmares, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and suicide. Not only do these testimonials highlight the dangerous effects patients experience while taking Singulair, but they also reveal that families were not properly informed of the risks associated with the medication by their health care providers, or that the warning labels on the medication were not sufficient. Attorney General James asserts that this lack of specific warning, restriction, or contraindication regarding dangerous and potentially deadly side effects for pediatric patients calls for immediate action by FDA.
In the letter, Attorney General James urges FDA to prioritize providing more adequate warnings to the public about the potential adverse health effects of Singulair by taking the following actions:
- Issuing a new Drug Safety Communication stating that the FDA is evaluating the risks of using Singulair in children under the age of 18 for asthma and allergic rhinitis;
- Sending a Dear Health Care Provider letter to physicians, pharmacists, and other health care providers regarding Singulair’s safety risks to minors and urging providers to consider other FDA-approved medications for asthma or allergic rhinitis in children under the age of 18 years;
- Conducting a review of all available information to determine whether the risk from use of Singulair clearly outweighs any therapeutic benefit in children and warrants a contraindication warning that it should not be used in children under 18; and
- Evaluating whether any other interventions may be necessary to ensure that the potential benefits of Singulair use in children for the treatment of both asthma and allergic rhinitis outweigh the risks, such as requiring the imposition of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS).
This matter was handled by the Health Care Bureau, led by Deputy Bureau Chief Leslieann Cachola and Bureau Chief Darsana Srinivasan. The Health Care Bureau is a part of the Division for Social Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.
Comptroller Lander Sues MTA Contractors for Wage Theft After Stiffing COVID-19 Pandemic Heroes Out of Over $2.5 Million
The New York City Comptroller’s Bureau of Labor Law filed lawsuits against Fleetwash, Inc (Fleetwash) and Ln Pro Services, LLC (Ln Pro) for willfully failing to pay prevailing wages and supplements to their employees for the cleaning and disinfecting of subway cars at terminal stations during the pandemic. The lawsuits, filed at the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, allege that Fleetwash and Ln Pro owe $876,923.44 and $1,753,768.54, respectively, in back wages and penalties.
“During the tough days of the pandemic, the essential workers who cleaned our subways were the unsung heroes keeping New York City safe,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Sadly, many of these workers were cheated out of the prevailing wage they earned, all while facing terrifying conditions. This lawsuit brings these workers closer to justice and underscores the urgent need for accountability. While the legal process still has to play out, we are confident that we are on the right side of the law.”
“Essential workers deserve respect and pay that represents the value they are providing to the City. These lawsuits signal that New York City will not tolerate short-changing the workers whose hard work made our subways safer during the height of the pandemic. We will make sure that these workers receive the pay to which they are entitled,” said Claudia Henriquez, Director of Workers’ Rights at the Comptroller’s Bureau of Labor Law.
Under the New York Labor Law, the New York City Comptroller sets and enforces prevailing wage laws for public works projects and City-owned properties in the City of New York. The New York Labor Law requires that prevailing wages and supplemental benefits be paid to building service employees on public contracts, including workers providing cleaning services.
The New York City Transit Authority (NYCT), a subsidiary of the MTA, oversees train and bus services in New York City. Pre- and post- COVID NYCT contracts explicitly mandated prevailing wages for cleaners in the removal of trash and maintenance of cleanliness at subway stations, though the requirement to pay prevailing wage rates was not included in the COVID contracts for the cleaning and disinfecting of train cars at terminal stations. In May 2020, then-Comptroller Scott Stringer sent a letter to the Chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), informing the agency of the Comptroller’s determination that prevailing wages applied to the emergency cleaning and disinfecting of both subway stations and trains that was being performed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This determination has been upheld and enforced by current Comptroller Brad Lander.
Despite the notification through the Comptroller’s 2020 Letter, Fleetwash and Ln Pro, following guidance from the NYCT, refused to pay prevailing wages for the cleaning of the subway cars.
The violations at Fleetwash occurred from May 2020 through April 2021 at the L 8th Avenue/14th Street terminal. These violations have adversely affected 139 workers, leading the NYC Comptroller to seek redress in the amount of $876,923.44, comprising $511,834.98 in underpayment, $175,384.69 in civil penalties, and $189,703.77 in interest at a rate of 16%.
At Ln Pro, the violations took place from May 2020 through February 2021 at the 2/5 Flatbush Avenue terminal and the F 179th Street terminal. $1,753,768.54, accounting for $972,351.20 underpayment, $350,753.71 in civil penalties, and $430,663.63 in interest at a rate of 16%.
These lawsuits are being handled by Agency Attorney Emily Chang, under the supervision of Supervising Attorney Amy Luo, in collaboration with Investigators Cordie McCann and Rudolpho Donawa and Auditors Ilona Stadnicka and Xiaoyue Lin. The Bureau of Labor Law is overseen by Claudia Henriquez, Director of Workers’ Rights.
“We applaud Comptroller Lander for taking decisive action to protect vulnerable low-income New Yorkers who served as essential workers during the height of COVID to keep subway riders safe from transmission,” said Maggie Malloy, supervising attorney with The Legal Aid Society’s Employment Law Unit. “The litigation brought today both holds bad actors accountable for their misdeeds and puts other employers on notice that wage theft will not be tolerated in New York City.”