ATTENTION: Back-To-School Supplies Drive

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH HELP FROM THE COMMUNITY!!! 

Council Member Letitia James is requesting assistance in securing school supplies for in-need students in the 35th Council District for the 2012-2013 school year.

"It is our duty to invest in our children’s future and what better way to invest than to make sure our young people are equipped and prepared with the tools they need to learn!"- Council Member Letitia James

Donations of pens, pencils, paper, backpacks, notebooks, calculators, protractors, crayons, paint, construction paper, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Collection of these items will be distributed at an event in September in time for the 2012-2013 school year.

If you require any further information, please feel free to contact (718) 260-9191. Thanking you in advance for your consideration and your cooperation.

ATTENTION: Beware of Raccoons!

Raccoons can carry rabies, and rabid raccoons have been found in New York City. Although, so far, there has not been a human case of rabies contracted from raccoons in New York City, this risk does exist and should be taken seriously.

To arrange for a raccoon to be picked up that appears to be staggering, convulsing, spitting, choking, or frothing at the mouth, call Animal Care and Control at 311, or your local police precinct.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/vet/raccoon1.pdf

ATTENTION: Lafayette Ave. "Greenstreets" Presentation; TODAY 7/17; 6PM; Emmanuel Baptist Church

On July 17, 2012, Council Member Letitia James will host a presentation on the LAFAYETTE AVENUE “GREENSTREETS” PROJECT: a joint project of NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and NYC Department of Transportation.

The Lafayette Avenue “GREENSTREETS” Project is a Three-Phase Project that will transform the cobblestone “malls” into a green, beautiful strip of planted beds and pathways. Construction on Phase 1 is scheduled to begin this month, and completion is planned for the Summer 2013.

Please join us and learn more about the recently-completed final plans for this community improvement:

WHEN: Tuesday, July 17, 2012
6:00PM

WHERE: Emmanuel Baptist Church
279 Lafayette Avenue
(corner of St. James Place Parlor Room)

For further information, please contact Alfred Chiodo from the Office of Council Member Letitia James at (718) 260-9191.

ATTENTION: HDC Public Hearing on AY Housing; 7/18

The New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) will be holding a TEFRA (Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act) public hearing to provide information regarding the process of securing financing for a housing tower at Atlantic Yards.

The hearing will take place at the office of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) on July 18, 2012 in Conference Room 4A/B at 110 William Street, 4th Floor, at 1:00 p.m.

Interested members of the public are invited to attend, and individuals will have an opportunity to make brief statements. For more information, please contact (866) 923-5315.

This tower is projected to contain 363 rental apartments, of which 50% of these units will be affordable to low-, moderate-, and middle-income households.

CM JAMES COMMENTS ON NEED FOR SUPPLEMENTAL COLLECTION IN OUTER BOROUGHS

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
July 13, 2012

Contact: Aja Worthy-Davis (212) 788-7081

COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA JAMES COMMENTS ON NEED FOR SUPPLEMENTAL COLLECTION IN OUTER BOROUGHS

(New York, NY)— “A growing concern in the effort to keep New York City streets clean is the lack of supplemental sanitation collection from public litter baskets in the outer boroughs, which is a service that is routinely provided in many Manhattan neighborhoods.

The City’s Sanitation Department (DSNY) provides Manhattan commercial strips with dedicated trucks whose sole purpose is to empty street litter baskets located in those commercial districts as frequently as several times per day. In the outer boroughs, street litter baskets are serviced only as often as residential pickup occurs (in most communities 2-3 times a week). This supplemental service keeps Manhattan streets cleaner than many streets in the outer boroughs.

Supplemental collection is costly and requires considerable resources. It is not something that can or should be implemented on every block within the five boroughs. Business Improvement Districts overseeing commercial strips relieve much of the burden of street cleaning along heavily-trafficked blocks. However, there needs to be a mechanism put into place that would allow residents to report areas where street litter baskets are consistently overflowing, and that would require the department to respond quickly. This would be especially useful in the 35th District, which is home to a busy transportation hub; vibrant commercial strips; and arts, cultural, and sports attractions.

I will be working with Department of Sanitation officials to discuss this matter in the coming weeks, and I hope to move forward in spearheading necessary changes to our City sanitation system.”

In 2010, Council Sanitation Committee Chair Letitia James pushed-through a revolutionary legislative recycling package that included expanding plastic recycling, a new clothing and textile recycling program, and improved public space recycling. This represented the first significant expansion of the City’s residential recycling program since it was created in 1989.

Residents may check their recycling and sanitation pickup schedule here: http://gis.nyc.gov/gisapp/sn/sanitation.jsp

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ATTENTION: SchoolFood Summer Meals Program

The SchoolFood Summer Meals Program is designed to provide children and young adults with a healthy alternative to junk food. Lunch is available for all children under 19 years, and all handicapped persons (regardless of age) who participate in special education programs.

FREE Breakfast and lunch will be served during the Learn to Swim Program at pools in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens.

Nearest Location: Commodore Barry Pool
North Elliott between Flushing Avenue & Park Avenue
[Please contact (718) 965-6578 for more information]

Meals are provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through SchoolFood, a part of the New York City Department of Education.

ATTENTION: Free Summer Food Program

July 9- Aug. 31: City-wide Free Summer Food Program
Youth up to age 18 now have access to breakfast and lunch at locations citywide. Summer school enrollment is not required to participate in the program; no application is required; and meals are available at any of the open sites, regardless of where a child lives.

Nearest Location: Lafayette Gardens
415 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11205

Times: Mon. - Fri.— Breakfast: 9AM- 10AM
Lunch: 12PM- 1PM 

For additional information or to inquire about a location please call 311 or (212) 306-3358. http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/downloads/pdf/summer-food-service-program-flyer-2012.pdf

ATTENTION: DFS Foreclosure Prevention in Bed-Stuy; 7.14; Bed-Stuy

Gov. Cuomo recently announced that the Department of Financial Services (DFS), partnered with the Neighborhood Housing Services of Bedford-Stuyvesant, will provide help to homeowners struggling to keep their homes.

Foreclosure prevention specialists will be on hand in the DFS Mobile Command Center, at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza Saturday (tomorrow) from 10AM- 4PM. The program is part of the Community Health & Resource Day, and sponsored by local elected officials. Following this Saturday, the Mobile Command Center will be located at 380 Herkimer Street.

For more information, please contact the Neighborhood Housing Services of Bed-Stuy at (718) 919-2100.

ATTENTION: NYCHA New E-Payment Provider

If you are a public housing resident enrolled in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) e-payment system, and you pay your monthly rent online through automatic recurring payments. Please note: NYCHA has a new electronic rent payment process provider. Any recurring rent payments scheduled after July 13, 2012 with the old e-payment provider will be terminated.

To ensure that your rent payments are made on time, please do the following:

1. Sign-up with NYCHA’s new electronic rent payment provider: http://on.nyc.gov/nychaepayment (follow the instructions for Online Rent Payment).

2. Set-up a new recurring payment schedule

3. Enjoy the new features (free online rent statements with e-bill; no-fee online rent payments via e-check)

If you have any questions about the new online rent payment system, please call NYCHA at 212-306-4322.

CMs LETITIA JAMES, MELISSA MARK VIVERITO COMMENT ON CON ED ACTIONS AGAINST UNION AND 8,500 WORKERS

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
July 6, 2012

Contact: Aja Worthy-Davis (212) 788-7081 (Council Member James)
Andrew King (212) 788-6960 (Council Member Mark Viverito)

COUNCIL MEMBERS LETITIA JAMES AND MELISSA MARK VIVERITO COMMENT ON CON ED ACTIONS AGAINST UNION AND 8,500 WORKERS

(New York, NY)— City Council Members Letitia James and Melissa Mark-Viverito deplore the extreme and irresponsible action taken by the Con Edison utility company when it locked out 8,500 workers in the early morning hours of July 1st, without a moment’s notice, in the midst of contract negotiations.

Con Ed has blamed the union for the situation, when in fact the Utility Workers of America Local 1-2 did everything it could to avert this lockout, including offering to work without a contract to ensure that New Yorkers' safety was not compromised. This dangerous action will increase the likelihood of brown-outs and blackouts for New Yorkers during this heat wave!

Kevin Burke, CEO of Con Edison who has an $11 million salary, has cut off the healthcare benefits for all 8,500 workers and their families. This is a company that recently upped its rates by 10% (among the highest in the country) and made $5 billion in profits last year, gave its CEO a $25 million compensation package and an $18 million pension, and has over 40 senior staff making at least $300,000. Yet Con Ed wants to take away the pensions for its hardworking men and women and replace them with less-dependable 401k-style plans, as well as force workers to pay a 100% increase in health care contributions.

The company has made it clear that it’s willing to lock out its workers and jeopardize its customers rather than engage in fair and honest negotiations around pensions and healthcare plans. All 8,500 utility workers are ready to reach a deal and get a fair contract so they can go back to work but Con-Ed is disregarding everything but its own greed.

Council Member James and Council Member Mark-Viverito stand in solidarity with the Local 1-2 utility workers and their families and urge their colleagues and all New Yorkers who believe in justice and equality to do the same.

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