NYC City Council Holds Hearings On Homelessness, Higher Education and Land Use Applications
Council member Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Williamsburg, Boerum Hill) Chair of the Committee on General Welfare will hold the oversight hearing tomorrow on the progress of reforms to homeless services implemented within the past year.
While Council member Inez Barron (D-East New York, Canarsie, East Flatbush, Brownsville) Chair of the Committee on Higher Education will head the oversight meeting tomorrow on the CUNY Start program, an intensive academic preparation program in reading/writing, pre-college math, and “college success” advisement for students entering CUNY with significant remedial needs.
Then Council Member David Greenfield (D- Boro Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst), Chair of the Committee on Land Use will hold the oversight hearing tomorrow on Land Use in particular, the rezoning of Rose Castle in Williamsburg and the Caton Flats Development in Flatbush amongst other land use applications.
The General Welfare meeting is slated for 10 a.m. today, Thursday April 20, at 250 Broadway, 16th floor, in Lower Manhattan.
The Higher Education meeting is slated for 10 a.m., today, at 250 Broadway, 14th floor, in Lower Manhattan.
The Land Use meeting is slated for 11 a.m. today, in the committee room at City Hall in the Lower Manhattan.
All meetings are free and open to the public.
Jeffries Holds Town Hall Evaluating Trump Presidency
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Central Brooklyn, Coney Island) today will hold a community Town Hall meeting today to address concerns about the current Trump Presidency.
The theme of the evening of the meeting will be “Where do we go from here?” A panel of legal and policy experts will also be in attendance to answer questions.
The meeting is slated for 6:30 p.m. today, April 20, at the Boys and Girls High School, 1700 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Persaud Thanks City For Removing Physically Abusive Teacher
State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-Canarsie, Mill Basin, East New York, Brownsville, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Sheepshead Bay) yesterday thanked the City’s Department of Education (DOE) and the Mayor’s Office for their ongoing investigation and removal of a public school principal from the school pending the completion of the investigation.
Investigators say that Michael-Spencer Edwards, principal of PS 202 in East New York last month kicked and hit a 7-year-old boy who was apparently acting out in class. After an initial investigation, Edwards was arrested Tuesday on several charges, including misdemeanor assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
The DOE removed Edwards from the school after his arrest, putting him on desk duty, where he will continue to receive his $140,000-a-year salary.
“I am deeply disturbed by the alleged actions of the Principal of P.S. 202. It has been reported that he physically and verbally assaulted a 7-year-old student. I take the safety and well-being of the students in my district very seriously. This type of behavior has no place in our public school system. I am concerned that swift and immediate actions where not taken when the initial complaint was made,” said Persaud.
“I will be working to ensure all the fact are presented clearly to the public,” she added.
Treyger, City Officials Release Hurricane Sandy Recovery Finding
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend) will join city officials and local faith leaders to release the findings of the Hurricane Sandy Charitable Organizations and Houses of Worship Recovery Task Force.
Treyger sponsored the legislation that initiated the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Task Force out of a recognition that the city needs to do more to ensure that faith- and community-based organizations are adequately supported and prepared for any future disaster. The Task Force creates a blueprint for identifying these critical community resources and helping build their capacity.
The Task Force was mandated with producing a report describing the role played by community and faith-based organizations in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and providing recommendations on how city agencies can best partner with these organizations to improve their resiliency against future threats. The findings from the report will outline these strategies.
The release is set for 2 p.m., today, April 20 at the Coney Island Cathedral, 2816 Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island.
Adams Hails Passage Of ‘Passive House’ Standards
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams earlier this week continued his celebration of Earth Week by hailing the passage of a resolution at the Brooklyn Borough Board that called for the New York City building code to be adjusted to Passive House standards.
Passive House is a recognized international standard for a building’s energy efficiency to reduce heating and cooling requirements by up to 90 percent and overall energy demand by up to 75 percent compared to conventional buildings, while also providing the most comfortable and healthy interior environment.
Brooklyn is considered an innovation center for Passive House, with more than 35 projects completed or in progress, the largest concentration in the United States. The resolution, passed at the body’s April meeting, includes support for the City to investigate implementing Passive House Classic, Passive House Plus (net zero), and Passive House Premium (net positive) standards for new building construction and renovation applications across the borough.
The Brooklyn Borough Board is made of of representatives from every Community Board in the borough.
“I applaud our Borough Board for taking a bold stand on energy efficiency and environmental protection,” said Adams. “Buildings across the city contribute to nearly three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions, and we must be aggressive in retrofitting them as we work on our City’s shared goal of 80 percent emissions reduction by 2050. Adopting Passive House standards in the construction industry and in building maintenance, which should be implemented citywide, is exactly the kind of ambitious action that government policymakers should be working on to reduce our collective carbon footprint.”
To increase the awareness and implementation of Passive House standards across Brooklyn,Adams will convene architects, designers, developers, and the general public for an information and training session at 6p.m., Monday, April 24 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Independent Neighborhood Democrats General Membership Meeting
The Independent Neighborhood Democrats will hold their annual membership meeting today. On the agenda for the night will be candidates for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s race, City Council candidates, Borough President candidates and City Comptroller candidates. Acting DA Eric Gonzalez and Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams are expected at the meeting.
The meeting is slated for 7 p.m. today, April 20, at St. Francis College, at 182 Remsen St in Brooklyn Heights.
