BP Adams Applauds Reactivation of South BK Marine Terminal
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams applauded the city’s announcement to reactivate the South Brooklyn Terminal.
On Tuesday, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and local leaders celebrated the Administration’s plan to reactivate the terminal as a major shipping hub. The de Blasio Administration has selected Red Hook Container Terminal and Industry City to operate the Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT), a vibrant cluster of maritime activity that will bring new industrial uses to the South Brooklyn waterfront and connect local talent to quality maritime jobs.
With a long-term lease through 2054, SSBMT will reactivate 64.5 acres of the terminal, moving over 900,000 metric tons of material annually through the port and eliminating over 11,000 truck trips a year. Specific new uses for the facility include waste paper recycling and export, the importation of lumber, salt, and aggregate material, container-on barge-operations, and project cargo, among other activity that will support local businesses, New York Harbor and the regional waterfront. Red Hook Container Terminal will serve as the terminal operator and stevedore for SSBMT.
“Brooklyn has a rich history in shipping and maritime commerce, and the reactivation of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is key to my administration’s mission of reviving our working waterfront and creating hundreds of quality local jobs,” said Adams.
“The planned uses of this revamped industrial hub chart a course for sustainable job creation into the future, from waste paper recycling and raw material importation to workforce development and offshore wind project fabrication. The sun is rising on a new day for Sunset Park, and I look forward to working with our community every step of the way as this new vision for the terminal is realized,” added Adams.
Cumbo Announces “Protect NYC Jobs and Businesses Act”
City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo (D-Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Crown Heights) alongside City Council member Mark Gjonaj (D-Bronx) and Francisco Moya (D-Queens) will announce the Protect NYC Jobs and Businesses Act today.
The legislation will mandate the Department of Transportation (DOT) to consider the concerns of residents and business owners regarding traffic initiatives that could threaten their respective livelihoods.
The bill comes after the bungled rollout of the department’s Clear Curbs initiative, which was implemented with little input from residents in affected areas and has all but crippled small businesses. If passed, the bill would increase transparency and accountability and require the department to be more mindful of the consequences of its initiatives before implementation.
The event is slated for 9 a.m., today, May 9, on the Steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Espinal Launches Campaign To Raise Funds For Holocaust Survivors Initiative
City Council member Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills) alongside members of the Council’s Jewish Caucus will rally together today to secure more funding for the the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Initiative.
In 2015, Espinal along with members of the Council’s Jewish Caucus created a budget initiative, known as the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Initiative to support the city’s survivors with much needed food and social services. Since its original $1.5 million allocation, the program has steadily increased each year reaching $3 million in FY2018.
Now, the coalition is urging the City Council to make its largest contribution to the program to date, for a total of $4 million in this budget year. Currently there are 45,000 Holocaust survivors across the five boroughs including about 20,000 who are living in or near poverty level.
The event is slated for 1 p.m., today, May 9, on The Steps of New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Menchaca Announces 2018 Participatory Budgeting Results
City Council member Carlos Menchaca (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) will host a celebration to announce the winning Participatory Budgeting projects in Council District 38 today.
The Participatory Budgeting (PB) 2018 vote week in Council District 38 resulted in five winning local projects to be funded with over $2 million designated by Menchaca. For the 5th year District 38 obtained the highest PB vote count in New York City, with a majority of votes coming from non-english speakers and high rates of participation and voting by local youth and immigrants.
Earlier this year, Speaker Corey Johnson designated Menchaca as City-wide PB leader for his district’s overwhelming participation in the democratic process.
The event is slated for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., today, May 9, at Sunset Park High School- Cafeteria, at 153 35th Street in Sunset Park.
Deutsch Announces Increased Parking Spots In District
City Council member Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Midwood) announced additional parking spots to be installed across the 48th City Council District yesterday.
Deutsch was able to secure a commitment from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to install angled parking spots on East 17th Street between Avenue X and Avenue W this week. The new parking spot will increase available parking on the block by 45%, nearly doubling the number of spots for residents of Sheepshead Bay and Gravesend.
The South Brooklyn lawmaker has been at the forefront of fighting for new parking spots in his district, particularly around schools and houses of worship. Just last year, he was able to install several dozen new angled spots on Avenue P, between East 23rd Street and East 27th Street. Deutsch also recently announced the installation of angled parking spots near PS/IS 206 in Gravesend, on Avenue V between East 23rd Street and Bedford Avenue.
Currently, Deutsch is exploring innovative methods of freeing up parking spots for New York drivers across the City. He has introduced two bills that would require the DOT to suspend alternate side parking regulations within 200 feet of film shoots, as well as during DOT milling and paving projects. Additionally, he has proposed a law that would require the city’s transportation agency to clarify when school parking regulations are in effect during the summer months, thus freeing up parking spots for residents that are normally reserved for school employees.
“For drivers, though, the endless circling for parking spots can seriously hamper their quality of life. Every single additional parking spot can make a hugely impactful difference in people’s lives. Particularly around our schools, it’s vitally important that teachers and administrators aren’t forced to start their school day by driving around for ten, twenty, or thirty minutes looking for an empty space,” said Deutsch.
Reynoso Calls For Reforms To City’s Commercial Waste Industry
City Council Sanitation Committee Chair Antonio Reynoso (D-Bushwick, Williamsburg) alongside City Council colleagues and sanitation workers will call for reforms to the City’s commercial waste industry today.
The group will call upon the City Council to regulate the private sanitation industry through legislative action including safety regulations. The recent deaths of of Mouctar Diallo and Leo Clark, illuminated the grave danger that the private carting industry poses to pedestrians and workers.
Diallo was an informal helper, who worked under-the-books for Sanitation Salvage, a private sanitation company, when he was accidentally run over and killed on Nov. 7, 2017 while clearing garbage from the streets in the Bronx. The 21-year-old immigrant was left in the middle of the road to be discovered by authorities after local residents thought the young man was homeless, according to ProPublica.
“The City’s Business Integrity Commission (BIC) has failed in regulating the private sanitation industry’s egregious practices. It is time that the New York City Council takes legislative action to regulate the private sanitation industry by passing comprehensive legislation,” said Reynoso.
The event is slated for 11 a.m., today, May 9, at 100 Church Street in Lower Manhattan.
Colton Urges State To Commit To Renewable Energy Now
Assembly member William Colton (D-Bath Beach, Bensonhurst) alongside environmental activists urged state lawmakers to support his renewable energy bill (A5105) yesterday.
The bill would implement measures to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2025, set up task forces to monitor changes as they are made and sets benchmarks along the way. Colton push comes as his district in South Brooklyn faces the effects of recent weather that have been felt in along Brooklyn’s south shore waterfront.
“I am disappointed at the state’s lack of urgency when it comes to fighting climate change and its inability to enact necessary changes quickly. We can’t sit back and wait; we must be proactive and the transition to 100% solar, wind, or geothermal energy must happen now,” said Colton.
“We must have the political will to act and provide an example to the rest of the nation and the world by making an effort to halt global warming, catastrophic weather, and climate change. The proliferation of hazardous chemicals in our environment must be halted in order that our children, and their children, have a safe and livable planet to enjoy and pursue their dreams, not search for clean resources and fight for their very survival,” added Colton.
