Menu
Russian English Ukrainian

Mayor announces landfill health study at town hall with South Shore residents



Подключайтесь к Telegram-каналу NashDom.US



 Дата: 13.12.2017 03:17
Автор: Igor Baboshkin, photo by Edward Amchislavskiy
Источник:

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- From the borough's deadly drug crisis to the need for a South Shore fast ferry stop, Staten Island residents peppered Mayor Bill de Blasio with dozens of questions at his town hall meeting Tuesday night in New Springville.

After being introduced by South Shore GOP Councilman Joseph Borelli and welcomed by other Island elected officials, the mayor outlined his list of achievements for the borough, including a record number of lane miles of paved roads and expansion of the universal Pre-K program.

Councilman Joseph Borelli

Then, he announced a $350,000 study to look at the effects of the Fresh Kills Landfill on residents' health, specifically asthma, after several requests from Borelli.

The study will begin immediately and will wrap up by the end of 2018.

He also announced that Seaside Wildlife Nature Park -- also known as Pirate Park -- will receive $6 million for a bathroom that it does not currently have.

He then took questions from a surprisingly small crowd -- approximately 250 people -- compared to his last town hall in April. Prior to the beginning of the town hall, staffers removed rows of folding chairs.

THE DRUG CRISIS

Asher, who attends Monsignor Farrell High School, asked why education about AIDS and other diseases are mandatory in schools but substance abuse is not a part of the mandatory curriculum.

Before the mayor could answer, Borough President James Oddo chimed in.

"One semester a year, one hour a day during health class to cover everything is not enough. That's got to change," Oddo said.

De Blasio said he wants to put a "price tag" on how this could be implemented and would look into reorienting the health curriculum to add substance abuse education in all schools.

Michael Riley, head of of the Community Education Council, also called for more extensive drug abuse education curriculum through the 12th grade and cited the need for school safety officers to carry naloxone.

FAST FERRY

One South Shore resident said the addition of a fast ferry, even if it's not on the South Shore, would be a "game changer" for Staten Islanders who commute to Manhattan every day.

"Just give us one stop to start with and we'll show you that it works," he said.

De Blasio admitted that he made a mistake when he called it the five-borough ferry plan.

"Staten Island wasn't included because Staten Island already has a ferry, so we wouldn't start with having one there. We started it the way we started it, warts and all, but the good news is that we didn't know it would work and it did," he said.

He promised that in the upcoming year, decisions will be made on where and when the ferry service can be expanded but it all comes down to cost.

"If we can make it work, we will make it work -- and I want to make it work," he said. 

PROPERTY TAXES

When asked why her property taxes went up after the recent mayoral election, de Blasio explained that the assessment could have gone up because the value of the home has gone up but the property tax rate has not been increased. 

"The tax system is broken, backwards, unfair -- choose your words. It must be fixed," he said and vowed to start in the coming weeks. 

GIFT CARDS FOR CONVICTS

"Don't you think the money would be better allocated to putting an EpiPen in every classroom? Why are we rewarding these convicts' poor behavior?" one Staten Island woman yelled at de Blasio. 

The mayor said he learned about the program when the public did and was equally shocked. 

"I want the people who did this to explain to me if there's any rationale. I share your concern because I don't understand this," he said. 

He agreed that the $800,000 being spent on giving $15 Dunkin Donuts gift cards to convicts for filling out a a survey would be better spent elsewhere. 

New York City Health Commissioner Mary Bassett added that there are EpiPens available in every public school in the five boroughs.

DEER POPULATION

A Dongan Hills resident asked for more deer crossing signs after deterring two cars from hitting a family of deer that was crossing the street recently. 

"It's a big challenge for Staten Island; we want to do a lot more," de Blasio said. 

Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said there are currently 31 signs on Staten Island. 

"We're happy to come and take a look [in certain areas] and move signs around or add news ones if we need too," Trottenberg said. 

VISION ZERO

An Annadale resident cited a dangerous section or Arden Avenue and said there is a lack of Vision Zero policy initiatives in some South Shore communities, especially near schools.

DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg vowed that the agency was looking at the problem and was adding sidewalks and other safety measures, but said that there was "more to be done."

"We're going to continue putting sidewalks in places where there are none," Trottenberg said, noting that the funding has to be there. 

HIS FAVORITE THING

One question came from a 7-year-old named Madison. 

"What's your favorite thing about Staten Island?" Madison said shyly with some encouragement from the mayor.

"My favorite thing about Staten Island is Italian food," he said to a round of applause and laughter from the audience. 

This was the mayor's third Staten Island town hall and the first since being re-elected.

WEST BRIGHTON TOWN HALL IN APRIL

De Blasio held his last town hall on Staten Island at Prall Intermediate School (I.S. 27) as part of his "City Hall in Your Borough" work week on Staten Island in April.

After nearly an hour of remarks from Island elected officials and de Blasio going over previous announcements like his Mansion Tax proposal and murders being down on Staten Island, he fielded questions from audience members. 

Residents voiced complaints and asked questions about the placement of bike lanes instead of added public transportation, mental health services in schools and the opioid crisis.

However, he did make two new announcements: A Staten Island Ferry will be named after the Sandy Ground settlement of freed slaves and a $5.7 million investment to expand and move the Mariners Harbor Houses community center.

NEW POOL ANNOUNCEMENT AT LAST YEAR'S TOWN HALL 

The biggest takeaway from his first town hall last last year was the announcement that Staten Island would be getting a new public indoor pool, though he didn't give a timeframe or a location.

The Michael J. Petrides campus is being eyed as the potential site.  

The mayor spent more time taking questions from residents during last December's town hall at P.S. 48 in Concord compared to his town hall earlier this year.

After over an hour of taking questions from attendees, mainly about quality of life issues, Linda Baran, president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, asked de Blasio when he would put the borough on his radar.

He insisted there was "plenty of focus" on Staten Island and said the borough will "have my attention and anytime I can find a solution, I will."


Понравилась статья - поделитесь:


Понравилась новость?
Подпишитесь на ежедневную рассылку новостей по темам
Вы можете также сами подписать друзей и обсуждать материалы вместе
Редакция не несет ответственность за содержание информационных сообщений, полученных из внешних источников. Авторские материалы предлагаются без изменений или добавлений. Мнение редакции может не совпадать с мнением писателя (журналиста)
Для того, чтобы иметь возможность обсуждать публикации и оставлять комментарии Вам необходимо зарегистрироваться!

Ответы и обсуждения


Ещё из "News":

Всё из "News"

Подписка на получение новостей по почте

E-mail адрес обязателен
Name is required