and Transportation Updates

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]

Dear District 39 Constituent,
* A happy belated Fourth of July! Wishing you all a restful Sunday with your loved ones.
* Our office is proud to support the Gowanus Mutual Aid Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program ([link removed]) , a food access program distributing over 300 bags of regional fruits and veggies every other week to local public housing residents. If you have extra Fresh Direct bags you would like to donate please bring them to our District Office at 197 Bond Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 between 10 AM and 4 PM from Monday - Thursday. If you would like to get involved with the distributions, your help is welcome and you can sign up here ([link removed])
.
* Thanks to Council Member Aviles’s Local Law 171 of 2023 ([link removed]) , DOT is redesigning the city’s truck route network to improve safety, increase visibility, reduce traffic congestion, and reduce vehicle miles traveled. Submit your feedback to DOT here ([link removed]) by July 31st!
* We have officially moved into our new office on the Ground Floor of 197 Bond Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. To make an appointment, contact our Constituent Services Director Bryan Gross at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . Appointments are available from Monday-Thursday 10 AM to 4 PM.

Capital Budget Wins

Each fiscal year, my Office allocates $5,000,000 to capital projects that strengthen the quality of life in District 39. This year, thanks to the incredible partnership of our Speaker Adrienne Adams, we secured an additional $8,476,000 for projects, meaning we are bringing back a total of $13,476,000 in capital funding for District 39! We are beyond grateful for her close collaboration. Here are the details:

Gowanus Green, Fifth Avenue Committee: $6 Million ($1 Million in District 39 Funding, $5 Million in Speaker Supported Funding)
* Funding will support Phase 1 of the 100% affordable housing Gowanus Green Development. This will include the construction of Building D, an 11-story building with 80 units of permanently affordable housing plus one superintendent’s unit. The building—to include approximately 72,000 square feet of residential and 8,000 square feet of community space for onsite social services—will offer homes for 49 formerly homeless, very low-income, and disabled individuals and their families, as well as 31 low-income households, in addition to one super's unit. All units will be available to households earning less than 60% Area Median Income (AMI). More information on AMI here ([link removed]) ! It is notable that Gowanus Green alone accounts for 10% of all the new affordable housing, nearly 1,000 of the 3,000 affordable homes, created as a result of the Gowanus area-wide rezoning. HPD’s latest Housing and Vacancy Survey reports a 1.4%
vacancy rate for apartments citywide and a .39% vacancy rate for apartments less than $1,100, a troubling picture of the housing options for the lowest income New Yorkers. This housing is needed now more than ever, and I’m thrilled that we are able to provide significant support for the construction of Building D and create housing opportunities for New Yorkers who need it most.

Schools: $3 Million (District 39 Funding)
* As a former public school student in District 39, ensuring our schools have the funding they need to create safe, engaging learning environments for students is one of my top priorities. My office is excited to support the following projects this coming fiscal year:
+ $880,000 to renovate auditoriums at the School of Journeys (K280), William A. Butler School (PS 133), P77K, PS 179, and PS 230
+ $675,000 for bathroom renovations at Brooklyn Collaborative Studies, John Jay Educational Complex, and Millennium High School
+ $555,000 to renovate the Park Slope Collegiate gymnasium
+ $500,000 to renovate the PS 10 playground
+ $390,000 for technology upgrades such as laptops and Chromebooks at PS 29, PS 107, PS 230, PS 321, Brooklyn Prospect Charter, and BUGS

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music: $2 Million ($250,000 in District 39 Funding, $1,750,000 in Speaker Supported Funding)
* Funding will support BKCM’s expansion project, which includes structural improvements to improve building safety, ADA compliance, and 13 new flexibly designed studios, rooftop garden, and community garden to meet demand for all music programming.

Maimonides Hospital: $1,467,000 (Speaker Supported Funding)
* Funding will support cutting-edge cardiac electrophysiology laboratories that will improve diagnosis accuracy and patient outcomes.

Prospect Park: $ 750,000 (District 39 Funding)
* Funding will support adding safety and access improvements on the paths leading from Nethermead to Long Meadow.

Mixteca: $250,000 (Speaker Supported Funding)
* Funding will support the purchase of a space to serve as a community service center for the Mexican and Latinx community in Brooklyn.

Updates from the MTA, DOT, and DOF

I am passing on important updates my office has received from the MTA, DOT, and DOF. Reach out to Bryan in my office with questions or concerns, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
* From June 28 to September 3, service on the ​G line will be partially suspended in three phases. See full details here ([link removed]) .
+ From June 28 to July 5, ​trains won’t run between Court Square and Nassau Avenue.
+ From July 5 to August 12,​ trains won’t run between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues.
+ From August 12 to September 3,​ trains won’t run between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Church Avenue.
* The MTA will be performing an escalator replacement project at the Smith-9th Street F and G station. This project includes complete replacement of the old escalators with new ones, and will improve their reliability. Phase 1 begins on July 15, 2024 and will last approximately 9 months. During this period, one escalator will be out of service in each bank, with one escalator running in each direction.
* The NYCDOT will continue to close one lane during the early morning hours on the Queens-bound BQE and the Staten Island-bound BQE until July 31st as per the schedule below. These single lane closures are required for core extraction and testing along the BQE (I-278) and concrete removal and installation of reinforcement for interim repairs and are dependent on weather and field conditions. During the right lane closure of the Queens-bound BQE, the Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp to Queens-bound BQE will also be closed. See the schedule:
+ Queens-bound BQE – One lane closed until July 31st from Atlantic Avenue to Washington Street & Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp closed
o Monday to Friday from 12:01 AM to 5:00 AM
o Saturday 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM; Sunday 1:00 AM to 9:00 AM
+ Staten Island-bound BQE – One lane closed until July 31st from Vine Street entrance ramp to Atlantic Avenue
o Tuesday to Friday from 1:00 AM - 5:00 AM
o Saturday 1:00 AM - 6:00 AM; Sunday 1:00 AM - 9:00 AM
* The Department of Finance is aware of a scam targeting people about parking tickets or camera violations. People are receiving messages advising them that they have “additional charges” on an “unpaid parking invoice”. This is a scam. The Department of Finance does not send text messages to vehicle owners about their parking tickets or camera violations. If you receive one of these texts, do the following:
+ Ignore and delete the message. Do not click any links.
+ Visit the Department of Finance’s website ([link removed]) to review and pay valid parking tickets and camera violations.
+ Report the scam to your bank or credit card company as needed. You can also report attempted fraud to the Federal Trade Commission ([link removed]) and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center
([link removed]) .

Community Bulletin
* This summer, all children (18 years old and younger) are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch meals at sites across the City, including schools, parks, and pools, in all five boroughs. No identification or application is required and meals will be available Monday through Friday. Breakfast will be served from 8 AM to 9:15 AM and lunch will be served from 11 AM to 1:15 PM at designated sites. More details here ([link removed]) .
* On Wednesday, July 10 at 10 AM, the City Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on its City for Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal. You can testify in person at 120 Broadway, New York, NY or online here ([link removed]) . The CPC encourages participants to complete this worksheet ([link removed]) .
* The filing period for the FDNY’s Firefighter Open Competitive Exam 4044 is now open. Learn more here ([link removed]) and apply here ([link removed]) .
* The IRS has launched a new careers website outlining their available job openings. See here ([link removed]) .
* On Monday, July 8th at 5 PM BFC, CeraVe, and NAFC are offering free skin cancer screening for World Skin Health Day at 470 Clarkson Ave, Suite A, Brooklyn, NY. Sign up here ([link removed]) .
* On Thursday, July 11, the New York Blood Center will be conducting a Blood Drive from 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM at the 76th Precinct, which is located at 191 Union St. Brooklyn, NY. Make an appointment here ([link removed]) .
* On Saturday, July 20th at 10 AM, the NYC Bird Alliance, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Public Housing Community Fund, and NYCHA are hosting a free birding event at Wyckoff Gardens Community Center- 280 Wyckoff Street, Brooklyn, NY. Binoculars and snacks provided! See details here ([link removed]) .
* Dancewave is hosting a series of unique Intergenerational creative movement classes at the Park Slope Center for Successful Aging. Teen dancers 13 years and up and Adults over 50 years of age are invited to join this workshop for free. See details here ([link removed]) .

In Solidarity,

Shahana

[link removed] [link removed] [link removed]

Our mailing address is:
New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif
197 Bond Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11217
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])
[link removed]