• Message from Jo Anne 
• Toy Drive - Final Call
• Governor Vetoes my LICH Hospital Closure Bill
• NYC Retirees Win Court Case on Healthcare
• Congestion Pricing Moves Forward Jan. 5, 2025
• Take the NYC Industrial Plan Survey
• Emergency Snow Shovelers Needed
• NYPD is Hiring School Crossing Guards
• Carroll Street Bridge Update
• Trash Bins: Fines to Begin 1/2/2025
• Info on Parapet Inspections
• Carroll Gardens & Adams St Library Updates
• Community Event & News 

Dear Neighbors & Friends,

I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! I’ve had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays and seeing many of you at community events. There were incredible tree lighting events - complete with carols and dancing - at the Farragut Houses, Carroll Park, Park Slope’s 5th Ave, Albee Square, and more! I look forward to more holiday celebrations and hope to see you there.

I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who donated toys to the various toy drives across the district. Thank you for spreading joy to our neighbors in need. Our office is still collecting new and unwrapped toys for ages 0-18 to be donated to Camp Friendship. Drop off donations at 341 Smith Street today or Monday 12/23 by 12 noon. 

From myself and my staff, here’s to a New Year filled with hope, happiness and health.

Sincerely,

Jo Anne Simon

P.S. My office will be closed from Tuesday, December 24th through Wednesday, January 1st for the holidays. You can email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you when we return. Please call 911 with any emergencies.

Toy Drive - Final Call. Our office is still collecting new and unwrapped toys for ages 0-18 to be donated to Camp Friendship. Drop off donations at 341 Smith Street today or Monday 12/23 by 12 noon.

LICH Act Vetoed by Governor Hochul. I’m deeply disappointed that Governor Hochul vetoed my LICH Act (A1633), which would have improved state oversight and ensured meaningful community engagement when a hospital or major unit closure is planned. 

Many of you fought alongside me when Long Island Community Hospital (LICH) closed in Cobble Hill with no notice, no public input, and no planning. We continue to see history repeat itself with attempted closures at SUNY Downstate, Beth Israel, and several hospitals in upstate New York.

After passing this bill several times in the Assembly, I was proud it passed both the Senate and Assembly for the first time this year - and with strong bipartisan support. In fact, it passed unanimously in the Assembly!  With the loss of more hospitals and maternity units, this bill has gained significant support from a robust coalition of patient advocates, unions, doctors, legislators, the public, and more. 

I strongly disagree with the Governor's veto, which states that the “financial reality that struggling hospitals face and changes in healthcare service delivery” made this bill unrealistic. This is highly inaccurate because the bill does not prevent hospitals from closing, but instead reforms the process for closures. The bill even has provisions to allow the DOH to fast-track a closure process in many circumstances, including financial crises. The Governor has directed the Department of Health to reform its closure procedures, but I remain skeptical because unless it’s statutory, it will be easier for hospitals to evade and difficult to enforce.

The hospital industry lobbyists fought tooth and nail against this bill, despite our working with them to make bill amendments. 

This situation is only going to become more dire. In the last two decades, more than 40 hospitals have closed across New York, 10 hospitals have closed essential maternity services, and several psychiatric beds that were closed early in the Covid-19 pandemic have not been restored. A study by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that there are 27 rural hospitals in the state at risk of closing, amounting to 53% of New York’s rural hospitals. I will reintroduce this bill in the upcoming session with Senator Gustavo Rivera. Here is my press release on the veto.

NYC Retirees Win Court Case on Healthcare Benefits. New York City Public Service Retirees worked to make the City a better place. It’s our responsibility to ensure they receive the healthcare they bargained for. This week, the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the retirees, allowing them to keep traditional Medicare instead of being forced to move to a Medicare Advantage plan. I’m proud to have been an early supporter of the retirees’ fight to stop the City from cutting corners and ensure they get the benefits that they were promised.  

Congestion Pricing Moves Forward Jan. 5, 2025. The new plan includes a 40% reduction to previously agreed-upon fees and tolls. For example, the fee for personal vehicles to travel into the central business district during the day is expected to be $9 starting on midnight January 5th, 2025 (rates during the evening are lower, as are fees for people with lower incomes).

Things to Know:

• Please ensure your E-ZPass matches your license plate. 
• Low-Income Discount Plan (LIDP): A 50% discount is available for low-income vehicle owners. This discount begins after the first 10 trips in a calendar month, and applies to all peak period trips after that. Learn more & apply.
• Individual Disability Exemption Plan (IDEP) is available for individuals who have disabilities or health conditions that prevent them from using transit. IDEP can be applied to a vehicle registered to the applicant, or to a vehicle registered to a person the applicant designates, such as a family member or a caregiver, if they use that vehicle to drive the applicant in the Congestion Relief Zone. Learn more & apply.
• For other exemptions for organizations that transport people with disabilities, buses, or other emergency vehicles, visit this MTA website. 

​​If you would like to understand the toll structure and credits better, or to view exemptions for people with disabilities or other details, please visit the MTA’s FAQ page.

Emergency Snow Shovelers Needed. Apply now to be an Emergency Snow Shovelers Needed. NYC DOT has opened registration for paid snow shoveling gigs around the five boroughs. Shovelers will help remove snow and ice from bus stops and sidewalks throughout the winter. Learn more here.

NYPD is Hiring School Crossing Guards. The NYPD is actively hiring part-time school crossing guards to protect our school children. Guards are responsible for guiding children across busy intersections and controlling traffic flow around schools.

Carroll Street Bridge Update. Neighbors often ask me about the status of the Carroll Street Bridge, which has been closed for several years now. When the EPA and the city began dredging and pile driving to clean up the Gowanus Canal, they determined that the bridge was in worse shape than they thought. The  clean-up work was further de-stabilizing the 135 year-old bridge. Fortunately, the design of the bridge repair has finally advanced to the next stage and is under EPA review. Once EPA grants approval, City DOT can move forward with construction which is roughly estimated to start in winter 2024/2025 and to be completed in winter 2025/2026. So, it’s going to be a while longer but there is forward momentum. For bridge status updates, email [email protected] or call the Gowanus Remediation Team hotline at 718-569-5762.

Keep Using your Trash Bin if it has a Lid: The NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) mandates that all 1-9 unit properties use secure garbage bins with lids by November 12, 2024. If you already use a bin with a secure lid that is 55 gallons or less for trash, you may continue to use it until JUNE 2026 and you don’t need to buy a new one right now. 

After June 2026, you will need to switch to the official NYC Bin, found here. According to DSNY, the bins are inexpensive, robust, and designed to keep rodents out. Please note that this rule doesn’t cover recycling bins; you can continue to use the bags or the bins you have been using.

DSNY has shared that the warning period for covered bins will expire on January 2, 2025. After the warning period, failure to use a bin that is 55 gallons or less with a secure lid for trash set out will result in fines: $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense. $200 for the third and subsequent offenses. Learn more here.

Building Owners Must Conduct Annual Parapet Inspection by 12/31. Beginning January 1st of this year, the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) requires building owners with parapets fronting a public right-of-way (such as streets, sidewalks, or roadways) to have conducted a parapet observation by a person competent to inspect parapets. This includes but is not limited to a handyperson, building superintendent, mason, architect, engineer, bricklayer, or a NYS-authorized building inspector (see full list here).

If you are not sure what a parapet is or if you have one, contact the DOB at [email protected] and ask them. Please be aware that scammers are making their promotional materials look like official DOB materials. 

You likely do not have to submit the report to the DOB, but you must keep it on file for at least 6 years and must make the reports available to the DOB upon request. If there is an UNSAFE condition, the person performing the observation must notify DOB. 

Learn about the new parapet inspection rules, read the FAQ, and view the Annual Parapet Observation Guide. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Carroll Gardens Library Construction Update. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) reports that the construction is going as planned. The city’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) has completed asbestos abatement and will begin working on installing HVAC equipment on the roof. When that phase of work ends in the winter, the BPL will move onto the next phase of work. The BPL expects the library to reopen by the second half of 2025. In the meantime, the bookmobile will still serve the neighborhood along with the nearby Brooklyn Heights Library.

Adams Street Library Construction Update. Adams Street Library will temporarily close at the end of the day on December 18 for essential repairs. They anticipate reopening in April 2025. Select neighborhood library services will be available nearby at the Adams Street Annex (1 John Street) starting January 2. The Annex will be open weekdays from 10 am to 5 pm.

Community Events & News: 

• Holiday Nostalgia Train Rides Sundays Dec. 22 & Dec. 29. This holiday season, visit the New York Transit Museum’s 1930s R1/9 train cars! Operating between 2nd Avenue – Houston Street on the uptown F line and 96th Street – 2nd Avenue on the Q line, the Holiday Nostalgia Train will transport straphangers back in time every Sunday in December. Learn more.
• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Holiday Brass Trio: Join the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Holiday Brass trio from 1-2 pm at the Old Stone House on Saturday, December 21, to celebrate PS 118 and its seven years of music partnership. Learn more here. 
• Apply to be on your Community Board!: Community Boards help decide the future of Brooklyn. NYC residents over the age of 16 can apply to their local board no through February 14, 2025. Apply here! 
• Powerhouse Artist Subsidy Program: Powerhouse Arts is accepting applications through January 8th for NYC-based artists facing financial barriers. To learn more about the subsidies and to apply, check out the information here.    
• Free Covid-19 tests. The federal government is mailing households 4 free Covid-19 tests ahead of the holiday season. Order yours online here or by phone at 1-888-232-0233. Vaccinations are another way to protect yourself and your loved ones from severe infection. Use the city’s Vaccine Finder to schedule an appointment.
• Free Leaf Bags! Stop by our office at 341 Smith St. for free leaf and yard waste bags, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.