NYC DOT is holding a virtual BQE workshop tonight to get your feedback: Tues. Oct. 18th, 6:30-8:30pm. This workshop is a repeat of last week’s in-person workshop and the second one focused on “BQE Central” which is the 1.5 mile section of the BQE from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street, including the triple cantilever in Brooklyn Heights. Register here.
I attended the first BQE central workshop last week, and it was a solid turnout and a good start for people new to the BQE issues, complete with helpful poster board visuals and a very cool floor map of the BQE area. However, it was light on the engagement (no group discussion or group Q&A) and for people familiar with the issues, there was little new information. I hope DOT is planning more interactive opportunities for people to discuss options with DOT and each other and I very much hope DOT listens carefully to the many people with actual skills and expertise (architects, planners, engineers, environmental scientists) who live in the communities along I-278 corridor, including the cantilevered portion.
Your voices and input are necessary. I hope you will join tonight’s event, and you can click here for the full list of the upcoming BQE Central, South & North events.
You can also see the list of the newly formed Community Visioning Council (CVC); my staff is also attending those meetings. The CVC will advise NYC DOT and its consultants on engagement, and meet regularly to discuss concerns, plan for engagement, process information from engagement, and share feedback. You can review the updated NYC BQE website: https://bqevision.com/
Sincerely,
Jo Anne Simon
BQE Funding Opportunity for Community Engagement. As part of the BQE Corridor Vision, the NYC DOT is working with its consultant team to select community-based organizations to serve as Community Partners throughout the BQE engagement process. Up to 20 organizations may receive up to $25,000 between November 2022 and March 2024 to support engagement around the project. Community Partners will help lead education and/or engagement activities that expand upon and proceed in parallel with NYC DOT-led engagement, with technical assistance provided by NYC DOT and its consultants.
Partner organizations should have meaningful community ties and demonstrated experience in mobilizing their constituencies. Priority will be given to organizations serving underrepresented communities and those serving constituents whose primary language is not English. Individuals and sole proprietors may not apply. Please see more details and apply here. Applications are due on October 31, 2022.
Mammogram Van Event, Nov. 18, 2022. I’m glad to provide this service to the community in partnership with the American-Italian Cancer Foundation. We are scheduling appointments for Fri., Nov. 18th, between 9am and 4:30pm in front of my district office at 341 Smith Street -- easily reached from the Carroll Street F/G Station stop.
Screenings are open to those who are medically eligible for a screening mammogram, aged 40-79, currently living in NYC, who have not had a mammogram in the past year. The mammograms are provided at no cost, so you do not need insurance, and no co-pay is required even if you have insurance. If you'd like to schedule an appointment, please call or email our office: 718.246.4889; [email protected].
Apply for Student Loan Relief! The application is now open for President Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief program. Apply here. This program provides full or partial discharge of loans up to $20,000 to Federal Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to non-Pell Grant recipients. The program is for individuals who made less than $125,000 in 2021 or 2020, or families that made less than $250,000 in 2021 or 2020. Apply today, and no later than Dec. 31, 2023.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program: Apply by 10/31/22. The PSLF program has been improved and expanded - it forgives the remaining balance on your Federal student loans, but you must apply by October 31, 2022. The PSLF is available to a variety of government or nonprofit sector workers. If you have worked in public service for 10 years (or received 120 monthly credits) since October of 2007, you are eligible to have your federal loans fully forgiven. If you are a borrower with fewer than 10 years, there are still certain steps you must take right now to start the clock on the program. Further, most applicants will get nearly 3 years of free credits (~33 credits) toward the 120 for periods during Covid even if you weren’t paying your loans.
- Start with the federal government's 20-minute Help Tool StudentAid.gov/PSLF to see if you are eligible.
- More info: PSLF.nyc and PSLF.us
- Get Free Help: 1 on 1 help is available for Parent PLUS loans and loans in default. Visit nyc.gov/TalkMoney or call 311 and say "FinancialCounseling“
- The Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program supports all NY State residents via webinars, email, phone, and 1:1 counseling. Edcapny.org, 888-614-5004, [email protected]
- https://www.pslf.nyc/get-support
Fall Activities! Many of you may know I simply love autumn and Halloween. It’s so great to participate in the various parades and fall activities. One of my long-time favorite events is the Pumpkin Fest hosted by Mazzone Hardware, complete with clowns, karaoke, coloring books, pumpkin painting and more! Thanks to Mazzone for another great Pumpkin Fest.
Another one of my favorites is the Kings County Fiber Festival and the Community Yarn Bomb celebrating our connections to 4th Ave and to each other’s neighborhoods. Fiber Festival and yarn bomb (a hearty band of knitters and crocheters!) were there all weekend! I think my letters (Boerum Hill and Park Slope) look pretty good!
Lawn and Leaf Bags. Speaking of fall, we’re offering free lawn and leaf bags - courtesy of DSNY - to the community. Biodegradable and compatible for composting, you can pick up a bag or a few at our 341 Smith Street office, Mon-Fri, between 9a - 5p. (Please don’t use the bags for stones, metal, glass or plastic.)
Community Events:
- Community Board 2 General Meeting on Wed., Oct. 19 at 6pm. Read the agenda and get the Zoom link here.
- 84th Precinct Community Council Meeting, Tues. Oct 18th at 7pm. Please join the 84th police precinct for their monthly Community Council meeting - back in person - at the Hampton Inn Hotel (125 Flatbush Avenue Ext) tonight, Oct. 18th at 7pm. The agenda will include a review of crime statistics along with a Q&A. Masks are not required, but are recommended. (718) 875-6850.
- 78th Precinct (718) 636-6410): Community Council meetings typically take place on the last Tuesday of each month at 7:30PM .
- 76th Precinct (718-834-3211): Community Council meetings typically take place on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30PM.
- Click here to find your local Build the Block Meetings.
- Annual PTA Fun Run on Sat. Oct. 22nd at 10am, hosted by Council Member Shahana Hanif & Brooklyn PTA’s. Run or walk to support our local PTA’s in Prospect Park this weekend. The 3.3 miles begin at LeFrak Center. This event will be fun for the whole family, and I hope to see you there! Register here.
- Districts 13 & 15 School Showcase with Council Member Restler on Sat., Oct. 22nd at 10am. Attend this upcoming School Showcase to learn more about the DOE enrollment process and our great local public schools at the Dock Street School at 19 Dock St. Register here.
Plug into your local Community Board. My staff and I attend the community board meetings in our district each month. It’s a great place to connect with neighbors and have a say in issues affecting our community. In NYC, there are 59 community boards, with 18 in Brooklyn. Boards have an important advisory role in dealing with land use and zoning matters, the City budget, municipal service delivery, and many other matters relating to their communities' welfare. Each CB also has several committees, such as a land use committee and public safety committee. City Council Members nominate community board members, and the Borough President appoints them. Members serve staggered 2 year terms, so each year, half of the members must be re-appointed. Interested in learning more? Attend a meeting!
Election & Voter Deadlines. Here are important dates for the upcoming November 8th General Election. Find your poll site for early voting and Election day here.
- Change of address form from registered voters must be received by the BOE by Oct. 19th.
- Request your Absentee Ballot by phone (1-866-868-3692), fax, or here online by Oct. 24th. November 7 is the last day to apply IN-PERSON for an absentee ballot.
- Early voting begins October 29 and runs through November 6. Hours vary each day, and your early voting site may be different from your Election Day site.
4 Proposals on the November 8 Ballot. This year, our New York City ballot will have 4 proposals to vote on. To view a sample ballot and read the proposals in full, you can visit here. If you’d like to learn more about the ballot proposals, Senator Liz Krueger is holding a town hall tonight on Zoom. Details and registration here. To view a version of the proposals in plain language, check out this guide.
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Proposal 1 Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022: To address and combat the impact of climate change and damage to the environment, the "Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022" authorizes the sale of state bonds up to four billion two hundred million dollars to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resiliency, and clean energy projects.
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Proposal 2 Add a Statement of Values to Guide Government: This proposal would amend the New York City Charter to:
Add a preamble, which would be an introductory statement of values and vision aspiring toward “a just and equitable city for all” New Yorkers; and
Include in the preamble a statement that the City must strive to remedy “past and continuing harms and to reconstruct, revise, and reimagine our foundations, structures, institutions, and laws to promote justice and equity for all New Yorkers.”
The preamble is intended to guide City government in fulfilling its duties.
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Proposal 3 Establish a Racial Equity Office, Plan, and Commission: This proposal would amend the City Charter to:
Require citywide and agency-specific Racial Equity Plans every two years. The plans would include intended strategies and goals to improve racial equity and to reduce or eliminate racial disparities;
Establish an Office of Racial Equity and appoint a Chief Equity Officer to advance racial equity and coordinate the City’s racial equity planning process. The Office would support City agencies in improving access to City services and programs for those people and communities who have been negatively affected by previous policies or actions, and collect and report data related to equity; and
Establish a Commission on Racial Equity, appointed by City elected officials. In making appointments to this Commission, elected officials would be required to consider appointees who are representative of or have experience advocating for a diverse range of communities. The Commission would identify and propose priorities to inform the racial equity planning process and review agency and citywide Racial Equity Plans.
Proposal 4 Measure the True Cost of Living: This proposal would amend the City Charter to:
Require the City to create a “true cost of living” measure to track the actual cost in New York City of meeting essential needs, including housing, food, childcare, transportation, and other necessary costs, and without considering public, private, or informal assistance, in order to inform programmatic and policy decisions; and
Require the City government to report annually on the “true cost of living” measure.
