Governor Cuomo Deploys Mobile Command Center to Staten Island

Trained Staff to provide Sandy Victims with Insurance Assistance on Friday and Saturday on Staten Island

DFS representatives will be available to help Staten Island residents with insurance-related issues related to storm losses at these locations:

• Friday, May 24 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Stop & Shop, 4343 Amboy Rd., Staten Island
• Saturday, May 25 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2600 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island

Homeowners and business owners may also apply for housing or business recovery assistance online at: nysandyhelp.nv.gov

B.P. Molinaro Honors P.S. 69 Students For Hurricane Sandy Fundraising Drive

Borough President Molinaro honored three P.S. 69 students in his Borough Hall office for raising $2,572 to help Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts on Staten Island

Molinaro presented Certificates of Appreciation to “Hurricane Harvest” team members Josephine Man, Belinda Zhang and Joseph Lee. The fifth-graders organized a school-wide penny harvest drive, spending weeks giving out plastic pumpkins to classroom teachers to collect pennies. They also created a “Penny Olympics” throughout the school with the incentive being an extra gym period for the class of each grade that collected the most money, and designed a bulletin board to track their progress.

After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the students knew that they wanted the money to go towards reconstruction efforts on Staten Island. At the Borough Hall ceremony, they presented a mock check to Dominick Ciccarelli and Frank Martarella of the nonprofit ConstructRELIEF, which is repairing the South Beach home of Sandy victim Allison Puglisi. Councilman James Oddo’s office and the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery are also involved in the effort.

A New Addition to Susan Wagner High School

$13 million project will add state-of-the-art facilities and 336 new seats

Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott, Borough President James P. Molinaro, and City Council Minority Leader James S. Oddo have announced a new addition to Susan E. Wagner High School.  The new addition, estimated to be completed in 2016, will include eight classrooms totaling 336 new seats, a black-box theater, rehearsal space, small concert venue, and a performance space that seats 250 people.

The addition is estimated to cost around $13 million, with contributions of $7.5 million from Borough President Molinaro and $500,000 from Council Minority Leader Oddo.

 “One of my three priorities when I took office was children.  They are 25% of our population, but 100% of our future,” Borough President Molinaro said. “ The pavilion will endure and last for many years, helping children to advance themselves both academically and in the performing arts. Students have improved their grades and their self-esteem through the performing arts program at this school, and I am confident that this is the greatest investment I can make for the future students of Susan Wagner High School. I thank Chancellor Walcott for his extraordinary support, and Councilman James Oddo for his support of this project. I applaud Principal Gary Giordano, Assistant Principal Paul Corn, and theater teacher Diane Zerega for their hard work in creating such a successful program.”

New Stores to Open Adjacent to Staten Island Wheel in St. George

Illustration of Outlet Center in St. George

When the Staten Island Wheel opens in St. George on July 4, 2016, Staten Islanders will not only have access to breathtaking views, but will be able to shop at new retail developments on the St. George waterfront.  Two developments, Empire Outlets and Lighthouse Pointe, will provide upscale and outlet shopping for Staten Islanders and tourists, and pump money into our economy, in addition to providing jobs for our residents.

New Park Opens on North Shore: 15-Acre Goodhue Park Adds to Borough's Green Spaces

Photo by SI Advance/Irving Silverstein

Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council, Staten Island now has a brand new public park on our North Shore. The 15-acre Goodhue Park is part of a larger parcel of land owned by the Children’s Aid Society.  The land was in danger of development, but with this acquisition by the City, this open space is now protected for future generations.

Read the press release

Borough President Molinaro Outlines Initiatives in
2013 State of the Borough Address

Staten Island Borough President James P. Molinaro's 2013 State of the Borough Address - Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2 of Staten Island Borough President James P. Molinaro's 2013 State of the Borough Address

Borough President Molinaro recently gave his final State of the Borough Address to a crowd of over 650 at the St. George Theatre.  Highlights include:

• A new restaurant, The River Dock Café, at the St George Ferry Terminal
• A 9/11 First Responders Memorial in St. George
• A Memorial along the South Beach waterfront to honor victims of Hurricane Sandy
• Updates on the construction of the New York Wheel and surrounding amenities
• Resources dedicated to autism education and special needs services for Staten Island children and young adults
• Traffic-easing improvements across the Island
• New Senior Housing
• Hurricane Sandy recovery

Please check back soon to  view the 2013 State of the Borough Video and view Strategies & Successes: The 2013 State of the Borough Report, a publication containing important information on current Staten Island projects and improvements.

Strategies & Successes: The 2013 State of the Borough Report

Read the Speech

Video: The Future New Creek Bluebelt presented by Borough President James P. Molinaro

Video: Too Involved To Be Involved With Drugs

DONATE MONEY TO HELP STATEN ISLAND

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation has established an account earmarked solely for Staten Island hurricane relief.

Those who wish to donate may visit tunneltotowers.org

www.tunneltotowers.org

 

Click on “Hurricane Sandy” then choose the amount of your donation as well as select “Staten Island” as the location you wish your money to benefit.You may also send a personal check made out to the T2T Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, with “Staten Island”

in the memo field to:

STATEN ISLAND BOROUGH HALL

10 RICHMOND TERRACE, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10301

Read the press release

BP Urges Staten Islanders to Take Advantage of Carpool Discounts

The carpool discount is available to EZ-Pass users on all NY-NJ crossings

Borough President James P. Molinaro is encouraging Staten Island residents to take advantage of a carpool discount offered to EZ-Pass users by the Port Authority at its New York/New Jersey Crossings.

The carpool plan allows motorists who are carrying at least 2 passengers in addition to the driver to pay only $3.50 to cross the Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge, and Outerbridge Crossing. The discount is available 24 hours a day. To use the carpool plan, EZ-Pass holders MUST register with the Port Authority by calling 800-333-8655. You will need your account number and pin number on hand.  Drivers must use a staffed “Cash” toll lane and make a complete stop before driving through so that the toll taker may count the number of occupants in the vehicle.  For more information, visit the Port Authority’s Website. 

Port Authority Website Information

B.P. Molinaro Announces Launch of Newly-designed Tourism Website

Twitter feed and Facebook page for tourism also established

As part of his ongoing effort to promote tourism on Staten Island, Borough President James P. Molinaro today announced that our Borough’s tourism website, VisitStatenIsland.com has been fully redesigned and updated. In addition, the tourism website is now linked to its own Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The redesign was made possible through a grant from the NYC & Company Foundation, and was done by NYC Web Design Corp., a Staten Island based company.

Read the press release

Go to VisitStatenIsland.com

The Preservation of Pouch Camp is a Top Priority for BP Molinaro

William H. Pouch Scout Camp

The preservation of Pouch Camp is a top priority for all Staten Island elected officials.  Borough President Molinaro is working together with all Staten Island Elected Officials to secure a conservation easement that would permanently preserve the property as open space and prevent housing or commercial development. Although these are challenging economic times for City and State government, we simply cannot afford to lose this valuable Greenbelt site to developers.  BP Molinaro said “I will do everything in my power to preserve Pouch Camp so that future generations of Staten Islanders can continue to have access to the parkland for recreational purposes.” 

NOW PLAYING:

Staten Island's New Tourism Video

Borough President Molinaro unveils the Staten Island Attractions video at the Staten Island Ferry's Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan.

Staten Island's many cultural attractions, as well as its parks and recreational opportunities are featured in the 9 minute video, which is designed to attract both tourists and residents alike. As passengers wait to board the Staten Island bound ferry, they can learn about the attractions that can be reached by bus and those that are within walking distance of the St. George Ferry Terminal. The video will be played on a new 65" high definition video monitor, mounted above the information booth in the passenger waiting area.

The video was produced by the Borough President's Office and sponsored by the NYC & Co. Foundation, the Richmond County Savings Foundation, and SINY, Inc. Narration for the video was provided by Ken Dashow, radio personality from New York's Q104.3 fm. The video will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.