Borough President Vito Fossella Allocates $45K To Sunrise Day Camp For Transportation Costs8/15/2024
 Borough President Vito Fossella announced an allocation of $45,000 to the Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp to fund transportation for campers and their siblings.
Sunrise Day Camp is the world’s first full-summer day camp provided free-of-charge for children with cancer and their siblings. The camp is administered by the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island and is the only day camp of its kind in New York City. Located on the grounds of Staten Island Academy, the camp serves over 150 children each year with sports, music, arts & crafts, swimming, and other activities. “There is something very special and very precious that occurs on this campus every summer for about six-and-a-half weeks,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference on the last day of camp. “For these young children with cancer, it gives them not only the ability to be independent, but it gives their parents an opportunity to have a level of comfort that perhaps, things are going to be OK. The staff and the counselors give these kids a ray of light and a ray of hope into their day." Lee Guttenplan, the JCC’s chief operating officer, said "joy is the simplest form of gratitude," noting the joy on the faces of the campers and a sense of relief on the faces of their parents. “We get to see the impact of this funding everyday as children come off the bus with big smiles ready for a day of safe, fun and exciting activities to share with their friends,” he said.  For 25 years, the NYC Tourism Foundation has provided grants to support non-profit cultural centers and organizations across the five boroughs in their missions and operations. This includes over $330,000 to Staten Island cultural organizations.
“Our cultural institutions are foundational for Staten Island for the enriching and enjoying experiences they offer for our residents," said Borough President Fossella. "It is important that these organizations receive the resources they need to continue serving Staten Islanders, including informing them of the opportunities our cultural institutions offer. We are always appreciative of the NYC Tourism Foundation for their ongoing contribution to this effort." The grants are used by recipient organizations to bolster advertising and marketing initiatives. Specifically, the programs supported by these grants are focused on digital, transit and brochure advertisements. The 2024 Staten Island Borough Cultural Tourism grant recipients are as follows:
 Borough President Vito Fossella, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, and members of the National Association of Letter Carriers urged the re-installment of a drive-through mailbox at the Manor Road Post Office at a press conference.
A note at the post office says the mailbox was “removed permanently due to an increase in vandalism and theft.” "This is a case where convenience and common sense gets thrown out the window because crooks take advantage of what happens not just across Staten Island, but across the city and state," said Borough President Fossella. "This is not a criticism of the postal service or the postal carriers, it's not a criticism of the NYPD. This is just highlighting what has been a good thing for this community.” He said the neighborhood residents shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of those who are committing the thefts and vandalism “We want to reinstate and replace these drop boxes here,” said Borough President Fossella. “If there are thefts, let's get the guys who do it and put them behind bars if necessary, but let's not give in. I'm optimistic that we can work out a solution to get these things back." In a joint letter to the United States Postmaster of Staten Island, they suggested the installation of security cameras and an increase in the presence of the Postal Police.  Rita Bueti still brought to tears when recalling how Borough President Vito Fossella helped her son during his deployment to Kuwait.
Her son, Michael, joined the Marines because “he wanted to support his country and fight for his country,” but he quickly became depressed “because everybody was against the war.” While in Congress, he arranged a video call for families of the men and women serving overseas to talk about both their pride in their children and their fears. In the middle, Michael called his mom and asked, “what are we doing here, why am I here, I never should have come.” Then Congressman-Fossella overheard the conversation and asked if he could speak to Michael. “He took the phone, walked away and when he came back, he gave me the phone and my son was very appreciative that he spoke to him,” said Rita who ran into Vito at Disability Pride Month on Tuesday at the College of Staten Island. “I do believe you saved my son’s life because my son was very depressed. After the phone call, my son was much better. So, I want to thank Vito Fossella for doing that and always being very supportive of the military families and the developmentally disabled because I know he does a lot for them, as well.” We thank Michael for his service to our country.  Borough President Vito Fossella condemned recent acts of vandalism in the form of graffiti on the Postcards 9/11 Memorial, a sacred site which honors the memory of the Staten Islanders who were killed on Sept. 11 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The words “Free Palistine” with Palestine misspelled and the anti-cop acronym, “ACAB,” were scrawled onto the winged walls of the Memorial. “In this great country of ours, The First Amendment, among other things, guarantees individuals the right to speak freely and express themselves," said Borough President Fossella. "It does not guarantee individuals the right to destroy and desecrate property, especially something as meaningful as the Postcards Memorial that honors all of the Staten Islanders who died as a result of the 9/11 attacks." Borough President Fossella immediately reached out to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which maintains the site, and the graffiti was quickly removed. “We are grateful for the continued collaboration between our offices that have seen great improvements and beautifications to the site and are thankful for the help and partnership to preserve this memorial as a sacred place,” he said.  Borough President Vito Fossella celebrated a unique act of kindness and friendship between Zamier Davis, who strived to make the Honor Roll at Edwin Markham Intermediate School, and Wail Alselwi, the manager of Zack’s Finest Deli & Grocery in Port Richmond, who provided the incentive.
Zamier, a regular customer of the deli, made a habit of showing his report cards to Wail. He always made Merit Roll, but he wanted top honors. To provide the incentive, Wail made a promise to Zamier: Once he achieved Honor Roll, he would reward him with anything he wanted from the store for free. “I wanted to get better and after getting my average up to 80, I kept pushing and I made Honor Roll with a 90 average,” said Zamier during a press conference inside the deli last week. The heartwarming story first aired on "Good Morning America" and captured the moment when Zamier ran into the store with his Honor Roll certificate. Wail's response, “You did it, go grab whatever you want.” Zameir quickly ran through the aisles with sheer delight and brought several bags of Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili to the counter. Wail has now continued the academic incentive with other kids in the neighborhood. Borough President Fossella was so moved by the gesture that he presented Zameir and Wail with Certificates of Appreciation. “We all want our children to do well in school, we all want them to do well in life,” said Borough President Fossella. “Sometimes kids, like everybody, are encouraged to do things because of different incentives -- and everybody needs the right incentives to grow. This young man was at school and maybe not doing as well as he thought he could. So, this man right here said he was going to give him an incentive to make the Honor Roll at I.S. 51. He had no obligation, he had no reason, he had no point to help this young man, but he chose to and that’s the beauty of this story.”  Borough President Vito Fossella, Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Edward Caban, and New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda announced the culmination of months of successful enforcement actions against dozens of smoke shops on Staten Island.
“The people who own these facilities are both deceptive and dangerous,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference. “They’re deceptive to the community and they’re dangerous because they basically attract young people at an early age and try to get them hooked on drugs.” For more than two years, Borough President Fossella has coordinated with the Sheriff’s office, forwarding constituent reports and providing updates on suspected illegal smoke shops. Borough President Fossella and Mayor Adams have jointly advocated for legislative intervention from the State to clarify the rules of enforcement and empower local law enforcement to crack down on illegal smoke shops. The 2024 New York State Budget included a provision enabling the Sheriff’s office to padlock storefronts found selling illegal marijuana, hold illegal smoke shop owners accountable, and immediately deputize the NYPD to assist in carrying out enforcement actions. On the heels of the expansion of enforcement powers granted by the State, the Sheriff Joint Compliance Task Force launched Operation Padlock to Protect, which conducts widespread compliance inspections. The inspections have led to arrests, summonses, seizures, and other enforcement actions, including evictions. Since the operation commenced, the task force has sealed over 535 illegal smoke shops, resulting in $43 million in civil penalties and $17.5 million in illegal products confiscated. On the day of the press conference, the task force inspected its last 20 reported Staten Island illegal smoke shop locations. Borough President Fossella vowed to continue the joint enforcement effort. “This doesn’t happen without teamwork, and it doesn’t happen without people working together to stand up for the good people of Staten Island,” said Borough President Fossella. “This is just the beginning. These places are like whack-a-mole. They shut them down once, they’ll open three blocks away. We are going to stay on it.” Borough President Vito Fossella Allocates Funding For Track At Morris (I.S. 61) Intermediate School6/26/2024
  Borough President Vito Fossella and his office assisted Howard Gutter, a longtime Mariners Harbor resident, with restoring a sense of normalcy to his neighborhood following the three-story stacking of numerous containers on the property directly behind his backyard.
Over the past few years, Mr. Gutter and his neighbors have had to endure what appeared to be a container ship in their backyards. What started as a tire shop storing a few containers of used tires at 2246 Forest Ave. had grown into a three-story metal monstrosity while deteriorating their quality-of-life. Not only were the stacked containers a blight on their views, but some of the stacked containers allegedly contained tires, drawing concerns over possible fires. Mr. Gutter tried repeatedly to have the property owners remove the eyesore and potential fire hazard from his backyard, without any success. He contacted our office and, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), particularly Community Engagement & Programming Officer Frank Fontana and the DOB Padlock Unit, progress was finally made. DOB issued an order to the property owners to remove 16 of the containers by May 31. “Thank you so much again for all your help," said Mr. Gutter. "I kept calling around, and nothing got done. Finally, I reached y’all guys, and you got things done. I didn’t mess with the shop until they started stacking these tires three-stories high. The problem with those toxic tires, and nobody was policing what they were doing -- it wasn’t right. I just wanted the containers moved.” Borough President Fossella recently visited Mr. Gutter for a first-hand look at his backyard before the containers were removed. “All Mr. Gutter wanted to do was enjoy his backyard and the view, and that was unfortunately taken away from him,” said Borough President Fossella. “We were more than happy to help. Any time we can help a Staten Islander with a quality-of-life issue -- that is what we’re here for. We thank Frank Fontana and our partners at the Department of Buildings Padlock Unit for working with us to help this man out.”  Borough President Vito Fossella joined with a bipartisan coalition of elected officials, along with community groups, to protest a planned migrant shelter at Faith United Methodist Church in Port Richmond.
He said they were told “out of the blue” and “in the dark of night” that the proposed shelter would house 15 single males seeking asylum in the United States. “Some people in this community, volunteers, wake up every day trying to figure out, ‘how do we make Port Richmond better? How do we make the North Shore better?’” said Borough President Vito Fossella at a press conference outside of the church. “And then along come the agencies, [which] say, ‘Guess what? Here’s a way we can make it better: 'We’re gonna dump a migrant shelter right in the middle of your neighborhood.' How is that any degree of common sense?” Borough President Fossella said the elected officials vow to continue fighting the proposed Port Richmond shelter and any others proposed for or placed on Staten Island in the future. “We stand united in one voice to say this is wrong for the people of Staten Island, this is wrong for the community of Port Richmond,” he said.  Borough President Vito Fossella announced a $1.9 million capital allocation to Richmond University Medical Center to acquire a second state-of-the-art da Vinci Robotic Surgical System during a press conference in the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Surgical Pavilion.
The da Vinci system, which is used in hospitals around the world, offers several advantages in the operating room, including greater prevision and access to surgical sites, mitigating infection, pain, and the need for opiates. It also improves recovery time and outcomes. It can be used for bariatric, thoracic, gynecological, urological, colorectal, and hernia procedures. Additionally, the efficiency associated with the da Vinci system helps avoid delays in scheduling surgeries. “RUMC is home to so many healthcare professionals who want the best for the people of Staten Island,” said Borough President Fossella. “When I did a walk-through with RUMC recently, they told me they needed another robotic system to deliver the best quality-of-care to Staten Islanders. It’s a game-changer.” Dr. Daniel Messina, RUMC president, said the addition of a second robotic system “will truly advance the surgery” provided for patients. “This is the same robotic system you will find in the most esteemed healthcare systems and academic places -- and not just here regionally, not just in the United States, but around the world,” said Dr. Messina. “Now, you can find it right here on Staten Island in Richmond University Medical Center." Dr. Messina said more than 80% of the surgical staff are trained in performing robotic surgery. Of the nearly 11,000 surgeries performed at RUMC last year, there were 8,000 performed using the da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgical System. “I can tell you there was a big tug-of-war for the one system that we had and now with the support of our Borough President, we will avoid that situation,” said Dr. Messina. “Robotic surgery continues to be the future of surgery and that future was part of the planning process when we designed our new surgical pavilion. Thanks to Borough President Fossella, we now have the technology that will take us to the next level.”  Borough President Vito Fossella joined his fellow elected officials as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced a $10 million investment to install enhanced license place readers at the Bayonne Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing.
They are already in use at the Goethals Bridge. License plate readers collect digitally readable images of vehicle license plates that are used to locate stolen vehicles or vehicles used in other criminal activity, or to identify vehicles involved with missing persons such as children and the elderly. While the Port Authority Police Department has been deploying mobile readers at the Bayonne Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, permanent readers use higher resolution cameras that are installed at locations optimal for more precise collection of data, which can be shared in real-time with law enforcement partners for investigations and prosecutions. License plate readers are a tool to combat stolen cars, and while car thefts are down over the last two years, the scanners should drive those numbers down even more. “We will continue to highlight the need for tougher measures and additional tools to stop thieves from stealing cars,” said Borough President Fossella at the Port Authority’s press conference on Monday at the Goethals Bridge. “Progress has been made, and we need to remain vigilant. We have maintained that license plate readers would be an additional and effective tool to reduce car thefts even more. We thank the District Attorney, NYPD and the Port Authority for their efforts and willingness to install these readers.” In addition to those already in use on the Goethals Bridge, the Port Authority’s investment will bring the total number of license plate readers to 40, which will include 24 new readers at the Bayonne Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing. They are expected to be installed by 2026.  Borough President Vito Fossella unveiled a ground-up, one-of-a-kind Behavioral Health Blueprint for Staten Island Children and Young Adults to support those at-risk or already suffering from mental health illnesses at a press conference at the College of Staten Island.
In response to the growing mental health crisis on Staten Island, Borough President Fossella and his health team partnered with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and some of the longstanding organizations that have been serving the borough for more than 50 years to develop a framework to provide the best services to children and young adults with mental and emotional needs. To create the blueprint, there was extensive community participation with educators, students, parents, treatment providers, and clergy. It was led by Dr. Ginny Mantello, the director of health and wellness at Borough Hall. The blueprint aims to address an alarming increase in mental health conditions, particularly depression and suicidal thoughts, among Staten Island youth and young adults from pre-K through the age of 24. “It’s a community-based, school-based, primary care-centered approach to ensure that every child on Staten Island who may show signs of behavioral problems or mental illness will get the help they need,” said Borough President Fossella. “And that will come between a collaboration with the Department of Education, the healthcare providers, so many of you in this room, to ensure that here on Staten Island, with this customized -- not a one size fits all -- but a customized approach that will work for the kids and the families of Staten Island.” The “north star” goal of zero suicides was selected to guide the work, which includes reducing suicidal ideation; reducing suicidal attempts; reducing emergency department visits and hospitalizations for suicidality; improving transition to care post-hospitalization; increasing self-management, connectedness, and resiliency; and decreasing anxiety, bullying, and depression, substance misuse and overdoses. Additionally, there will be a multi-pronged system in the schools this fall to track the data, which will include teen mental health and first aid tips for ninth-and-tenth grade students, increased training for school social workers and counselors, wellness training for school staff, and a mental health literacy pilot program for sixth-grade students.  Borough President Vito Fossella presented a proclamation to Sylvia Moody D’Alessandro in honor of her steadfast commitment to preserving the story and legacy of Sandy Ground, the nation’s oldest free Black settlement in the United States still inhabited by its original descendants.
As she steps down from her role as the executive director of the Sandy Ground Historical Society, Sandy Ground Historical , the proclamation declared May 22 as “Sylvia Moody D’Alessandro Day” on Staten Island. Sandy Ground was first settled by free Black New Yorkers as a farming community in the 1820s. In the 1850s, free Black oystermen from Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware came north to work the abundant shellfish beds of the Raritan Bay. Borough President Fossella called the story of Sandy Ground an American story. “Unless you have that person, that devoted servant, the person who believes that the story needs to be told, sometimes people forget,” said Borough President Fossella. “There’s always one person who everybody turns to in order to keep the story alive -- who’s going to tell the next generation the significance and the importance of Sandy Ground, and that’s this lady right there.” Sylvia's daughter, Julie Moody Lewis, offered her thanks for “the affection, the consideration, and the recognition” reserved for mother and referenced the free Black men who settled on the sandy shores. “Sandy Ground is her heart,” she said. “That community out there in Sandy Ground is an authentic historic site, and Staten Island has to make sure that it remains intact and that the historical society stays there, in that place, so we can continue to re-live that history. Take your shoes off and rub it in that sand and get some of that determination that they had.”  Brian Lihari, a senior at Monsignor Farrell High School, received the Michael J. Petrides Student Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science.
The award is named for Michael J. Petrides, a Staten Island educator who passed away in 1994 and is awarded annually to a student who shows and practices model citizenship both inside and outside the classroom. Brian is a member of the Scholars Program, an elite group of students enrolled in numerous rigorous classes across several academic disciplines, including advanced placement. He has a 102% GPA and an outstanding SAT score of 1480. His work outside of Farrell includes spearheading a 60-week research project of harmful bacteria levels of the waters surrounding Staten Island. His findings were published in the Citizen’s Water Quality Testing Program, which he presented to the New York State Department of Health. Additionally, he helped develop an alert system to warn residents when the waters contain high concentrations of harmful bacteria and presented his findings to public schools on Staten Island to promote awareness and safety for beachgoers. Congratulations, Brian. You make Staten Island proud. Borough President Vito Fossella Hosts 30th Annual Emergency Medical Services Recognition Ceremony5/20/2024
 Borough President Vito Fossella honored Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics during the 30th Annual Emergency Medical Services Recognition Ceremony in the Staaten. The breakfast honored EMT’s, paramedics, emergency service instructors, and students for their heroic and -- and sometimes -- life-saving work. It was held in conjunction with the kickoff of National EMS Week. “I am proud to keep this tradition going because it is a valuable way to express our gratitude to the brave men and women who wear the uniform so well, and who are frankly willing to die for us sometimes,” said Borough President Fossella. In a hockey-crazed town, he referred to them as “goalies.” “To use a hockey analogy, one of the most exciting plays in the sport is when the goalie has a tremendous or exciting play and saves the puck,” he said. “In a way, that’s what you all do every single day -- you make that tremendous save. When there is a moment of hopelessness, of helplessness, you become the goalies -- you run into the house, you run to the car, or run into the building and you save lives. That is the greatest gift, the greatest vocation, the greatest thing you can do for your neighbors here on Staten Island.”   Borough President Vito Fossella, District Attorney Michael McMahon, and NYPD Borough Commander Assistant Chief Joseph Gullotta, along with a host of elected officials, addressed concerns about squatters during a press conference outside of a home in Westerleigh.
“We all know the expression that the home is our castle,” said Borough President Fossella. “It’s the American dream and those dreams became a nightmare for a lot of people because they realized, unfortunately, that people can just come in and take over their house. And, when the owners try to take back their homes, they realize the squatters had more rights than they did.” Previously, squatters who were able to prove residency and maintenance of a vacant property for 30 days were entitled to the rights associated with being a tenant of the property. However, the 2024 New York State Budget includes a clarification excluding squatters from tenant protections. The hole at the site of the press conference was boarded up after three defendants were indicted on criminal charges for squatting there, said District Attorney McMahon. Assistant Chief Gullotta said Ring Cameras are the best defense to prevent squatters and other home invasions. “If you can afford to put the cameras in your house, then we’re going to be in better shape,” he said. “It provides evidence for us and it provides a deterrent because if someone does go into a vacant lot or a vacant house, we can tell when they arrived and when they left. Cameras play an integral part in what we do."  Borough President Vito Fossella will hosting the first-ever Staten Island Borough President’s Girls Flag Football Showcase at the College of Staten Island tomorrow.
The showcase will feature teams from St. Joseph-by-the Sea High School, St. Joseph Hill Academy, Curtis High School, Moore Catholic High School, New Dorp High School, Notre Dame Academy, and Tottenville High School. There will be four rounds of play at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.  The Borough President's Office, along with community partners, invite you to join us for Green & Clean Week, a week-long celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day.
The following are the dates, times, and locations:
 Borough President Vito Fossella presented the 2023 Patrick F. Daly Award to two outstanding educators who exemplify the selfless leadership of the fallen principal during a ceremony at Borough Hall on Tuesday.
Patrick F. Daly lost his life in 1992 when he was caught in a gang crossfire in Red Hook, Brooklyn, while searching for a student who had left the school building. The award was posthumously presented to David LaMorte, who was the director of the Tottenville High School Marching Band for more than two decades, and to Lawrence Hansen, the principal of St. Joseph Hill Academy Elementary School. In addition to leading the award-winning Marching Band, David LaMorte served as an assistant principal at Tottenville High School. He was also involved in advancing the education of the arts during his tenure as conductor of the Staten Island Community Band and was the executive director of the Summer Arts Institute. Lawrence Hansen has been the principal of St. Joseph Hill Academy since 2017. He previously taught English Language Arts and religion at St. Clare School in Great Kills to seventh-grade students from 2000 to 2007 and eighth-grade students from 2008 to 2017. A special thank you to the Tottenville High School Band, Port Richmond High School Culinary Department, and Community Media of Staten Island for making this a truly special event. And, thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating these two worthy educators. It was a wonderful and inspiring evening.
Borough President Vito Fossella, United Federation Of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, and a bipartisan group of elected officials welcomed the Staten Island branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and church pastors in the movement to oppose congestion pricing.
The congestion pricing plan, if implemented, will shift hazardous air pollution away from majority white, high-income Manhattan neighborhoods to Staten Island’s predominantly lower-income, minority residential neighborhoods, stretching from St. George to Mariners Harbor, which already suffer from poor air quality, high asthma, and asthma-related hospitalization rates. “It’s unconscionable that the MTA would knowingly and deliberately further pollute lower-income minority districts here as part of its plan to remove air pollution from Manhattan,” said Borough President Fossella during a press conference in Borough Hall. “Simply stated, if the MTA’s congestion pricing program is implemented, more Staten Islanders will get sick and more Staten Islanders will die from the increases and resulting hazards of air pollution. And, most of those deaths will occur from the residents of Staten Island’s most diverse and lower income neighborhoods." Jasmine Robinson, the acting president of the Staten Island branch of the NAACP, called the congestion pricing plan an “undue burden” on the North Shore. “When you talk about people that live in these communities, this is not fair, this is not right, this is an injustice to those that are hardworking,” she said. “This is an undue burden to the people of our communities, to the black and brown communities, to the working class. We deserve better and we deserve more.” Bishop Victor Brown, pastor of Mount Sinai United Christian Church in Tompkinsville, said he was “grateful to see a bipartisan coalition” gathered in opposition to congestion pricing. “It exacerbates the reality that Staten Island per capita leads the city in incidences of cancer and so this plan can only make that reality worse,” said Bishop Brown. “So, members of good intent in this community have no other choice, but to stand in opposition. It’s not morally right so it is imperative that we all put aside our political differences and come to understand that when it comes to incidences of cancer or other illnesses -- illness does not know party, it does not know race and this is something that stands to affect all of us so it is imperative that we continue to join forces and keep the pressure on and to let the MTA know that this plan is wrong for Staten Island.” Borough President Vito Fossella Marks 100th Anniversary Of Our Lady Of Good Counsel School3/21/2024
 Borough President Vito Fossella joined Cardinal Timothy F. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, in a visit to Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Tompkinsville, to mark its 100th anniversary earlier this month.
The visit began with a mass delivered by Cardinal Dolan. As a special touch, the school’s choir sang hymns throughout his sermon. A tour of the school followed with two eighth-grade students escorting Cardinal Dolan and Borough President Fossella through the hallways and classrooms, where they met with the staff and students. At the end of the tour, a lunch -- which included Irish soda bread and corned beef -- was served. We thank Principal Tara Hynes for inviting us to the centennial celebration of Our Lady of Good Counsel School.  Borough President Vito Fossella and his fellow elected officials illustrated how congestion pricing will negatively impact low-income minority North Shore neighborhoods while benefiting wealthier neighborhoods in Manhattan during a press conference on the steps outside of Borough Hall.
“If anyone wanted to deliberately create a plan that wealthy white residents would breathe cleaner air while low-income minority residents would be left in more toxic air pollution, then this congestion program would meet those goals,” said Borough President Fossella. The city designated four North Shore Zip codes as "environmental justice areas,” stretching from St. George to Mariners Harbor, which already experience high rates of asthma and asthma-related hospitalizations among adults and youth. Meanwhile, none of the 12 Zip codes comprising the Central Business District in Manhattan were deemed as “environmental justice areas.” Borough President Fossella compared the racial and economic disparities of the Staten Island and Manhattan Zip codes. Half of the population in the North Shore neighborhoods are black and Hispanic with an average household income of $62,000 while those in the Central Business District are 62% white with an average household income of $300,000. The current congestion pricing plan, which is scheduled to go into effect this spring, would charge drivers $15 for every day they enter the Manhattan Central Business District between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. This would be in addition to normal parking charges and to other current tolls on bridges and tunnels. The congestion pricing fee would be reduced -- though not eliminated -- on nights and weekends. In January, Borough President Fossella and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew announced the filing of a federal lawsuit to block the implementation of congestion pricing. Also joining the lawsuit were seven individual plaintiffs, including teachers who work at schools in Manhattan and commute to work because there are no convenient means of public transportation available to them. Since then, most of Staten Island’s elected official officials have signed on as plaintiffs and the Municipal Labor Committee, which represents 400,000 workers, have backed the lawsuit.  Vito was joined by the Notre Dame Club, District Attorney Michael McMahon, and students from across Staten Island to announce the 33rd annual Notre Dame Bread of Life Food Drive during a press conference in Borough Hall yesterday.
For the third year, theme is “Fight Hunger, Not Each Other.” “We come from all different walks of life -- different faiths, different languages, different ethnicities,” Vito said. “Whatever it may be, when it’s all said and done, we’re just all God’s children and we have to look out for each other. And one common factor and common denominator that we’ve been able to deal with for the last 32 years is to understand that we shouldn’t let anybody go to bed hungry.” Joe Delaney, executive director of the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island BOLD Bread of Life Drive, thanked the students who participate in BOLD each year while addressing food insecurity, not just on Staten Island, but across the country. “Many of the people that come to our pantry have more than one job, but they still need to make ends meet,” he said. Since its inception in 1992 by the Notre Dame Alumni Club, the Bread of Life Food Drive has collected and distributed more than two million items of food. This year, students at participating schools will collect food donations until Friday, March 22. Donations will be distributed to various nonprofits in Staten Island and Brooklyn on Saturday, March 23.  Borough President Vito Fossella once again raised concerns over the potential siting of a new battery energy storage system (BESS) in a residential neighborhood in Castleton Corners, during a press conference at the location. He was joined by Councilman David Carr, who represents the district where the site would be built, along with neighborhood residents.
Prior to the press conference, he was informed that the BESS facility could potentially be built on an empty lot at 1963 Victory Boulevard. The design calls for a roughly 10,000-square-foot facility featuring four power banks, which would border several houses and a number of businesses. The siting of BESS facilities in residential neighborhoods has been a significant cause for concern throughout Staten Island, particularly due to the potential risk of fires, harmful emissions, and endangerment to people and property. Fires at other BESS locations in the state over the summer, specifically in the towns of Lyme, Warwick, and East Hampton, have added to those concerns. "As we know, over the last couple of years in particular, the city and others have allowed these battery storage facilities to pop up across Staten Island, right in people’s backyards practically," said Borough President Fossella. "What we’ve been saying time and time again is while we’re not necessarily opposed to these storage units, they should not be in people’s backyards. We are here to stand united and to say this is not the right place or location for this type of facility. We appealed to the powers that be that Staten Island is unique and deserves some flexibility in siting locations of these types of facilities and the powers that be continue to ignore us. So, we have to keep fighting and try to stand in the way of this happening.” |