City Planning asked to reject Liberty Towers project in letter signed by Staten Island electeds; 
BP Oddo issues a call to Staten Island: Draw the line. Get involved. Have your voice heard. 
 
In a strongly-worded letter, Borough President James S. Oddo, State Senators Lanza and Savino, Assembly members Cusick, Fall, Reilly, and Council members Matteo and Borelli asked Marisa Lago, Chairperson the New York City’s Department of City Planning, to reject a proposal that would permit R-7 zoning in St. George. Such zoning would pave the way for the construction of two residential towers of 26 and 27 stories respectively.  
 
Since 2016, Borough President James Oddo has been trying to get City Planning to help stop teardowns on Staten Island. They have refused, delayed, and stood in the way, even as they champion new high-density zoning to allow apartment buildings. 
 
Today, Borough President Oddo is asking Staten Island for their help to prevent City Planning from introducing R-7 zoning to Staten Island. Staten Islanders are encouraged to share their thoughts and concerns by taking five minutes to email City Planning to tell them “No” and “Enough” of them ignoring what Staten Islanders want for Staten Island, and to stop trying to force feed their idea of what Staten Island should be.
 
“It will be just the beginning. And all of it will come without addressing any of the infrastructure concerns we all share. Just as they did with the Bay Street Corridor. Hell, just like they did in the 1960’s when the built the bridge. Except this time, it will be high rise apartment buildings, not single-family homes,” noted Borough President Oddo.
 
Written comments will be accepted through November 30, 2020. They can be mailed to Olga Abinader, Director, Environmental Assessment and Review Division, New York City Department of City Planning, 120 Broadway, 31st Floor, New York, New York 10271. 
 
Email comments can also be submitted via the city’s webpage here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nycengage/contact/contact.page or emailed directly to Borough President Oddo who will forward to them to City Planning: joddo@statenislandusa.com.    

Chapter 2 New York to accept award for community service in virtual ceremony on 
November 30th
 
Borough President James S. Oddo will award Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 New York with the 2019 Maniscalco Award via a virtual ceremony on Monday, November 30th. Those wishing to join in the virtual ceremony can do so on Borough Hall’s website here: www.statenislandusa.com/Maniscalco2020.  
 
The Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award was established in 1986 in honor of the ninth borough president. Maniscalco's tenure from 1955 to 1965 saw the creation of the Greenbelt and the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The award celebrates the civic-mindedness and tireless energy of individuals or organizations that work to help community members in need and to make Staten Island a better place. 
 
“Lots of folks talk a good game. Sadly, too few of them actually follow up the rhetoric with action. Rolling Thunder walks the walk. Rolling Thunder advocates on behalf of Veterans every day. They are good people. We don’t want to compliment you, we want to honor you and we want Staten Island to know what you do,” said Borough President Oddo. 
 
Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 90 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for Prisoners Of War (POW) and Missing In Action (MIA) of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by their watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.”
 
Rolling Thunder, Inc.'s major function is to publicize the POW-MIA issue by educating the public of the fact that many American Prisoners Of War were left behind after all past wars. They are dedicated to helping correct the past and to protect the future Veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners Of War/Missing In Action. The group is committed to helping American Veterans from all wars.  
 
On Monday, November 4, 2019, Borough President Oddo joined with Rolling Thunder and Congressman Max Rose to unveil a POW/MIA Chair of Honor at Staten Island Borough Hall. The chair, provided by Rolling Thunder, will remain perpetually empty to symbolize there will always be a place at its location awaiting the POW/MIA soldiers’ return.
 
“We are tremendously grateful to the Borough President to be recognized with this award. We want to thank our community because we couldn’t be successful without the community and Veterans,” said Vinny Perno, President, Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 New York.
 
Here are the past winners of the Maniscalco Award:
 
Richard E. Diamond, John L.F. Sipp, Norma D’Arrigo, Allan Weissglass, Martin Stallone, Roger E. Acker, Reverend Robert I. Gannon, Michael F. Manzulli, Michael J. Petrides, Marie G. Martino, Francis H. Powers, Susie-Hyun Sook Beidel, Brian Laline, Reverend Hattie Smith-Davis, Joseph V. Madory, Lou Caravone, Joe Valentin, Nancy Passeri, retired Borough Commander Anthony Marra, Reverend Terry Troia, Senator John J. Marchi, Wendy Pellegrino, Fred Ariemma, Joanne E. Gerenser, Ph.D., Dr. Chitoor S. Govindaraj, Kathryn Krause Rooney, the Siller Family, George and Maria Esposito, the Mannix Family, the Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation, William A. Morris Jr., Lois and Richard Nicotra, Dee Vandenburg and Monsignor Peter G. Finn.

Free, Non-Partisan Resources from iCivics to Encourage Learning Around the 2020 Presidential Election
 
With less than a week to go until the 2020 presidential election on November 3rd, Staten Island Borough President James S. Oddo encourages educators and families to facilitate learning about the election with the non-partisan resources curated by iCivics. Using iCivics, educators and families can help students learn about the electoral process, understand the power of their vote, find ways to participate beyond the ballot box—and ultimately, engage them in our country’s democratic process, now and in the future.
 
“iCivics is a wonderful way to teach kids about our electoral process,” said Borough President Oddo.  “And parents and teachers can relax - these lessons and games are completely and refreshingly free of any partisanship whatsoever.  It teaches children to make up their own minds.”
 
iCivics, the nation’s premier non-profit civic education provider, is best known for their 20 engaging digital experiential games, along with hundreds of practical, dynamic, and standards-aligned civics lessons for K-12 classrooms. The games are ideal for classrooms, remote learning, and at-home schooling. 
 
This is not the first time the Borough President’s Office has partnered with iCivics. In June 2017, Borough President Oddo, in tandem with NYC DOE, funded professional development for Staten Island teachers – elementary, middle and high school. At that time, iCivics made their experts available for a full day of training, in order to familiarize the borough’s teachers with its digital tools, lesson plans, and curriculum. 
 
iCivics’ most popular election-focused games, Cast Your Vote and Win the White House, have been significantly upgraded ahead of the 2020 election to better reflect the public policy issues and challenges our country faces in the current moment, as well as the unique stories of a broad range of everyday people. They also offer an English-language learner version to support non-native English-speaking students. New features include an in-game glossary, image-supported concept assistance, Spanish-language mode, and voice-over for critical game content.
 
To support learning around the 2020 Election, iCivics has curated all of their election teaching resources at Election Headquarters, where educators and families will find:
 

• iCivics games, Win the White House, Cast Your Vote, Executive Command, and NewsfeedDefenders
• A Family Guide for playing Win the White House at home
• Print-and-go lessons that include simulations, vocabulary development, graphic organizers, and active participation opportunities
• Timely infographics that provide overviews of key concepts, such as gerrymandering and the peaceful transfer of power
• WebQuests to help students connect civics concepts to the real world

 
iCivics’ resources and games are best suited for students in grades 5 through 12 and are completely free with the creation of an educator or parent account on www.icivics.org.
 
“These lessons and games, like Win the White House and Cast Your Vote, are as timely as you can get,” Borough President Oddo continued.  “As far as I’m concerned, the lessons taught in iCivics should be required in schools and encouraged in homes everywhere.  It teaches kids what America is all about.”
 
About iCivics 
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor founded iCivics in 2009 to transform the field through innovative, free educational video games and lessons that teach students to be knowledgeable, curious, and engaged in civic life. Since then, iCivics has become the nation’s premier non-profit civic education provider to 7.5 million students across America. Learn more: www.icivics.org.

Starting October 29th, major roads are to be closed from 10am to 2pm on Thursdays to facilitate litter removal and tree pruning;
Staten Islanders urged to plan alternate routes on those days
 
Borough President James Oddo has joined with the NYC Parks Department and Council Member Steven Matteo to announce a schedule of cleanups along major thoroughfares. Due to safety concerns, the roadways surrounding the park perimeters will be closed for the cleanups. The dates are as follows:
 
Thursday, October 29th – Snake Hill on Richmond Hill Road from Forest Hill Road to Arthur Kill Road
Thursday, November 5th – Travis Avenue from Draper Place to Victory Boulevard
Thursday, November 11th  – Rockland Avenue from Brielle Avenue to Manor Road
Thursday, November 19th  – Forest Hill Road from Richmond Hill Road to Rockland Avenue
 
These roads will be closed from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, with a 9:45 am muster, on those dates. Motorists are advised to be aware and plan alternate routes on these dates.
 
“While it may be an inconvenience to some when these roads are closed, this cleanup is needed for these agencies to safely and quickly remove bottles, fast food wrappers, and other items from the perimeter. Unfortunately, the selfish acts of some make it necessary to take these actions. Thank you to the Parks Department for working with us to keep these thoroughfares clean, especially during such difficult budgetary times. We all must find a way to contribute or our litter problem will only continue to get worse,” noted Borough President Oddo.
 
Council Member Matteo said, “Our battle against littering and illegal dumping has been ongoing for years, but it is particularly important that we step up our efforts now, as the city has made drastic cuts to Sanitation services that threaten to erode our quality of life. Whether it is our Clean Team tackling “hot spots: across Staten Island, removing graffiti from buildings, or collaborating with the Borough President on the Fall Parks Cleanup, we will continue to fight to maintain the beauty of our borough.”
 
The cleanup efforts are made possible through collaboration with the Parks Department, NYPD, DOT, and the Department of Sanitation.

​As part of his office’s effort to acknowledge and thank Veterans for their service and sacrifice, Borough President James S. Oddo is pleased to announce his office will be recognizing local Veterans with a ‘Thank A Veteran’ live-streamed video on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.
 
BP Oddo is inviting Veterans and family members of Veterans to participate in this initiative where their submissions will be recognized in a live-streamed video on Veterans Day 2020, as well as on Staten Island USA’s webpage. Those who wish to participate can send the following information to the Borough President’s office: a photo of the Veteran in uniform, their name, rank, branch of service and/or any other info relevant to awards and wars they may have served in.
 
This initiative builds on the successful ‘Thank A Veteran’ social media campaign, which called on Staten Islanders in previous years to make submissions that were posted on Borough Hall’s social media throughout the month of November to acknowledge and thank local Veterans. Any submissions provided to Borough Hall in previous years for this initiative will be included in this years’ project. Family members can check for their submissions at www.statenislandusa.com/thankaveteran.
 
“I want to encourage the community to participate to ensure the service and memories of those who served are not forgotten. I am extremely thankful to all those who have dedicated their lives in service to protecting this country,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
Entries may include both living and deceased Veterans.
 
Any information that the public wishes to share can be sent to Renee Sarno at RSarno@statenislandusa.com. Submissions will be accepted through October 23rd.

For many, COVID-19 may have resulted in delayed doctor visits for checkups and annual screenings. Borough President James Oddo announced today the start of ‘Check In. Check Up.’, a campaign that reminds Staten Islanders to take charge of their health.
 
“For many of us, COVID-19 may have resulted in delayed doctor visits for checkups and annual screenings. This campaign encourages you to check in with yourself and your loved ones and schedule any missed checkup that may have happened this year. We want to remind you to stay on top of your health,” noted Borough President Oddo.
 
Borough Hall’s webpage, www.statenislandusa.com/checkin, includes tips for women and men on screenings to talk to your doctor about and risk factors to be aware of.
 
Annual screenings allow the chance to potentially detect illnesses early – when they can be easier to treat. This campaign encourages Staten Islanders to talk to their doctor about screenings and tests that may be relevant with their risk factors. Most doctor offices are accepting patients again. Contact your physician’s office to see what COVID-19 protocols may be in effect.

Project Renewal’s Scan Van Mobile Mammography Unit available for FREE screenings 
​
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Borough President James Oddo is encouraging women over 40 to get a mammography and assess their risk for breast cancer. Project Renewal’s FREE Scan Van Mobile Mammography Unit is available throughout the month at several locations for women who wish to be screened. Additionally, during the month of October, Borough President Oddo will use his social media pages to encourage Staten Island women to get their annual mammography and to remind their friends and loved ones that an annual mammography could save their life.
 
“Mammograms are important preventative measures for women, which is why we encourage Staten Island women to take charge of their health and make sure they get their annual mammogram. The earlier cancer is found, the easier it is to treat. Women should speak to their doctors to determine whether their risk factors require such screening,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
In 2016, BP Oddo unveiled a series of public service announcements (PSAs) that tell the story of four Staten Island women’s journey with breast cancer. Each of the four PSAs emphasizes the importance of routine mammography screenings as a necessary tool in the detection of breast cancer. These videos will be shared each week throughout the month of October on Borough Hall’s social media pages. The PSAs, along with other information about breast cancer and mammography screenings, can be found here: www.statenislandusa.com/breastcancer.
 
The Project Renewal Scan Van screenings will be available to eligible women ages 40 and older who have not had a mammogram in the past year. All insurance plans will be accepted, and co-pays and deductibles will be waived. The mammograms will be free to uninsured women 40 and older. An appointment MUST be made to get screened. To make an appointment, call Project Renewal at (646) 415-7932. Project Renewal’s Scan Van will be located at the following:

• Saturday, October 10th at Staten Island Mall (2655 Richmond Ave., 10314) starting at 9am
• Wednesday, October 14th at Brightpoint Health Staten Island (57 Bay St., 10301) starting at 10am
• Tuesday, October 27th at Community Health Center of Richmond (235 Port Richmond Ave., 10302) starting at 9am
• Monday, November 23rd at Senator Lanza’s Office (3845 Richmond Ave., 10312) from 9am-12pm
• Monday, November 23rd at Community Health Center of Richmond (235 Port Richmond Ave., 10302) starting at 1:30pm
• Friday, December 18th at Community Health Center of Richmond (235 Port Richmond Ave., 10302) starting at 1:30pm

 
The screenings are funded by Cancer Services Program of Staten Island. 

Getting a Flu Shot this year is especially important to help people stay healthy and to ease the burden on our health care system
 
Borough President James Oddo has partnered with CVS and Rite Aid for a “Family Flu Shot” Campaign to encourage Staten Islanders to get their annual Flu Shot. Staten  Islanders can visit www.statenislandusa.com/flu2020 to a find location near them to make an appointment for a Flu Shot. New Yorkers can also text “FLU” to 877877 for more information about where to find flu shots close to home.  Many shots are free, while many providers also accept insurance.
 
This fall and winter, the flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 may both be spreading. For that reason, getting a flu shot will be more important than ever to help people stay healthy and to ease the burden on our health care system. Although the flu vaccine will not prevent COVID-19, it will help individuals stay healthy by decreasing the risk of getting sick and needing flu-related medical care.
 
“As we face another flu season while also battling COVID-19, this year it is especially important to get your annual flu shot. If you might be at risk of complications or are in close contact with friends and family members with underlying health conditions, take this step to not only protect yourself but protect those you care for,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
The seasonal flu (influenza) is an upper airway and lung infection that causes fever, cough, sore throat and can cause severe illness or complications like pneumonia and in some cases, death. Children may get sinus problems and ear infections. An annual flu shot is recommended for almost everyone 6 months and older. It is one of the best ways to reduce flu illnesses, hospitalizations and death from flu.
 
Certain groups of people have a higher risk of developing serious health conditions and complications from the flu, so it is especially important for them to get the flu shot - each year, as the shot is different depending on the strain of flu. Children younger than 5, especially those under 2; people 50 and older, especially those 65 and older; and pregnant women can be at increased risk of complications from the flu.
 
Additionally, those with any underlying medical conditions can be at increased risk, including:

• Asthma, emphysema or any other chronic breathing disorders
• Heart, kidney or liver disease
• Blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia
• Weakened immune system, from illness or medication
• Neuromuscular disorders that interfere with breathing or the discharge of mucus
• Long-term aspirin therapy in people under 19
• Obesity (a Body Mass Index of 40 and over)
• People living in nursing homes or other care facilities
• American Indians and Alaskan Natives

 
Caregivers, healthcare workers, and those in close contact with people who belong to a high-risk group should be sure to get a flu shot each year.
 
It is estimated that every year in the United States, about 5% to 20% of the population gets flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications. Each year, more than 2,000 New Yorkers die from flu-related illness.