​“Thank you; we need more help,” is the message of a short letter drafted by Borough President James S. Oddo and signed by every other elected official on Staten Island to Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio.
 
The letter, dated January 10, 2017 and addressed to Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio reads in total as follows:
 
“We sincerely thank you for all you have done to help us fight the opioid epidemic plaguing Staten Island.
 
“We desperately need more help.
 
“We are hopeful we can all get in the same room in the near future to figure out how we can do even more.”
 
Ironically, within hours of sending the letter, the Governor sent out a press release announcing a slew of new proposals in his State of the State to combat this epidemic state wide.
 
“I certainly welcome the Governor’s new proposals, and look forward to learning more about them,” said Borough President Oddo. “In fact, they are an indication of how important it is to get in the same room to discuss all our efforts and discuss what more can be done. At our December 2, 2016 meeting I hosted at Borough Hall, my colleagues and I agreed that the crisis is so pervasive and serious that we must be working with the highest reaches of the state and city government to solve it. This letter appealing to the Governor and Mayor for their direct engagement with us asks just for that. Does the request reflect a bit of chutzpah on our part? Perhaps. But the cause is that important and the consequences of inaction too serious.” 
 
Besides Borough President Oddo, the bipartisan group of elected officials signing onto the letter was: District Attorney Michael McMahon, Congressman Dan Donovan, State Senators Andrew Lanza and Diane Savino, Assembly Members Michael Cusick, Matthew Titone, Nicole Malliotakis, and Ron Castorina, and Council Members Steven Matteo, Joe Borelli, and Debi Rose.  

Looking to right an oversight the city made when it announced its Five Borough Ferry Plan and failed to include Staten Island, Borough President James S. Oddo wrote to Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen to ask for St. George to be considered as an additional stop on the proposed ferry route that will link Manhattan to the Brooklyn neighborhoods of DUMBO, Red Hook and Bay Ridge.
 
In his letter, dated December 19, 2016, BP Oddo wrote:
“The $1 billion+ investment in the New York Wheel, Empire Outlets and Lighthouse Point will undoubtedly attract millions of visitors and will provide New Yorkers with thousands of jobs, many of whom will seek alternative methods of transportation. This investment, along with the City’s commitment to extend ferry service, offers a unique opportunity to reconnect the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island in a manner far more efficient, and far less expensive, than driving over the Verrazano Bridge.
 
“I have been told that the developers of the St. George projects are currently about to finalize an agreement with NYCEDC to install a ferry dock, and that the developers have agreed to assume responsibility for the capital expenditure and the maintenance of the facility.
 
“As things stand now, there will be significant demand from Brooklyn and Queens residents to visit the St. George attractions, yet there are limited public transportation options from these boroughs to the North Shore. Many of these visitors will choose to drive, pay the $15 toll, and add additional pressure to an already overtaxed Staten Island road system. We must also consider that there will be a heavy weekend component, thereby insuring ridership during what would otherwise be a slack time.”
 
This is the third Ferry proposal that the Borough President has made to the City, all of which would serve different purposes. Connecting St. George to Brooklyn would provide Staten Islanders another form of transportation to jobs in Brooklyn, as well as Brooklyn residents who work on Staten Island. It would also help bring off-Island residents to the upcoming North Shore attractions. The Borough President’s South Shore Fast Ferry proposal would provide South Shore residents with a quicker and more reliable form of transportation to work. The proposal, currently being studied, to add a Staten Island Ferry stop in Midtown or another Manhattan destination would primarily serve commuters from all areas of Staten Island who work far from South Ferry.  
 
“The fact is connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn via Ferry is not a novel concept,” said Borough President Oddo. “In fact, for more than 50 years, we were connected to Bay Ridge by boat. “We were inexplicably left out of Phase 1 of the Five-Borough Ferry Plan, and now is time correct that oversight. Adding Staten Island to the Brooklyn to Manhattan route would help in so many different ways that it really is a no-brainer. I look forward to discussing this proposal, along with some of my other ideas, with Deputy Mayor Glen.”
 
The five-borough ferry initiative, proposed by the Mayor, is scheduled to begin this year.

The Staten Island Slimdown kicked off on Sunday, January 8th, and BP Oddo is urging Staten Islanders to get involved with the free health and wellness program. The Slimdown, now in its 7th year, encourages Staten Islanders to embrace healthy lifestyle practices such as exercise and healthy eating.

The Slimdown provides participants with free access to exercise classes, coaching, meal plans and other health information. The participant with the most inspirational transformation will win a cash prize at the end of the year. "Surprise" fitness classes begin on January 12th and continue every Thursday night at a different location throughout the Island. Each week, the group will do a different type of exercise, which will be announced at the class.

To register for the Slimdown or learn more about the program, visit StatenIslandSlimdown.com. 

​South Shore drivers may have noticed more activity at Amboy Road and Huguenot Avenue in recent days. Borough President James Oddo and Council Member Joe Borelli are pleased to announce that this activity means that the long-awaited and oft-delayed infrastructure improvement project at this problematic intersection has begun. This project is currently in the first stage of construction. The project will widen Amboy Road to create dedicated straight, right, and left turn lanes heading south and provide new striping for a dedicated left turn lane from Huguenot onto Amboy.
 
All Staten Islanders know that the intersection is notorious for congestion, especially during the morning and afternoon school arrival and dismissals. That is why it has been such a high priority for an improvement for Borough President Oddo and Council Member Borelli. 
 
BP Oddo said, “We at Borough Hall spend so much time, energy, and effort pleading with the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to move their projects into construction. This intersection is one that is in desperate need of an improvement to improve the quality of life for all who use it. Back in November we announced that DDC has issued a Notice to Proceed to the contractor allowing them begin the mobilization process. Despite that, experience has shown that we must always remain skeptical that a project will actually start until we see shovels in the ground. This project has been working its way through the process for a long time, like so many others, and has been a major cause of frustration because we know what a positive impact it will have on the community when completed. That’s why it is so exciting to see actual construction start. When completed, it will be a safer and more efficient intersection.”   
 
“This is an improvement that we’ve been working on for a long time, and I’m really excited that our efforts are bearing fruit. This road widening will alleviate congestion and make it a little easier for residents and drivers to travel in Huguenot,” said Council Member Borelli.
 
The project is scheduled to be completed in November 2017.