 Borough President Vito Fossella vowed to fight the siting of a possible homeless shelter at the corner of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Valley Road in Richmond Valley.
He said an application has been filed to construct a four-story, multi-use building there -- and noted “there is concern rightfully by the community.” “The question has been asked and there are rumors floating around that this could be a potential homeless shelter,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference at the site.. “We’re here to say unequivocally that we will fight any plans for a homeless shelter every step of the way. In short, over our dead body, will they put one here. We have reached out to multiple agencies within the city -- and we have let them know that we will do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening and we plan to kill it.” Borough President Fossella said community input will be required to ensure anything built at the site is “consistent with the character of this neighborhood.” “We’ve said from Day 1 that if you want to do good for the people of Staten Island, you have a committed proponent, but if you want to compromise the quality-of-life for the people of Staten Island, especially on the South Shore, then you have a committed opponent," he said. "In short, I want to let the folks out here know that we are on it, we will fight it, and we will keep people informed as the information flows into our office.”  Borough President Vito Fossella called on Staten Islanders to make donations to help Blue Star Families -- and they met the challenge. We received boxes of diapers, baby wipes, healthy children’s snacks, cereal, pancake mix, pasta, peanut butter, and reusable grocery bags as part of our "Stock The Pantry" Drive.
The supplies were distributed at Fort Wadsworth, where Blue Star Families operate a food pantry. More than 100 active military families use the food pantry for their basic needs. We hope these donations bring them some extra help. We want to give a shoutout to Joyce's Tavern, Doc Hennigans, The Point, O’Neills, The Burrito Bar, The Local, Lacey's Bridge Tavern, the Manor House, LaFontana, Duffy’s, and Deninos, which all served drop-off location for donations. And, we also extend a huge thank you to all the Staten Islanders who made donations and we continue to thank our Blue Star Families and our military service members for their sacrifices to keep our country safe.  Borough President Vito Fossella announced the completion of the fence restoration project at the GI Joe statue in New Brighton.
"What we want to do here, and highlight forever, in perpetuity, is to let everyone know that on Staten Island we appreciate and respect what every veteran has done for us and our freedom," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference. But we especially pay homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and this statue embodies that." The GI Joe statue was dedicated in 1946 to honor WWII veterans. It later added the names of those who lost their life in the Korean conflict. Over the years, the statue has been moved three times. Originally dedicated at the corner of Brighton and York Avenues, it fell victim to vandals and was relocated in 1984 to the grounds of Assumption St. Paul R.C. Church where it was secure but not located in a place where the community could appreciate, respect, and view it. In 2012, it was moved to its permanent home on the grounds of Goodhue Park. After years of weathering and time taking its toll on the fence, a call was made to our office to help install a new fence around the statue. Borough President Fossella ensured funds were allocated and that a team would work to restore the fencing, making certain the dignity and respect of the GI Joe statue remains. The GI Joe statue is located on the highly-visible corner of Brighton and Lafayette Avenues on the Goodhue campus. |