 Borough President Vito Fossella was joined by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726 President Daniel Cassella and local business owners to issue a call for the MTA to remedy the recent surge in congestion surrounding their bus depots.
The call comes amid reports that traffic surrounding the Castleton Bus Depot has increased significantly over the last several months because of the closure of the Meredith Avenue Depot in Chelsea in January. Once the Meredith Avenue Depot closed, it offloaded its 54 buses which served nine routes to the Castleton, Yukon, and Charleston depots. At the time, Borough President Fossella warned that closing the Meredith Avenue Depot would result in increased congestion at the remaining three depots, leading to poorer overall service for commuters. He said the solution is for the MTA to find a new location to re-open a fourth depot. “There are at any point in time, more than 30 buses lined up here,” said Borough Fossella at a press conference on Tuesday at Castleton Avenue and Rector Street. “To give you an idea of what that means in distance, it’s almost a third-of-a mile of buses lined up back to back to back. As you can see in real time, cars are trying to circumvent buses, they’re going around buses -- these are accidents waiting to happen. We’re here to say this is a problem and we’re urging the MTA to help us address this problem.” The increased congestion has also reduced the ability of Richmond County Ambulance to respond to emergencies, forcing them to forward high-risk calls to 911. Daniel Casella, the union president, said the buses are blocking street parking for customers who need the spots to enter businesses in the area. “The autobody shops that are here can’t even get a customer through their door because the buses have it blocked all the way down to Richmond Terrace,” he said. “This is something that I said would happen, that it would take a little while, and it is happening -- and it’s not just happening here at the Castleton Depot, it’s happening in the other depots also. I really implore the MTA to open another location because this is not going to go away and its only going to get worse.”  Borough President Vito Fossella, City Buildings Department Commissioner James Oddo, and Freshkills Park Administrator Mark Murphy joined together to honor Joe Lhota, who spearheaded the efforts to shutter the Fresh Kills Landfill.
They presented him with a proclamation, which declared April 25, 2025, as “Joe Lhota Day” on Staten Island, during a press conference at Freshkills Park on Friday. “Very often it’s the people up top who get the accolades and the sunshine, but it’s guys like Joe Lhota who actually got it done,” said Borough President Fossella. “I think the people behind the scenes who got it done need to be acknowledged.” As the Deputy Mayor of Operations in the administration of Mayor Rudolph Guliani, Mr. Lhota became the point person when it was announced that the city would finally close the landfill after 48 years. He crafted the solid waste management plan that made the closure possible and negotiated deals to facilitate the transportation of the city’s garbage to landfills in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. Following the press conference, Borough President Fossella, Mr. Lhota, and the city officials in attendance traveled through North Park, which opened in 2023 and offers breathtaking views of the area’s hills and waterways, access to the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge, and opportunities for birdwatching. Freshkills Park will open in stages and will be three times the size of Central Park and the largest park built in New York City in more than a century when fully complete in 2036. “To see the transformation, it’s just amazing,” said Mr. Lhota. “What’s really amazing is to see the natural life come back.”  Borough President Vito Fossella announced plans to file a lawsuit to stop the proliferation of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) on Staten Island, alleging they are “inherently unsafe.”
Ten Staten Islanders will join the lawsuit as plaintiffs seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to prevent a BESS site from operating at 283 Nelson Ave. in Great Kills. The lawsuit will seek a stay at a BESS site under construction at Tillman Street and Manor Road. It will also argue that the proliferation of BESS sites on Staten Island violates “fair share” provisions of the New York City Charter and other regulatory processes designed to protect the public. “Staten Island is slated to get about 50% of these storage facilities even though we have 6% of the population,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference outside of Richmond County Supreme Court. "Public safety is not the driving force in siting these facilities, it’s about convenience and cost. We’re taking this to the courts to fight for what is right." Borough President Fossella called attention to legislation in California that says a battery storage site must be sited 3,250-feet from a home -- or more than a mile -- after widespread fires led to large-scale evacuations. “That’s what they’re pursuing in other parts of the country, where they’ve had to shut down highways, evacuate areas, then let people come back in, only to evacuate them once again,” said Borough President Fossella, noting that some facilities on Staten Island have been constructed within 20-feet of residential neighborhoods. “If these facilities catch fire, are they going to evacuate Great Kills, are they going to shut down Hylan Boulevard? We don’t think it’s right, which is why we’re standing here today.”  Borough President Vito Fossella announced allocations for three Staten Island intermediate schools which will completely overhaul and enhance their schoolyards and fields as our students “deserve the very best.” He learned from the principals and students at Totten (I.S. 34) Intermediate School, Barnes (I.S. 24) Intermediate School, and Paulo (I.S. 75) Intermediate School that their schoolyards had not undergone any major renovations in decades. Borough President Fossella visited the schools to outline the projects. At Totten Intermediate School, a full-sized, 100-yard turf football field with dedicated areas for softball, baseball, and soccer will be installed. It will stand as a year-round facility which will serve the students at Totten Intermediate School, as well as student-athletes from schools across Staten Island. As Borough President Fossella placed the ceremonial shovel into the ground and turned over the soil at Totten Intermediate School, the students cheered. “This dustbowl that has been here for 90 years will be transformed into a field of dreams -- it will be epic,” said Borough President Fossella. John Boyle, the principal of Totten Intermediate School, thanked Borough President Fossella in a heartfelt Facebook post. “Thanks to the incredible vision and unwavering commitment of Borough President Vito Fossella, I.S. 34 is turning a longtime dream into a game-changing reality,” he wrote in the post. “This project honors our proud tradition of athletics, champions, and school spirit while building something current and future Eagles will enjoy for generations. Whether you’re defending the nest, performing under the stars, or cheering from the sidelines -- this is your field.” Both Paulo and Barnes Intermediate Schools will receive updated schoolyards with areas for recreation, sports, and outdoor learning, including a full baseball field and a mixed-use soccer pitch and football field. At Paulo Intermediate School, Borough President Fossella was greeted by the cheerleaders and the Paulo Panther, the school’s mascot, as he walked through the hallway on his way to the auditorium. The students had asked him to make their Panther dream of a new field “a reality.” “When I saw the development outside and I learned it was just going to be replaced with another asphalt schoolyard, what I told Principal Zapata and what I am telling you today, is that we’re going to blow it up and have a whole new turf field for all of you,” said Borough President Fossella at an assembly as confetti was released into the auditorium. During his visit to Barnes Intermediate School, Borough President Fossella was welcomed by the cheerleaders and the band playing the trumpets to the tune of New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz. “A few weeks ago, I toured the schoolyard and frankly, it needs work,” Borough President Fossella told the students. “The good news is that at this time next year, we will start construction on a brand-new turf field for you. You deserve it, Staten Island families deserve the very best, and you’re going to get the very best.” His announcement was met with rounds of applause and shouts of "Vito, Vito, Vito." Our office remains committed to ensuring our Staten Island students have the best possible academic and recreational experiences. 
Borough President Vito Fossella Calls For Increased Vigilance, Security In Staten Island's Parks4/9/2025
 Borough President Vito Fossella was joined by NYPD Borough Commander Melissa Eger and District Attorney Michael McMahon to address security concerns in Staten Island’s parks.
The trio stood together in response to the attempted assault of a 53-year-old woman who was jogging in Silver Lake Park on April 3. “What we’re saying here is there’s no tolerance for anything like that in Staten Island and that we will do everything we can to track down the individual who assaulted this woman and also send the signal that if anybody dares to try to do something like that again, they’re going to have the full force of the law come down upon them,” said Borough President Fossella during a press conference at the iconic entrance to Silver Lake Park. Borough President Fossella added that “your daughter, or your wife, or your sister should be able to walk or run anyplace on Staten Island without fear of being attacked, being assaulted, or even worse.” “The temptation is to say something like ‘you’ve got to be vigilant,’” he said. “That’s common sense, but the reality is, we want to put the force down on the handful of bad people who want to bring harm and injure innocent people." Assistant Chief Eger said images of a suspect have been released and called attention to an increase in park security. “Since the time of the assault, the NYPD has increased our police presence at Silver Lake Park and the surrounding area,” she said. “You have seen and will continue to see a larger number of police officers patrolling the park and surrounding areas. We want you, the community, to be safe and to feel safe.”  Borough President Vito Fossella issued the following statement regarding the confirmation by Mayor Eric Adams that no homeless shelter is being pursued at 4932 Arthur Kill Road in Richmond Valley. He also presented the message in a Facebook video.
“For the past two weeks, we joined South Shore residents to share our concerns and call for clarity about a potential homeless shelter being sited at 4932 Arthur Kill Road. We spoke directly with the Mayor to stress our opposition, and, fortunately, he confirmed that the City is not pursuing a homeless shelter at this location. This is a breath of relief for the residents, and we thank them for being persistent and making their concerns heard. As we said from day one, those who want to do bad by our Island have a committed opponent, and we will continue to stay on top of this location and others on Staten Island.” |