​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.

BP Oddo, NYC Department of Education’s District 79, Concord HS, Coop Tech plan to add skilled trades, high school equivalency, adult education and evening courses to act as “career ladders” for high schoolers, young adults and the community

Borough President James S. Oddo along with Concord High School Principal Michael Sobel, and in cooperation with District 79’s School of Cooperative Technical Education  (Coop Tech) and Principal Corey Prober, announced today the addition of multiple enhancements to Concord High School, continuing its transformation into a hub for the community.
 
Currently the school offers young adults ages 16 through 21 the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. Beginning this school year, Borough President Oddo has helped orchestrate a “re-envisioned” Concord HS through new partnerships with Coop Tech, Adult Education, and the development of a Young Adult Borough Center (YABC), in order to offer all residents of the community additional pathways to continue their education.
 
“Concord High School has always been a unique member of our educational community,” said Borough President Oddo, “and the enrichments being announced today represent a quantum leap in what they can provide to those young men and women – and adults - in such dire need of programs like these.”
 
“It is so gratifying,” he continued, “that together, Borough Hall and the Department of Education are creating opportunities for all residents of Staten Island.”
 
Since its redesign in 2002, Concord High School has successfully assisted thousands of young adults to become successful by earning their high school diploma, providing a warm, caring and welcoming environment for all students and families. The school also provides students with an opportunity to research college and career pathways and offers career internships to become better prepared for the workforce.
 
The School of Cooperative Technical Education is a citywide program that offers students hands-on training in a variety of in-demand, cutting-edge trade areas.  Coop Tech serves approximately 1,500 students, 17 to 21 years of age and who represent a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, or as post-graduates who have already obtained a high school diploma or high school equivalency.
 
The program features a carpentry course teaching basic residential and commercial construction skills, such as blueprint reading, proper use of hand and power tools, mill work, building, framing and finishing. The course utilizes geometry, measurement, and all aspects of cost and estimating, as well as the opportunity to receive their 30 Hour Construction OSHA certification.
Additionally, advertising and design courses teach students about all aspects of design, and the concepts and process of using various Adobe programs to build a professional portfolio of their work.
 
The career and technical education (CTE) programs help students enter into union jobs and encourages transition into college and post-secondary programs.  Coop Tech currently has agreements with various CUNY schools across the five boroughs. 
 
Concord will also begin offering students who need additional credits or have daytime adult responsibilities the opportunity to attend the Concord Young Adult Borough Center (YABC). This will allow community members the opportunity to earn a high school diploma by attending school in the late afternoon and evening. There will also be a new Adult Education program which may open the door to college or other career aspirations.
 
Adult community residents will also be able to benefit through a new Adult Education program. This program offers adults the opportunity to take the TASC Exam and earn their High School Equivalency. Adults can use their High School Equivalency to improve their quality of life by opening the door to college and additional career aspirations.
 
“Over the years Concord High School has served students who needed it the most with a wonderfully caring, supportive, and rigorous academic program,” said Paul Rotondo, Superintendent of Citywide Transfer High Schools.  “Today, under the leadership of Borough President Oddo and the NYC DOE, we see Concord High School once again transform itself to meet the ever-growing needs of our children on Staten Island...both students and adults may now take part in comprehensive programs and classes that promote success in college and careers.”

Public is encouraged to donate blood at the Staten Island Donor Center in honor of those lost due to the September 11 attacks
 
Borough President James Oddo announced today his office will co-sponsor a 9/11 Memorial Blood Drive with the New York Blood Center in honor of those 275 Staten Islanders lost 19 years ago. The blood drive will take place, Friday, September 11 from 1pm-7pm at the Staten Island Donor Center (2791 Richmond Ave.).  Donors are strongly encouraged to make appointments.
 
“This blood drive is a great opportunity to honor those we lost on that tragic day 19 years ago, while at the same time giving back to our community in need. Thank you to our friends at the New York Blood Center for partnering with us to recognize such a trying day for our community in this way,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
Donors temperatures will be taken prior to being allowed to start the donation process. Donors must wear a face covering. Recent travel may prevent you from donating blood due to quarantine restrictions from the State of New York.
 
"This year, we honor the lives lost in the September 11th attacks by donating blood and saving the lives of others," said Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Executive Director of Recruitment & Marketing for New York Blood Center. "Thank you Staten Island Borough President James Oddo for hosting this blood drive and encouraging your community to come out and donate. As COVID-19 continues to present obstacles, we need everyone who is healthy and able to visit our donor centers and blood drives across the city."
 
To make an appointment, visit https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/282890 or call Jenn McCorry at 516-477-5872.

Virtual ceremony to honor those lost 19 years ago as well as the First Responders who perished subsequently due to their work at Ground Zero
 
In order to ensure the safety of all, Borough President James Oddo will host a virtual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony to remember the Staten Islanders we lost 19 years ago and to pay tribute to those First Responders who have subsequently died from their service at Ground Zero on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
 
This live-streamed virtual ceremony will reflect the performances of previous years’ ceremonies, reading of the names of the Staten Islanders who were lost on 9/11, as well as a reading of the names of the First Responders who have perished since that day by family and friends, recorded last week. A new video tribute will honor those we lost.
 
This ceremony can be viewed at 6:30 PM on our website statenislandusa.com/Sept11, on our Facebook Page @StatenIslandUSA, or on our YouTube Channel youtube.com/SIUSABP. It can also be viewed on Staten Island CTV.
 
As always, the Postcards Memorial site and the Staten Island First Responders Memorial is open to the public and will be so on Friday, September 11th. While at the site, masks must be worn and social distancing must be practiced. We will have designated times for both quiet reflection and socially distanced gathering on that day for those who wish to visit:
 

• 9am to 12pm: Site open for quiet reflection
• 12pm to 6:30pm: Site open; roses available from Borough Hall staff to be laid on the monument; musical selections playing nearby from past memorial ceremonies, designed to bring comfort
• 6:30pm: The names of those lost will be read by family members and friends via broadcast on television screens at the memorial site; following the Tribute Readings, the Memorial Tribute Video will also play
• 7pm: Quiet reflection, monument lit in red, white and blue

 
We want to extend a special thank you to those who have read the names of those we lost, which will be a very special part of this year’s virtual ceremony. 
 
“As you know, it will be my great honor to host the Staten Island 9/11 Memorial Ceremony again this year, although we will do so virtually, as that is the only way to ensure the safety of all,” noted Borough President Oddo. “Although the event will be in a different format for this year, we will still join together to honor those we lost on that terrible day 19 years ago, and the First Responders who have passed since then as a result of their bravery on that day and in the days that followed. COVID-19 has presented us with an extraordinary challenge this year. We want to thank you for your understanding and cooperation and look forward to a time when we can be together again. Right now, I truly hope you find solace in the arrangements we have made.”
 
Please note that virtual ceremony will not be played at the site. The virtual ceremony, in its entirety, is available via the Internet and CTV.

Borough President is ready to coordinate years of case-making on inconsistent enforcement and decades of non-complying private street development that pummeled unsuspecting residents’ quality of life

Borough President James S. Oddo has partnered with City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo and the NYC Council to eliminate the creation of new private streets on Staten Island.
 
Today, Council Member Matteo will introduce a bill, drafted by Borough Hall in consultation with Council staff and Councilman Matteo, that will sound the long-awaited death knell for poorly-designed private streets that have hampered quality of life and threatened public safety throughout the borough for more than half a century. The Borough President believes this local law will universally address all related concerns and eliminate private roads from the palette of loopholes utilized to pack the borough with gloomy, inappropriate overdevelopment.
 
After decades of effort and countless years of meetings, letters, lawsuits and finger-pointing, Borough President Oddo summed up his tireless efforts: “Let’s say we’re going back to the future. We have come to a point in time where we should only focus on what we need to do to make it right for Staten Island. 
 
“This local law will reinforce compliance with State and City statutes, consistency with the administration of the law, and bolster the quality of life for the residents of the Borough.
 
“Staten Island has stumbled through the last 50 years trying to address growth spurts, continuing quality of life issues, ownership and traffic disputes, and a distinction between roads that are privately owned and those that we actually can perform public street improvements on. It is never too late to preserve the quality of life for those continuing to call Staten Island their home.
 
“Let’s move on from the traffic congestion, utility and infrastructure complications, unchecked storm runoff flooding adjoining properties, and the surcharging of undersized city sewer and water mains.”
 
"The bills introduced today aim to address long-standing issues regarding  private streets," noted Council Member Matteo. "I look forward to working with all stakeholders with the goal of creating a clearer and ultimately better process for street construction which will help ensure all roads in our borough are built to proper standards and regularly maintained."
 
The following highlights the provisions of the proposed local law:

• Private Streets will no longer be permitted for new borough developments. Streets will have to go through a street mapping process which is subject to the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) with input from the public, community boards and elected officials. The design will also be scrutinized and approved by city agencies having jurisdiction before permits can be issued and construction begins:

​All new streets will:
 
+  Be placed on the city map which identifies streets adopted by the city
+  Be open to the public
+  Be fully accessible for immediate emergency response to your main front entrance
+  Conform to all standards for city streets, making them safer than private streets
+  Require regular curbs, sidewalks and crosswalks
+  Have city fire hydrants, lighting and signage
+  Have independent mail delivery to mailboxes
+  Be routinely maintained by city agencies when the developer elects to deed the street area to the city including: independent refuse pick-up, snow plowing, street lighting and electricity, street tree  maintenance, fire hydrants, and where applicable, even sewers.
+ Not require the formation of a Homeowner’s Association for the road, which can be deeded as a city street. This means the property owners will not have to shoulder the burden of taxes on the street area
+  For the first time ever, require a construction permit from the Department of Buildings (DOB)
+ Be memorialized on filed paperwork and certificates of occupancy so a potential homebuyer will be    able to distinguish the services provided that is not available on private streets 
+ Include defined easements for utilities
 
Owners of existing private streets will be required to:
 
+ Maintain the surface of all roads to Department of Transportation (DOT) standards 
+ Maintain and enforce all signage, house numbering, and approved parking locations and restrictions, for  the safe delivery of emergency services
+ Remove ice and snow from streets and sidewalks based on specific city guidelines
+ Respond to violations issued by DOT for non-compliance
+ Pay individual monthly civil penalties for non-compliance that are not corrected