Borough President Oddo today joined with students and staff to cut the ribbon on two projects he funded for PS 78 in Clifton: auditorium upgrades and sensory pathways for a hallway within the school. The upgrades to the auditorium include new flooring, painting, curtains for the stage and the windows, seats, side walls, and a stage floor.

Sensory Hallways are pathways lined with colorful decals that allow students to skip, jump and even play a little hopscotch as they move throughout the school. Children who follow the path might be jumping at certain intervals, taking slow steps in other spots, hopping from lily pad to lily pad, or placing their hands on handprints on the wall and pushing as hard as they can.

The Sensory Path – the company who installed PS 78’s Sensory Pathways – describes their product as a brain break for students to refocus. When a child with a sensory processing disorder such as Autism is in a general education classroom, their brain is trying to process several different things at once. From sitting up in the chair, the climate in the room, the other children next to them, the smells, the teacher talking, another child talking, the movements in the room, everything we usually can tune out, they are tuning into. Kids with sensory processing disorders can't just simply turn off the radio of their brain. They need a brain break. Their neurological pathways have essentially jammed, and must be cleared. By taking the sensory overloaded kid to our Sensory Path, they will complete a series of movements as they move through the path that are designed to release the blocked paths and allow the body and brain to refocus.

The hallways are beneficial not only to those students who require sensory input, but for the entire student body – and even the staff.

“We want our students to get active and be engaged, which is why I am excited to see today’s ribbon cuttings at PS 78 for their new auditorium and especially their sensory pathways. These pathways will allow children to burn energy and return to the classroom refocused and ready to learn. We are big advocates of the importance and benefits of exercise, so I am looking forward to seeing the success of these hallways on the PS 78 community,” said Borough President Oddo.
​
The auditorium was funded in two phases: $400,000 for first phase, which included new flooring, painting, and curtains for the stage and the windows, and $650,000 for phase two, which included new seats, side walls and stage floor. Phase two is still underway, with the side walls and stage floor still to be completed. The sensory pathway was funded for $2,500. PS 78 is the first school Borough President Oddo has allocated funding for sensory pathways.

​On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, Borough President Oddo joined with NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, NYC Parks Borough Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone, and City Councilman Joe Borelli to officially break ground for the new sensory playground coming to E.M.T. Christopher J. Prescott Playground. 

This sensory playground has been designed to challenge the body's senses – with equipment including features such as textured surfaces, patterns, shapes, talk tubes, musical play panels, swings, roller tables, balance walkers and climbers – to accommodate the needs of children with Sensory Processing Disorder.

“We want all of our kids to enjoy our parks, which is why I am so grateful to see today’s groundbreaking on an exciting and innovative addition to Staten Island’s Prescott Playground,” said BP Oddo at the groundbreaking. “We take very seriously the privilege to allocate the public’s money, and allocating this $3.9 million is a statement to our values as Staten Islanders.”

The renovation project will also provide new, inclusive play structures, swings, a spray play area with stainless steel instruments, and a small quiet area for reflection. New paths, fences, concrete pavements, and safety surfacing will also be added to the play area, as well as a new planter area, featuring new trees and a planting palette to increase shade in play areas.

The $4 million project was funded by a $3.9 million allocation from Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, and $100,000 from Council Member Joseph Borelli.

The project is expected to be completed in 12-18 months. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of making this project a reality! 

Prescott Playground, located near I.S. 7 in Huguenot, boasts swings, playgrounds for all children, spray showers and plant-beds. The playground, which is jointly operated by Parks and the Board of Education, was acquired for recreational purposes by the City in 1960. It was improved in 1966 with modular play equipment and safety surfacing under a $145,000 capital project that was funded by Council Member Vito Fosella. The playground was renamed in 1997 in honor of Christopher J. Prescott (1972-1994), a Staten Island native who was the first New York City EMS worker to be killed in the line of duty.

In February, Borough President James Oddo announced the winner of the Empire State Opioid Epidemic Innovation Challenge Demo Day, a challenge that served as an open-innovation platform for a diverse community to co-create solutions that would have the potential to change the trajectory of the local and national opioid crisis.
 
As part of Demo Day, six teams—composed of engineers, data experts, social workers, clinicians, and other professionals—competed in front of a cross-disciplinary panel of expert judges for a grand prize of $10,000 and six months of acceleration support through the CAMTech Accelerator Program (CAP) for their innovation.
 
The winner was Team QuikReversal for their innovation of a nasal patch that dispenses Narcan to prevent opioid overdose. Now, QuikReversal’s life-saving innovation is moving closer to commercial viability.
 
Demo Day, the last leg of the Empire State Opioid Epidemic Innovation Challenge, was hosted through a partnership between Borough President Oddo, the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) at Massachusetts General Hospital, the State of New York, Northwell Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering. The event served as a competition for teams to show progress made 90 days after first formulating their solutions at the Challenge Summit and Solutions Sprint in September, 2018. All 12 teams that formed during the Solutions Sprint were eligible to compete at Demo Day.
 
“When my team first pitched the idea for the Challenge, the common retort was that these competitions were nothing more than marketing gimmicks—superficial attempts at innovation without tangible outcomes. Fortunately, our sponsors—the state of New York, Northwell Health and Columbia University's schools of public health and engineering—recognized that our model was different. The goal of this challenge was to have talented individuals work together to create solutions to address the local and national opioid crisis, and now we can demonstrate that the investment in the Challenge was worth it,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
“The CAMTech Accelerator program and its support have allowed QuikReversal to achieve the foundational milestones necessary for gaining scientific viability, funding, and business validation. Since joining the CAMtech Accelerator, with the guidance its mentors, QuikReversal has managed to design user-based studies in collaboration with multiple universities, create valuable relationships with key partners, and most notably become named a Socail Venture Grand Winner in NYU’s $300k Entrepreneurship Challenge,” said Asher Varon, Team QuikReversal.
 
The idea for the challenge came from the BP’s Policy Team, who learned about a successful opioid “Hack-A-Thon” hosted by CAMTech in Boston in 2016. The Borough President’s office reached out to CAMTech and collaborated with them to create a similar event in New York City.
 
At the Solutions Sprint in September 2018, four teams received seed funding and three months of acceleration support leading up to Demo Day: Team Random Access Network (RAN) with the innovation to link individuals with certified peer advocates to meet patients at hospitals and treatment recovery centers; Team Recover-We for innovating a search engine chat to link individuals with prevention, treatment, and opioid recovery programs; Team QuikReversal for innovating a nasal patch that dispenses Narcan to prevent opioid overdose; and Team Addiction Recovery Kit (ARK) for innovating a kit that aggregates existing prevention, treatment, and recovery tools for hospitals, needle exchanges, detox centers, and rehab facilities.

Over 400 people attended a Forest Ecology Forum on Tuesday, November 19 at the College of Staten Island to hear presentations on severe damage to the health of Staten Island’s thousands of acres of woodlands, caused primarily by deer.
 
The Borough President and the New York State DEC held this forum to raise awareness about the impacts deer are having on native vegetation and forest animals, and also the broader issue that our forests are ecosystems with interdependent roles for native plants and wildlife.
 
The DEC has documented the damage on Staten Island by over-browsing of deer to the point where few new trees are surviving past the seedling stage. Oak trees, for example, were heavily browsed. With no new trees growing, the future of our Greenbelt and other forests is at risk.
 
Evidence was also presented about how deer over-browsing on native plants and berries on the forest floor can collapse the woodland ecosystem and invite unwanted invasive species of plants. We can halt this rapidly growing threat, but we are running out of time.
 
Many of the 400 attendees were members of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods and the Greenbelt Conservancy, two of Staten Island’s leading conservation organizations. Also in attendance were students and teachers from Staten Island schools and many concerned citizens.  This was the first major briefing for Staten Islanders on this topic.
 
We were fortunate to have three experts present their work at the forum. Dr. William McShea, Research Ecologist from the Smithsonian Institute’s Conservation Ecology Center, spoke about the pressures on forests in the entire Northeast/Mid-Atlantic from overpopulation by white-tailed deer, which reach unhealthy densities as natural predators like bears, cougars and wolves have been removed from ecosystems. 
 
Dr. Susan Elbin, NYC Audubon Director of Conservation and Science, followed with a presentation focused on the impacts on forest birds when native plants are over-browsed and supplanted with invasive species.
 
Ken Scarlatelli, NYS DEC Regional Natural Resources Supervisor, provided field evidence on the effects of over-browsing by deer in Staten Island’s forests – particularly on State lands. To view the PowerPoint presentations given by the listed presenters, please visit our website here.
 
The Borough President put together this forest ecology forum to educate and inspire Staten Islanders to join our call for action. To make a change, Staten Island residents who care about forests need to be active voices in future management decisions.
 
At the Forum, Borough President Oddo stated that we collectively want to hear ideas on addressing the problem: “I publicly have stated that I support a highly managed and monitored cull which is the only way to immediately and humanely reduce the deer population – an approach that is done effectively throughout New York State and the Northeast…but I also invited Staten Islanders to offer alternatives that will help reduce the deer population to safe levels and protect the forests.”
 
Borough President Oddo emphasized that we did not want to draw battle lines on this issue of deer management, but rather collectively discuss the options, using science-based facts as our guide.
 
A panel discussion followed led by the College of Staten Island’s biology and environmental science departments. Those on the panel included:
 

• James Oddo, Staten Island Borough President
• Dr. William McShea, Research Ecologist, Smithsonian Institute’s Conservation Ecology Center
• Dr. Susan Albin, Director of Conservation and Science, NYC Audubon
• Ken Scarlatelli, Regional Natural Resources Supervisor, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Region II)
• Cliff Hagen, President, Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
• Dr. Bonnie Johnson Fritz, Board President, Greenbelt Conservancy
• Neophytos A. Antoniades, Ph. D, Professor and Chair, Engineering & Environmental Science Department, College of Staten Island
• Chang-Hui Shen, Ph. D, Professor and Chair, Biology Department, College of Staten Island
• Patti Rafferty Chief, Resource Stewardship, Gateway National Recreation Area
• Dr. Susan Booth-Benczik, Wildlife Biologist, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
• Kristy King, Director of Natural Areas Restoration & Management, Forestry, Horticulture, & Natural Resources, New York City Parks Department

 
Panel members answered audience questions about deer and the state of Staten Island’s forests, issuing a call to action to Staten Islanders to be active voices in future management decisions.

One important take-away from this forum is that -- to care about animals, we have to care about the ecosystems in which the animals live. Otherwise we are fooling ourselves. The animals will starve and disappear if their habitat is compromised. This is a complicated issue but clearly there is a great deal of passion to slow the steady denuding of our Greenbelt, our parks and our woodlands.

Borough President James S. Oddo, District Attorney Michael McMahon, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Uber are pleased to announce the continuation of their joint effort to combat drunk driving. To discourage Staten Islanders from driving under the influence, the “SI Safe Ride Initiative” will provide free Uber rides on Thanksgiving Eve (Wednesday, November 27th).
 
Between the hours of 8pm on November 27th and 3am on November 28th, Staten Island residents can open up their Uber apps and enter the promo code “SAFERIDESI19” to unlock two free rides, up to $15 each. Both rides must start and end on Staten Island.
 
Mothers Against Drunk Driving has noted that Thanksgiving Eve, also known as “Blackout Wednesday,” sees a spike in instances of drunk driving. It is one of the busiest drinking nights of the year and represents the beginning of the holiday season when there is a known increase in instances of impaired driving This initiative aims to ensure that all Staten Islanders have a reliable ride around their communities.
 
The Forest Avenue BID, the South Shore BID, and the Richmond County Bar Association have generously signed on as main sponsors of this initiative.  In addition, the Staten Island Rotary Club, Li Greci’s Staaten, and The Vanderbilt have also agreed to become sponsors. 
 
Uber has been proven to help reduce drunk driving across America. For example, DUI arrests in Seattle decreased by more than 10% after Uber started serving riders and drivers in the city, according to a recent study.  A recent independent study conducted by Temple University found cities where Uber operates have 3.6%-5.6% fewer drunk driving deaths than cities without access to ridesharing.
 
“After our successes with this program over the past two years, I’m pleased to be able to continue the ‘SI Safe Ride Initiative.’ We don’t want a single person getting behind the wheel of a car drunk,” said Borough President Oddo. “If you plan on drinking this Thanksgiving Eve, please enjoy the night responsibly and leave your car at home. Thank you to DA McMahon, MADD, and Uber for helping us give the Staten Island community a safe, potentially life-saving option this Thanksgiving Eve.”
 
“When people have access to a convenient, reliable way to get home, they're able to make safer choices. We're proud to partner with Borough President Otto and DA McMahon to help encourage Staten Islanders to leave the keys at home during the Thanksgiving holiday and take a safe ride,” said DeShawn Wright, Senior Manager for Public Affairs at Uber.
 
“Celebrating Thanksgiving Eve is something that thousands of Staten Islanders look forward to every year, and thanks to Uber, Borough President Oddo, and all our community partners we are thrilled to bring the SAFERIDESI promotion back for a third year. On behalf of all of us, we wish you a fun, safe, and responsible evening, and remind you that while your Uber rides may be free this night, there is never any excuse to get behind the wheel or get in the car with a driver who has been drinking. We know it is hard to get around our beloved borough without a car, but becoming a victim of a drunk driver or making someone else and their family victims to your reckless actions makes that small inconvenience the only sensible choice,” said Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.
 
“Mothers Against Drunk Driving wants you to get home safely for the holidays," said Tara Spohrer, MADD New York Program Manager. "The holiday season is one of the most dangerous times of the year because of the increased frequency of drunk driving, and we remind everyone – this holiday season and always – to plan ahead for a safe ride if their festivities include alcohol. Thank you to Borough President Oddo and District Attorney McMahon for their leadership in raising awareness around the risks of impaired driving this Thanksgiving Eve. Uber has been a proven tool to reduce drunk driving incidents and make our roads, children, and families safer and we encourage all Staten Island residents to take advantage of this partnership."
 
“The Forest Avenue BID is happy to be a supporter of the successful, UBER Safe Rides program.  We thank UBER, BP Oddo and DA McMahon for keeping our communities safe with free rides on Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, as this is a very busy, and bustling time on our corridor,” said Loretta Cauldwell, Executive Director of the Forest Avenue Business Improvement District.
 
“We are happy to be a partner in this very important program. To quote my friend Doug Candela: ‘think before you drink,’” says Jay Duskin, Richmond County Bar Association.
 
In 2003, Oddo and McMahon, then City Council Members, sponsored “Operation Arrive Alive,” a similar, though low-tech initiative that relied on bartenders to call a cab for patrons who requested one.  The 2019 version is different in that it allows patrons themselves to summon an Uber in the way they are accustomed to. 
 
A report by Uber and MADD released in January 2017 concludes that when empowered with more transportation options like Uber, people are making responsible choices that result in fewer alcohol-related crashes.
 
Each trip has a maximum value of $15. If a ride costs more than $15, riders will receive that much as a credit and will be responsible for the remaining money due.

On Monday, Nov. 4, Borough President James Oddo joined Rep. Max Rose in unveiling a POW/MIA Chair of Honor at Borough Hall.
 
The chair will sit perpetually empty, a stark reminder of the 91,000 American soldiers unaccounted for since World War II and a place awaiting their eventual return home.
 
Two Staten Islanders are among those declared MIA: Staff Sgt. Kevin O’Brien's plane crashed in the dense jungles of the Khe San in South Vietnam in 1969, and Lt. Gerald Crosson's Phantom II Fighter was shot down in 1968 on a mission near Quang Khe, Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam,
 
Members of Rolling Thunder Chapter 2, who donated the chair, rendered a stiff salute to the brothers they lost.

​“We are in a business where we’re unaccustomed to folks not having a self-serving agenda or ego,” said BP Oddo. “The work that Rolling Thunder does across Staten Island is the direct opposite. It’s all about selflessness. They live it, talk the talk, walk the walk and that is a rarity.”
 
Rep. Rose, the recipient of a Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan, recalled a time when veterans were not given a heroes’ welcome on their return home.
 
​"“This chair is about us never forgetting those who paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
 
As the black drape was pulled down to reveal the chair, the veterans applauded and saluted once more.
 
“To be temporary stewards of this is a wonderful thing,” BP Oddo said.

The following text is from Governor Cuomo Office's Press Release dated 11/4/2019.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Staten Island will receive $10 million in funding as the New York City Region winner of the fourth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. As in the first three rounds of the DRI, one municipality from each of the state's 10 regional economic development regions is selected as a $10 million winner, marking another overall state goal to target $100 million in funding and investments to help communities boost their economies by transforming downtowns into vibrant neighborhoods where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work and raise a family.
  
"Staten Island's downtown has made significant strides fostering business and tourism opportunities, and this investment will help further uplift this historic community," Governor Cuomo said. "Staten Island holds a special place in the story of New York City, and we look forward to seeing it continue to flourish in this next chapter."
 
"Staten Island is undergoing an economic renaissance, and our Downtown Revitalization Initiative capitalizes on the booming North Shore community," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "With this targeted investment, Staten Island will be able to continue turning the North Shore into a world-class tourist, retail and dining destination. The DRI is part of our ongoing strategy to create a brighter economic future across all of New York State and transform our communities into even better places to live, work and do business."
 
Staten Island
 
Staten Island's downtown core is the gateway to Staten Island for both visitors and residents. It provides prominent civic, commercial, and cultural assets connected by the central Bay Street Corridor running from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and historic St. George neighborhood to the rapidly developing Stapleton area. As the fastest-growing area in Staten Island, the neighborhood is on the cusp of a new era: business incubators and breweries are joining historic tourist destinations and an established civic center in bringing foot traffic to downtown streets, waterfront and mixed-used developments are creating a renaissance on the North Shore, and an unprecedented demand for businesses to locate downtown is transforming the suburban enclave into an expanding hub of economic activity. The DRI award will enable Staten Island to capitalize on this recent and rapid growth and focus development efforts on creating a connected world-class tourist, retail, and dining destination.
 
The New York City Regional Economic Development Council went through a competitive review process of proposals from communities throughout the region and considered all seven criteria below before recommending Staten Island as its nominee for winner:

• The downtown should be compact, with well-defined boundaries;
• The downtown is able to capitalize on prior or catalyze future private and public investment in the neighborhood and its surrounding areas;
• There should be recent or impending job growth within, or in close proximity to the downtown that can attract workers to the downtown, support redevelopment and make growth sustainable;
• The downtown must be an attractive and livable community for diverse populations of all ages, including existing residents, millennials and skilled workers;
• The municipality should already embrace or have the ability to create and implement policies that increase livability and quality of life, including the use of local land banks, modern zoning codes and parking standards, complete streets plans, energy efficient projects, green jobs, and transit-oriented development;
• The municipality should have conducted an open and robust community engagement process resulting in a vision for downtown revitalization and a preliminary list of projects and initiatives that may be included in a DRI strategic investment plan; and
• The municipality has identified transformative projects that will be ready for implementation with an infusion of DRI funds within the first one to two years.

 
Staten Island's fourth-round DRI win entitles the city to receive $10 million in state funding and investments to revitalize its downtown neighborhoods and generate new opportunities for long-term growth. Staten Island now joins Jamaica, the Bronx, and Downtown Brooklyn, which were the New York City Region's winners in the first three DRI rounds, respectively. 

Staten Island Borough President James Oddo said, "Thank you to Governor Cuomo for selecting Staten Island as the NYC Region winner of this Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Staten Island's most impactful successes have come about via genuine collaborations, and this victory is no different.  I am proud to have brought the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and SIEDC together to work on this exciting project, a project that will allow us to continue to transform Downtown Staten Island in a big way. Staten Island has so much to offer both tourists and locals alike - from history, to food, to experiences, to shopping. We have it all and the whole world is starting to get the message."

Staten Island will now begin the process of developing a Strategic Investment Plan to revitalize its downtown with up to $300,000 in planning funds from the $10 million DRI grant. A Local Planning Committee made up of municipal representatives, community leaders, and other stakeholders will lead the effort, supported by a team of private sector experts and state planners. The Strategic Investment Plan for downtown Staten Island will examine local assets and opportunities and identify economic development, transportation, housing, and community projects that align with the community's vision for downtown revitalization and that are poised for implementation. The downtown Staten Island Strategic Investment Plan will guide the investment of DRI grant funds in revitalization projects that will advance the community's vision for its downtown and that can leverage and expand upon the state's $10 million investment. Plans for the DRI's fourth round will be complete in 2020.

For more information on the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, go to: www.ny.gov/programs/downtown-revitalization-initiative.

This year for Halloween, Borough President Oddo hosted “Trick or Treat Around SI,” a free Halloween event for children and their families.  In partnership with 5 Staten Island business districts, Trick-or-Treat Around Staten Island allowed costumed children and their families across Staten Island the opportunity to trick-or-treat throughout each district at participating businesses.

In years prior, Borough President Oddo has hosted the annual “Halloween Hoopla” at Bloomingdale Park. The event has been changed this year due to the park’s closure for renovations and reconstruction. “I am happy to once again host a special celebration that kids of all ages can enjoy,” said BP Oddo. 

Thank you to the following business development districts for participating: Castleton Avenue Merchants Organization, Downtown Staten Island, Forest Avenue Business Improvement District, South Shore Business Improvement District, and Victory Boulevard Merchants Association. To see all the participating businesses within each district, please refer to this page. Each district received 100 trick-or-treat bags from our office for children to get allergy free candy (no nuts, no chocolate) from  participating businesses.

Thank you to everyone for making this event such a success! Happy Halloween!