​Borough President James Oddo will sponsor a Lyme Disease Forum in May to update Staten Islanders about the prevalence of ticks and tick-borne illness on Staten Island. This free event will be held on Wednesday, May 29th from 7:00-8:30pm at the Bernikow JCC (1466 Manor Road) and coincides with May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
 
At this forum, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and researchers from Columbia University will present important information about Lyme disease and the black-legged ticks that are vectors for the disease. DOHMH staff will also provide statistical updates on the incidence of Lyme disease cases in New York City and on Staten Island. There will also be presentations on tick precautions and removal. There will be a demonstration of how mice bait boxes—or mice “car washes”—work, one of the tick control measures that New York City is undertaking at the urging of Borough President Oddo.
 
Topics to be discussed at the event include basic facts about Lyme disease, symptoms and health impacts, public safety tips, precautions when exploring natural areas, and do’s and don’ts on tick removal. A question and answer period with the audience will follow the presentations.
 
Speakers at the event include:

• Members of NYC DOHMH including Sally Slavinski, DVM, MPH, Assistant Director, Zoonotic and Vector borne Disease Unit; John Zuzworsky, Senior Vector Ecologist, Office of Vector Surveillance and Control; and Mario Merlino, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Veterinary and Pest Control Services
• Maria Diuk-Wasser, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Columbia University
• Christopher J. Pappas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Manhattanville College

 
“Our quest to mitigate the growing number of Staten Islanders suffering from Lyme disease is being fought on many fronts, and educating the public about the disease and how it is spread is a vital step,” said Borough President Oddo. “The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology at Columbia University are working with us on the front lines to combat ticks and the spread of Lyme disease. It is essential Staten Islanders gain as much information as possible to be able to protect themselves.”
 
If you wish to attend the forum, please RSVP to Diane Marciuliano at (718) 816-2246 or DMarciuliano@statenislandusa.com.
 
The Borough President’s previous Lyme disease Forum in August 2016 attracted over 100 individuals.

On Monday, July 23rd, Borough President Oddo joined with Mayor Bill de Blasio, Health Commissioner Mary Bassett, Council Member Joe Borelli, and Bob Sabatino, founder of Lyme Society Inc. on Staten Island, at a press conference in Blue Heron Park. As a kickoff event for 2018’s "City Hall in Your Borough," the conversation revolved around ways to prevent Lyme disease, promote education and awareness about tick-borne illnesses, and protect the health of Staten Islanders.

During the press conference, The Mayor released a plan for Enhanced Tick Control for Staten Island. The strategy includes:

• Enhanced Tick Surveillance of City Parks: The Health Department will double the number of surveillance sites on Staten Island from 14 to 28.
• Enhanced Surveillance of New Yorkers with Lyme disease, focused on Staten Island: The Health Department will conduct more detailed case investigations of Lyme disease and work in partnership with NYC Parks and academic institutions to better understand risk factors for infection. 
• Outreach: Health education and prevention activities on tick-borne diseases will be expanded, increasing awareness and outreach.
• Tick Control: Novel methods under consideration for use next spring include bait boxes, which attract mice. Mice are the primary reservoir of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Once the mice enter the bait box, they are covered with a small amount of the same active ingredient used to control ticks on pets. The Health Department may also use biological pesticide that uses a fungus found in soil to spray on vegetation where ticks look for hosts such as deer, to feed on.

This Enhanced Tick Control program will allow for a way to determine high risk areas in order to target control efforts to these specific areas of Staten Island and reduce Lyme disease cases.
 
“We understand how serious Lyme disease can be, and while we're seeing cases level off, even one case is one too many,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Today we're committing to doubling down on our efforts and our focus on Staten Island, where we know this disease is of particular concern. We hope New Yorkers join us and do their due diligence to keep themselves safe.”

“My team and I have spent a lot of time focusing on this issue, not because we are alarmists, but because we know the serious medical side effects that can happen from a tick bite,” BP Oddo said. “Borough Hall will not rest until we are doing everything we can to suppress the tick population and reduce the number of Lyme disease cases on Staten Island. This is an issue we need to get better at on Staten Island and in the City of New York, so I am happy to see the announcement of this project on Staten Island.”

The City will increase spending approximately $600,000 a year on this initiative.

On Thursday, April 26th, Borough President James S. Oddo attended the groundbreaking for the reconstruction of the cross-country running trail at Clove Lakes Park with NYC Parks Staten Island Borough Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone and Assemblyman Michael Cusick.
 
The reconstruction for the state-of-the-art trail will include improvements to drainage, improvements to surface material and edging. Additions also include distance markers as well as a new start/finish line.
 
“We want Staten Islanders to have top of the line amenities, and that is what they will get with the reconstruction of these trails,” said BP Oddo. “The running community in this borough is active, engaged, and an integral part of Staten Island. When this work is completed, I hope to see Islanders of all ages taking advantage of this remarkable corner of Staten Island.”
 
The $1.9 million project was funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio and BP Oddo, with $1.5 million of the funding coming from BP Oddo’s FY 2015 capital budget. The project is expected to be completed in March 2020. 

On Thursday, April 5th, Deputy BP Ed Burke joined Council Member Steven Matteo and representatives from the Parks Department to break ground on the reconstruction of the New Dorp Beach Friendship Club. The first floor of the building, which was badly damaged during Sandy, is undergoing a full $2.1 million renovation.
 
This project will reconstruct the interior of the first floor. Its restoration will include a remodeled kitchen so that daily meal service at the center may resume. Additionally, the first floor renovations will accommodate space for members to enjoy recreational activities.

Throughout the process, BP Oddo and Council Member Matteo pushed the administration to rebuild the facility. They also allocated the final funding for the new kitchen, which allowed the project to move forward.
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“When this project was dead, they revived it; when this project was delayed, they expedited it; and when the project was underfunded, they put more money in it,” Deputy BP Ed Burke said about BP Oddo and Council Member Matteo's dedicated to the project. “This will be a great place for friendships to form and continue. We’re looking forward to the return of the Friendship Club.”
 
“The damage to the New Dorp Community Center caused by Super Storm Sandy took away a sanctuary for seniors in this community,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver. “We took a step forward as we broke ground to reconstruct and restore this space so that its members can once again find much needed meals and companionship here.”
 
Additional funding was provided by the Mayor’s office and FEMA. The project is expected to be completed in September of 2019.

On Sunday, January 28th, BP Oddo hosted his annual Direct Connect Sunday at the Petrides School. Visitors were able to address BP Oddo and his staff directly with their quality-of-life issues, as well as check out detailed displays about plans and initiatives rolled out during 2017, including our agenda for 2018. Some of the topics covered include overdevelopment, infrastructure, transportation, education, and health and wellness.

We welcomed over 250 people at the event. Forty city agencies, cultural organizations, and local groups were in attendance to talk about their services and answer questions.

“When I took office in 2014, we threw the doors of Borough Hall open to welcome the public in,” said BP Oddo. “We continue to build on that concept by bringing our annual open house to new locations and inviting groups from the community to talk about their work. This event gave Staten Islanders a chance to come and learn more about what we’ve worked on during our first term and see our plans for the future, as well as get help with their concerns and become a little more involved in their community. Thank you to all the organizations who participated and all who attended.”

If you were not able to attend the event, click here to see our informational boards, which contain an overview of the initiatives we are tackling now. 

On Tuesday, December 12, BP Oddo joined with NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, Staten Island Parks Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone, DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza, NY State Senator Andrew Lanza, Assembly Member Ron Castorina, NYC Council Members Joseph Borelli and Steve Matteo, Community Board 3, and other community members to cut the ribbon on Brookfield Park and celebrate the completed landfill-to-park transformation.
 
After years of closure and capping work by DEP to the previous landfill site, the 285-acre property has officially been transferred to the NYC Parks Department. This acquisition brings the City’s total parkland to more than 30,000 acres, a historic milestone.
 
“The community really stepped up here,” said BP Oddo. “Today is a good day and this is a positive, but we have to remember the wrong that was done at this site. It is a reminder to be ever vigilant to make sure we never let it happen again.”
 
This $256.4 million transformation began in 2010, with $156.4 million from DEP and $100 million from NYS DEC.

On Thursday, October 19th, BP Oddo joined with City Council Member Joe Borelli, NYSDOT Regional Director Sonia Pichardo and other NYSDOT officials to announce the completion of the new sidewalks on Drumgoole Road West between Lenevar Avenue and Bloomingdale Road.

Since the completion of Bloomingdale Park, a glaring omission has been the lack of sidewalks along the service road. The completion of this decade-long project has been much anticipated. After a meeting at Borough Hall in the summer of 2016, New York State DOT agreed to build the sidewalks to make this area safer. 

The project began in June and is now complete. This sidewalk will aid access to Bloomingdale Park and improve safety for Staten Islanders.

"The Governor and State DOT are 'walking the walk' on this much needed safety improvement, and now Staten Islanders can walk more safely,” said Borough President Jim Oddo. “They heard our plea for assistance and they acted, and their action will directly help seniors, runners and cyclists, those pushing baby strollers, and everyday Staten Islanders out for a stroll to the park. Thank you for 'doing' and helping!"

"Increasing New Yorkers' mobility and ease of travel is a top priority of this administration," Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "Projects like the sidewalk upgrades on Staten Island are key to improving the safety for both pedestrians and motorists, and by making it easier for residents to walk, run and bike, we are improving the quality of life for all Staten Islanders."
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This sidewalk construction was part of the State’s $5.4 million project to make safety improvements and ease traffic flow at the parkway’s interchange.

On Tuesday, July 18th, BP James Oddo joined with Council Member Joe Borelli and Borough Parks Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone to announce the allocation of $4 million in taxpayer money for a sensory playground at Prescott Playground in Huguenot.  BP Oddo allocated $3.9 million, and Council Member Borelli allocated $100,000 for the project.

A sensory play area provides opportunities for all children, including those with autism spectrum disorder and sensory processing disorder, to develop physical coordination, social skills, and imaginative play behaviors in a shared, peer-play setting.

Some of the examples of play structures that can be included are: sand and water play for tactile stimulation, bright and patterned shapes for visual, talk tubes and musical play panels for auditory, play equipment such as swings and roller tables for cognitive awareness of movement and behavior, and balance walkers or climbers for focus on balance and special orientation.
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“We want to see all of Staten Island enjoying our parks, and we want all of our kids with varying degrees of abilities to enjoy our parks,” said BP Oddo. “I think this is a statement on our values that we want to get this playground built.”
 
"Prescott Playground is the perfect spot for this sensory playground because it's in a quiet area," noted Parks Commissioner Ricciardone.
 
BP Oddo plans to form a working group from the special needs community to assist during the playground’s design phase.