Thursday, November 04, 2004
CB5 has a dream of improving the city
CB5 has a dream of improving the city
After the summer hiatus, I am catching up with the minutes of our Community Boards, approved following their August vacation break. CB5, in its July 8, 2004 meeting, presented an evaluation of the communitys needs call it a wish list to the City. This is an abbreviated version of six pages of what some of our fellow T&V Country people think this district requires. Not a dream city of the future, just everyday things. You will be able to view the entire abridged proclamation on my blog, accessible through www.dobelis.com. Feel free to write letters to T&V and identify your concerns. CB people are paying attention.
Manhattan Community Board Five represents the central business districts of New York City including midtown Manhattan. We also represent residential areas with diverse needs. Our district is the center of New Yorks tourism industry. Times Square, the Empire State Building and three of the regions transportation hubs; Grand Central Station, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Terminal, all fall within or lie on the border of CB5. The majority of New York Citys more than 50 million visitors each year will walk our streets. We strive to accommodate the residents, businesses and tourists of our community.
Every day our district faces extreme congestion. Construction continues throughout our district. At the same time the libraries, parks, museums, and other institutions serving our area are vital to the cultural health of the City, as is our districts ability to maintain the tourism that is essential to our economic future..
Noise is by far the most frequent complaint that the Board receives from its constituents. We are privileged to have several Business Improvement Districts in our area and we feel they are successful in providing better services within their borders. We endorse the BIDs and the work they have been doing and are encouraged by the Mayors willingness to allow increases in the BID budgets.
There is an increased need for basic services for the homeless, affordable quality housing, preventive mental health services, childcare, foster care, drop-in-centers, outreach programs and improved shelter programs. The construction, renovation and restoration of affordable housing must be expedited. We recommend that the various agencies responsible for housing integrate strategies. There is an urgent need in our City for the development of programs that can provide permanent, affordable housing more quickly and more efficiently than is done under currently existing programs. Conditions still exist that endanger the health and safety of the Citys residents and jeopardize the integrity of many buildings. Code enforcement inspectors should be increased. Safety of our water supply and air quality monitoring is a stronger need today.
A recent change in the law has transferred the responsibility for the condition of the Citys sidewalks from the Dept. of Transportation to private building owners. The City should facilitate training for property owners to understand and assume this new responsibility and how to properly address sidewalk conditions. Prompt repair of potholes, cracks, replacement of street signs and the painting of lane markings are essential and should not be delayed. All repairs must be complete and flush with existing pavement.
Traffic problems continue to plague our district. The City should undertake programs to discourage the use of private vehicles in Midtown. . The City should limit hours of operation and access to certain streets for large trucks in Midtown; this would reduce peak hour congestion and air pollution. Car-pooling restrictions should be reviewed and put back in place.
CB5 has a continuing problem of noise and traffic caused by the proliferation of discos and nightclubs. The Traffic departments revenue producing Hit Squad of Traffic Enforcement Agents, who work at trouble spots during the hours of 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., should be continued. We also support nighttime towing and ticketing. Unsafe bicyclists continue to present serious traffic problems.
We need our Parks to be clean and well maintained. Renovations must be carried out with input from the community and kept consistent with agreed-upon plans. There is a need for additional active childrens play space, specifically in Union Square Park. Both Union Square Park and Madison Square Park require full-time staff.
Education.The overall success of the Citys schools has a great impact on our community and the lives of all New Yorkers. The inadequacy of the Citys education system hinders the Citys job development, economy and anti-crime efforts. Adequate funds for qualified teachers in all classrooms, after-school enhancement programs, E.S.L. initiatives, proper class size, and tutoring at the primary level is necessary. Class size should be kept small enough to allow learning. Capital must be provided to ensure the renovation or replacement of decaying schools. A better system for controlling costs of school operations is critical. The Board opposes school vouchers. We are also concerned with the rising cost of tuition within the City University of New York system..
More, about police, fire and health, in a subsequent column.
After the summer hiatus, I am catching up with the minutes of our Community Boards, approved following their August vacation break. CB5, in its July 8, 2004 meeting, presented an evaluation of the communitys needs call it a wish list to the City. This is an abbreviated version of six pages of what some of our fellow T&V Country people think this district requires. Not a dream city of the future, just everyday things. You will be able to view the entire abridged proclamation on my blog, accessible through www.dobelis.com. Feel free to write letters to T&V and identify your concerns. CB people are paying attention.
Manhattan Community Board Five represents the central business districts of New York City including midtown Manhattan. We also represent residential areas with diverse needs. Our district is the center of New Yorks tourism industry. Times Square, the Empire State Building and three of the regions transportation hubs; Grand Central Station, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Terminal, all fall within or lie on the border of CB5. The majority of New York Citys more than 50 million visitors each year will walk our streets. We strive to accommodate the residents, businesses and tourists of our community.
Every day our district faces extreme congestion. Construction continues throughout our district. At the same time the libraries, parks, museums, and other institutions serving our area are vital to the cultural health of the City, as is our districts ability to maintain the tourism that is essential to our economic future..
Noise is by far the most frequent complaint that the Board receives from its constituents. We are privileged to have several Business Improvement Districts in our area and we feel they are successful in providing better services within their borders. We endorse the BIDs and the work they have been doing and are encouraged by the Mayors willingness to allow increases in the BID budgets.
There is an increased need for basic services for the homeless, affordable quality housing, preventive mental health services, childcare, foster care, drop-in-centers, outreach programs and improved shelter programs. The construction, renovation and restoration of affordable housing must be expedited. We recommend that the various agencies responsible for housing integrate strategies. There is an urgent need in our City for the development of programs that can provide permanent, affordable housing more quickly and more efficiently than is done under currently existing programs. Conditions still exist that endanger the health and safety of the Citys residents and jeopardize the integrity of many buildings. Code enforcement inspectors should be increased. Safety of our water supply and air quality monitoring is a stronger need today.
A recent change in the law has transferred the responsibility for the condition of the Citys sidewalks from the Dept. of Transportation to private building owners. The City should facilitate training for property owners to understand and assume this new responsibility and how to properly address sidewalk conditions. Prompt repair of potholes, cracks, replacement of street signs and the painting of lane markings are essential and should not be delayed. All repairs must be complete and flush with existing pavement.
Traffic problems continue to plague our district. The City should undertake programs to discourage the use of private vehicles in Midtown. . The City should limit hours of operation and access to certain streets for large trucks in Midtown; this would reduce peak hour congestion and air pollution. Car-pooling restrictions should be reviewed and put back in place.
CB5 has a continuing problem of noise and traffic caused by the proliferation of discos and nightclubs. The Traffic departments revenue producing Hit Squad of Traffic Enforcement Agents, who work at trouble spots during the hours of 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., should be continued. We also support nighttime towing and ticketing. Unsafe bicyclists continue to present serious traffic problems.
We need our Parks to be clean and well maintained. Renovations must be carried out with input from the community and kept consistent with agreed-upon plans. There is a need for additional active childrens play space, specifically in Union Square Park. Both Union Square Park and Madison Square Park require full-time staff.
Education.The overall success of the Citys schools has a great impact on our community and the lives of all New Yorkers. The inadequacy of the Citys education system hinders the Citys job development, economy and anti-crime efforts. Adequate funds for qualified teachers in all classrooms, after-school enhancement programs, E.S.L. initiatives, proper class size, and tutoring at the primary level is necessary. Class size should be kept small enough to allow learning. Capital must be provided to ensure the renovation or replacement of decaying schools. A better system for controlling costs of school operations is critical. The Board opposes school vouchers. We are also concerned with the rising cost of tuition within the City University of New York system..
More, about police, fire and health, in a subsequent column.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 11:56 AM 
