For Immediate Release
Monday, January 13, 2020
Press Contact: press@nyic.org
*Media Advisory*
New York Counts 2020 Coalition and the City of Syracuse Present Convening on “Get Out the Count” for 2020 Census
The day-long event will focus on education and outreach strategies to ensure a complete count across New York State
New York, NY—With less than three months until Census Day (April 1, 2020), which marks the official start of data collection for the 2020 Census, New York Counts 2020 Coalition and the City of Syracuse are partnering to support upstate community based organizations (CBOs) to get the information they need to design and implement outreach plans to maximize participation of historically undercounted communities and to guarantee New York receives its fair share of federal funding and political representation for the next decade.
What: On Wednesday, January 15, New York Counts 2020 will join the City of Syracuse, the New York Immigration Coalition and the Leadership Conference for the Getting Ready for Census 2020 State Convening. The event will feature 2020 Census briefings, trainings, and presentations targeted to upstate New York organizations.
Who: Sharon Owens, Deputy Mayor of Syracuse, Steve Choi, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition, Meeta Anand, Census 2020 Senior Fellow, New York Immigration Coalition, Wennie Chin, Senior Manager of Civic Engagement, New York Immigration Coalition, Jeff Behler, Director, Census Bureau New York Regional Office, Steve Romalewski, Director, Mapping Service at the CUNY Graduate Center, and other census and government officials
When: Wednesday, January 15 from 9 am-4 pm (Panelists and particiapnts will be available for interviews from 11 am-2 pm)
Where: City Hall Commons Atrium (201 E. Washington Street) Syracuse NY 13202
Sponsored by
###
New York Counts 2020 is a statewide coalition of over 150 partners from across the state who seek to maximize participation in the 2020 Census and therefore counter the expected impact of this Administration’s efforts to chill participation in the 2020 Census. The coalition represents a wide array of issues and industries including immigrant rights, labor, education, religion, health, government, technology, business, and libraries.
The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for more than 200 groups in New York State. We envision a New York state that is stronger because all people are welcome, treated fairly, and given the chance to pursue their dreams. Our mission is to unite immigrants, members, & allies so all New Yorkers can thrive. We represent the collective interests of New York's diverse immigrant communities and organizations and devise solutions to advance them; advocate for laws, policies, and programs that lead to justice and opportunity for all immigrant groups; and build the power of immigrants and the organizations that serve them to ensure their sustainability, to improve people's lives, and to strengthen our state.
ReZone Syracuse - Project Update and Information
I am writing with an update on ReZone Syracuse, a project to comprehensively revise and update the City of Syracuse Zoning Ordinance & Map. The project team has recently posted updated versions of the ReZone Syracuse Ordinance and ReZone Syracuse Map to the project website (http://www.syrgov.net/ReZoneSyracuse).
Additionally, we have begun the required New York State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) of the project. SEQR requires “the sponsoring or approving governmental body to identify and mitigate the significant environmental impacts of the activity it is proposing or permitting.” The next step in the process is a review of a recently prepared Draft Scoping Document. The scoping process identifies issues to be addressed in the draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS). The scoping process has six objectives:
focus the draft GEIS on the potentially significant adverse environmental impacts;
eliminate non-significant and non-relevant issues;
identify the extent and quality of information needed;
identify the range of reasonable alternatives to be discussed;
provide an initial identification of mitigation measures; and
provide the public with an opportunity to participate in the identification of impacts.
The purpose of this review is to identify potential adverse environmental impacts related to adoption of the proposed zoning law to be addressed in the DGEIS. A public meeting on the Draft Scoping document will be held on January 7, 2020 at 6pm in the Common Council Chambers in City Hall. This meeting will provide the public an opportunity to comment on the document prepared for the project under the SEQR process. After the comment period is closed, the project team will compile all of the comments received, and prepare a Final Scoping document for the Syracuse Common Council’s review and acceptance. This Final Scoping document will identify the issues to be addressed in the subsequent preparation of the DGEIS. Please review the important information noted below.
· A direct link to the Draft Scoping document is:
· Electronic/email comments on the Draft Scoping document should be sent to:
· Written comments should be sent to:
City of Syracuse - Office of Zoning Administration
201 East Washington, Suite 500
Syracuse, NY 13202
· A hard copy of the Draft Scoping Document is available for public review at:
City of Syracuse - Office of Zoning Administration
201 East Washington, Suite 500
Syracuse, NY 13202
· A public meeting on the Draft Scoping document will be held on:
Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at 6pm in Common Council Chambers, City Hall
233 E. Washington Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
· Public comments on the Draft Scoping document must be received by:
Friday, January 17, 2020 at 5pm.
Thank you,
Owen
Owen Kerney
Assistant Director, City Planning Division
Syracuse – Onondaga County Planning Agency
201 East Washington Street, Room 512
Syracuse, New York 13202
P: 315.448.8110
Onondaga Earth Corps Celebrates its 15th Anniversary
Onondaga Earth Corps (OEC) celebrates a milestone of planting 10,000 trees in the City of Syracuse during its 15th anniversary and annual fundraising event, “Earth Corps- Encore.” The event will be held Nov. 9th from 5:00PM to 9:00PM at Saint Lucy’s Auditorium, 421 Gifford Street, Syracuse, NY 13204.
State Senator Rachel May will attend and make a proclamation at Earth Corps- Encore, acknowledging Earth Corps’ 15 years of service to the community and to recognize the great work done by the Youth, Young Adult, and Advanced Young Adult Crews of OEC.
The fundraiser brings together employees, family members, and supporters to recognize the organization’s accomplishments. This program includes food and drink from local restaurants, music by The Brownskin Band with Joe Driscoll, games by the Syracuse Trivia Company, and personal stories from OEC crew and staff members on how this program has affected their life.
Mr. Eli MacDonald founded OEC in 2004 with funding from the Gifford Foundation. His goal was to provide Syracuse’s inner-city youth with hands-on environmental experiences as well as personal and career development.
Since its inception OEC has employed over 250 inner-city youth. OEC continues to grow, planting over 2,000 trees, maintaining over 20 green spaces in Syracuse, and employing over 40 youth this year alone. Some graduates of the program have pursued continued education in environmental science and forestry.
The mission of OEC is to empower youth to be active participants in their community and their environment. Crew members work on personal development by partaking in individual and collaborative communication, setting goals, and public speaking. All of this is done outside of the daily fieldwork which includes tree planting/pruning, invasive species removal, community outreach, air quality monitoring and more.
-END-
Registration tickets can be purchased $70/person at www.onondagaearthcorps.org/donate
or at the door. For more details contact Yvonne Chu at ychu@onondagaearthcorps.org
FREEDOM COMMONS GRAND OPENING & RIBBON CUTTING
Thursday, November 14, 2019 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM (EST)
Freedom Commons
450 Burt Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
Freedom Commons is a $14.9 million mixed-use initiative offering emergency, supportive and affordable housing. This exciting new mixed-use building is LEED Gold Certified with NYSERDA participation adding to the energy efficiency and sustainability features.
This housing partnership between the Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) and the Syracuse Housing Authority (SHA), is aimed at addressing broad community needs related to quality, health-supporting affordable housing and providing additional services specifically for justice involved individuals and their families in an effort to reduce recidivism and improve public safety. This is the country's first replication of the housing model started by The Fortune Society in New York City fifteen years ago that has received national and international recognition as an innovative and successful reentry program. What makes this project unique is the inclusion of Freedom Commons Academy modeled after The Fortune Society’s Castle Academy. The Academy supports individuals who are currently homeless and returning to the community after incarceration by providing them with robust supportive services and a culture of community designed to support their successful reentry and transition to housing stability and self-sufficiency.
Developed by Norstar Development USA, L.P., and designed by SWBR Architects, this project is a hallmark for the City of Syracuse and the first phase of a large-scale revitalization of the East Adams Street/Almond Street neighborhood. Capital funds to build the project were provided by NYS Homes & Community Renewal, NYS Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance, Key Bank, N.A., Key Community Development Corporation, Cooperative Federal Credit Union, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Central New York Community Foundation, INC. Operating assistance provided by NYS Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative, NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, Syracuse Housing Authority Section 8 Program, Onondaga County Department of Social Services.
Freedom Commons is the first of many initiatives forthcoming in this neighborhood to address the need for opportunity, mixed-income housing, and community investments so that this historically economically disadvantaged neighborhood can be a place where living there means thriving there.
