The NYS DOT needs to hear from you about their Draft Environmental Impact Statement [DEIS] for the I-81 Replacement in the Syracuse region.
This opportunity is the closest thing we have to a referendum on this massive infrastructure project. Your voice on this matter is your vote.
Go to https://webapps.dot.ny.gov/i-81-viaduct-project?utm_medium=301&utm_source=i81.dot.ny.gov for DEIS contents and process.
See various means to communicate with the NYS DOT below the Moving People Statement. Send the message: I support the Community Grid.
Support the Community Grid for I-81 Replacement
Moving People Transportation Coalition asks you to consider
making these critical points when communicating with NYS DOT
Critical Point #1: Jobs for local people! Support the training and hiring of local persons for the I-81 reconfiguration and rebuilding, specifically support the Urban Jobs Task Force’s Recommendations For Building Equity in the Construction Trades including:
· A pro-Syracuse version of the federal government’s Local Hire program (called SEP-14 Local Hire) that provides for training and hiring, and
· CWA-PLA agreement on I-81 that includes unions and community representatives in decision-making on the implementation of the I-81 plan.
Rationale: Social justice requires that chronically disadvantaged persons be made a priority for training and job placement in this huge infrastructure project.
Critical Point #2: Public Participation is Essential. DOT should promote and facilitate active participation by neighborhood groups and the public throughout the design and construction phases.
Rationale:
· Through special initiatives by the DOT, residents' concerns and self-interests need to be given due consideration by their significant and continuous input.
· All Central New Yorkers and Visitors to our region will benefit from ongoing active public participation for many decades to come.
Critical Point #3: Changes for South Side! Support the new northbound exit at Colvin Street and the new roundabout at Martin Luther King East along Business Loop 81 [BL81]
Rationale:
· The new exit at Colvin will enhance access for the south side to promote business development and residential life. It will help with the diffusion of traffic going to the university and hence reduce the load further north on BL81.
· The new roundabout at MLKJ East will calm and smooth traffic flow as vehicles enter the street grid and hence reduce safety concerns at the nearby MLKJ School.
Critical Point #4: Health and Safety Concerns should be a priority along the street grid of BL81.
Rationale:
· Maximum speed of 30 mph and narrower 11 feet lanes along BL81 between Oswego Blvd and Martin Luther King Jr East will promote public health and safety for pedestrians and cyclists by calming traffic and is likely to reduce air pollution.
· DOT should use input from multiple sources including experts, “on the ground” people and technical measurements for air quality to monitor developments throughout the rebuild process.
Critical Point #5: Public Bus Transit should be an integral part of the Community Grid Plan including cut outs for bus pull overs and accommodations for Bus Rapid Transit in the future along the grid corridor within BL81.
Rationale: The future of our transportation system must put greater reliance on bus traffic to avoid unnecessary parking and to lower the impact of fossil fuels on our environment. DOT must work closer with CENTRO.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will accept comments on the document through 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on September 14, 2021. All substantive comments received will be summarized and responded to in the Final Design Report/Final EIS for the Project. You may submit your comments using our electronic comment form or by emailing us at i81opportunities@dot.ny.gov; by sending it via U.S. Mail to the addresses below; by leaving a voicemail on the Project hotline, 1-855-I81-TALK (1-855-481-8255); or by providing it verbally at the Project’s public hearings. Find out more about the public hearings here.
Comments sent via U.S. Mail can be directed to either address below:
Mark Frechette, P.E. Rick Marquis
Project Director Division Administrator
New York State Department of Transportation, Region 3 Federal Highway Administration
333 East Washington Street Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building
Syracuse, NY 13202 11A Clinton Avenue, Suite 719
Albany, NY
Topic: I-81 Economic Justice Group Time: Aug 3, 2021 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://aclu.zoom.us/j/89594979106?pwd=dm85ZlFUaUpNS0ZMMVROUzE3MmszZz09
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Kevin Atwater
Administrative Assistant, Central New York Chapter
New York Civil Liberties Union
499 S. Warren St., Ste. 430
Syracuse, NY 13202
■ 315.471.2821 ■www.nyclu.org
'City as Canvas'
Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today is excited to announce that we have been awarded $250,000 from the American Rescue Plan to create ‘City as Canvas’, a city-wide public art program!
‘City as Canvas’ is a program designed to:
Provide the local arts community with creative and economic opportunities.
Develop visual content driven by the voices of the neighborhoods.
Shape an empowering landscape of imagery throughout the City of Syracuse.
Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today will ensure the equitable distribution of these opportunities to each of the eight neighborhood sectors. It is our goal to raise the cultural importance of public art so that it will become part of any planning process moving forward.
More information on the program will be available soon, so stay tuned!!
Information on LEAP, Peoples Community Development Corp
PEOPLE’S PCDC
COMMUNITY DEVEMENT CORP. 2311 S. Salina St.
Syracuse, NY 13205
___________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release Contact
4/25/2021 Kerry Kennedy
LEAP Program Director
315-498-1238
People’s Community Development Corp. (PCDC) is pleased to announce that starting in May they will
implement a virtual Telehealth Program. People’s recently won a grant from a Foundation to bring
community back to isolated seniors. Using technology, People’s will be connecting seniors with health
professionals to check in on their nutritional, physical, and mental health needs. Partnering with doctors
from Syracuse and the Syracuse Health Department People’s looks forward to helping our seniors live
their best lives. Recent hires Kerry Kennedy and two soon to be recruited Community Outreach
Coordinators will use technology to train and connect Seniors, those 65 and up with Telehealth visits,
and additional health and nutrition podcasts. There will also be a Rapid Response component where
one-time emergency utility bill payments can be made.
Partnering with The Onondaga Health Department PCDC will link Primary Care physicians to local
patients who need access to technology by providing computers. PCDC Community Outreach staff will
also assist seniors 65 and over in actually using the computers.
Pastor Daren Jaime, President of Peoples Community Development Corp. shared his excitement for the
program. “Being able to reconnect our Seniors without access to computers or smartphones is critical.
Since the Covid Pandemic church services went virtual and some seniors became isolated. Using our
Community Development Corp., we were blessed to get a grant to expand our capacity to serve the
Senior population.”
Rapid Response Guidelines can be found HERE
PRESS RELEASE
MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
FOR SYRACUSE POLICE REFORM AND REINVENTION PLAN
Syracuse, N.Y. – Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh appointed an eight-person oversight committee to ensure public transparency and accountability in implementation of the Syracuse Police Reform and Reinvention Plan. The plan, in response to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 203, was approved by the Syracuse Common Council and submitted to the State in late March.
The Syracuse Police Reform and Reinvention Plan Oversight Committee, which conducted its first meeting May 24, is comprised of: Syracuse Common Council Public Safety Chair Chol Majok; Citizen Review Board Administrator Ranette Releford; Mayoral appointee David Chaplin; Common Council appointee Barrie Gewanter; Syracuse Corporation Counsel Kristen Smith, Syracuse Police Sergeant Mark Rusin; and Syracuse Neighborhood and Business Development Planner Cimone Jordan. Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens chairs the committee.
“The duty of enhancing police accountability and improving police-community relations is never done. The true value of this plan will be in achieving its objectives and commitments,” said Mayor Walsh. “That will require constant effort by the City in coordination with community stakeholders. I thank each of the members of the committee for sharing their time and expertise with the City.”
The committee’s responsibilities include: reviewing progress on tasks identified in the plan; make recommendation to address identified deficiencies in task completion; and ensuring transparency. The 79-page Syracuse Police Reform and Reinvention Plan includes programs and initiatives in Transparency and Accountability; Community Engagement; Policies and Procedures; Training and Wellness; Diversity in Hiring and Advancement; and Alternatives to Policing.
The plan also builds upon prior public engagement on policing in the City of Syracuse; Mayor Walsh’s 16-Action Executive Order on Syracuse Police Reform last June; actions taken by the Syracuse Common Council on police transparency; as well as the City’s response to demands by community stakeholders last summer.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tajuana Cerutti
Date: May 17, 2021 Phone: 315-448-8458
Email: press@syrgov.net
PRESS RELEASE
MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY WORK GROUP
Proper oversight and community input on Surveillance Technology is one of the Mayor’s key commitments in police reform and good government
Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh appointed a 13-person Surveillance Technology Work Group to ensure residents have input on potential uses of surveillance technology by the City of Syracuse. Mayor Walsh committed to establishing a work group as part of his Surveillance Technology Executive Order signed in December 2020.
“My Executive Order is intended to ensure that surveillance tools are implemented in a safe and well-governed way. Ensuring community input on potential government uses of surveillance technology, including the areas of public safety and law enforcement, is also another step forward in our work on police reform. Establishing this Work Group is a commitment we made to the community, and I thank the members for taking on this important work for their community,” said Mayor Walsh.
The Work Group’s role is to ensure due diligence is done on all technologies fitting surveillance characteristics prior to approval and implementation. It is comprised of five community representatives and eight city staff members, and its work will be facilitated by the City’s Office of Accountability, Performance and Innovation (API).
The group will consider impacts to the City of Syracuse in a variety of areas including equity of service, privacy protection, efficacy of collection techniques, financial capabilities of implementation, and benefits to the taxpayer.
— More —
Members of the Work Group are:
City of Syracuse
Community Representatives
Patrick Blood
Martha Grabowski, Le Moyne College
Amanda Darcangelo
Johannes Himmelreich, Syracuse University
Nico Diaz
Mark King, Project Consultant for the Community Data Group, CNY Community Foundation
Jake Dishaw
Ocesa Keaton, NYCLU
Brian Eisenberg
Ken Stewart, NuAir
Sharon Owens
Michelle Sczpanski
Jennifer Tifft
The Mayor’s Executive Order authorized the administration to implement a Surveillance Technology Policy. The document was developed in the second half of 2020 under the guidance of the API with input from multiple department heads and city staff representatives.
The policy references the use of surveillance technologies for applications such as infrastructure monitoring, public safety and criminal investigations. It defines surveillance technologies as those tools that “observe or analyze the movements, behavior or actions of identifiable individuals in a manner that is reasonably likely to raise concerns about civil liberties, freedom of speech or association, racial equity or social justice.”
A compendium of police reform actions by Mayor Walsh is presented and updated regularly on the Reporting Progress web portal at https://ourcity.syrgov.net/portfolio/reporting-progress-01/.
PRESS RELEASE
MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS ADVISORY COMMISSION TO GUIDE CREATION
OF HERITAGE PARK AT COLUMBUS CIRCLE
Commission includes Italian American Task Force to advise on relocating and preserving the Columbus Statue and on continuing a permanent honor for Italian Americans at the circle
In creating “an expanded space that is welcoming to all,” Mayor Walsh promises to ensure “history is protected and remembered”
Syracuse, N.Y. – Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh named an advisory commission to guide the creation of a heritage and education site at Columbus Circle and in adjacent open space now known as the Powelson Site. The Heritage Park Advisory Commission is comprised of members of Syracuse’s Italian American community and the Onondaga Nation, as well as representatives of other community stakeholders.
The Mayor also named a Columbus Statue Italian American Task Force to ensure representatives of the local Italian American community can provide guidance to the City of Syracuse regarding the relocation of the Columbus statue and related symbols. The Task Force will also provide guidance on the permanent recognition of Italian Americans at the circle.
“The expanded space will be both a tribute to Italian Americans and a place of healing that is welcoming to all,” said Mayor Walsh. “In the work ahead, we will ensure that history is protected and that we celebrate and learn from our shared experiences as a community and a nation. I appreciate the willingness of these diverse stakeholders to offer their perspectives and to promote the collection of ideas from others in our community about what should be in the re-envisioned space.”
Members of the Heritage Park Advisory Commission are:
Beth Broadway
Dennis Connors
Hillary-Anne Coppola
Joe Driscoll
Elizabeth Dunbar
Mohammed Elfiki
Rabbi Dan Fellman
Clelia Ilacqua
Pastor Eric Jackson
Freida Jacques
Brandon Lazore
Vincent Love
Bishop Douglas Lucia
Elisa Morales
Rita Paniagua
Monsignor Neal Quartier
Nick Stamoulacatos
Cindy Squillace
Tina Thomas
Merike Treier
Monica Williams
Carrie Mae Weems
Sally Roesch Wagner
Members of the Columbus Statue Italian American Task Force are:
Clelia Ilacqua
Fr. Fred Manarra
Nick Petragnani
Emil Rossi
Ralph Torrillo
Colleen Zawadzki
The work of the Advisory Commission and the Italian American Task Force is being facilitated by the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA), under the direction of Executive Director Gregg Tripoli and OHA Board Member Bea Gonzalez. The Commission will provide guidance to a Syracuse-area professional project management and design team which includes EDR Environmental Design & Research, the C&S Companies, Exhibits and More and the OHA.
The Commission and Task Force are expected to collect input and provide guidance to the project management team during the spring and summer. Heritage Park is the working name only of the Advisory Commission. The future name of the space is still to be determined. Recommendations and design concepts are expected in early 2022.
PRESS RELEASE
MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES SYRACUSE CITY HALL TO REOPEN MAY 17
WITH IMPROVEMENTS FOR PUBLIC
Mayor says City Hall will reopen with more public parking, a new City Payment Center and improved security
Syracuse, N.Y. – After closure more than a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced that Syracuse City Hall at 233 E. Washington Street will reopen for services to the public on Monday, May 17. The opening comes with major improvements for the community: more short-term parking spaces adjacent to the building; a new City Payment Center; and improved security through a new accessible main entrance on Market Street.
“As we endured the challenges of the pandemic, we wanted to ensure that we became a better and stronger city government. The reopening of City Hall is one of the ways we are achieving that objective,” said Mayor Walsh. “During the closure of City Hall, we invested in improvements both inside and outside of the facility that demonstrate our commitment to service, accessibility and safety.”
City Hall reopens with a new main entrance on Market Street facing the State Office Building. The City constructed an accessible ramp at the south door, and all entry to the building will occur through that entrance. To improve security for staff and the general public, the four other doors to the building will be closed. As exists at many other government buildings, the City also installed a security checkpoint at the Market Street door.
To make it easier for visitors to do business at City Hall, more short-term parking spaces have been added on the east and west sides of Market Street. Employee parking spaces in that area were relocated to other city parking lots.
As City Hall reopens, visitors will be able to use the new City Payment Center to make payments for city services in a central location. Located on the first floor and accessible through the new Market Street entrance, the City Payment Center will accept payments for taxes, parking violations and water bills. The City Payment Center will also be able to process in-person credit and debit card payments for most transactions. Taxes may be paid with a credit card only online. The payment drop box located on Market Street will continue to be available to the public.
Along with the reopening of City Hall, other city offices providing services to the public, including City Hall Commons at 201 E. Washington Street and the Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs office at 412 Spencer Street, are also reopening on May 17.
Join the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development and the Greater Syracuse Land Bank for our
Vacant Properties Webinar
May 13th from 6pm to 7pm!
Neighborhood blight is one of the most pressing quality of life concerns for Syracuse residents. Vacant properties not only negatively affect neighborhood property values, they also pose crime and health risks for local residents. When coupled with uncollected litter and overgrown grass and weeds, a neighborhood can look neglected and unwelcoming.
NBD welcomes you to learn how city departments and the Land Bank are working together to address these problem properties and improve neighborhood quality city-wide.
The webinar will share current data on vacant properties and also detail the programs and pipelines we have in place to get properties back into productive use.
Attendees will also be able to enter a raffle for a chance to win Salt City Market bucks and a $50 Visa gift card!
To join us this Thursday from 6pm – 7pm, see log in details below!
Click this link 5-10 minutes before the event:
https://syrgov.webex.com/syrgov/j.php?MTID=mdfa9a62f15ae00b391bb4d17effa3769
Thursday, May 13, 2021 6:00 pm | 1 hour | (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Meeting number: 173 737 2994
Password: nbd
Join by video system
Dial 1737372994@syrgov.webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
Join by phone
+1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
Access code: 173 737 2994
Not familiar with Cisco Webex? Click on this link for step by step instructions on how to join!
Annual Elder Law Fair
The annual Elder Law Fair presented by the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County will be virtual this year! An informational session will be offered each Thursday in May. Presenters will provide helpful content on areas of law that are of interest to older adults and caregivers. The free sessions will be offered via Zoom Webinar.
Week #1: Thursday, May 6 (12:00 to 1:00 PM) – Senior Scams & Fraud
Presented by: Nicole Lent-Pollard, Fraud Risk Manager at NBT Bank
Learn about common fraud, scam and types of abuse targeted toward older adults.
Click HERE to register for this session!
Week #2: Thursday, May 13 (12:00 to 1:00 PM) – Senior Renter Rights & Reasonable Accommodations
Presented by: Laurie Rolnick, Esq., Director of Eviction Defense Program, Volunteer Lawyers Project and Sally Santangelo, Executive Director, CNY Fair Housing
Session for seniors who rent/are considering renting. Learn about tenant rights and accessibility laws.
Click HERE to register for this session!
Week #3: Thursday, May 20 (12:00 to 1:00 PM) – Caregiving Support & Resources
Presented by: AARP and Kimberly Connell, MSW, Caregiver Support Specialist, Onondaga County Department of Adult & Long-Term Care Services
Information on support and resources for caregivers, including a framework to help you make plans to care for family members, neighbors and friends.
Click HERE to register for this session!
Week #4: Thursday, May 27 (12:00 to 1:00 PM) – Estate Planning
Presented by: Erika Hooker, Esq., Associate, Bousquet Holstein PLLC and Cameron Bernard, Esq., Associate, Bousquet Holstein PLLC
What to know about last will and testament, health care proxy, living wills, power of attorney and guardianship/conservatorship.
Click HERE to register for this session!
*Registrants may attend as few or as many sessions as they like. Closed captioning will be provided during all Elder Law Fair sessions. Webinars will be recorded and viewable on the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County webpage – https://www.onvlp.org/ – after the air date.
Questions? Contact: Samantha Aguam, Esq. at elder@onvlp.org or call 315-579-2579.