Westchester Insider: PLAYLAND PARK TO HOLD VIRTUAL JOB FAIR.

 Playland Park to Hold Virtual Job Fair.

 

 

(Ardsley, NY) – Summer is just around the corner, and that means Playland Park in Rye will reopen and is staffing up with a virtual job fair.

 

County Executive George Latimer said: “As one of the largest employers of youth, this virtual job fair is an innovative way for us to staff the park. We typically hold this event in person at the County Center in White Plains. But because that site remains vital for vaccine distribution, we are proud to present this event in a new form for those looking for summer employment.”

 

Playland Park is seeking qualified candidates to fill ride operator, Kiddyland ride operator and custodial roles. Wages start at $14 per hour. Westchester County is an equal opportunity employer.

 

Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation Kathy O’Connor said: “I encourage those interested in summer employment to apply for a position to help us make summer 2021 a great season. Playland, Westchester County’s only amusement park, is enjoyed by people from the tristate area. Besides being a fun place to visit, Playland is also a fun place to work.”

 

Candidates will have the opportunity to view video descriptions and job specs. They will then be able to apply to their top three job choices. Qualified candidates will be contacted to schedule virtual interviews.

 

The job board can be accessed at https://playlandpark.org/work_at_playland/. Interviews will be held on Saturday, June 5.

New York State Insider: New York State Senator Pete Harckham 40th District: June 24th: Our First In Person Event with Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul!

 

Yonkers Insider: Election Desk 2021 News: Yonkers City Councilman John Rubbo 4th District: Join us Next Thursday with Mayor Mike Spano.

 

Submitted by Campaign of Yonkers City Councilman John Rubbo 4th District.

Yonkers Insider Promotions: Lakisha Collins-Bellamy Democrat for Yonkers City Council President: Elections 2021.

 

Please join us next Tuesday, June 8 at Plaza Garibaldi!

Email contact@lakishaforyonkers.com with questions or to RSVP.

#lakishaforyonkers #lakishaparayonkers #avoiceforintegrityandprogress

Submitted by Committee to Elect Lakisha.

Yonkers Insider: Yonkers City Council Rules Committee Meeting - June 1, 2021 by Yonkers City Council Majority Leader Corazon Pineda Issac 2nd District.

 

The Yonkers City Council held a Rules Committee Meeting today, Tuesday, June 1, 2021. All items on the agenda appear below, as well as the decisions taken by the City Council in regard to these items. In addition, as Chair of the City Council's Legislation & Codes Committee, I would like to inform you that the Legislation & Codes Committee meeting initially scheduled for today has been rescheduled for next week, Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 10:00am. On the agenda will be the following item: ***A Local Law creating a new Chapter 38 of the Code of the City of Yonkers entitled "Hotel Licensing"

Items for Consideration by Administration 1. Resolution – Approval of tax certiorari settlements. (Negative Fiscal Impact.) (All Councilmembers.) (Moved to Budget Committee for further discussion) 2. Resolution – Reappointment of Adelia Landi to the Planning Board. (No Fiscal Impact.) (All Councilmembers.) Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021. 3. Resolution – Reappointment of Michael Gilan to the Planning Board. (No Fiscal Impact.) (All Councilmembers.) Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021. 4. Resolution – Reappointment of John Larkin to the Planning Board. (No Fiscal Impact.) (All Councilmembers.) Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021. 5. Resolution – Reappointment of Mackenzie Forsberg to the Planning Board. (No Fiscal Impact.) (All Councilmembers.) (Pulled from Agenda) 6. Resolution – Reappointment of Roman Kozicky to the Planning Board. (No Fiscal Impact.) (All Councilmembers.) Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021. 7. Resolution – Approving the Memorandum of Agreement between the Board of Education and Yonkers Council of Administrators to supplant the agreement which expires on June 30, 2021. (Negative Fiscal Impact.) (All Councilmembers.)  (Moved to Budget Committee for further discussion) Items for Consideration - By City Council Members New Business: 1. By Majority Leader Pineda-Isaac and Councilmember Rubbo -Resolution of the City Council of Yonkers Declaring the Month of June 2021 “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month” (Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021). 2. By Councilmember Rubbo - Resolution Setting a Public Hearing for June 15, 2021, at 6:00 P.M. to Consider the Following Proposed General Ordinance: A General Ordinance Amending the Yonkers Zoning Ordinance as it Relates to New Permitted Uses With Supplemental Requirements in the “BR” Zone District (Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021). 3. By Majority Leader Pineda-Isaac - Resolution of the City Council of Yonkers Urging the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency to Review and Adopt Policies Recently Approved by the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency’s Board of Directors (Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021.) 4. By Councilmember Williams - Resolution of the City Council of Yonkers Celebrating June 19th as “Juneteenth” and Urging the United States Congress to Make Juneteenth an Official Federal Holiday (Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021.) 5. By Councilmember Diaz - Resolution Setting A Public Hearing For June 15, 2021, At 5:30 P.M. to Consider the Following Proposed General Ordinance: A General Ordinance Amending the Yonkers Zoning Ordinance Related to Nursing Homes in the “OL” Zone District and a Zoning Map Change to Block 3535, Lot 84, Also Known as 120 Odell Avenue, and Block 3535, Lot 68, also Known as 967 North Broadway, and Block 3535, Lot 100, Also Known As 951 North Broadway, From The “S-100” Zone to the “OL” Zone  (Moved to Council meeting of June 8, 2021.) I encourage Yonkers city residents to keep up with these items to stay current on what is happening in our city! As a friendly reminder, City Council meetings will continue to be held virtually for the time being. Tune in via the City Council Facebook page, City Hall TV (accessible via the City of Yonkers website), Optimum channel 78, or Verizon Fios channel 39.

Best regards,   Hon. Corazon Pineda-Isaac E-mail: corazon.pineda.isaac@yonkersny.gov Tel: (914) 377-6312

‌

Mount Vernon Insider: Election Desk 2021 News: Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni Endorse the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee Slate of Candidates: Elections 2021.

 

Westchester Insider: Westchester County Press Advisory: 6/2 - 1PM - Latimer, Bowman & Alvarado Team Up to Advocate for Increased Federal Support to Address Odor Remediation Issues at Wastewater Treatment Plant.

 

Date: June 1, 2021

                                                                                                            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                                                                            

                                                                            

 

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

 

County Executive George Latimer, Congressman Jamaal Bowman & County Legislator Jose Alvarado Team Up to Advocate for Increased Federal Support to Address Odor Remediation Issues at Wastewater Treatment Plant.

 

Wednesday, June 2

1 p.m.

Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant

1 Fernbrook Street

Yonkers, NY 10705

Watch Live on Facebook.com/WestchesterGov 

 (Yonkers, NY) - In an effort to address a long-standing environmental justice issue, County Executive George Latimer, Congressman Jamaal Bowman and County Legislator Jose Alvarado are teaming up to advocate for federal funding to support long term infrastructural repairs to the Yonkers Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant’s odor insulation. 

 Latimer said: “This is our best chance to right this long-standing environmental justice wrong. Folks in this community, predominately people of color, have faced these odor issues impacting their quality of life for years. Together, with my partners in government Congressman Bowman and Legislator Alvarado, we are focused on remedying them. As President Biden aims to rebuild America’s infrastructure, we emphatically appeal for the inclusion of this project.”

 The Yonkers Wastewater Treatment Plant on the city’s west side services approximately 500,000 Westchester residents and filters over a million gallons of waste each day. However, Ludlow Park area residents and neighboring municipalities have reported smelling noxious odors emanating from the plant due to aging scrubbers and poor facility insulation.

 Bowman said: “Robust federal funding for wastewater infrastructure must be a top priority of the Biden administration and the Build Back Better agenda, and I’m proud to stand with County Executive Latimer and County Legislator Alvarado to advocate for that. Repairing the Yonkers Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant is crucial to our collective mission of racial and environmental justice, and I’m looking forward to continuing our work to achieve the level of investment our constituents deserve.”

 Alvarado said: “It is our responsibility to ensure that residents living around this facility get the quality of life they deserve. It is a matter of environmental justice for the residents of Southwest Yonkers. At the Board of Legislators, we've worked with County Executive Latimer over the past 18-months to advance important County work at the plant -- approving odor control projects and modernization of the plant's operations and equipment. I'm proud of that work, but we need to do more. That's why I stand with County Executive Latimer and Congressman Bowman in advocating for this federal funding to finally cover this plant, like all other sewage treatment plants in the County.  I know the Biden Administration is committed to environmental justice, and I look forward to working together with the Congressman and County Executive to urge the Biden Administration to help us do everything we can to improve life for our community.”

 In response to these issues, the County sponsored an odor control study by CDM Smith completed in June 2019. Based on the findings of this report, the County would benefit from $69.1 million in federal funding to address long term infrastructural repairs to the plant’s odor insulation.

 As the Biden administration has prioritized addressing the intrinsic impacts of environmental justice, investment in this project will improve the quality of life for Yonkers’s predominantly Black and Hispanic middle-class communities living on the city’s west side.

 

Yonkers Insider: ***NEWS RELEASE***: CITY OF YONKERS LAUNCHES EMERGENCY COVID-19 RENT RELIEF PROGRAM FOR RESIDENTS.

 

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano joined Yonkers City Council and local community-based organizations at Yonkers City Hall to announce the launch of the Yonkers Rental Assistance Program.

(Photo Credit: Maurice Mercado/City of Yonkers)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CITY OF YONKERS LAUNCHES EMERGENCY COVID-19 RENT RELIEF PROGRAM FOR RESIDENTS.

Yonkers Partners with Local Community-Based Organizations to Grant $14.5 Million in Rental Assistance.

YONKERS, NY – June 1, 2021 -- Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced the City of Yonkers today is launching its Emergency Rental Assistance Program (Y-ERAP) to aid Yonkers residents with their payments of back rent, prospective rent, utilities and potentially relocation expenses due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonkers is expected to grant $14.5 million in aid now through September 2022, from funds received from the U.S. Department of Treasury under the American Rescue Plan. 

Working in collaboration with local community-based organizations, specifically Cluster Community Services, The Bridge Fund of Westchester, Inc., Westchester Residential Opportunities, Catholic Charities and Westhab, Yonkers today launched the Y-ERAP at www.yonkersny.gov/yerap where residents can access information on eligibility requirements, program resources and begin the application process.

“Yonkers is proud to help struggling renters who have been impacted by the economic fallout of the pandemic,” said Mayor Spano. “More than anyone, we know how to best serve our local tenants and landlords and connect them to our local nonprofits who are the ‘boots on the ground’ with those in need. We want to ensure our residents are part of the city’s economic recovery as soon as possible.”

Kristina Yamin, Executive Director of Cluster Community Services, said, “CLUSTER is honored to partner with the City of Yonkers, and network Agencies like the Bridge Fund, Westchester Residential Opportunities, Catholic Charities and WestHab to provide support for Yonkers residents financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The last 14 months have been unprecedented, but as we slowly move back to life with a renewed sense of normalcy, CLUSTER is dedicated to supporting Yonkers residents experiencing hardships to become whole again.”

  

“As we continue to navigate the consequences of Covid-19 and anticipate the unknown that is still to come, we are looking forward to helping families not only regain their financial independence after such great loss but also help to build a sense of hope and empowerment for our Yonkers neighbors, as they begin to heal,” commented Grace Perry, Director, The Bridge Fund of Westchester. “Keeping these monies within the local community allows us and our network of partner organizations to ensure that those who are the most vulnerable receive the help in a timely, supportive and client-centered fashion. The Bridge Fund of Westchester is both honored and privileged to partner with the City of Yonkers and our Eviction Prevention partners in assisting individuals and families financially impacted by the pandemic.”

Marlene Zarfes, Executive Director, Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc., stated, “Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) is proud to have been chosen by the City of Yonkers as one of the organizations authorized to distribute ERAP funds.  This is an important step in pursuing recovery from the economic damage done to Yonkers and its residents by COVID-19.  We are looking forward to helping Yonkers residents retain and/or secure safe, affordable, accessible and fair housing.”

Those eligible for the Yonkers Emergency Rental Assistance Program must have suffered a reduction of income or unemployment due to COVID-19, owe back rent beginning after March 20, 2020 and face homelessness or housing insecurity in 2021.

Eligibility includes:

• Resident of Yonkers, AND
• An obligation to pay rent, AND
• You or a household member that has been financially affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic, AND
• Experienced or are at risk of housing instability, AND
• Your household is at or below 80% of area’s median income

 

Prioritization to households:

·         with incomes less than 50% of area median income or

·         households with one or more individuals that have not been employed for the 90-day period preceding the date of application.

The City of Yonkers expects to serve at least 400 households during the first round of its Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013-2017 American Communities Survey reported that there were 133,154 renter-occupied households in Westchester County, including 39,197 in Yonkers. It is estimated that 31,557 renter households in Westchester and 9,290 in Yonkers believe they are at imminent risk of eviction.

 

Bronxville Insider: Mayor's Column Week of June 1, 2021.

Mayor’s Column: June 1, 2021.

As we breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the light at the end of the Covid tunnel, I read an article in the Journal News that was quite sobering and put other things in perspective. In essence, the article stated there is no vaccine for hunger. Hunger in Westchester will remain long after vaccines make the Covid virus a bad memory for most of us.

Despite ten communities in Westchester County ranked on Bloomberg’s 200 richest places to live in the United States, hunger persists in Westchester County as one in five Westchester residents do not have enough to eat. That need has quadrupled since the pandemic in several Westchester communities.

The county’s nonprofit umbrella food bank, Feeding Westchester, distributed 2,400,000 pounds of food in 2020, enough for nearly 17,000,000 meals and more than double the total from the year before. It is estimated that despite the end of the pandemic, food insecurity in Westchester County will last for the next two to four years as people try to find jobs at a work force wage.

When we wake up every morning in Bronxville, one fifth or 200,000 people in our county will be hungry with 33% of them children and 22% of them seniors. Families struggling to save have to buy cheap but filling foods that are often starchy and fatty as fresh produce and lean proteins are the most expensive items at a grocery store. By necessity, much of the food in our food banks must have a long shelf life which adds salt and chemicals that are not needed in large quantities in a healthy diet.

Looks can be deceiving. Folks may look well fed, particularly children, but often they are missing the vital nutrients to remain healthy going forward and can’t avoid the scourge of obesity as it t brings a whole set of lifetime problems including diabetes and high blood pressure.

Thanks to the efforts of the then Green Committee Chairwoman, May Liz Mulligan and volunteer gardeners, the Village constructed “The Giving Garden” on the corner of Pondfield Road and Gramatan Avenue.  From this tiny plot, we have been able to grow hundreds of pounds of fresh vegetables that have been donated to the Mt. Vernon Soup Kitchen and the Eastchester Community Action Program in Tuckahoe.

Hunger in the suburbs has only increased for our senior citizens as their fixed incomes cannot sustain the increasingly high taxes. There is also a phenomenon in Westchester, as in many other affluent counties, called transitional poverty, where folks who always worked and made approximately $60,000 per year, enough to afford an apartment and a car, recently lost their jobs during Covid and had savings depleted on average in two months. Having to go to credit cards for relief got them in trouble very very quickly.

We live in a county where children go home on Friday and honestly don’t eat again until Monday morning.

In the Yonkers public school system, 77% of the students qualify for subsidized meals with the number at 52% in Port Chester schools.

Putting the problem in a national perspective, almost 50 million Americans are food insufficient, causing a host of health issues. Children are 1.4 times more likely to have asthma and food insecure seniors have severe limitations in their activities. Lack of a healthy diet is a leading cause of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease in adults and obesity in children. It also has proven to be a cause of poor school readiness, aggression, anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, iron deficiency and higher cholesterol in our youngest citizens.

Westchester County does have a very efficient and integrated food program under the umbrella organization “Feeding Westchester”, which is a 501(c)(3) tax deductible entity.  They help over 300 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, schools and mobile emergency pantries.  For every dollar donated provides four dollars worth of food for our neighbors and our littlest neighbors need our help the most.

 

Westchester Insider: News from Playland Park in Rye.

 

Looking for a little extra green this summer? We're Hiring. Ride Operators  |  Kiddyland Ride Operators  |  Custodial Staff Starting at $14/Hour Qualified candidates will be contacted to schedule virtual interviews on Saturday, June 5

Apply Today

Westchester Insider: Westchester County Legislator Jose Alvarado 17th District: NYS Renter Assistance - Opens Today, 6/1.

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

New York State recently announced a rental assistance program to support households which are behind on their rent, which have experienced financial hardship, that are at risk of homelessness or housing instability and that earn at or below 80 percent of area median income.

Applications will be accepted starting today, June 1, 2021, at 9 am.

New York residents are eligible for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) if they meet all of the following criteria:

• Household gross income is at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). These income limits differ by county and household size. A household may qualify based on current income or calendar year 2020 income that is at or below 80 percent AMI.
• On or after March 13, 2020, a member of the household received unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in income, incurred significant costs or experienced financial hardship, directly or indirectly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The applicant is obligated to pay rent at their primary residence and has rental arrears (rent overdue) at their current residence for rent owed on or after March 13, 2020.
• The household must be at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability, which can be demonstrated by having rental arrears owed on or after March 13, 2020.

For the first 30 days of the program, the unemployed, those with income at or below 50 percent of area median income and other vulnerable populations will be prioritized for assistance. After this period, applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as funds remain available.

Applicants and landlords should visit: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/  

Once approved, eligible households will receive up to 12 months of past due rent. Those eligible could also receive up to 3 months of additional rental assistance, if the household spends 30 percent or more of its gross monthly income on rent. The program also will provide up to 12 months of utility arrears for eligible applicants.

In addition to fiscal relief, ERAP will provide significant tenant protections. In order to receive assistance, the landlord must agree to waive any late fees due on past-due rent; and not increase the tenant's monthly rent or evict them for one year, except in limited circumstances.

Residents of the City of Yonkers must apply with their local programs for emergency rental assistance and are ineligible for assistance from the state-administered Emergency Rental Assistance Program. This is because the City of Yonkers is receiving funding directly from the Federal Government to support this endeavor.

For more information, click here or call 1-844-NY1-RENT (1-844-691-7368). If you are hearing impaired, a TTY phone number is available by calling 1-833-843-8829.

Sincerely,

Jose Alvarado 

Westchester County Legislator 17th District

Westchester Insider: WESTCHESTER COUNTY POLICE RESPOND TO BOATING ACCIDENT.

 

    Date: June 1, 2021

                                                                                                            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                                                                          

 

                                                                             

WESTCHESTER COUNTY POLICE RESPOND TO BOATING ACCIDENT: Three Passengers Rescued from Long Island Sound, Fourth Swims to Safety.

 

(White Plains, NY) – At 6:54 pm on May 31, 2021, the Westchester County Police Marine Unit was called to the scene of a sinking boat in the Long Island sound off of Davenport Neck in New Rochelle. The boat, a twenty-seven foot Hunter sailboat, struck a reef and was taking on water.  When Westchester County Police arrived on the scene, the sailboat was partly submerged and three people, wearing life vests, were in the water.  All three were taken aboard the Westchester County Police boat with assistance from the Westchester County Police Aviation Unit and harbor patrol units from the City of New Rochelle and the Village of Mamaroneck. The three people rescued at the scene were New Rochelle residents.  A fourth person who was on the sailboat swam to shore.  No injuries were reported.

Yonkers Insider: Yonkers City Council: Legislation & Codes Committee Meeting - Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.

On behalf of Majority Leader Corazon Pineda-Isaac, please be advised that a Legislation & Codes Committee Meeting has been scheduled ‎for Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 10:00am via webex. This meeting will be televised.

 

AGENDA

 

LEGISLATION AND CODES COMMITTEE

 

Corazón Pineda-Isaac, Chair

June 3, 2021

10:00 a.m.

 

1.      A Local Law creating a new Chapter 38 of the Code of the City of Yonkers entitled "Hotel Licensing"

 

2.      Any additional items that may properly come before this Committee.

 

 

Committee Members:

Corazón Pineda-Isaac, Chair, District 2

Mike Khader, Council President

Tasha Diaz, District 3

John Rubbo, District 4

Anthony Merante, District 6

Yonkers Insider: New York League of Conservation Voters: Environmental News for June 1st.

 

Here’s what we’re reading this week:

The Economics of Purchasing & Owning an EV

As part of our public awareness campaign on electric vehicles, Plug It In, NY, we released the fourth in our series of fact sheets to encourage New Yorkers to make an EV their next vehicle. The fact sheet focuses on the costs, incentives, and funding opportunities associated with purchasing and owning an EV.

Read More

NYLCV Testifies at City Council Budget Hearing

Our NYC Program Associate Carlos Castell Croke testified at the City Council Finance Committee Executive Budget hearing. We advocated for funding for parks as well as staffing in critical environmental offices.

Read More

 

We announced our second round of endorsements, including Kathryn Garcia for Mayor, Corey Johnson for Comptroller, and pro-environment candidates for Borough President and City Council. (Read the NY Daily News article here or our post here)

The MTA announced that it will put even more electric buses on the road than anticipated and install more than 50 overhead chargers, a major step toward fulfilling its historic goal of an all-electric fleet by 2040. NYLCV attended the announcement and supports these steps because they will reduce emissions and improve air quality, especially in environmental justice communities that host a disproportionate number of bus depots. (NY Daily News)

Rep. Paul Tonko says legislation like the CLEAN Future Act, the Aqua Act, and President Biden’s American Jobs Plan can provide critical federal funding to replace outdated water infrastructure in towns across the Capital Region and the country. (WNYT)