Subject: November 2010 Community Update
From: "Assemblyman Jonathan Bing" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:34:33 -0500 (EST)

In this Issue:
• East 51st Street Crane Collapse Building Sold
•
Department of Education Announces Plan For Permanent P.S. 151 School Space
• Assemblyman Bing Works to Improve Select Bus Service
• Assemblyman
Bing Receives Award from the Metropolitan New York Library Council
•
Upper East Side School Rezoning Proposed
• Join Assemblyman Bing in
Support of Second Avenue Businesses

East 51st Street Crane Collapse
Building Sold
Twenty months after the crane collapse in Turtle Bay, the
property at 303 East 51st Street has been purchased at auction by HFZ
Capital Group. While the purchase is a positive step towards completion of
a building, Assemblyman Bing has spoken to representatives at HFZ Capital
Group to discuss the future of this construction site and relay community
concerns with this property. HFZ Capital Group plans to acquire the
appropriate permits to finish the partially-built tower. Nineteen stories
are currently completed, and the rest of the building could take up to two
years for completion.

Prior to the devastating crane collapse in 2008,
Assemblyman Bing had met with the developer at this location to discuss
zoning issues related to this construction site and to encourage it to
communicate more effectively with the community. He will continue to
monitor quality of life issues at the construction site and zoning issues
that could arise with the development.

Department of Education
Announces Plan For Permanent P.S. 151 School Space
On November 9, the
Department of Education announced a plan to move P.S. 151 -- the Yorkville
Community School -- into a permanent school facility.  The proposal would
move P.S. 151 into the building currently operated by Richard R. Green
High School at 421 East 88th Street. Assemblyman Bing applauded this plan
as a common sense solution that will result in an increase of 450
elementary school seats on the Upper East Side.  This is significant for
efforts to reduce school overcrowding, eliminate kindergarten waitlists,
and establish reliable school options for public school parents

P.S.
151 had previously been without a zoned school building from 2000 until
2009, when it moved into a temporary school facility at Our Lady of Good
Counsel at 323 East 91st Street. Assemblyman Bing and his colleagues had
worked with the Department of Education and the Archdiocese of New York to
acquire the temporary space at Our Lady of Good Counsel in 2009.
Assemblyman Bing Works to Improve Select Bus Service
In October, the
Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Department of Transportation
unveiled Select Bus Service (SBS) along First and Second Avenues. The new
bus service aims to provide a more efficient, quicker bus service for East
Side residents, and an initial review of SBS on the East Side has shown
that commuting times have already dropped by 15 percent during rush hour.
In response to concerns from local residents, Assemblyman Bing
advocated for the MTA to adopt a policy that would make it easier for
riders to use whichever bus would make their travel easier. Under the
previous policy, riders purchasing SBS tickets were unable to use their
tickets on local buses, even if those buses arrived in advance of SBS
buses. In response to a letter from Assemblyman Bing and Councilman Dan
Garodnick, the MTA announced that drivers of local buses will now accept
SBS bus receipts, allowing bus riders to obtain SBS tickets in advance of
the arrival of the bus with the knowledge that they can travel on the
local bus if it arrives sooner.

Assemblyman Bing authored legislation
adopted in the 2010-11 budget that would increase enforcement of Select
Bus Service bus lanes through the use of bus lane cameras. As of this
month, bus lane cameras have been implemented to ticket drivers that drive
or are parked within designated bus lanes. Cameras are located on
stationary poles along the bus route and on buses to ensure that the lanes
are free of traffic. The cameras, which will record only the license plate
of the offending vehicle, will be operating Monday to Friday from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. The violations have a maximum penalty of $150 and are treated
like a parking ticket.

Assemblyman Bing Receives Award from the
Metropolitan New York Library Council
In recognition of his advocacy on
behalf of New York State libraries, Assemblyman Bing was honored at the
October annual meeting of the Metropolitan New York Library Council, an
organization that represents libraries and library systems in New York
City and Westchester County. As Chair of the Assembly Libraries and
Education Technology Committee, Assemblyman Bing has made it a priority to
improve access to libraries and ensuring that local libraries have
sufficient funding. He is the author of legislation adopted in the 2005-06
budget which gave New York City its fair share of state library funding
and resulted in millions in additional funding for City libraries.
Upper East Side School Rezoning Proposed
The New York City Department of
Education has proposed a rezoning of Upper East Side school zones in order
to reduce school overcrowding and eliminate kindergarten waitlists. The
schools that are affected by rezoning are PS 6, PS 59, PS 151, PS 158, PS
183, PS 290, and PS 267. The rezoning process is occurring as a result of
1,000 new school seats that are being created as a result of the expansion
of PS 59 and the creation of PS 267. Assemblyman Bing authored the law
that expanded the types of available residential options for the East 57th
complex which has led to the creation of new school facilities for PS 59
and the High School of Art and Design.

The Community Education Council
for District 2 has been holding hearings to address concerns and evaluate
proposals. It is important that parents get involved in the rezoning
process and find out how the proposals could affect their children. The
next meeting of District 2's CEC is Tuesday, November 30 from 6:30 to 8:30
p.m. at Wagner Middle School, 220 East 76th Street.  If you would like to
receive updates on the rezoning process or discuss the matter in further
detail, please contact Assemblyman Bing's office at (212) 605-0937.
Enjoy a Pizza and Support Second Avenue Businesses 
On Wednesday,
December 8, Assemblyman Bing will roll up his sleeves to help promote
businesses that have been negatively affected by the construction of the
Second Avenue Subway. Assemblyman Bing will be making and serving pizza to
customers of Delizia Pizzeria, located at 1762 Second Avenue at East 92nd
Street, starting at 6:30 p.m.  Please come by and show your support.

In
addition, in partnership with the NYC Department of Small Business
Services and American Express, the Second Avenue Business Association
(SABA) will be hosting its first annual "Small Business Saturday" on
Saturday, November 27 and offering discounts throughout the day.
Assemblyman Bing encourages residents of the neighborhood to join him in
support of local businesses that are struggling during the construction.
Assemblyman Bing introduced legislation that would provide grants to
businesses negatively impacted by the Second Avenue Subway construction.
This bill has passed the Assembly three times from 2008 to 2010. He also
helped establish a task force of city agencies that aim to resolve
day-to-day issues that have arisen as a result of construction. In
response to issues raised during these monthly meetings, the MTA recently
announced that it was undertaking measures to help alleviate the negative
effects of construction. These measures include repaving sidewalks,
increasing pedestrian space near storefronts, and installing light
fixtures. Additionally, the MTA will demand construction site cleanliness,
requiring contractors to ensure the site be garbage free. The first area
to receive the improvements will be East 92nd and East 93rd Streets.
Assemblyman Jonathan Bing
360 East 57th Street, Mezzanine
New York, NY
10022
(212) 605-0937
(212) 605-9948 (fax)
[email-masked]
www.assembly.state.ny.us
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