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Health and Environment Committee meeting
By Alexandra Rosario
Community Board 12's Health and Environment Committee voted unanimously to put forth a resolution to the general board next month to become a partner with the city's Take Care New York 2012 health initiative.
“This is one of the most important initiatives of the city and we want this community board to support this,” said Steve Simon, chair of the Health and Environment Committee.
Put forth by Sam Friedman, a community liaison from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the initiative seeks to build on the success of 2004's Take Care New York, with a renewed focus on reducing health disparities by using a three-pronged approach. The approach includes improving health policies, improving prevention, quality, and access to health care, and health promotion in the form of education and training. Some of the goals of the initiative include reducing the number of adults who smoke, becoming more heart healthy, raising healthy children, and making all neighborhoods healthy places.
“I hope CB 12 is the first community board to embrace this initiative,” Friedman said.
Tying into the health initiative, Kathleen Cain of the Union Settlement Association spoke to the board about the city's “Pouring on the Pounds” initiative, specifically citing the ads that people see on trains and buses.
“We're trying to create an awareness about sugar and its effects, about what is a treat, and what is much more than moderation,” she said.
Also as part of the stated agenda, representatives from Council Member's Robert Jackson and Ydanis Rodriguez's offices presented information on Clean Streets campaigns, most notably the Adopt-A-Basket initiative. According to Martin Collins from Council Member Jackson's office, 24 corner-side stores in Inwood have signed up for the free program where they do no more than pledge to keep the trash can outside their storefront clean. The retailers are provided with special liners to change the trash when it overflows. There are no penalties for forgetting to keep the can clean, and all the participating businesses are announced in the council members' newsletters.
“We're basically done with Inwood, and will be starting outreach to Washington Heights next,” Collins said.
“However we can help, you should let us know because this is a great program for the community,” Simon said.
An update was given on the status of New York Presbyterian Hospital's school mental health clinics from Helen Morik, vice president of Government and Community Affairs at the hospital. Although she was not present, Morik sent along a report detailing that mental health services in five schools are slated to close: P.S. 115, 123, 133, 28, and 153. P.S. 115, 123, and 133 are unlicensed programs. Simon questioned how there could be unlicensed programs at all, and promised to come back to that point during the November meeting.
In ranking the 2012-2013 budget priorities, pest control, it was agreed, was still to be listed the Number One priority.
News on the Brownfield Cleanup Program site at 4566 Broadway will be tabled until next month, as there were no relevant updates.
On the agenda for November's committee meeting is a discussion of a resolution on reducing alternate side-of-the-street parking days in areas with 90 percent or better street cleanliness ratings.
Economic Development Committee meeting
By Gloria Pazmiño
The CB12 Economic Development Committee held its monthly meeting this past Tues. Oct. 4th. The following establishments presented an application for new and renewal on-premise liquor licenses:
Aquamarina, Villa Patron, and Tomas Restaurant, Tacos y Burritos el Primito, and ES Café.
The following establishments presented an application for a renewal or new restaurant wine license:
Nayelin Bar, Garden Café, La Caridad Restaurant #2, Galicia Segundo Restaurant, Pick and Eat, Lina Restaurant, Beans and Vines, Rageely Restaurant, El Monte Restaurant, Puma pizzeria, and Maldonado Restaurant.
Officials from the 34th Precinct were present during the meeting to speak out against La Caridad Restaurant #2’s wine license application citing that the location has been a problematic spot for years, and has received over 80 summonses for sale of alcohol to minors and sale of alcohol after hours.
Final resolutions in support or disapproval of the establishment’s applications will be presented at the next general CB12 meeting, which will be held on Tues., Oct. 25th at the Isabella Geriatric Center at 515 Audubon Avenue on the corner of West 190th Street.
Since CB12 is an advisory body, the resolutions serve as recommendations to the State Liquor Authority, which makes the final determination.
Housing and Human Services Committee
By Gloria Pazmino
The Housing and Human Services committee held its monthly meeting last Thurs., Oct 6th, and voted to rank the committee’s expense and capital budget.
Expense Budget Rankings
Placing it as its first priority on top of an 8-item expense list, the committee voted to continue to provide funding to the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) and the Washington Heights and Inwood Development Corporation (WHIDC) for their tenant legal services program.
Focusing on its mission to address housing and social services within the Northern Manhattan community, the committee’s second priority was to provide funding for the Community League of the Heights (CLOTH) food pantry and love kitchen; its third was to provide funding for community-based organizations that provide mental health services, and its fourth to provide funding for the preservation of existing city-owned affordable housing units and buildings within Community Board 12.
Ranked fifth in its priority list was increased funding to CLOTH’s and the Allied Health Center internship program.
The committee’s sixth ranking priority was to continue funding for the Washington Heights Corner Project Harm Reduction program.
Focusing on the need for proper maintenance and repairs needed in affordable housing units, the committee ranked providing funding for additional hiring of HPD code enforcement officers as their seventh priority, and providing funding for the WHDIC’s father’s club program was placed last.
Capital Budget Rankings
The housing and human services committee capital budget rankings for fiscal year 2012 placed as its first priority the funding for the construction of affordable housing for persons at or below the New York City poverty line, and made the provision of funding for daycare services in Northern Manhattan its second priority.
CB12 will hold a capital and expense budget items ranking meeting on Tues., Oct. 18th at the CB12 offices located at 711 West 168th Street on Haven Avenue. Community organizations are encouraged to attend.
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