News from Council Member Mark Levine

Lawrence -- I hope you’ve had a great start to 2016! As I begin my third year in office, I wanted to take a quick look back at 2015. I have been busy both down at City Hall and in the district fighting on behalf of affordable housing, better parks, worker rights, and more. I have continued the push for the right of every low-income New Yorker to receive legal representation in housing court. Â This will allow us to finally level the playing field for tenants and reverse the tide of our city’s eviction epidemic. Working with Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito, I’ve helped lead the charge to provide historic funding levels for anti-eviction legal services throughout the five boroughs.   As chair of the City Council’s Parks Committee, I helped secure an extension of our city’s beach season to one week past Labor Day.  I also successfully pushed legislation that will provide an 80% discount to Parks recreations centers for veterans and New Yorkers with disabilities.  And I’ve helped secure millions in funding for renovations of parks in our district, including Bloomingdale Playground on the Upper WestSide and Carmansville Playground in Hamilton Heights. I am thrilled that the City Council has passed legislation giving New Yorkers a fair shake in the job market. No longer can employers base hiring decisions on an applicant’s credit history.  And formerly incarcerated New Yorkers looking to turn their lives around by re-entering the workforce will now be given a fairer shot at getting a job interview. We are making progress, but much work remains to build a community and city where everyone can get ahead, regardless of where they live, what they look like, or where they were born. I’m grateful for the honor of working with you to address these challenges head on. My office is always available to help with your questions or concerns. Call us at 212-928-6814, email us at District7@council.nyc.gov, or tweet @MarkLevineNYC. Best, Mark 2015 By The Numbers 1,325 - Constituents my staff and I worked with on individual cases that we resolved; housing and building issues were the most frequent, totaling 52% of all cases 5,735,000 - Dollars allocated to infrastructure improvements and services in every part of District 7, such as projects and programs for seniors, youth, and parks 135 - Bills I introduced or co-sponsored, 36 of which passed the City Council 805 - Community events attended by my staff and I throughout the city 29 - Public events my office organized including town halls, two street fairs, and participatory budgeting neighborhood assemblies 143 - Committee hearings and meetings of the full City Council I participated in with an attendance rate of 97%, among the best in the entire Council UPDATE: New Air Monitoring in Riverbank State Park Reveals Low Formaldehyde Levels The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) continues to conduct air monitoring within Riverbank State Park and the nearby West Harlem neighborhood after finding elevated levels of formaldehyde at the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant late last year. As I learned from a recent tour of the site with DEP, formaldehyde levels have fallen well below state guidelines. DEC’s guidance level is 30 micrograms per cubic meter and current sampling results during the past two weeks within Riverbank State Park have averaged 4.93 micrograms per cubic meter and those in the West Harlem neighborhood have averaged 4.81 micrograms per cubic meter. Â As promised, we will continue to monitor the situation, though we should all be encouraged by this welcome news. Continuing the Push for West Side Ferry Service As the City moves closer to rolling out plans for citywide ferry service, I have continued our push with colleagues and community leaders from throughout the city for the inclusion of west side Manhattan in the city’s ferry network. Unfortunately, the citywide plan for ferry expansion that was proposed last year omitted West 125th Street. Ferry service, particularly in West Harlem from West 125 Street would reduce crowding on the increasingly packed 1 train, which runs on Broadway just a short walk from the river. A robust ferry network that expands north to West Harlem would also increase job opportunities in Northern Manhattan, as well as stimulate economic activity and reduce the amount of traffic and cars on the road that release toxic, asthma-inducing fumes into the atmosphere. As the city launches this new era of ferry service expansion, we should take advantage of the huge potential on the west side of Manhattan to bring ferry service north, south and across the river. Community Updates Bloomingdale School of Music Free January Concerts 323 West 108 St. The Bloomingdale School of Music is holding a series of free faculty concerts throughout the month of January. Please see below for the schedule of events. Thursday, January 14th  7:30pm Music Access Project Student Recital Students from the Music Access Project perform in a solo recital at the end of each semester. Free and open to the public. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street). Friday, January 15th 7pm In Corelli's Shadow: Music of Rome The Dorian Baroque trio explores the sonatas of Mossi, Valentini and Montenaro. Free and open to the public. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street). Tuesday, January 19th  7pm Up Close and Quiet: Bertoncini/Mollica, Guitar Duets A quiet evening of conversational jazz, classical, and Brazilian music with guitar great Gene Bertoncini and faculty artist Mark Mollica. Free and open to the public. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street). Friday, January 22nd  7:30pm Ensembles Concert Performances by the BSM Preparatory Orchestra, Intermediate Orchestra and the Bloomingdale Chamber Orchestra. Free and open to the public. Christ and St. Stephen’s Church (122 W 69th Street) Saturday, January 23rd 3:30pm Guitar Festival Join us for this guitar-focused event, featuring performances by BSM’s guitar faculty and students Free and open to the public. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street). Friday, January 29th 7pm Faculty Focus: Sara Sherman An evening at the magical, musical masquerade! Music of Khachaturian, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Liszt. Free and open to the public. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street). Electronic Waste Event Saturday, January 16 10:00am-4:00pm on Amsterdam Avenue between 96th and 97th street The Lower East Side Ecology Center is hosting an electronic recycling event to help residents dispose of their electronics. For more information, please click here. Tutor Fair Tuesday, January 12th 7:15pm-9:15pm at MS54 - Booker T. Washington 103 West 108th Street in the gym Parents are welcome to learn about prep courses and tutoring services for state tests, regents exams, college boards, and more. Representatives from an assortment of tutoring and preparatory services will be available for parents to meet. This event is open to all parents from all schools. For more information, please click here.  Affordable Memberships Available at NYC Parks’ Recreation Centers An NYC Parks Recreation Center membership gives you access to New York City’s most affordable and extensive network of recreational facilities across the five boroughs. Anyone can be a member – there are no residency requirements and kids under 18 can get a free membership. Click here to find a recreation center near you to sign up. Enrollment Benefits of IDNYC Extended through 2016 IDNYC is a municipal ID program available to all New Yorkers ages 14 and older who can prove residency in New York City. In addition to providing a government ID for NYPD interactions and access to city buildings and services, enrollees receive one year memberships to many of New York’s finest cultural institutions. To find out more and to set an appointment for a IDNYC card, please click here. Harlem Local Vendor Partner Program Applications are due by January 15, 2016 Applications are available for local vendors in Harlem interested in being a supplier for the Whole Foods Market opening in Harlem in 2016. Harlem Park To Park is sponsoring this program in partnership with Whole Foods to help local vendors showcase and sell their goods at Whole Foods Market in Harlem. To find out more about this program and to apply, please click here. Visit our website to find out more:  About |  Newsroom |  City Council |  The District |  Resources |  Contact Follow us! Keep up with CM Mark Levine: