Councilman Mark Levine

Lawrence -- For the second year in a row, you will have the chance to decide how to spend $1 million on projects throughout our community.  Over the past several months hundreds of local residents have taken part in the early stages of our participatory budgeting process.  Their hard work has produced a slate of 21 exciting project proposals--from park improvements to school technology to library upgrades. Soon it will be your turn to pick the winners.    I invite you to come learn about the project proposals and participate in participatory budgeting. Please join me and your neighbors for WHAT: Participatory Budgeting Kick-off Expo -- Hear about the final projects, vote for your top priorities and decide how to spend $1 million of your own tax dollars. WHEN: Saturday, March 26 from 11am - 2pm WHERE: Amalgamated Bank (524 W. 125th Street) RSVP Here Vote Week will run from from March 26 to April 3.  You can pledge to vote, and let us know that you plan to make sure that your voice count in this process. Eligible voters need to be 14 years old with some form of documentation stating address (e.g. cable bill or an ID). You do not have to be registered to vote or to be a U.S. citizen to vote to participate. You can find a complete overview of the participatory budgeting process, here. I hope you will come out and help choose the initiatives that will improve the quality of life for everyone in our community. Please see a full listing of voting locations and projects below. I hope to see you at the polls. Sincerely, Mark Levine P.S. We also need volunteers to help us make Vote Week a success. Sign up to help ensure our community takes advantage of this important process. Voting Locations   Amalgamated Bank 564 W 125th St March 26th 11am-2pm   District Office 500 West 141St St March 26th-April 3rd 9:30am-5:30pm   Grant Houses (Jackie Robinson Center) 1301 Amsterdam Ave March 26th-April 3rd 2pm-6pm   Manhattanville Houses (Community Center) 530 West 133rd St March 26th-April 3rd 2pm-6pm     Douglass Houses 885 Columbus Ave March 26th-April 3rd 2pm-6pm   We Act 1854 Amsterdam Ave March 31st, April 1st 10am-6pm   St Michael’s Church 225 West 99th St March 26th, March 28th-April 3rd Sat. 12pm-3pm, Mon-Fri 12pm-4pm, Sun 11am-12:30pm     Hamilton Grange Library 503 West 145th March 26th, March 28th-April 2nd 2pm-6pm   Morningside Heights Library 2900 Broadway March 26th, March 28th-April 2nd 2pm-6pm   Bloomingdale Library 150 West 100th St March 26th, March 28th-April 2nd 2pm-6pm   Riverside Language Program 91 Claremont Ave March 29th-March 31st 9:30am-3:30pm   Red Balloon Day Care 560 Riverside March 28th-April 1st 4:30pm-6pm   City College (NAC Building Lobby) 160 Convent Ave March 28th-April 1st 12pm-5pm   Riverstone Senior Center 99 Fort Washington Ave March 29th,March 30th 12:30pm-2:30pm   George Bruce Library 518 West 125th St March 29th, March 30th 2pm-6pm   William Morris Senior Center 459 West 152nd St March 30th-April 1st 11am-1pm   Church of Our Lady of Lourdes 463 West 142nd St March 27th,March 30th, April 3rd Sunday 9am,11am,1pm   Fortune Society 630 Riverside Drive March 28th,March 30th 6pm-7pm Fighting to Preserve Affordable Homeownership In an effort to revitalize a key element of our city’s affordable housing stock, I joined colleagues on the City Council Affordable Housing Preservation Task Force in proposing a new legislative package of bills designed to create tougher transparency and stronger support for Housing Development Fund Corporations (HDFCs) co-ops. The bills would mandate key data needed to understand the current landscape on HDFCs is made public. These proposals will serve as a foundation for future policy developments, and you can read about them, here. Get Help with Estate Planning! To assist constituents with estate planning, wills and other topics, our office will sponsor two estate planning workshops with attorneys from the CUNY School of Law. The workshops will include bilingual presentations and will offer the opportunity for one-on-one consultations. You can RSVP for the workshops below. WHAT: Estate Planning Workshop WHEN: April 7 at 3PM-7PM WHERE: River Terrace Community Room (156-20 Riverside Dr ) RSVP Here  Community Updates NYC Parks Summer Jobs Looking for a summer job? NYC Parks is currently looking for job seekers who have a passion for helping New Yorkers get fit, learn about the natural world, play sports, and have fun through our free public programming citywide. We are looking to fill a number of  positions. For details please click here. NYC Parks Computer Resource Centers (CRCs) Located within NYC Parks Recreation Centers throughout the city’s CRCs provide free digital learning resources, classes, and certification opportunities for all ages at 24 locations! Become a member (Free for youth under 17) by visiting any recreation center or call212-255-3066 or email crc@parks.nyc.gov with any questions.To find the center most convient for you, please click here. Volunteer with the DREAM Project  June 26-July 29, 2016 Summer Camp, application deadline: March 31st   August 22, 2016 to June 1, 2017 Academic Year, application deadline: April 30th The DREAM (Dominican Republic Education And Mentoring) Project is looking for volunteer teachers to work with children ages 9-15 in our five-week summer camp program or with students ages 3-24 next academic year. This program is for volunteers who want a professional intern experience, with teaching and program development positions available. For more information, email info@dominicandream.org. NYC Ladders for Leaders: Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)Application Deadline April 4th Are you between 16 - 22 and enrolled in high school or college looking for a paid internship? If so, apply to SYEP, one of the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development’s programs. For more information click here or call 1-800-246-4646.    Job Posting: Certified Prevention CounselorOur Children’s Foundation, 527 W. 125th St., New York, NY 10027 A dynamic children’s organization is seeking to hire a full time energetic individual with experience in working with children and families. The candidate must have CPS, CPP or CASAC certification with a minimum of 2-3 years demonstrated experience. Interested? Send resume to Elba Muley, email ourchildrens125@gmail.com or fax 212-316-6440. Job Openings at Camp Twelve Trails and YM/YWHA’s Summer Camp We are looking for people to fill the following positions: CIT Coordinator; Counselor; Inclusion Team Leader; Neighborhood Heads for various units; Support Counselors; Unit Head; Transportation Coordinator; Activity Specialist; Aquatics Coordinator. Interested candidates who want more information and to see the job descriptions please click here. The New 2016 Edition of the Red Book is now available The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related provisions of Social Security Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Programs for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities. Available in English and Spanish by clicking here. Above the Bridge: Now Accepting Submissions! March Writer's Cafe Theme: ‘Running Away’Monday, March 28th pm - 9:30 ; Submission deadline is Sunday, March 20thLe Cheile 839 West 181st New York, NY United States Writers may submit material of any genre or style as long as its theme related. Writers must live in Washington Heights or Inwood. Please attach your name, address and phone number with your submission. Send all submissions or inquiries by email to abovethebridge@gmail.com with "March Submission" in the subject line.    A Baroque Concert: Music From the Cathedrals of 18th Century Cuba--Join the Hispanic Society for a very special evening.Saturday March 19th, 6PM Hispanic Society Museum & Library, Broadway between W 155th Street and 156th Street Professor Miariam Escudero, will give a keynote lecture followed by a unique concert of Salas and Pagueras compositions, headlined by Sonnambula and an international cast of singers from Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States. To RSVP email friends@hispanicsociety.org or call 212-926 2234 ext. 250. Open to the public; free for members of the Friends Group. Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey From A Homeless Shelter to the Ivy LeagueTuesday, March 29th from 5:30pm – 7:00 pmArmand J. Hammer Health Sciences Building, 701 W. 168th Street, Room 401 (lecture) and Lower Level 1, Room 104 (signing/reception) Lecture, book signing, and reception with Dan-el Padilla Peralta, PhD., Columbia University Mellon Fellow. To RSVP, email pp2533@cumc.columbia.edu by March 23rd. Apollo Theater Presents New York Premiere of Charlie Parker’s YardbirdApril 1st (Opening Night) April 3rd (Matinee) The Apollo will once again be making history this spring with the New York Premiere of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, the first full-length opera to be performed on the Apollo’ legendary stage. Tickets can be purchased here. Charlie Parker Harlem Bus TourSaturday, March 26: 12:00 – 2:00 PM The tour will be Led by John Reddick, Harlem historian, lecturer and architect. Tour sites include: Minton’s Playhouse, Cecil Hotel, Mt Morris Park/Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, Clark Monroe’s Uptown House, Savoy Ballroom, Small’s Paradise, and Abyssinian Baptist Church (Parker’s Funeral). Find more details here. Fifth Annual Uptown GamesSunday, April 3rd, 10am - 3pmNew Balance Track & Field at the Armory, 216 Ft. Washington Ave., at W. 168th St. My office is partnering with Senator Adriano Espaillat, Council Member Rodriguez, The Armory Foundation, and New York Road Runners to showcase the Fifth Annual Uptown Games. This free track and field event is open to students in grades 3 through 8. Pre Register (recommended) for more information please call  212-544-0173. Women in the Heights: TransitionsMonday-Thursday March 4th - 29th, 10am-4pm, or by appointmentSugar Hill Building, 898 St Nicholas Avenue (at 155th Street), 9th floor, New York, NY 10032 In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) in partnership with Broadway Housing Communities and The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling present an exhibition in its new gallery space. For more information, email info@nomaanyc.org or visit their website. The event is free and open to the public!   Community Parks Initiative Partnerships for Parks is pleased to announce the launch of the Community Parks Initiative We are searching for ambassadors to represent the initiative locally and to facilitate engagement between community stakeholders and NYC Parks. If you’re interested in learning more, or want to nominate yourself as an ambassador, please complete the form, or contact your Outreach Coordinator, Basia Nikonorow: 212-408-0282 / Barbara.nikonorow@parks.nyc.gov. Washington Heights Neighborhood Transportation StudyW. 155th to W. 182nd The NYC Department of Transportation invites all to be a part of the Washington Heights Neighborhood Transportation Study that will explore efforts to improve safety, mobility, and quality of life in the area. Tell DOT about transportation issues that matter to you. Use our interactive feedback map to tell us about your concerns and ideas about transportation in Washington Heights.   Visit our website to find out more:  About |  Newsroom |  City Council |  The District |  Resources |  Contact Follow us! Keep up with CM Mark Levine: