NYC Council Member Mark Levine

Lawrence -- On Sunday, May 22, we will hold our Second Annual Health Fair and Free Helmet Giveaway at Riverbank State Park. The fair will offer free bike helmets, wellness tips, and more. If you haven’t been to one of our events yet, you won’t want to miss this one. See all of the details below, and be sure to RSVP at marklevine.nyc/healthfair. New PEP Officers Coming to Uptown Manhattan As chair of the Parks Committee, I’ve successfully led the push for the city to provide more funding to increase the number of PEP officers patrolling our parks, including the more than 700 acres of parkland in northern Manhattan. Until now, Northern Manhattan had just 3 PEP officers responsible for securing vast stretches of uneven terrain that's often inaccessible to vehicles. I, along with Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, and State Senator Espaillat sent a letter to Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver reiterating our long-standing call to assign more security personnel to upper Manhattan parks. I’m happy to report that our sustained push for more PEP officers, combined with the vocal support from local residents has delivered results: northern Manhattan is set to receive a ten fold increase in officers patrolling our parks.  You can read about this huge win for upper Manhattan here. A Time for Bold Investments in Neighborhood Parks In my opening statement at the Parks Committee Preliminary Budget Hearing in March, I laid out a series of capital projects that the city could commit to, from building a platform park over the BQE known as “BQ Green” to transforming an abandoned rail line into the Queensway to renovating Ft. Washington Park and creating the long-planned comfort station along the Hudson River at West 159th St. The reason for this focus is simple: neighborhoods rapidly adding population must also add parkland to become thriving, healthy and sustainable communities. Specifically, I’ve partnered with Council Member Antonio Reynoso to revive the BQ Green project and you can read about our progress here. Beloved Nasry Michelen Day Care Center Re-Opens I was thrilled to celebrate the re-opening of Nasry Michelen Day Care. Nasry Michelen is a cherished day care center in the uptown community that was threatened with closure last year by the New York City Administration for Children Services. In response to this threat, we rallied with local residents and fought for funding at city hall to save this popular center, which has served the Harlem community for more than 35 years. I’m incredibly proud that we were able to secure almost $1 million to allow this wonderful program to continue! I congratulate the staff at Nasry Michelen and the parents who spoke out to help achieve this hard fought victory. You can read about the celebration here. You Told us Which Streets to Clean Have you seen people hard at work cleaning up streets in your neighborhood? Last fall, we asked for your input in telling us where to direct street cleaning services in our district with funds I allocated through the NYC Cleanup Initiative. We heard from many of you and we responded by focusing on cleaning the areas you said needed the most help. Last month the street cleaners employed by the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless (ACE), worked over 20 days and over 160 hours within the district. I’m happy to report that they were able to remove 18,000 pounds of garbage from streets across District 7! Spring Survey: Help Me Help You! I hope you’ve received my most recent newsletter in the mail by now. It recaps everything I’ve been up to these past few months. In case you missed it, there’s a digital version available here. At the bottom of my newsletter is a tear-off where I ask for your input as I set my priorities for the coming months. Share your thoughts on what you think I should focus on to best represent you at City Hall and here in the community. I also have a version of this short survey available online. Save paper and postage by filling it out on my website.  Join the Team!  We are seeking motivated interns to join our team, work with constituents, and gain a one-of-a-kind experience in local government, public policy, advocacy and community affairs. If you or anyone you know is interested, contact Kyshia Smith in our office at 212-928-6814 or visit www.marklevine.nyc/internship to learn more! Participatory Budget Project Winners Announced! Almost 1,900 District 7 residents voted on how to spend more $1 million of their own tax dollars right here in upper Manhattan! Thanks to the many volunteers who spent the last year creating project proposals, organizing neighborhood meetings, and reaching out to members of our community. The benefits of the winning projects will spread to every corner of our district! The winning  projects can be found here Join us for a Rent Guidelines Board Information Forum Community Updates Teens Take The Met Friday May 20th, 5-8pm 1000 Fifth Avenue New York, New York Free for Teens 13 + will be taking over the met, making art, making music, performances, gallery activities, dance party, give away and More! For more information visit metmuseum.org/tee night, no RSVP necessary Amsterdam Avenue Street Redesign Initiative The Department of Transportation’s street redesign of Amsterdam Avenue between 72nd and 110th Streets is underway! The design includes a protected bike lane, pedestrian islands, and left-turn lanes. For more details please see their website.  No-Cost Breast Cancer Screening Program! Sunday, May 22, 2016 9am -5pm, Dunlevy Milbank Center, 14-32 West 118th Street Sunday, May 29, 2016 9am – 12:45pm NYCHA Rangel Houses – Ralph J. Rangel Tenant Association The American-Italian Cancer Foundation (AICF) mobile unit, which provides mammograms and clinical breast exams to uninsured and medically underserved New York City women is scheduled to conduct screenings in your neighborhood. Below is a list for our upcoming community no-cost Breast Cancer Screenings. To schedule an appointment please call 1-877-628-9090. Telemundo Airing 3 Day Telethon on Immigration Fraud Services A 3-day televised telethon on Immigration Fraud Services kicks off today and runs through May 12, 2016. During these 3 days, Telemundo will air news segments that provide viewers with information about their rights when receiving immigration services and encourage individuals to call the toll-free, multilingual hotline (1-800-566-7636) to find out if their rights may have been violated. Callers who may have been victims of immigration services fraud will be referred to file a complaint with the New York State New Americans Hotline and will be able to make an ActionNYC appointment for a free, safe immigration screening with an ActionNYC provider. APOLLO THEATER ACADEMY Internships The Apollo Theater Academy Summer Internship Program provides High School students entering their senior year with opportunities for professional and personal development as they explore administrative and managerial careers in the performing arts and entertainment industries. For more information and instructions to apply, please see their website Pathways to Educational Excellence Saturday May 14th 9:00am – 12:00pm CUNY NYC College of Technology 300 Jay St. Midway Building Room AG30 Bklyn The Hispanic Federation, Univision, and CUNY City Tech College presents “Pathways to Educational Excellence,” a FREE workshop aimed at helping families prepare for college Breakfast and Metrocards will be provided. For more information call the Bridging the Gap office at (718) 260-5216 or (718) 260-5212. Caminos a la Excelencia Educativa Sabado 14th Mayo 9:00AM – 12:00PM CUNY CITY TECH College 300 Jay St. Midway Building Room AG30 Bklyn, NY 11201 La Federación Hispana y CUNY City Tech College presenta "Caminos a la Excelencia Educativa", un taller gratuito dirigido a ayudar a las familias a prepararse para la universidad. Metro cards y desayuno gratis. Para inscribirse o para más información puede llamar al: (718) 260-5216 or (718) 260-5212. Pathways to Educational Excellence Saturday May 21st 9:00AM – 2:00PM CUNY Guttman College 50 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018 The Hispanic Federation, Univision, and CUNY Guttman College presents “Pathways to Educational Excellence,” a FREE workshop aimed at helping families prepare for college For more information call: 1(866) 432—9832 Camino a la excelencia académica Sábado 21 de Mayo 9:00AM – 2:00PM CUNY Guttman College 50 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018 La Federación Hispana, Univisión, y CUNY Guttman College presenta "Caminos a la Excelencia Educativa", un taller gratuito dirigido a ayudar a las familias a prepararse para la universidad. Metro cards y desayuno gratis Para inscribirse o para más información puede llamar al: 1(866) 432—9832 Visit our website to find out more:  About |  Newsroom |  City Council |  The District |  Resources |  Contact Follow us! Keep up with CM Mark Levine:        Council Member Mark Levine - 500 West 141st Street, New York, NY 10031