Dear Lucas,
I hope that you enjoyed the recent holidays. I wanted to give you a brief update on what's going on in our neighborhoods.
- New Yorkers who live and work near the Second Avenue subway project have had to deal with dust, fumes, dirt, and debris for months. And we've become increasingly concerned about the safety of the air we are breathing. That's why I introduced a measure that would require the city to monitor and publish online monthly reports on air quality near Second Avenue subway sites. You can learn more about my bill on the Fox 5 Good Day segment here .
- In construction safety news, I was saddened by the tragic and fatal crane collapse on April 3rd. While at the MTA site on the West Side, I joined Speaker Christine Quinn in calling on the MTA to follow our city's strict construction safety measures, including those that I authored in 2008. Right now, our city laws only apply to city and privately-owned sites, but not state run authorities like the MTA. You can read more in the NY Times article here .
- And, I am happy to report that our applied sciences and engineering town hall with Cornell President David J. Skorton was a great success. Top city officials, including Deputy Mayor Bob Steel, presented and listened as roughly 100 residents shared their thoughts and ideas on the Cornell-Technion plan to build a world-class campus on Roosevelt Island. This was just the first of multiple community meetings on the project, and in case you missed it you can watch the NY1 coverage here .
I'll continue to keep you updated on the issues affecting our community. And as always, please share your questions and concerns with me.
Best,
Jessica Lappin