News

Deadline Extended to March 8th – Apply for Appointment to your Community Board

The Manhattan Borough President’s Office has extended the deadline for applications for appointment to Manhattan Community Boards (including CB2) until March 8th.  To learn more and to submit an online application, please visit the Borough President’s website HERE.

To learn more about what Community Board do, please access this video from the NYC Civic Engagement Commission.

Not ready to apply for a full 2-year term?  Please consider applying directly to CB2 to serve as a Public Member of one of our Committees.  The application can be found on our website HERE.

The MTA’s public comment period on the congestion pricing structure (here’s a PDF link with the final specifics) will be open until 3/11, and can be submitted in a range of ways:

• Online: https://contact.mta.info/s/forms/CBDTP
• Email: [email protected]
• Mail: CBD Tolling Program, 2 Broadway, 23rd Floor, NY, NY 10004
• Phone voicemail: 646-252-7440
• Fax: (212) 504-3148 labelled “Attention to CBDTP Team.”

•  Thursday, 2/29, at 6 pm
•  Friday, 3/1, at 10 am
•  Monday, 3/4, at 10 am
•  Monday, 3/4, at 6 pm

The GrowNYC Compost Program strives to make composting second-nature for all New Yorkers by operating residential Food Scrap Drop-off sites and partnering with community composting facilities to make compost locally. Part of a larger network of over 200 Food Scrap Drop-off sites in NYC, the GrowNYC Compost Program currently operates 52 food scrap drop-off sites serving 7 thousand regular weekly participants, diverting over 25 tons of food scraps from landfills each week.

See updates on GrowNYC locations, and check the citywide map for more options.

CON EDISON OFFERS CONSUMER-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS TO HELP CUSTOMERS SAVE ON WINTER BILLS;

URGES CUSTOMERS TO CONSERVE ENERGY

Company Offers Payment Plans, Budget Billing, Low-Income Discounts;

Customers Can Save with Careful Usage, Energy Efficiency Programs

NEW YORK – Con Edison is offering programs to help customers with their energy bills this winter, while also sharing tips for saving money by conserving and using energy wisely.

The company offers payment assistance options, including budget billing, which smooths a customer’s costs out throughout the year, payment plans, and payment extensions.

A payment plan allows a customer to pay off arrears over time, rather than all at once. Payment extensions give customers up to 10 extra days to pay their bills.

Customers who receive benefits from certain government assistance programs can qualify for the company’s Energy Affordability Program.

Con Edison offers these programs out of an understanding that high energy costs can be a hardship, particularly for low- and moderate-income customers.

The best way for customers to take control of their bills is to manage their usage of gas and electricity. Customers can follow energy-saving tips and check out the energy efficiency incentives Con Edison offers for upgrades customers make to their homes.

Helping Vulnerable Customers

Con Edison offers special protections and payment programs for seniors, people with disabilities, customers experiencing medical emergencies, or domestic violence.

The Home Energy Assistance Program provides discounts for qualified low-income customers to limit utility costs to 6 percent of average annual income. The discount is based on a statewide formula that is updated annually and adjusted if delivery costs change.

Conserving is Key

The best strategy for Con Edison’s 3.6 million customers is to carefully manage their usage.

Customers can save money by using these tips:

·      Set thermostats at the lowest comfortable temperature. Each degree lower decreases heating costs.

·      Make sure heating vents are not blocked by furniture, carpeting or anything else that could obstruct the flow of heat.

·      Have a qualified contractor clean and inspect heating systems.

·      Insulate hot-water pipes and warm-air ducts that pass through unheated areas. Clean or replace filters for the hot-air furnace and heat-pump.

·      Swap out window shades seasonally. Light-colored window coverings reflect the sun’s energy, while darker ones absorb it and release heat.

·      Replace conventional light bulbs with LED bulbs, which are up to 10 times more efficient, and are widely available and affordable.

Winter Energy Costs

Con Edison projects that gas bills this winter will be about the same as last winter, but that electric bills will rise, mainly due to increases in delivery charges. Electric supply charges – which cover the cost of the commodity – are also up.

Con Edison buys natural gas and electricity on the wholesale markets and uses a variety of strategies to stabilize pricing for customers. The company does not set supply costs and does not make a profit on the supply.

The company currently projects that its average residential natural gas heating customer using an average of 163 therms per month will pay $416 a month from November 2023 to March 2024, 1 percent more than the average bill of $413 a year earlier.

Gas delivery costs will be up, according to the projections, due to a rate plan the New York State Public Service Commission approved in July. But those increases will be offset by a decrease in supply charges.

Electric delivery costs are also projected to be up due to the approved rate plan. Electric supply costs are higher due to the rising cost of electric capacity. Power generators receive monthly electric capacity payments from the New York Independent System Operator to ensure that there is enough power available at times when demand is highest. Those costs get passed along to Con Edison when the company pays the NYISO for the electric capacity required to serve customers.

A New York City residential customer using 280 kilowatt hours a month this winter will pay about $117, a 14 percent increase over last winter’s $103, based on current projections.

A Westchester County customer using 425 kilowatt hours a month will have an average bill of $143, an 11 percent increase over last winter’s $129, based on the company’s latest estimates.

For a small commercial customer using 583 kilowatt hours per month, bills are projected to rise $9, or 4 percent, from $223 last winter to $232.

A larger commercial customer using 10,800 kilowatt hours per month with a peak demand of 30 kilowatts will see an increase of $27, or 1 percent, from $2,993 to $3,020.

• Weekly Construction Bulletin for the upcoming week of February 26 – March 01, 2024. Click here for more information.

• Curbside Parking and Sidewalk Access Restrictions from February 26 – March 09, 2024 (Monday – Friday from 7am to 3:30p). Please click here for more details.

DEP is offering a $100 incentive credit to encourage customers to enroll in autopay. This limited time opportunity will only run for three months, until Nov. 15, so interested customers should sign up immediately. Those who enroll in autopay are required to receive e-bills, which eliminates physical paper bills and is therefore a more environmentally friendly alternative. DEP is launching this savings program as a follow-up to the successful amnesty program that forgave interest charges for customers who paid their overdue water bills.

Autopay allows customers to pay their bills automatically on the due date, or a specific date each month, and avoid the hassle of remembering to pay on time. The autopay feature automatically deducts a customer’s balance or payment amount from their bank account or credit card. Approximately 100,000 accounts, or 12% of DEP’s customers, are currently enrolled in autopay. This initiative aims to increase enrollment, which will help keep accounts current, increase customer satisfaction, and reduce the volume of bill inquiries to our call center, borough offices and correspondence unit.

Customers are eligible if they sign up for autopay using their My DEP account through Nov. 15. They must be enrolled in monthly billing, e-billing and cannot be delinquent on bills. If a customer has multiple accounts, all accounts can be eligible for the non-refundable $100 one-time credit, if all the program requirements are met.

Plus, setting it doesn’t mean forgetting it—customers will receive monthly notifications that their payment is scheduled and paid. Customers are required to stay current on their bills and be enrolled in autopay, e-billing, and monthly billing for six months after the $100 credit is applied to the account. If any of these qualifying actions are altered, the $100 credit will be revoked.

Additional info can be found at nyc.gov/dep/autopay, on our social media channels @NYCWater, or by calling DEP Customer Service at (718) 595-7000. (Please note that only property owners can enroll in autopay, monthly billing, and e-billing. DEP staff cannot enroll customers’ accounts into these services.)

EPA’s Environmental Justice Community Change Grants 

At the recent Brownfields 2023 conference, I learned about EPA’s Environmental Justice Community Change Grants that will be announced later this fall.  Full details are not yet available, but I wanted to alert NYC community-based organizations (CBOs) to the opportunity so you can begin thinking about applying and partners you might work with.

These are the details available so far:

Funding: $10-$20 million per grant
Eligibility: CBOs, in partnership with other CBOs, universities, or local governments

Deadlines: rolling applications; projects must be completed by September 2026.
Project categories:

• Climate resiliency and adaptation.
• Mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events.
• Community-led air and other (including water and waste) pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation.
• Investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure.
• Workforce development that supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.
• Reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution.
• Facilitating the engagement of disadvantaged communities in governmental processes ($1-3 million grants.)

EPA has posted the latest info at https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/inflation-reduction-act-community-change-grants-program and a set of frequently asked questions.

Further, a preview of these grants will be featured at the beginning of the upcoming National Environmental Justice Community Engagement Call on September 19, 2023 at 2 pm.  These calls are free and open to the public.  See below for instructions to register and get the Zoom link.

NYSDOT ADVISORIES FOR THE NYC REGION, AS WELL AS NYCDOT, MTA, AND PORT AUTHORITY-NY/NJ ADVISORIES
Please click here for more information.

Please be advised that the MTA will be closing the street stair to the 14^th St 1/2/3 Station at the SE corner of 14^th St/7^th Ave on or about Monday, February 12^th through mid – March 2024 for repairs and improvements.  This work is part of the overall 14^th St ADA project.

Con Edison is performing Gas Upgrade work in your area. We expect to work from February 26 to March 26. 

If you have any concerns about this work, please contact us at worknotice@coned.com

Locations and Work Schedule

What to Expect
Street Closures
Limited Street Parking
Noise
Working on Customer Property
Generator(s)

Reference Number: 24-02211

• Street Closure Notice for Concrete Operations at 179 MacDougal Street (from West 8th Street to Washington Square North) from March 9th through April 9th, 2024. Click here for more information.
• Street Closure on Jane Street, West Street, and Horatio Street surrounding 134 Jane Street to perform ongoing mobile crane operations from February 25 to March 25, 2024. Click here for more information.
• Full Roadway Closure of West 4 Street between Greene Street & Mercer Street through 3/1/2024. Click here for more details.
• Full roadway closure of East 10th Street between 5th Avenue and University Place either Saturday 3/9/24 or Sunday 3/10/24.
• Full roadway closure of Thompson Street between West 3rd and Bleecker Streets from Monday, February 25th through Friday, March 15th for Con Ed repairs.

COVID-19 Testing Sites

Walk-in testing is available at no cost to you at these NYC Health + Hospitals locations.

Click to access: NYC.gov/COVIDTEST

The NYPD Crime Prevention Division has provided us with a flyer to help people prevent package theft during the holiday season and beyond.

Download the flyer.

Hudson Park Library is now open as a Grab and Go location!  Patrons can start placing their holds by calling the branch at 212-243-6876 or logging into their account on nypl.org and choosing “Hudson Park” as their pick-up location.

Their grab-and-go service allows patrons to pickup and return materials while safely maintaining distance from others. The process is contactless: Once your items are ready for pickup, they will immediately be checked out to your account. This way, all you have to do when you get to the library is grab your items from the holds shelf—then go! There is no need to stop by the circulation desk for checkout. The same goes for returns—rather than visiting the desk, there will be a designated bin where you can return any items you currently have.

The new hours are: Monday: 11-6; Tuesday: 11-6; Wednesday: 12-7: Thursday: 11-6; Friday: 11-5; Saturday: 11-5; Sunday: Closed.

Learn more about the NYPL Grab and Go program.

We would like to announce the formation of the CB2 Equity Working Group to signify our commitment to ending the widespread systemic injustice and violence targeting Black people in America; and to share this letter — our promise to you that we will uphold racial justice within CB2.

Read the Equity Working Group introduction letter.

As New York City continues to see reductions in COVID-19 cases, restaurants are being allowed to serve people outside.

Read DOT’s outdoor restaurant dining rules and regulations.

Please click: Permanent Open Restaurants committee materials.