In Public Service – September 17, 2019

Frontus pushes NYCHA to fix gas at Coney Island Houses

Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus held a press conference outside the Coney Island Houses at 3020 Surf Ave. on Monday to continue her call for the New York City Housing Authority to do a better job of addressing gas service disruptions in the housing development.

“No resident should ever have their lives put on hold or endangered by a gas outage caused through no fault of their own. Accidents happen — no question about it. But Southern Brooklyn families deserve more than being forced to wait weeks without assistance or answers for a critical repair to be made,” Frontus said in a statement.

Over 100 families were forced to live without gas for nearly a month, according to Frontus, who said the outage was caused by a construction crew hitting the gas line in August.

Frontus, a Democrat representing Coney Island and parts of Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst, demanded that NYCHA work faster to restore gas service next time.

Myrie hosts Census town hall

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie held a town hall to discuss the upcoming U.S. Census on Sept. 17, at the First Baptist Church of Crown Heights.

Myrie, a Democrat representing Crown Heights and parts of Park Slope and Sunset Park, moderated the discussion by city officials and community leaders on the importance of the Census for Brooklyn.

The event was co-sponsored by Rep. Yvette Clarke, Assemblymembers Walter Mosley and Diana Richardson, and Councilmember Laurie Cumbo.

“Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts everyone living in the United States. That count determines the amount of federal resources and representation allocated to each community. Brooklyn has been historically undercounted, which means we miss out on critical resources for affordable housing, education, and so much more,” Myrie said in a statement.

The speakers included Julie Menin, director of the Mayor’s Office of the Census and Shelley Worrell, a partnership specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau.

Persaud to host shredding event

State Sen. Roxanne Persaud will host a free shredding event at her district office at 1222 E. 96^th St. on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Local residents can shred their old, unwanted documents at the event.

Persaud, a Democrat representing Canarsie, Mill Basin, Flatlands and East New York, is organizing the shredding event in partnership with Councilmember Alan Maisel, Assemblymember Nick Perry and the American Association of Retired Persons.

Representatives from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the NYPD Community Affairs Unit and the city’s Department of Sanitation will be on hand to provide information.

Call Persaud’s office at 718-649-7653 for information.

Treyger lauds express F train

Councilmember Mark Treyger rode on the F train on Monday, the first day the subway line offered express service in Brooklyn in decades.

Treyger, a Democrat who represents Coney Island, Gravesend and parts of Bensonhurst, has been calling on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to re-introduce express service on the F for several years.

“The F express route is finally here!” Treyger said in a statement.

“For years, I’ve fought for the restoration of the express subway service on the F train line, which is crucial because Coney Island residents have one of the longest commutes in the city to school, work and appointments. Bus service from the West End to the Stillwell train station coupled with a train ride amounts to an over 1.5 hour commute for residents, and that’s just not right. A faster and more reliable transit service is a necessity, not a luxury, and this is a matter of transit equity for Southern Brooklynites,” Treyger said.

Treyger, who called the express service, “a win for Southern Brooklyn,” said a lot of the credit should go to residents who signed petitions, submitted testimony at MTA hearings and attended rallies to bring back the F train express service.