Bronxites deserve clean neighborhoods, warm homes and take-charge measures to prepare for the winter season. That is why I invested in local-hire organizations to increase sanitation services in every corner of Council District 18. The Association of Community Employment Programs (ACE), an organization who employs New Yorkers with histories of homelessness to help them establish economic independence, is out weekly in Soundview, Unionport, Castle Hill, the surrounding border of Parkchester and Westchester Square cleaning up our streets. You will also see members of the Wildcats Neighborhood Improvement Program, recognizable by their bright green shirts, coming weekly to service most of Castle Hill, Clason Point, Harding Park and Soundview. I am excited to work with these teams, who are hiring locally and assisting us with sanitation needs. If there are areas in your neighborhood that need attention, please notify my office.
Winter is here, we all feel it this week through the chilly weather, and more importantly, we have been working with The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to create their snow map for this upcoming season. We know DSNY leads our city’s snow response and we want you to be familiar too! Check out rules, times and more here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/snow-response. There are also a number of resources for New Yorkers when it comes to snow, including PlowNYC, which allows you to track the progress of DSNY snow removal vehicles.
The heating season has officially begun and NYC Housing Preservation Development (HPD) has information about heating laws and regulations for tenants, owners and landlords. All residential building owners are required to maintain indoor temperatures at 68 degrees when outdoor temperatures fall below 55 degrees during the day. Indoor temperatures must also be a minimum of 62 degrees overnight, regardless of outdoor temperatures. Building owners are legally required to provide hot water at 120 degrees year-round. More information on heat and hot water standards from HPD can be found by visiting: https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/index.page.
My office is here to help for all needs — cleanliness, snow, heating or anything in between! As always, you can call my office if you need help with any of the above information at (718) 792-1140 or email us at district18@council.nyc.gov.
Amanda Farías is the councilmember for the 18th District, representing parts of Castle Hill, Clason Point, Harding Park, Parkchester, Shorehaven and Soundview. To read her previous column, click here.
