PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Hopefully everyone has had a long and enjoyable summer and that all of our residents are either back home or very close to returning! The progress that this town and its residents have made has been remarkable and is entirely owing to the spirit of those who reside here!! There have been a number of developments happening over the summer that the civic has been working on and they will be discussed at the September 26th Civic meeting at the American Legion Hall at 6:45 pm. We are starting the meeting at this time to accommodate guest speakers. Some of the topics to be discussed are:
NYC Build It Back Program—This is the program that will see the city allocation of federal Sandy funds to assist storm victims rebuild. The program will help residents with: Total rebuild of homes destroyed, repair homes damaged, raise homes to higher elevations, and reimburse residents for expenses already incurred. We will haveBrad Gair who is the head of the program on hand to give an update as to when funding will be available, when we will start to see homes rebuilt and when we can expect to see homes elevated. In addition, Nick Massem from the contracting firm that built Arverne by the Sea will speak. This is the contracting firm that has been chosen to perform much of the work that will be conducted under this program and he will speak to how he sees this proceeding, including time frames for when work in Broad Channel will begin. This community’s input has been critical to the discussion on a number of post-storm issues including the criteria applied for application into this program. The previous policy that stated that residents who had applied for an SBA loan, but had not taken such loan, would see that loan amount counted against any funds that may be forth coming has been changed. It was a ridiculous policy and one that we lobbied hard at the federal level to have removed; and thanks to the outcry from residents at the numerous meetings last year and to the assistance from Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Congressman Meeks, the change was made. We are urging all residents to sign up for this policy as it is still open for registration and that can be done by calling 311 (or register online here.)
NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program- This is the state program for the allocation of federal funds, and the Governor set up geographic zones in the affected areas. Broad Channel is its own zone and that is a good thing. The program set up possible funding pools if the community can make the case for the projects they propose and if they help to make the community’s more resilient. Dan Mundy was appointed chair of this committee; and we have asked a cross section of our community leaders from the BCAC, American Legion, Historical Society, Business District, BCVFD, Civic Association, Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers, East 12th Road Block association and the Lanark Road Block Association to join this committee in an effort to develop a number of potential projects to submit for possible funding. Dan McIntyre, a member of the committee, traveled up to Albany to represent our community at the onset of this program, and we appreciate this extraordinary effort!
Flood Insurance Reform—As most residents are aware, last year the infamous Biggert/Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 was passed. While it was “hidden” in the massive transportation bill and received no formal discussion or review prior to its passage, its implications can be devastating to all shoreline and river side communities with massive premium increases set to increase up to $10,000 a year. All of our representatives, as well as many others who voted for this, indicated they were never told that this bill would see this type of impact on the five million residents who currently have flood insurance. Indeed, the author of the bill, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, has stated that it was never her intent or the purpose of this bill to create this type of crushing financial impact to those who require flood insurance and that she is committed to working with her colleagues in Congress to resolve the problem that her bill has created. This, however, is no easy feat and many in congress have indicated that they may not be inclined to assist in this effort. We need to ensure that our voices are heard and that it is understood that this is an absolute priority as our homes represent our life’s savings. To that end, we are organizing a FLOOD INSURANCE PROTEST RALLY that will take place on Saturday September 28 at 12:00 noon at the American Legion Hall which will see residents from Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Rockaway and Breezy Point come together to make the point that we expect action on this from our elected officials. Our rally will be one of many that day taking place in a number of states from NY to New Jersey to Louisiana, and we are urging all to come out and let it be known that you will not sit down and let an outrageous law steal your most valuable asset –your home’s value.
***While this could not make it into the hard copy of the newsletter due to time constraints a note of thanks to Jessica Allen for the great job that she did in organizing the recent cleanup around Broad Channel!! The mall and side streets look great and the turnout was fantastic!!
Quote of the Month- “it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds...” Samuel Adams
Respectfully submitted,
Dan Mundy Jr.
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