October 22, 2009
- New Rochelle Named Best Community To Raise Family
- Energy Efficiency Gets Boost From Lowey
- Giles Appointed City Clerk
- BID Downtown Showcase Celebrates "Urban Living"
- Budget Outlook Remains Grim
- City Establishes Cell Phone Recycling Program
- City & School District Team Up For Savings
- Restaurant Recommendation: Don Coqui
New Rochelle Named Best Community To Raise Family
Westchester Magazine Lauds City
Read the Westchester Magazine article.
Westchester Magazine has named New Rochelle the best community in the county for family living. This is a sampling of the glowing article: "New Rochelle has not just a children's room at the library but an entire building, the Huguenot Children's Library on North Avenue, devoted to books and activities for young readers. [Other factors include] cost of living, air quality, job growth, racial diversity, and amenities like local parks, ball fields, and recreation centers, all of which you'll find in New Rochelle." You can read the full article HERE.
Energy Efficiency Gets Boost From Lowey
Congresswoman Secures $1 Million For City Hall Upgrade
Read a press release on the Lowey energy efficiency grant.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey has obtained $1 million in federal funds to help pay for energy efficiency improvements in New Rochelle City Hall. City Hall, which also serves as the administrative center for the School District, assumed its current function almost fifty years ago. Its systems and infrastructure are antiquated and highly inefficient. We intend to utilize this federal assistance for upgrades such as an improved HVAC system or insulated windows. These upgrades will save tax dollars by cutting our energy costs and will also help reduce our municipal carbon footprint. You can read a press release with more information HERE.
Giles Appointed City Clerk
Brings Business And Community Experience To Government
Read a press release announcing the Giles appointment.
This month, the City Council appointed Bennie F. Giles III to serve as the New Rochelle City Clerk, effective January 1, 2010. Mr. Giles brings a remarkable record of volunteer community service to his new responsibilities, and I have every confidence that he will comport himself with distinction. The City Clerk attends all meetings of the City Council and maintains Council records. The Clerk directs a professional office and staff of five that serves as a general information bureau and maintains records related to vital statistics, licenses, boards, committees, commissions, intergovernmental contracts, leases, bonds, deeds, publications, and codes. The Clerk's office interacts on a daily basis with the public and is often regarded as a point of entry for citizens with questions or service needs. You can read a press release with much more information about Mr. Giles HERE.
BID Downtown Showcase Celebrates "Urban Living"
Local Designers & Businesses Highlighted
Learn more about the BID Downtown Showcase.
Welcome to urban living in New Rochelle. The recent construction of downtown housing has brought new vitality to our central business district. Through a unique partnership involving downtown business owners, Avalon, the City, and local designers, two apartments in Avalon's second phase have been completely furnished using only local products and talent. The goal of the BID Downtown Showcase is to establish stronger bonds between residents and the business community — raising awareness about all that New Rochelle has to offer and ensuring that our downtown population (and the rest of us, too) have access to the best services close to home. You can view the apartments (numbers 23K and 24A) during public open houses scheduled for the months of October, November, and December. The apartments will also be featured on the annual Sound Shore Medical Center House Tour. To learn much more about the Showcase, the designers, and the participating businesses, visit the BID's website HERE.
Budget Outlook Remains Grim
Revenue Projections Revised Downward
The weak economy continues to impact the City's fiscal condition. The latest figures from Finance Commissioner Howard Rattner project that our year-end sales tax collections will fall by some $2.7 million relative to 2008, more than ten percent of the total. We expect additional losses, albeit of lesser dimensions, in our property taxes, mortgage taxes, and investment income. While these losses are partially offset by mid-year savings from a hiring freeze, the net-net is still expected to be a roughly $2 million drain on our reserves (or "fund balance"), bringing these reserves close to the floor recommended by municipal finance experts, and thereby limiting our options as we move into 2010. These trends are certainly not unique to New Rochelle and reflect conditions in cities throughout the region and nation, many of which face even tougher challenges. The City Manager will release his draft budget in mid-November for public and Council consideration, and I expect to share additional thoughts about our budget options at that time.
City Establishes Cell Phone Recycling Program
Program Continues Sustainability Focus
The City has established a new program to recycle cell phones, PDAs and cell phone accessories (chargers, wired and bluetooth headphones, etc.). These items will be collected at the entrances of four locations around New Rochelle: City Hall, the New Rochelle Public Library, Super Shop 'N Stop on Palmer Avenue, and The Food Emporium in the Quaker Ridge Shopping Center. Tell your friends and neighbors!
Recycling cell phones conserves natural resources because all the parts of the cell phones and accessories will be reused or recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. Recycling cell phones also gets them out of the waste stream and saves the City money.
City & School District Team Up For Savings
Grant Will Explore Technology Efficiency
The City and School District have joined to apply successfully for a State Local Government Efficiency Grant. The $25,000 allocation will fund a comprehensive analysis of our technology and information systems in order to determine how economies might be achieved through cooperative procurement and service delivery. Our grant application was generated by a joint City-School services committee, established several months ago. We will continue pursuing opportunities for consolidation and cooperation.
Restaurant Recommendation: Don Coqui
www.doncoqui.com
Recently opened in the building that housed the former MacMenamin's Grill, Don Coqui brings exceptional Puerto Rican cuisine to New Rochelle in a lively, high-energy space. Catie and I had dinner there with friends this past weekend and loved every bite, including great crab legs and a porterhouse grilled to perfection with yucca fries. A terrific spot if you are in the mood for a convivial, party atmosphere.