Page 20 - The Indian EYE 051625

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MAY 16, 2025 | The Indian Eye 20

MAYOR ADAMS ESTABLISHES HISTORIC

LEVELS OF PERMANENT DSNY FUNDING FOR

CLEAN PUBLIC SPACES

Follows Mayor Adams’ “Budget Week,” Unveiling “Best Budget Ever,” Which Invests in

Affordability, Public Safety, and Quality-of-Life Issues New Yorkers Care Most About

OUR BUREAU

NEW YORK, NY
ew York City Mayor Eric Ad-
ams has committed over $32
Nmillion in permanent funding
for the New York City Department
of Sanitation (DSNY) to keep New
York City clean as part of the Fiscal
Year (FY) 2026 Executive Budget,
better known as the “Best Budget
Ever.” This decision permanently
allocates resources to key aspects of
Mayor Adams’ cleanliness agenda for
years to come. Historically, key clean-
liness programs like litter basket ser-
vice have been set year-to-year, with
funding facing threats and uncertainty
each year, but with this allocation, the
Adams administration is establishing
permanent high levels of funding to
protect the cleanliness and quality of
life of city neighborhoods for genera- enjoy safe, clean, accessible parks. clean,” said Deputy Mayor for Oper- dress litter and restroom cleanliness,
tions to come. “Today, we are making life in New ations Jeff Roth. “This budget helps ensuring that 200 park hotspots are
Mayor Adams also celebrated York City cleaner and safer,” said us achieve that — with new staff to kept clean during the busiest hours,”
the expansion of the second shift of Mayor Adams. “As part of our ‘Best clean park hotspots so that bath- said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue
evening and weekend staff at doz- Budget Ever,’ we have baselined over rooms and heavily-trafficked areas Donoghue. “We’re grateful to the
ens of New York City Department of $32 million in funding to keep New are clean for morning runners and administration for funding dedicat-
Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) York City clean, and this includes the evening grillers alike, and the highest ed evening and weekend peak-hour
locations. First announced during his highest level of permanent funding level of permanent funding for litter cleaning staff for the first time in our
fourth State of the City address ear- for litter basket pick-ups in our city’s basket pickups in history. This is gov- history, and for making clean and wel-
lier this year, funded in the FY 2026 history. In addition to our streets, our ernment doing its job: Making life coming greenspaces a top priority.”
Preliminary Budget, and building on parks are critical to the fabric of our better for everyone.” The second shift was first an-
his recent announcement that the neighborhoods and to the families “DSNY serves every part of the nounced by Mayor Adams in No-
New York City Police Department who live in those communities, so city, and in my 26 years at the depart- vember 2022 as part of the “Get Stuff
(NYPD) has created a new Quality of with this announcement, we’re also ment, I’ve seen thousands of Sani- Clean” initiative, which dedicated
Life Division, the Adams administra- deepening our commitment to im- tation workers take pride in a clean $14.5 million in new funding to mul-
tion has added a second cleaning shift proving the quality of life for all New street,” said DSNY Acting Commis- tiple agencies to create a cleaner city
to 100 new “hot spots” in 64 parks Yorkers by shifting our parks mainte- sioner Javier Lojan. “New Yorkers through a major upgrade to cleanli-
across the five boroughs — bringing nance up a gear and expanding our deserve clean streets day after day, ness protocols across the five bor-
the total number of hot spots with ‘second shift’ evening and weekend year after year — and cleanliness oughs. Traditionally, dedicated NYC
seconds shift cleaning to 200 at 121 park cleaning teams and nearly dou- shouldn’t be held hostage to annual Parks staff have cleaned parks during
parks — ensuring these parks are bling the number of parks that will one-shot funding. An end to those the first shift, Monday to Friday, in
cleaned each afternoon between receive this intensive cleaning. New days can’t come soon enough, and I the mornings and in afternoons, with
Thursday and Monday. As part of Yorkers deserve clean streets and want to thank Mayor Adams for giv- late afternoon and weekend mainte-
the second shift, NYC Parks staff will parks, and this investment is yet an- ing New York’s Strongest the tools nance achieved through the use of
also keep restrooms open, on aver- other way we’re making New York we need to make the city shine.” overtime and the work of seasonal
age, for an additional two hours each City the best place to raise a family.” “Clean, well-maintained parks and part-time staff. The new, perma-
day, five days a week. This investment “One of our most important mis- make communities safer and en- nent second shift created under the
doubles the number of locations ser- sions as public servants must be to hance quality of life for all New York- Adams administration represents the
viced by a second cleaning shift as show New Yorkers that we care for ers. That’s why it’s so important that first full-time dedicated staff for eve-
part of the FY 2025 Adopted Budget every community — that every street we’re adding additional evening and ning and weekend peak hours in the
and will help allow more families to and every park are attended to and weekend maintenance staff to ad- history of the department.

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