Community Alerts 7.12.23

Free Breakfast and Lunch for NYC Children

All NYC children ages 18 and under are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch Mondays through Fridays at meal sites across the City, including the Upper West Side’s Martin Luther King Jr and Brandeis High School campuses. For details, including days of week and meal times (which vary across locations), visit the DOE Summer Meals website.

Air Quality Alert

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for New York City from 11:00am to 11:00pm for today, July 12. Active children and adults, and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.

For more information, visit the National Weather Service here, or the Department of Environmental Conservation here.

The Office of the Comptroller has published new air, water, and land quality maps on its NYC Climate Dashboard. You can check out the interactive maps of the five boroughs here.

Traffic Advisories

For about the next four weekends, 60th Street will be partially closed between Broadway and Columbus Avenue due to a crane operation. Only one lane will be open to vehicular traffic. 

On Sunday, July 16, there will be a multi-block street fair taking place on the west side of Broadway between 65th Street and 72nd Street. This stretch of Broadway will be closed to vehicular traffic from about 8:00am through 6:00pm.

For more information, call 311. 

Con Edison Virtual Public Meeting on July 13

Con Edison has submitted an application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for a NYSDEC Air Facility Title V Permit Renewal for Con Edison’s operations at their 59^th Street Station. A Public Participation Plan has been developed in accordance with NYSDEC Commissioner Policy 29, Environmental Justice and Permitting (CP-29). There will be a virtual public meeting on Thursday, July 13, at 6:30pm to inform the public about the project and to involve the community during the NYSDEC’s Air Facility Title V permit renewal process. Click here to register for the meeting, and click here to see the invitation for more information.

Community Commissions: Partners Request for Proposals 

NYC DOT Art invites community-based, nonprofit organizations to apply for the 2023 – 2024 Community Commissions: Partners Request for Proposals. Through their signature program, Community Commissions, NYC DOT Art, and selected organizations commission artists to design and install temporary public art on NYC DOT infrastructure citywide. Organizations are invited to identify sites for artwork in their district and will help select individual artists to propose site-responsive artwork. NYC DOT Art provides up to $20,000 towards direct project costs, engineering and operational support, and the opportunity to beautify sites accessible to a diverse audience. Click here to download the Community Commissions application, which is due by Thursday, August 1, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST.

Read the July/August 2023 UWSR Eco Letter

The free UWSR Eco Letter comes from Upper West Side Recycling six times a year. Each Eco Letter lists events taking place during the following two or three months and also includes a Commentary on an environmental topic relevant to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Click here to read the letter.

Smart Composting Bins

Smart Composting Bins, which can be accessed 24/7 via a simple app, have arrived on the Upper West Side. To see a map of all of the bins and download the app needed to access them, click here.

Con Edison Outage Information and Safety Tips

Customers can report power outages and check service restoration status online or by calling 1-800-752-6633. You can view the outage map by clicking here.

If Con Ed crews or contractors need to perform street work, safety barriers will be set up around the work site. Please do not enter or move the barricades. Also, remain aware of any overground cables you may see. If you notice any conditions on the street, like a smoking manhole, please call 1-800-752-6633 to report the location and condition.

Life Sustaining Equipment (LSE): Let Con Ed know if there is someone using an apnea monitor, a respirator, or other medical equipment that supports their life by enrolling in the LSE program. Enrolling in the LSE program is convenient via My Account or by downloading the life-support equipment form here and returning it to Con Edison, or by calling 1-877-582-6633.

NYC Cooling Centers

NYC opens cooling centers in air-conditioned public facilities during extreme heat events to help prevent heat-related illnesses or deaths. Click here during heat emergencies for updated cooling center information, including locations and hours of operation.

Severe Weather Safety Tips

You can find severe weather safety tips by visiting NYC.gov/SevereWeather. New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for Notify NYC, the City’s free emergency notification system, to stay informed about the latest weather updates and other emergencies. To learn more about the Notify NYC program or to sign up, visit NYC.gov/NotifyNYC, call 311, or download the free app for your Android or Apple device. You can also follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter.

The 2023 NYC Neighborhood Wellness Survey

The NYC Neighborhood Wellness Survey (NYC NWS) is a mail-based survey conducted by NYC Department of Mental Health and Hygiene (NYC Health Department) in collaboration with the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) to check in on the health of New Yorkers, influence health program decisions, and better understand how health issues are impacting NYC residents. You can help improve our community by filling it out. Look out for the survey in your mailbox and click here to learn more.