Category Archives: Infrastructure

Do We No Longer ‘Love New York’?

Infrastructure, ,

The NY Federal Government requested Cuomo’s administration to remove the ‘I Love NY’ road signs which threatened to cost taxpayers a $14 million penalty.  Now that it has been decided the campaign has finally “run its useful course,” a new tourism initiative will replace this one in time for summer.

According to a joint statement put out by Acting Transportation Commissioner Paul Karas and Thruway Authority Director Matthew Driscoll:

“Since the Governor initiated this branding effort, the number of tourists to New York State has increased by 18 percent and the direct economic impact of tourism on the State has skyrocketed by more than 20%.”

In addition, according to NYC & Co Spokesman Chris Heywood there was an increase in arrivals to NYC from the 2016 number of 60.5 million to 61.8 million in 2017.  This increase was put down to being driven “primarily by domestic U.S. tourism” (which could be put down to the I ❤️ NY signs?).

A bit further afield state officials are looking toward North County to get a tourism grant.  $13 million in capital funding has been earmarked by Cuomo to build new lodging properties in northern New York and last year a task force was set up to organize a model for successful lodging development in an effort to bolster tourism.  The money will be targeted specifically to the Thousand Islands and Adirondack regions.

 

Mobilizing New York

Infrastructure,

New York City has always been “the place to be,” in so many spheres:  entertainment, business, lifestyle and more.  But, all of that comes at a price.  And it seems that one of the biggest price tags is transportation and mobility.

According to a recent article in Crain’s New York by Scott Rechler, there are many things that can be done.  Move New York’s has already started this process with a logical congestion pricing plan created by transportation experts.  Other ideas include bringing in a traffic management strategy to lower tolls on overnight deliveries while increasing them during peak time.

In general, Rechler believes there needs to be a more efficient use of the transportation infrastructure that is already in place, such as taking greater advantage of traffic-enforcement cameras (which can be relatively easily installed) and invoking more radical fines for roadway misdemeanors.

New York Office Renovations

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Additional reporters are being hired in Fox News’s New York office, as a response to the increase in need in the digital journalism field. 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan will undergo some reconstruction to accommodate this.  one floor at the Newsroom’s headquarters will become open-space for journalists, bringing them up from the basement.  This will result in editors and reporters being “brought out into the open” as it were.

According to Rupert Murdoch the initiative represents a “major investment in the future of FOX News,” adding that it indicates his personal “unwavering confidence” in the company.  Any kind of current internal politics that is being discussed (such as the ousting of FOX News’ co-founder and chairman Roger Ailes) is therefore not an issue, with this action.

Meanwhile, at the Yonkers Public Library renovations are set to begin.  A while ago it was realized that the project had to be undertaken, given the fact that concrete panels were really falling apart – something that had two-to-three decades in the making – and were now posing a safety threat! Work is now slated to begin on this by the summer; the focal part being the front of the building and part of the southern side – in the children’s library.  Phase two will require a borrowing from the city of $2.4 million, required for the building’s north and back sections.

NY: The Economics of Infrastructure

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$2 billion may seem like a lot for infrastructure (and it is) but given that New York is in some serious need of an upgrade for its water and sewer systems, that is hardly anything.  Indeed, experts believe that it is likely to cost around $80 billion.

This proposal by Gov. Cuomo is in addition  to the $200 million that was approved in 2016 by lawmakers for water projects in the region.  Despite this, the proposal is garnering support from both parties due to the fact that many of the water systems have been wearing out for some time already (one example being that almost 1,500 water main breaks were encountered by The Erie County Water Authority in 2015). Indeed, it has been estimated that 20 percent of NYC’s treated water which goes into municipal pipes encounters a leak before it gets to the faucet which is becoming an increasingly problematic situation. Maintenance and repair is crucial now before the situation worsens.

One problem is however, as Steven Cohen, Executive Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute asks:

“The structure of the public-private deal or partnership is critical, but again, the central issue remains, who pays? People resist paying for resources that once were free. Before this country became modern and urban, many people were able to get water for free from their own wells. They managed their waste in septic fields and compost heaps, and the occasional garbage fire. Now they pay for water, sewage treatment and waste removal. They used to get their TV for free with antennas, now they pay monthly Internet and cable bills. Life has become more complicated and more expensive and our incomes have not kept pace with the increased cost of everything. It’s easy to understand why people resist paying for the modernization of infrastructure. But it can’t be avoided for much longer. A progressive fee system for privatized infrastructure needs to be considered as part of the way to help the working poor and people on fixed incomes to bear the cost of infrastructure upgrades.”

He answers: “The issue is how payment for the infrastructure is set up and how the government maintains control to ensure accountability if the private firm does a lousy job.”

Let’s hope the bill is sorted out in time for New Yorkers to get safe water in their homes.