New York City Councilman Secures Extra Funding For Jackson Heights, Elmhurst

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Dealing with local bread and butter issues, New York City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights, Elmhurst), who is chair of the Finance Committee, secured thousands of dollars in Fiscal Year 2021 funding to keep the streets and sidewalks of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst clean, his office said in a press release.

The extra monies will go to dealing with local grassroots needs of the community which includes a large number of South Asian immigrants, and addresses health and environment related issues of garbage and cleanup to further beautify this multicultural neighborhood.

Dromm allocated $160,000 to the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, Inc. (ACE) for 128 hours of supplemental cleaning services each week. Employees of ACE are now regularly sweeping community streets and sidewalks, periodically removing taped flyers from lampposts, and emptying City trash bins to prevent them from overflowing. It has resumed cleaning services in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst while wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and adhering to social distancing practices to keep workers and local residents safe, the press release said.

“These thousands of dollars in funding mean a cleaner Jackson Heights and Elmhurst for everyone,”  Dromm is quoted saying in the press release.  “We are in the middle of a financial crisis. The restoration of these dollars was not easy. I fought long and hard to ensure that my district receives the funding we need to continue these important services. I want to thank ACE for their impeccable work which keeps our streets and sidewalks clean.”

Employees of ACE will clean along Roosevelt Avenue and 37th Avenue from 69th Street to 81st Street; 73rd Street through 77th Street between Roosevelt Avenue and 37th Avenue; Broadway from 72nd Street to Elmhurst Avenue; and Diversity Plaza.

Dromm also secured $30,000 that will enable the NYC Department of Sanitation to conduct additional weekend garbage pick-ups along Broadway from 69th Street to Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, and additional Saturday pick-ups along 37th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.

“These additional picks-ups will help reduce trash bin overflows in my district’s busy commercial corridors during hours that see high foot traffic,” Dromm said. “Overflowing trash bins are not only unsightly–they attract rats, sicken our pets and wildlife, and contribute to water contamination.  There is no denying that strewn trash has an adverse impact on our environmental and public health.”