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Welcome back to ask the borough president right here on News 12 of the Bronx as BP Vanessa Gibson here with us to take your calls and you've been patiently waiting. I appreciate that. And we're gonna go right to the phones right now. Start getting some of your questions and we're gonna start in Co Op City. Josie is joining us tonight. Josie. Thanks for calling in. What's your question for the BP? Good evening. Hi, how's everyone? Thank you. I have a question. Um Is there any kind of study or what has been the plan or policy for the um seemingly proliferation of businesses that are, are automotive related um that I feel are impacting our air quality here that's impacting, I guess even from a environmental justice perspective, if you look at Co Op City, we anchored um by two bus depots. Um If you go w look out my window, there are, you know, just tons and tons of automotive places. The MT A has a bus station, there are three different um um storage facilities in eyes view more coming and I'm just concerned that there's no balance um for the health quality and it seems like like everything got pushed up here in this area, probably all the way over to 233rd street. And I'm just, you know, concerned about air quality. And also, um, is there some plan because every time you turn around there's a new automotive shop or something coming up on the side streets you can't hardly get through. And it's just, you know, like I said, it's this big proliferation, it doesn't look good, it doesn't smell good. And you know, I feel like if there's some concern for us and not to mention two applications for cannabis shops right across the street from our apartment building, there's a lot going on there and thanks, thanks for pointing all that out. So like she mentioned there talking about not only the businesses but the environmental impact that those businesses have in co op city right now, that's a good point. I think when you look at a lot of the development and obviously large scale versus smaller scale being uh an independent business owner operator, everyone is subjected to building within the the confines of what the zoning calls for, right? But I think you only see like the air quality and different surveys and assessments that are done uh eis statements, environmental impact statements that are done on some of the large scale projects that may have a zoning or an up zoning involved, but specifically in the co op city area that is Community Board 10. So my suggestion is to have a conversation and connect uh our resident of Co op City with community Board 10 because each community board has a district services cabinet meeting with me with all city agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection and dep uh is obviously an agency that we work with when it comes to our waterways when it comes to just everything that's underground. But also I would say Department of City Planning as well when it comes to future planning and what development projects could be coming. And we also have the state agency, Department of Environmental Conservation. So usually what we do with some of our strips like commercial that have like the auto body repair shops, we work with dep we work with uh DEC to find out what has been done. So if that's something that our resident would like to know what has been done, we can always reach out and, and find out what has been done. But also what is coming about because I realize again, families feel saturated when they see a lot of businesses coming up. Um That sometimes have a business where you have cars, you have automobiles, you have bus depots, I get it right. We all have all of these around our, our communities because we need that. We need a bus depot. Um So I think it's important to recognize that we'll look into it a little bit more to see what has been done and obviously what is coming down the pipeline because this is something the state has really been focused on. When we talk about energy efficiency, our reducing gas house uh emissions, uh making sure we focus on renewable energy and green jobs. All of that is a part of our very ambitious agenda uh to really make sure that we are breathing cleaner air and we're investing in our borough. Absolutely. All right, Josie, thank you so much for the question there and we have your information there. We'll make sure we connect you, uh, more with the borough president's office. Uh, let's go to Frederick joining us. He's calling in from, uh Bay Chester. Frederick. Thanks for calling in. What's your question? Yeah, thank you very much. Uh, my name is Frederick Yami. I would like to find out, uh, one thing I observed from the crossbones especially is that most of the time the traffic start to build from the exit of George Washington Bridge. Um, based on the funding, is there any plan to, uh, do something about that? And II, I want to find out, um, this, uh, expansion. Is it going to add additional length to, to the cross expressway? Frederick, thank you for calling it in there. Yeah, we got a little bit of little issue issue there in the beginning of it, hearing it, but I think I got what you saying that extra lane adding lanes to the cross Bronx. I I highly doubt that there's no plan to add additional lanes to the Cross Bronx Expressway. Uh If anything, I think there is an opportunity to cap the cross Bronx and put a platform over it so that all of the neighborhoods that have been divided by the Cross Bronx, which has been a source of systemic racism, right from the Robert Moses era can really produce more open space, more green space for our Children that have some of the highest rates of asthma from the Harlem River all the way to the Hutchinson River. And again, many of our residents are drivers. We use 95 we use the Cross Bronx, but it is one of the busiest, most congested thoroughfares in the entire state. Uh And that's why crap cap the Cross Bronx has come about. Um shout out to Milco Martel uh and all the others that have really been really advocating this and that's why we're getting an infusion of federal dollars in the millions because we wanna make sure that we can do something. Uh We have to find a way working with city dot and state dot To really figure out the congestion because we're getting trapped from Connecticut Jersey and all of the parts that are coming through our borough on the cross rocks. Yeah, I think adding lanes, you know where I understand what you mean for. You're looking, you don't wanna limit you, you know you wanna ease the traffic. But the big issue with the Cross Bronx being you put more cars there, you put more into the air. We're gonna get more of the air quality and we're gonna get to the air quality that Josie was talking about before it becomes the issue here. So there's a lot going on with what's gonna happen with the future of the Cross Bronx and what's gonna happen there? All right. Well, we're gonna be talking with more of you. We have some of your, at least a couple more questions from you tonight. We also wanna have your health tip and some of the big events that are coming up for you this month. And by the way, there's an election in the borough we wanna remind you about. So we got a lot more coming up here on, ask the borough president, stay with us. We'll be right back with a little couple more questions from the borough president here on news from the Bronx.

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Welcome back to ask the borough president here on News 12, the Bronx. I wanna get right back to the phones. We've got Cynthia calling us tonight from Mount Eden. Cynthia. Thank you for calling in and being patient. What's your question tonight? Thank you. My question is what is being done about the illegal drug sale that's on the corner of East Mount Eden Avenue from cars that are come from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut from 7 a.m. until late at night. They um have us all feeling unsafe. There's an elementary school less than 50 ft away between East Mount Eden and East 1 74th Street on Townsend Avenue and nothing is being done in the summertime. They have loud music, they drag racing in the intersection there. You, we've had multiple shootouts with them and we don't feel safe at all in the community. I'm sorry. Thank, thank you so much. I apologize for cutting you off. It's hard to hear that these, this is a lot of problems that sounded like. Yeah, that's not acceptable. I know that school on Townsend, it's PS 170 great school and there's also a daycare center that's run by Highbridge Advisory Council there. I know that area. That's my former council district. It's the 44th. So I will have my team reach out to the 44th, I talk to the commanding officer and find out what's going on. Most often there are, um, undercover operations and investigations that are happening that we're not aware of. And so when you obviously hear about a drug bust, uh Mount Eden has been an area where we've gotten complaints over the years about it. Uh And we wanna make sure that we work with landlords, property owners. A new settlement has a portfolio there, the new settlement community center down the street on Jerome and Mount Eden. And yes, as she said, it's an exit and entrance for the 95 going north and south. And so there's a lot of foot traffic and a lot of car traffic in that area. Um So we will talk to the 44 precinct, but I also encourage everyone that lives in Mount Eden. If you have a tennis association, a civic organization, please get involved. Come to community board for they meet every month as well as the 44th precinct community council. They also meet every month and you get to talk to the 44th precinct. You get to know who your community affairs offices are. The YC OS, uh your NCO officers. There is a whole subset of officers that are assigned to a sector within the 44 that covers the Mount Eden community. Um And so definitely we'll follow up and make sure that we address this now before the summertime gets here so that all residents and families can feel safe in Mount Eden. For sure. Cynthia, thank you for calling in and alerting the borough president with everything that's going on there. I appreciate that we'll connect you guys. Um You got a lot of events coming up here. February obviously a big month. What do you got going on? February is Black History Month and we are having our annual Black History Month celebration on Wednesday. February the seventh at 5:30 p.m. at Eastwood Manor Banquet Hall up at 3371 East Chester Road. And then we're having in partnership with the New York State Department of Labor, a career fair on Thursday, February 15th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bronx Borough Hall in our rotunda at 851 grand concourse. Please come make sure that you are ready because we have to stay ready. So we don't have to get ready and we will be working with the Department of Labor on a number of jobs and career opportunities for Bronx sites for sure. And real quick again, community board applications are open. Yes, that's March 1st. They're open and we got a special election coming up here in the Bronx in the 77th assembly district as well. Right? Tuesday, February 13th there is a special election in the 77 district as a result of the resignation of LaToya Joyner who served for 10 years. Congratulations. And thank you. If you live in Claremont, Claremont Village, Concourse, Highbridge, Mount Eden, you can vote Tuesday, February 13th. There you go. All right. You've all got a lot to do and you had a lot of great questions tonight. Thanks everybody for calling in. Thanks for being with us here and ask the borough president. We'll see you next month here on news 12, the Bronx. Good night. Everybody take care.

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News 12 sits down with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson to answer questions from YOU for this month's edition of Ask the Bronx Borough President.

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