County Executive Mangano’s Accomplishments Record in the "corridor":
· Nassau County has been focusing its community development efforts – such as the development of affordable multifamily housing in condos, coops, and rentals – in Freeport, New Cassel, Elmont, Roosevelt, and Hempstead Village. Since County Executive Mangano took office, the County has awarded these communities millions of dollars in HOME funds which created hundreds of local construction and trades jobs.
· Early in his administration, Mangano committed $100,000 in federal funds to Long Island Housing Services to fight discriminatory housing practices.
· The Coordinated Agency for Spanish Americans (C.A.S.A), is providing service to more clients than ever, and has launched several successful language and small business programs. The Office of Minority Affairs has maintained our commitment to diversity with more Minority and Women-Owned Enterprises being certified under the Mangano administration than ever before.
· County Executive Mangano helped implement the free prescription drug discount program that is available for all residents. Discount cards can be obtained at Nassau County agencies, pharmacies and at www.NYRxDiscountCard.com. It may be used by residents, regardless of age, income, or existing health coverage.
· The County also participates with a network of dentists that charge significantly reduced rates for dental services for residents and their families. For more information, or to enroll in the program and get the discount card, visit Heginc.com/dentemax.
· County Executive Mangano recently instituted a requirement that would eliminate the language barrier to open government, by translating vital documents, forms and instructions for County programs to the six most common non-English languages spoken by Nassau residents (Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Persian, Korean and French Creole.)
· Next week, Sept. 27, Mangano kicks off the County’s Annual Multicultural Competence Conference, which teaches mental health professionals to work effectively with various ethnic and immigrant populations in communities of all cultural backgrounds. One important element is overcoming structural barriers to healthcare delivery across cultural groups.
· Over 170 units in Hempstead Village, Freeport, Roosevelt, Uniondale and elsewhere in the County were abated through our federally-funded Lead Hazard Reduction Grant.
· In the area of Mental Health, services available in these and all areas of the County include: job development and placement service for those in treatment; Homelessness Intervention; Case Management; state mandated programs to ensure adult clients’ medication and treatment management; Children Single Point of Access; Mental Health Court; Transportation for clients in our programs and Adult Housing Single Point of Access.
· Earlier this year, County Executive Mangano directed our Office of Emergency Management to use homeland security grants to outfit local fire departments, including Freeport and Hempstead.
FREEPORT
In 2012, County Executive Mangano awarded $651,080 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the Village of Freeport, to fund a variety of projects including improvements to local store fronts and residential and commercial rehabilitation. The grant also helped fund a variety of youth programs, including the Summer Youth Employment Program, Girl Scouts of Nassau County, The Cedarmore Corp., and Freeport Little League. It also funded:
· Long Island Cares for emergency outreach food program;
· the Summer Youth Employment Program to provide programs and services to address the needs of youth via a summer youth employment program;
· Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN) for the soup kitchen;
· $10,000 for Liberty Park for new and improved public facilities and infrastructure improvements to improve the environment for households in the Liberty Park Apartment Complex;
· Refuge Apostolic Church for their food pantry;
· EOC Inc. for their After-School Basketball Program;
· the acquisition of blighted and substandard buildings village-wide.
· Hi Hello Child Center for improvements to the buildings on Ocean Avenue;
· Our Holy Redeemer Parish Outreach for outreach and emergency services;
· Eager to Serve (ETS) services for homeless women;
· The Cedarmore Corp. for their after school, tutorial and Big Brothers Youth Programs;
· Freeport Historical Society for exterior and interior building improvements;
· Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence to provide programs, services and training with Village Police;
· Girl Scouts of Nassau County to expand the “Personal Power” program for girls ages 5-7;
· Harvest for the World to provide programs and services;
· Freeport Little League;
· Potters Association to provide services for at risk youth and families;
· Island Harvest to operate the local soup kitchen;
· Salvation Army for the heating assistance and Hygiene Kit Programs.
In the 2013 budget, the county allocated $625,000 in CDBG funds for commercial and residential rehabilitation in Freeport. So far, efforts to construct multifamily affordable housing – in conjunction with local housing authorities in Freeport and the surrounding areas - have been successful in addressing this need.
Village of Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy has indicated that the Community Development Block Grant funds will fund a project to improve building facades in central shopping areas, including North Main Street, as well as preliminary work to alleviate flooding conditions in certain neighborhoods. Several agencies providing services and programs for youth and senior citizens throughout the Village of Freeport will also receive funding. Some that did not receive funds in 2012, but are now, include Freeport PRIDE, VOF Summer Jobs for Youth and the Long Island Arts Council at Freeport.
For the past 3 years, County Executive Mangano has hosted a free community Health and Wellness Fair at Cow Meadow Park in Freeport. The fair – co-hosted by the Village of Freeport and Nassau University Medical Center - featured a variety of free health screenings and information on illness prevention.
The County’s next Winter Stand Down for area veterans and their families – November 2013 - will be held at the Freeport Armory.
This year, through federal grants, we bought for the Freeport Fire Department, and other departments, 2 of the newest Motorola radios – the most advanced interoperable modes of communication today. And, we recently ordered for Freeport, $20,000 worth of SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus.)
Nassau County DPW, under Mangano, has made improvements to streetscapes and traffic signals along Main Street in Freeport. The County also made various improvements to Brookside Preserve in Freeport, including new plantings, removal of invasive species, fencing and signage.
HEMPSTEAD VILLAGE
Since Mangano has been in office, we have held 4 Summer Stand Downs at the Hempstead American Legion for local veterans, where we’ve provided thousands of residents and their families with food, cloths, haircuts, access to medical services and other entitlements, etc.
In Jan 2012, Mangano awarded nearly $1.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to Hempstead Village for downtown revitalization, neighborhood improvements, after school programs and the DOT’s Safe Routes to School program. The grant funded improvements to streets and sidewalks in both the downtown business district and residential neighborhoods; and a variety of after school programs, including the Hempstead PAL recreational activities, PeeWee Football/Cheerleading Program, At-Risk Youth Basketball Program, and the EOC Soccer program. The Safe Routes to School program is a NYS Department of Transportation initiative that encourages children to adapt to healthy and active lifestyles by promoting transportation alternatives and implementing projects that improve traffic safety.
Again in 2013, County Executive Mangano awarded the Village of Hempstead just over $1 million in funding through the County Community Development Block Grant program. The funds will be used to augment code enforcement, commercial rehabilitation, beautification, as well as the outreach initiatives administered by many Village agencies – including:
· emergency road repair/resurfacing;
· Voices of Virtue choral music program for low-income youth;
· Hispanic Counseling Center;
· Hempstead Boys and Girls Club;
· Work Place Project Farmers Market;
· Hempstead Hispanic Civic Associations’ After School Tutoring; Annual Community Health Fair;
· Black Women Enterprises, to strengthen management skills;
· Hempstead Coordinating Civic Association;
· Family & Children’s Association Youth Advisory Group;
The Village of Hempstead was expected to disburse some of the grant proceeds to assist first-time homebuyers in purchasing a home within the Village. They have also earmarked funds to provide loans and/or grants to low and moderate income homeowners. The funds also go to continue the Main Street Beautification Program.
Other groups that benefit from County funding:
· Glory House Recovery
· Operation Get Ahead
· Circulo de la Hispanidad
· Youth For Tomorrow
· EOC Community Action Program
This year, Nassau County completed a conversion of old Hofstra dorms into the new, 94-unit Twin Oaks (affordable housing) Apartment building on Hempstead Turnpike.
County Executive Mangano also used HOME funds to create hundreds of construction and trades jobs in the construction of those 94 units. And, through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), the County Executive has continued his commitment to the residents of the Village by partnering with local developers to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes to be resold at an affordable rate.
We gave $500,000 in federal community development funds over the last two years so that the non-profit, Circulo de la Hispanidad, could renovate and expand a new “green” building in the Village, for its charter school. Now they can host even more ESL, adult education and other classes for residents.
We made sure funding continued for the Hispanic Counseling Center in Hempstead to save their offices and make sure their services – including domestic violence and substance abuse – continued.
We help fund Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre’s food program, which feeds 80 senior citizens a day – many of whom are Freeport residents.
In the 2013 budget, the county allocated $1.06 million in CDBG funds for downtown projects in the Village - including $266,000 in Emergency Solutions Grants to emergency shelters in the area, street outreach and homeless prevention services.
In 2013, we bought $18,000 worth of “turnout gear” for the Hempstead Fire Department, which included everything needed to outfit 8 firefighters – such as bunker pants, turnout coat and helmet.
Nassau County Office of Emergency Management has deployed one of its Disaster Response Trailers, packed with emergency storm and fire-shelter supplies, in the Village – behind the Hempstead Firehouse.
Our Office of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency & Developmental Disabilities Services has trained dozens of residents in the Village how to save the life of someone overdosing on drugs. Trainings were held at several sober houses in the area, and we did a Community training at the Fire Department in South Hempstead.
LAKEVIEW
After Mangano’s first year in office, major crimes - burglary, robbery and assaults - were down 5% in the 5th precinct. The POP unit in Lakeview is very active and has a good working relationship with community members. Nassau County’s Consumer Affairs department worked with the POP Unit to stop local businesses from selling alcohol to minors. In reaction to a spike in Domestic Violence incidents, Mangano formed a County task force to raise awareness, educate people, and issue warnings to violators. The County also participates with the Helping End Violence Now (HEVN) coalition which addresses issues relevant to West Hempstead, Hempstead, Roosevelt, Uniondale and Westbury.
Our Department of Mental health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities provides an array of services in the Lakeview area, including counseling, drug treatment and prevention, education assistance. There are several behavioral health services being offered in Lakeview and the surrounding areas as well.
ROOSEVELT
· Nassau County funded the building of 6 new, affordable single family homes in the community.
· You’ve told us that some of the roads in your neighborhood need to be repaved. We listened –and have since completed the resurfacing of Centennial Avenue, from Nassau Road to Brookside Avenue; and Babylon Turnpike, from Nassau Road to Grand Avenue.
· You expressed serious concerns about youth violence in your community. We listened – and implemented the County’s ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System in the community, to reduce incidences of gun violence. The system has just been updated to include reactive video cameras in targeted locations. This technology serves as a powerful law enforcement tool that will help further combat gun violence and provide assistance in the prosecution of offenders. ShotSpotter has already reduced gunshot incidences by approximately 90% in the covered area, and is paid for using asset forfeiture dollars.
· Each year, funding has been included to help communities like Roosevelt continue to address the needs of first time homebuyers.
· We’ve also allocated funding to continue making improvements along Nassau Road, with new commercial facades and enhanced streetscapes, to attract shoppers.
· We helped make sure that our state-funded substance abuse treatment program in Roosevelt continued providing services, despite being devastated by a serious fire.
UNIONDALE
Mangano awarded to the community, $400,000 in CDBG funds, to improve the Family Dollar Shopping Center (on Nassau Road between Southern Pkwy and Uniondale Ave) with new storefronts, streetscaping, new parking lot and public access walkways.
DPW projects in Uniondale – under Mangano’s tenure, have included improvements on Uniondale and Brookside Avenues; flashing lights at the Roosevelt Firehouse and speed indicators at Centennial and Covert/Hewlett Schools. The department has also done resurfacing to Earl Ovington Blvd., in Uniondale and began building a Bicycle and Pedestrian Pathway along Charles Lindburgh, Earl Ovington, James Doolittle and Quentin Roosevelt.
The County Executive has, several times, attended Uniondale town hall meetings at Grace Cathedral and civic association gatherings with the Nostrand Gardens Civics and others – bringing with him his various department heads to answer any questions or address any concerns from residents.
Last year Nassau saw robberies and burglaries decrease 90% over the prior year, in the area – and all major crimes in the 1st precinct down between 35% and 57%.
The County is helping to fund a new nursing home building at the former Holly Patterson site – part of a $600 million, 5-year project plan to create a Village for Healthy Living on the 68-acre campus. The project, funded by Nassau University medical Center and a group of outside investors, is expected to create 1,000 construction jobs and 800 new permanent jobs.
Nassau County Office of Emergency Management has deployed one of its Disaster Response Trailers, packed with emergency shelter supplies, in Uniondale – in the Nassau Coliseum parking lot.
Tuskeegee Airmen Way was dedicated in Uniondale after our nation’s heroes.