Neighborhood Chatter: Pols and Residents Rally for LMCCC

Lower Manhattan residents and politicians like City Council Member Margaret Chin, Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin and Community Board 1 Vice-Chair Catherine McVay-Hughes, rallied Monday, April 9, to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to provide the Lower Manhattan Construction Command (LMCCC) with the staff and resources to fulfill their mission. According to a release distributed by Chin's office, since 2004, the LMCCC has served as a point of contact for Lower Manhattan residents to obtain information and solve quality of life issues related to construction. LMCCC provides daily construction updates and email alerts to Lower Manhattan residents and holds meetings to update stakeholders and elected officials on the status of major and minor construction projects. LMCCC also conducts visits to construction sites to monitor noise levels, reports on air quality and helps elected officials address constituent complaints and works with city agencies and private developers to mitigate construction impacts in Lower Manhattan. LMCCC has helped mediate between the community and developers on major construction projects including the Fulton Transit Center, World Trade Center, Beekman Tower and 130 Liberty St. At the end of 2010, Cuomo signed a three-year extension to the executive order that created the LMCCC. In January 2012, Cuomo announced the downsizing of LMCCC and plans to let go all but three full-time staff members. It is unlikely that LMCCC will be able to maintain its current level of service with reduced staff and resources.