MICRO-APARTMENT DESIGN WINNER ANNOUNCED
New Yorkers are used to living in tiny apartments, but the shoebox is about to get even smaller. Last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the winners of the “My Micro NY” apartment design contest. The winning designs, by a team from Monadnock Development LLC, Actors Fund Housing Development Corp. and nARCHITECTS, feature 9-to-10-foot ceilings and somewhere around 300 square feet of space. Almost half of the 55 micro-units, which will be built on East 27th Street, will be available at an affordable price.

“New York’s ability to adapt with changing times is what made us the world’s greatest city,” the mayor said when announcing the winner. “And it’s going to be what keeps us strong in the 21st century.”

The space includes ample storage, a tiny kitchen with a full-size fridge and a living/sleeping area. The building itself is a part of Bloomberg’s program adAPT NYC. Construction will begin in the fall.

CORNELL TECH CAMPUS COMES ONE STEP CLOSER
The proposed high-tech Cornell NYC campus for Roosevelt Island is one step closer to fruition. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer approved the plan last week under a few conditions. The brand-new tech campus is designed to attract students of science and technology and will feature energy-efficient buildings and new degrees like the Master’s of Engineering in computer science. The project, with residential, commercial and academic buildings, is expected to be completed by 2037.

But Stringer did approve the project with some stipulations: He wants to create a community advisory board, expanding the red bus line and expanding the hours of the open campus space.
The new tech campus is part of a citywide plan to help foster New York’s growth as an incubator of technology and innovation.

“The proposed project will have significant benefits to New York City as it will expand our ever-growing tech sector,” Stringer said.

HISTORY BUFFS REJOICE!
The 59th annual Winter Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory at 67th Street and Park Avenue is now under way, and runs until Feb. 3. The show will feature 73 exhibitors with wares from Ancient Rome to mid-century Americana. The show will, as it usually does, benefit the East Side House Settlement in the South Bronx. Tickets are $20. Don’t miss “Young Collectors’ Night” on Jan. 31, featuring cocktails and a private viewing of the show.

FIGHTING HEART DISEASE IN WOMEN
On Friday, Feb. 1, Lenox Hill Hospital is offering free screenings for cholesterol, blood pressure, calcium scores, glucose, BMI and vascular health. Visitors can also sample heart-healthy snacks and check out free yoga demonstrations. At the Einhorn Auditorium, 131 E. 76th St., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

There has undeniably been a spate of gun violence in New York City as of late. Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilmembers Fernando Cabrera and Jumaane Williams have announced their decision to launch the CeaseFire program, with the aim to reduce city gun violence.

The CeaseFire program is a  “public health model designed to reduce and prevent incidents of violence across the City.” It was designed in cooperation with the City’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, created last fall. The Force intends to release its full report soon.

Quinn called CeaseFire “an innovative approach to preventing gun violence that draws on the strength of our communities, and focuses on both rapid responses and early prevention.”

“We believe this initiative will complement the work of the NYPD and help save lives,” she said.

The program was developed from a model of “violence interruption and personal engagement,” and has been in the works for the past year, while the Force analyzed various safety and prevention approaches and practices. CeaseFire employs a model of immediate response, based on fostering relationships in the community and avoiding retaliation. Essentially it involves implementing a system wherein outreach counselors arrive immediately on scene in the wake of gun violence and try to build and nurture community bonds through peaceful means and dialogue.

Councilmember Williams said: “Our reward will hopefully be the sons and daughters of this city who we see walking our safer streets, rather than lying on them.” He acknowledged nonetheless the City still has a long way to go toward this ideal of safety.

The program will be implemented, with Council funding, in two neighborhoods determined most in need—the South Bronx and South Jamaica, Queens. A pilot program will also be implemented at Richmond University Medical Center to analyze a hospital-based approach.

“Our work in Crown Heights has demonstrated the positive impact that broad-based community-based collaboration can have in fighting the scourge of gun violence,” said Alfred Siegel, deputy director of the Center for Court Innovation.

The City’s Department of Health will fund two other programs in Harlem and East New York in conjunction with the City Council’s project.

—Alissa Fleck

I was pleased last month to convene an important and exciting conference that brought together uptown business owners with representatives of Washington federal agencies. The purpose of the event was to provide useful information on everything from writing effective business plans to competing for government contracts.
More than 250 small business owners representing many different sectors and sizes packed the April 10 sessions, which provided them with a unique opportunity to not only hear but network with highlevel representatives of federal agencies. More than 150 participants took part in smaller breakout sessions that covered critical topics, including
accessing capital and government contracting.
Karen Mills, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, lauded those in attendance as “the backbone of our economy and America’s greatest strength.” I couldn’t agree more. David Hinson, director of the Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency, and his staff provided detailed information about accessing alternative sources of financing and growing client bases. I thank them all.
I also commend my friends in the leadership of the uptown business community: Walter Edwards, president of the Harlem Business Alliance, Lloyd Williams, president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, and Ken Knuckles, president of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. Their contributions made the conference possible.
For those with the entrepreneurial spirit, this is a critical time of challenge and opportunity, particularly for small businesses. President Barack Obama often speaks of the vital role of the private sector in growing the economy and creating jobs. The boutiques, restaurants
and retail establishments of all kinds that are proliferating in our community are a part of that movement. They are making the baby steps that soon will help walk the country out of the economic doldrums.
That is why the president is pushing for initiatives that will help small business owners and entrepreneurs to grow. My recent business conference was a way of bringing home the president’s message, while making available to our entrepreneurs some of the tools and resources needed to expand their businesses or start new ones. Democrats in Congress are fighting intense Republican opposition to our efforts to strengthen the nation’s economy. Briefly, our proposals would provide incentives to invest in business, to ease access to capital, and reward companies that create more jobs in this country. At the same time, we must beat back Republican efforts to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and education while showering millionaires with more massive tax cuts.
As former chairman and now the most senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, I’ve been involved in similar struggles. At the beginning of his presidency, I helped President Obama to enact the historic health care law and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—the so-called Stimulus Act—which saved the economy from total collapse. The law also reduced payroll taxes for middle- class people and extended unemployment benefits for jobless workers.
These benefits, along with the Earned Income Tax Credit—which I had earlier spearheaded to enactment—are among the most important federal government safety nets deployed during the recession.
Even during these difficult times, it is impossible to miss the positive changes that have transformed the appearance of our congressional district. The 125th Street corridor is bustling like never before; scores of new retail establishments, restaurants and a major new hotel have enlivened the area and made Harlem a residential and tourist destination.
Much of the credit for the renaissance should go to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, the economic development and jobs project which I authored and spearheaded to enactment in the 1990s.
Upper Manhattan was selected as the site of one of the local projects, armed with $300 million of federal, city, state and private funding. I give all credit to the Zone and the many leaders of the community, academia and private sectors who have contributed to its work, itsleadership and imagination.
The Empowerment Zone is responsible for creation of at least 9,000 jobs in Upper Manhattan. And more than any other single institution, it has encouraged national retailers and small entrepreneurs to take a chance on Upper Manhattan.

As you may know by now, our congressional district has been extended into a portion of the South Bronx and renamed the 13th Congressional
District. I am running for reelection to represent my old and new constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives. I truly believe I can continue to help President Obama while improving the lives of my constituents in the newly drawn congressional district better than anyone else.

Congressman Charles Rangel represents the 13th Congressional District including part of the Upper West Side.