Community Magazine May 2003

New York City Parking & Sanitation Schedule Life in the Date Occasion Garbage * and Recycling Alternate ** Side Parking Parking Rules May 26, Mon Memorial Day Suspended Suspended Suspended May 29, Thurs Observance As scheduled Suspended Normal June 6-7, Fri-Sat Shavuot: First/Second Day As scheduled Suspended Normal MTA Bridges and Tunnels New Toll Information Effective 3:00 AM, Sunday May 18, 2003 Passenger vehicles, SUVs, station wagons, self-propelled mobile homes, ambulances, hearses, vehicles with seating capacity of not more than 15 adult persons (including driver) and trucks with a maximum gross weight (MGW) of 7000 lbs and under must pay $8.00 cash or $7.00 by E-ZPass for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge which is under a one-way charge collection program $4.00 in cash or $3.50 by E-ZPass for Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Queens Midtown Tunnel, Triborough Bridge , Throgs Neck Bridge Water Going Up Homeowners who swallowed an 18.5 percent property-tax hike in January had better brace for a 6.5 percent increase in water and sewer bills. That was the preliminary new rate proposed yesterday by the Water Board. If adopted in May, it’ll be the second year in a row that water costs have gone up by 6.5 percent. The new rate would take effect July 1. Despite the boosts, officials said water here remains a bargain, with the average single-family homeowner spending $499 a year of 100,000 gallons. Sanitation Fines Increase on June 1st Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty announced that effective Sunday, June 1st, the fines for several Sanitation code violations, such as failure to sweep sidewalks and 18 inches into the gutter, will double to $100 each. The affected codes are part of the New York City Administrative Codes and the rules of the City of New York. Recently, the Department received approval from the Environmental Control Board (ECB) to increase the minimum base fine from $50 to $100 for the affected sanitation codes. Commissioner Doherty said: “Upon returning to the Department, I requested a review of our enforcement policies and penalty sched- ules. We found that the Department had not increased the minimum base fines for more than ten years, during which time our operational costs and the additional responsibility for training and expansion of the enforcement division had dramatically increased.” The changes do not require City Council approval because the increased amounts requested were within the statutory range for each violation. *Garbage: Residents who are normally scheduled for collection on the day of a holiday should place their trash out at curbside on the holiday evening for collection. Some residents will experience a dis- ruption of on-time household collection service. Recycling : Residents who are normally scheduled for recycling col- lection on the day of the holiday will not receive service that week. They should place their recyclables out at curbside the following week on their regular day of service. ** For snow and other emergencies call 212 or 718 CALL DOT (225-5368) to get an update of parking rules for a particular day. Automatic Meter Reading Having an actual meter reading for gas consumption is ideal, but scheduling a meter reading into our busy day is not. Thanks to the technology of Automatic Meter Reading (AMR), you can have accurate, actual readings without the wait or inconvenience of a meter reader. For a one-time equipment and installation charge, Keyspan will provide a device that attaches to your meter and sends readings automatically, either by radio signal or telephone. For most residential customers, the one-time charge is only $72.60 plus tax. For the largest business customers, the charge varies depending on the complexity of the installation work. Keyspan will examine the site and provide a free quote prior Cell Phone Ban A tough new law restricting the use of cell phones in the city went into effect on April 13 banning the use of mobile phones in “any indoor theater, library, museum, gallery, motion pic- ture theater, concert hall or building in which theatrical, musical, dance, motion picture, lecture or other similar per- formances are exhibited.” Passed by the City Council, which overrode a veto by Mayor Bloomberg, who said the ban was unenforceable, the law carries a fine of $50 for offenders who are caught and cited. The legislation was first proposed by theater owners whose patrons complained of cell phones