Community Magazine June 2012

NYC Bike Share Begins This Summer New York City will soon have the country’s largest public bike sharing system. The new program, which is slated to begin in July in Manhattan and Brooklyn, is being run in collaboration with Citi, which is providing $41 million in funding. Around 10,000 bikes and 600 bike docking stations will be set up, operated by Alta Bicycle Share, and will be available 24/7. The project will create 200 jobs, and will cater to the 50 million annual tourists to NYC, and New Yorkers who need to make short trips. Bike sharing makes transportation more efficient for short trips that are too far to walk. Mastercard is also sponsoring the initiative with $6.5 million. The solar-powered, wireless docking stations can each accommodate between 15 and 60 bikes. Annual membership costs $95, less than the cost of a single monthly unlimited Metro Card. Ten dollar single day memberships and $25 weekly memberships will also be available. Members are entitled to unlimited use of the system for bike trips of up to 45 minutes, with a graduated fee for longer trips. Brooklyn Scammers Pose as County Clerk State Senator Martin J. Golden is alerting Brooklyn residents of two scam attempts involving the solicitation of personal information for fraudulent purposes. A local resident recently reported a phone call from someone claiming to work for the Kings County Clerk’s Office threatening that failure to provide personal information would result in the termination of their Social Security benefits. The requested information included a marriage license, and when the local resident refused to give the requested information, the person left a telephone number to return the call which was affiliated with the County Clerk’s office. Another area resident reported door-to-door visits from people claiming to be part of Verizon. Both offices have been notified of the attempts. Elderly people are especially at risk from fraud attempts, which result in fake credit card accounts, withdrawn money from banking accounts, and credit rating problems. Tax Free Home Improvements People who make improvements to their homes to accommodate senior relatives or disabled people now qualify for a property tax exemption. The recent bill passed in the New York State Senate and was sponsored by Senator Martin Golden. Homeowners will be able to add extensions to their homes without having to pay higher taxes resulting from increased property assessments. Senator Golden announced that the legislation is important to assist families caring for their elderly or disabled relatives. The move also saves taxpayer money by encouraging homeowners to accommodate their elderly and disabled family members in their homes, rather than have them live in state-subsidized facilities. Coney Island Wonder Wheel Going Green The iconic Ferris wheel at Coney Island, Wonder Wheel, is turning 92 this year and is going to enter the 21st century with an environmentally-friendly upgrade. The new additions, at a cost of $70,000, include a solar panel that will light up the corners of each car and give it the look and feel of how it was first built. These lights were removed nearly 30 years ago over safety concerns about riders’ exposure to electrical wiring. The Wheel will also include special handmade light bulbs that take an hour each to assemble and almost an entire workday to affix on each of the 16 cars. Another feature at Coney Island – the 262-foot tall parachute jump, a.k.a. “Brooklyn’s Eiffel Tower” – will be getting a $2 million upgrade from the city, as well. Life in the Big City 90 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE