Community Magazine October 2012

Help Points Coming to 102 Subway Stations After the completion of a successful pilot at two Manhattan subway stations along the LexingtonAvenue Line, MTANew York City Transit will be bringing Help Points to 102 stations as part of the current 2010-2014 Capital Program. Designed to be both highly visible and easy-to use, these digital, instant communications devices will offer customers immediate access to assistance and information with the touch of a button. For the first time, customers on the platform level of subway stations will have immediate access to the station booth and personnel at the Rail Control Center. Units will be positioned and spaced for easy access and high visibility. Created specifically for the subway environment, with a bright blue beacon light that will pulse when the unit is in action, the Help Point is designed to be an easily recognizable communications tool for customers who need to either report an emergency or ask for travel directions. A green button on the Help Point connects riders to the booth and a red button, linked directly to the Rail Control Center is to be used in the event of emergency. The eventual plan calls for the installation of the Help Points in all of the system’s 468 subway stations, replacing the Customer Assistance Intercoms units currently in use. Each Help Point is individually addressable, so that in the case of an emergency, personnel at the Rail Control Center will be able to pinpoint exactly where in the station the call originated. Not only will the new Help Point units improve response times, but the digital audio will provide much clearer sound than is available from the customer assistance intercoms used in subways now. Governor Lets Employers Deduct from Paychecks Anew law signed by NewYork Governor Andrew Cuomo authorizes employers to make pretax wage deductions for gym dues, daycare and food owed to the company. State labor law had previously only allowed withholdings or deductions for taxes, insurance and retirement. Assembly sponsors felt that the current law restricts employees from being able to deduct from their paychecks employer goods and services. 9/11 Memorial is Grand But Costly During its first year, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center hosted during its first year approximately 4.5 million visitors, who toured the reflecting pools and underground museum. The memorial foundation estimates that once the $700 million construction project is complete, the facility will cost $60 million annually to operate, a price that may require increased government funding. This estimate far exceeds the operation costs of other national landmarks. Gettysburg National Military Park only costs $8.4 million each year to operate, the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor runs at $3.6 million, and Arlington National Cemetery, with over 14,000 graves and 4 million visitors a year, costs $45 million to run. A fifth of the Sept. 11 memorial budget is spent on private security because of terrorism prevention, with visitors enduring airport-like security with armed guards. The fountains that mark the fallen twin towers cost at least $4.5 million to run each year. The museum, the site’s main revenue source, was supposed to be open already, but construction stopped because of a financial disagreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the land. The museum will include portraits of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, oral histories and artifacts. Golden Gets Free Flu Shots For Brooklyn’s Uninsured State Senator Martin Golden (R-C, 22nd District, Brooklyn) is working with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York to offer free flu shots for senior citizens, uninsured residents, and those for whom the Health Department recommends the annual vaccine. Free flu shots will be available by appointment only on Thursday, October 4, 10am to 2 pm at the Bay Ridge Manor; Tuesday, October 9, 10am to 2pm at 294 Avenue T; and on Wednesday, October 10, 10am to 2pm at the Salt Marsh Nature Center at East 33rd Street and Avenue U. For an appointment, call Senator Golden’s office at (718) 238-6044. Life in the Big City 90 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE