Church Avenue Targeted In Mayor’s New Clean Streets Campaign

If you live or work along Church Avenue, it’s hard not to notice the litter that scars sections of it. City officials say that they plan to tackle the issue more aggressively.

Last week, Mayor de Blasio announced that Church Avenue will be one of six commercial corridors in New York City targeted by CleaNYC, a new initiative that includes the expansion of Sunday and holiday litter basket collection service, additional highway shoulder and ramp cleanup, stepped up anti-graffiti efforts, and sidewalk power washing in commercial corridors.

“New Yorkers want to see clean streets, sidewalks and public spaces – and they deserve no less,” said Mayor de Blasio.

“Whether it’s the highway shoulders and ramps…the residential neighborhoods…the commercial corridors that are the heart of our local economy,” de Blasio added, “CleaNYC will keep communities clean and improve quality of life, a priority for this administration.”

In addition to Church Avenue, the City will be focusing on Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island, the Downtown Flushing Transit Hub in Queens, Jerome-Gun Hill in the Bronx, along with Broadway (on the Upper West Side) and 125th Street in Manhattan.

CleaNYC will cost taxpayers $4.2 million in expense funds in Fiscal Year 2017, and $2.5 million in capital funds, the Mayor’s Office said.

As part of CleaNYC, we should see the following on Church Avenue:

· The City will expand its Graffiti-Free NYC Program and also add power washing of sidewalks. Graffiti-Free NYC will remove graffiti from private and public structures, and remove blight from street furniture. The new Graffiti-Free NYC trucks will be equipped with power inverters, and run gas-free.

· The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will expand Sunday and holiday litter basket collection by 40 percent.

· The DSNY will also expand highway shoulder and ramp cleanup. Church Avenue has significant highway exposure. There is a six-lane connection with the Prospect Expressway at the intersection of Church Avenue and Ocean Parkway.

Do you think there is excessive litter in our area? Can more be done to address it?