Mayor Walsh Highlights School District News, Black History Month

Published on February 18, 2022

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh’s February community briefing, held on February 17, shared COVID-19 updates and job opportunities; highlighted SCSD News, CNI Grant application submission; honored Black History Month

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh held his monthly briefing on Thursday, February 17. You can watch the full briefing here.

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COVID-19 Update
According to the Onondaga County Health Department, as of Monday there were 80 active cases of COVID-19 in the City of Syracuse.  That’s down from more than 3,800 at the time of our last briefing.  We haven’t seen a report lower than this since last July. Mayor Walsh highlighted that there are two important notes about this number: with the growth in home testing, we expect the actual numbers are higher, and the County Health Department notes this data is based on the number of people who are within five days of their positive test, meaning this data pool was collected differently than the prior month. It reflects the anticipated decline in Omicron, but while it appears we’ve gotten through this phase, COVID-19 has shown it can be unpredictable.

Looking at regional data reminds us that we are still not where we need to be in this pandemic. The overall positivity rate is 6.1% regionally, compared to 2.8% statewide.  The Central New York and Finger Lakes regions have the lowest hospital bed capacity in the state at 10% available beds and Intensive Care Unit availability statewide averages 19%, while regionally we’re averaging 11% bed availability. This data shows our hospitals are still experiencing strain and our infection rate is not where it needs to be.

We need to be ready for what comes next with the pandemic.  And we still need to protect our hospital system. We all should still be taking the responsible precautions – most important, getting vaccinated or boosted. As we remain vigilant and take precautionary measures, the City has received a new supply of at-home test kits from the State, with more anticipated in the near future. Early next week we will announce the specifics of a distribution plan that will include:
– a large senior living center;
– vulnerable populations in two City neighborhoods – Washington Square and Eastwood; and,
– walkup distribution events at City Parks’ Community Centers and City Libraries.

We will share details as soon as they are available.

ARPA-Funded City Rent Relief
As many tenants and landlords are still struggling with unpaid rent issues, Mayor Walsh reminded the community that the rent relief program for City of Syracuse residents, funded with American Rescue Plan dollars is still open. This rent relief program is targeted to community members with a gross income between 81% to 100% of the area median income – people who have not qualified for other programs but have still face serious financial strain due to the pandemic. For a family of four, that’s a family income that could range between $64,000 to nearly $80,000. For more information, visit OnGovRentHelp.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you will find the City of Syracuse rent relief section.

Syracuse City School District (SCSD) Graduation Rate Rises Again
On Wednesday, February 16, the New York State Education Department released some very important news for SCSD. For the third straight year, the school district saw an increase in its graduation rate, reaching another historic high. Among the Class of 2021, 77.2% earned a high school diploma after four years – compared to 70.7% of students in the Class of 2020 and 64.5% of students in the Class of 2019.

For the second consecutive year, the District also saw an improvement in the graduation rates of English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and students of color. This is an amazing accomplishment at time but especially given the challenges of the pandemic. Mayor Walsh shared congratulatory messages to students and their families, City teachers, staff and administration, as well as Superintendent Alicea and the Board of Education.

Connecting the Old 15th Ward – Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Grant
Deputy Mayor Owens shared an update on another major milestone: this one involving the neighborhood south of the downtown often referred to as the Old 15th Ward. Deputy Mayor Owens has led and effort with the Syracuse Housing Authority, submitting the massive Connecting the New 15th Ward Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant application late last week. The Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant is HUD’s premier “place making” neighborhood program.

City of Syracuse with SHA as co-applicant has submitted a grant application for $50 million to comprehensively invest in the neighborhood, requiring a minimum of 6:1 investment match in public and private capacities. Blueprint 15 is a key community partner. This grant application is part of reimagining a 118 acre neighborhood adjacent to an obsolete, elevated interstate viaduct, I-81, where over 1,000 units of public housing are currently located.  The goal is to create a mixed use, mixed income neighborhood where families – especially children – thrive and have genuine hope for successful futures and expectations that they will make important contributions to the world around them.

Deputy Mayor stressed that the key to interrupting generational poverty is the alignment of three pillars: quality, affordable, mixed income housing; best in class cradle to college educational pipeline; community health and wellness. This 10-12 year phased construction process creates over 1,400 units of new housing as well as a multitude of neighborhood amenities.

Job Opportunities
Mayor Walsh and Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner shared new job opportunities for Syracuse residents. Syracuse Surge is our strategy for inclusive growth in the New Economy, and part of that effort is Syracuse Surge: Careers in Coding. Mayor Walsh shared that sign-ups are underway for a 24-week free coding boot camp, offered through the Hack Upstate Careers in Code program, at CareersinCode.org. This program is one of many Syracuse Surge workforce training opportunities available to city residents – see all of what is available on our Syracuse Surge partner, Centerstate CEO’s, website at centerstateceo.com.

Police Chief Buckner also highlighted that the Police Department is recruiting. Recruitment personnel strive to develop and maintain a racial and ethnic composition within the Department that mirrors the demographic composition of the City of Syracuse. Sign up for the next Civil Service Police Exam by February 22; the exam will take place April 9, 2022. For more information, call (315) 442-5227 or email recruitment@syracusepolice.org.

Black History Month
February is Black History Month – an important time for our city and nation to honor the contributions of Black Americans. Mayor Walsh highlighted that the City is featuring heroes and heroines to this community online with Syracuse #BlackStories.  So far, we’ve honored Dr. Sarah Loguen, one of the first woman black physicians in our nation; Judge Langston McKinney, the esteemed city court judge for whom McKinney Manor is named; Libba Cotton, the great blues and folk musician, and there are more tributes to come. You can find their full stories in this Our City blog.

Mayor Walsh also shared that this Saturday, the SU basketball game against Boston College honor Emanual “Manny” Breland, offering half-time honors for the Syracuse basketball great and local community legend. Mayor Walsh will declare Saturday, February 18, 2022, Manny Breland Day in the City of Syracuse as he shares the proclamation at the game.

Manny Breland, who was born in the 15th Ward, was a star SU player who led the Orange to its first NCCA berth and the Eastern Finals. More important, as the proclamation reads, “Manny Breland is known throughout Syracuse and beyond not just as a scholar-athlete with a legacy of service, but as a mentor, role model, father and friend.” If you’re going to the game, don’t miss half time; if not, Mayor Walsh encouraged taking time to remember and honor Emanuel “Manny” Breland (1934-2021).

Full briefing available here: https://fb.watch/beuPvRdX_P/

With heavy snow expected for morning commute, Mayor urges drivers to avoid unnecessary travel

Syracuse N.Y. – With a major snow storm moving toward the Northeastern United States and a Winter Storm Warning going into effect for Central New York, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh issued a Snow Safety Alert for the City of Syracuse effective Thursday evening into Friday afternoon.

“Like much of the Northeast, Syracuse is going to get hit with heavy amounts of snow in the early morning hours of Friday that will continue through the morning commute,” said Mayor Walsh. “Following heavy snowfall in the morning, a potential change in conditions by midday could bring sleet and ice on top of the existing snow, so we urge residents to commute with caution and only if necessary until the storm passes. This Snow Safety Alert is asking all our residents to help us get through this major snow event safely.”

The local alert advises drivers to be prepared for hazardous road conditions; reminds residents to obey odd-even parking regulations; and urges property owners to clear their sidewalks and around fire hydrants. Information on snow safety in the City of Syracuse is available at http://syrgov.net/snowsafety/. Residents are encouraged to use the City’s live Snow Plow Map on the Snow Safety page to gauge real-time road conditions throughout the event to make informed decisions before venturing into snowy conditions.

The Snow Safety Alert provides two important reminders to city residents to help keep roads and sidewalks passable:

 1. Property owners are required to clear snow from sidewalks on their properties and around fire hydrants. Keeping sidewalks as clear as possible during the storm and cleaned up immediately after the snow ends helps keep pedestrians off roads. The Syracuse Fire Department asks residents to clear a three-foot area around and a path to fire hydrants near their property. The Supplemental Sidewalk Snow Removal Program will clear about 100 miles of city sidewalks. Residents can view and download the map of sidewalks that will be cleared by the City in the Sidewalk Snow Removal section of the Snow Safety page. Even in these areas, residents are responsible for keeping their sidewalks clear.

 2. Observe alternate side parking rules and park cars off street whenever possible.DPW plows need to be able to access streets in order to clear them. Syracuse Police will be ticketing and towing vehicles that are illegally parked.

The City has identified priority streets for focused parking enforcement during snow events. These streets were selected using city data, including the percentage of multi-family dwellings, the width of the street, and other elements contributing to increased on-street parking. The list also includes streets known to be problem points for plow drivers:  

Residents are advised that seasonal odd-even parking restrictions will be enforced on certain downtown blocks. Signage marking the parking changes and listing the hours for alternate parking is in place in the following areas:

100 & 200 blocks Erie Blvd. E.
100 & 200 blocks E. Water St.
100 & 200 blocks S. Warren St.
300 & 400 blocks S. Warren St.
300 block of Montgomery St.
100 & 200 blocks Madison St.
100 & 200 blocks E. Jefferson St.
100 block W. Jefferson St.

Registered vehicle owners found in violation of the restrictions will be subject to ticketing and towing. For more information on downtown parking options, including options for overnight parking, please see the Downtown Parking brochure or contact the Downtown Committee at 315-422-8284 or mail@downtownsyracuse.com.

City residents can call Cityline at 315-448-2489 to report other snow related concerns or to make service requests. For all emergencies, the public should call 911.

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