Building Congress Event
Construction Industry Breakfast Forum
PINSKY: CITY WILL FIGHT FOR COASTAL NEIGHBORHOODS
New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky made it clear to the attendees of an April 16 New York Building Congress forum that the Bloomberg administration will not forsake the residents and businesses that populate the City’s 520 miles of coastline.
“We’re going to fight as a City for our coastal neighborhoods, especially those that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy, because we not only believe we have a moral duty to those who suffered the most, but also because we believe that those areas provide us with a laboratory for trying to develop best new practices,” Mr. Pinsky told the more than 350 industry leaders assembled at the New York Hilton.
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Mr. Pinsky used his presentation to provide a preview of the findings and recommendations from the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency, a Mayoral task force he is leading. Mr. Pinsky said that a report is currently being prepared and will be released by the Bloomberg administration in late May.
“Our goal is to protect as many people as possible with the resources we have, and to make sure we’re thinking about this in a multi-layered fashion – so that it’s not just coastal defenses but also making buildings, critical systems and infrastructure more resilient,” he continued.
The City, he added, is not just focusing on the threat of Hurricanes but on all the potential impacts arising from climate changes, including major downpours, heat waves, drought and risks associated with rising sea levels.
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Prior to Mr. Pinsky’s presentation, attendees heard from former Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch, who is serving as Chairman of the New York Building Congress Task Force on New York City Storm Preparedness, which was created to coordinate the building industry’s response to Sandy.
The mission of the task force, Mr. Ravitch noted, is to give local and State government the benefit of the building community’s collective expertise. “The Building Congress wisely decided to put together a group of professionals to see what their expertise might offer the recovery that is going on. We believe we have a contribution to make as to what the priorities ought to be.”
Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson added that the task force is currently working on its own report and recommendations, which he expects to be released in June.
