Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson delivered her 2nd Annual State of the Borough Address at Cardinal Hayes High School in the auditorium named after Bronx legend and Bronx Walk of Fame inductee Regis Philbin, on April 18, 2024. The borough president outlined major accomplishments that include an investment of over $35 million in education and over $8.9 million in capital allocations to public and private health facilities.

 

Gibson also addressed economic development initiatives, including the community-driven reimagining of the Kingsbridge Armory, where, as reported, a fire broke out two days after the borough president’s address, on April 20, the Bronx Economic Development Corporation’s $10M Community Advantage Loan program, as well as housing initiatives to combat New York City’s current housing crisis. Click here to read about the $200 million in funding previously announced for the project by City and State officials in August 2023.

 

“The Bronx is the blueprint for how you overcome adversity and years of history disinvestment to then come back stronger than ever before,” said Gibson. “With these strategic investments in our schools, healthcare infrastructure, affordable housing, and economic development, we are equipping our communities with the tools to be successful. We look forward to our continued partnership with our Bronx Economic Development Corporation, Business Initiative Incorporated of New York, Bronx Tourism Council, colleagues in government, community partners, and residents who are helping to move our borough forward.”

The borough president highlighted the following initiatives that have taken place across the borough to date:

Healthcare:  

• $6 million in healthcare funding for a new GE ultrasound machine & 3D mammography system for Gotham Health/Belvis ($400,000);
• new medical beds at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln ($1 million);
• two new 3D mammography units at Montefiore Medical Center ($800,000);
• a nuclear medicine camera at St. Barnabas Hospital ($400,000); and more; and
• in conjunction with her LGBTQIA+ Task Force and HIV Roundtable, her advocacy for legislation to increase STI testing in at-risk communities and for increased access to PEP and PrEP to combat high rates of new HIV diagnoses among Black and Latino New Yorkers.

 

Education:  

• her push for the opening of a new Bard High School Early College in The Bronx where students can earn both a high school Regents diploma and an associate’s degree; and
• an investment of more than $35 million in education for coding & robotics equipment, smart boards, A+ STEM labs, laptop computers & carts, 3D printers, microscopes, library upgrades, STEAM technology, a life skills classroom that simulates an actual apartment with a bedroom, kitchen, and living room for students with additional needs, and other projects to combat the digital divide in The Bronx and equip Bronx youth with the tools to be successful in and out of the classroom.

 

Housing: 

• an investment of $1 million for Phase I of Stevenson Square, a 117-unit affordable housing complex with 59 units of homeownership opportunities in the Soundview section of The Bronx; and
• an investment of $1million for BronxPro/Starhill Affordable Housing Development featuring 326 affordable apartments, including 200 homes with supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness.

 

Economic Development: 

• a $10 million Community Advantage Loan allowing new and existing South Bronx small businesses located within the Bronx Empowerment Zone the opportunity to apply for loans from $5,000 to $350,000;
• in partnership with the Bronx Economic Development Corporation, the launch of the $1 million Bronx Green Action Challenge with the New York Power Authority that asked Bronx colleges and universities to develop a sustainability project that would reduce their carbon footprint; and
• $1 million in grants for storefront enhancements along the 161st Street Business Improvement District (BID) to improve facades along the corridor.

Public Safety:  

• support of the “We Are the Bronx Fellowship Against Hate,” a consortium of leaders in government, nonprofits, and religious institutions to discuss actions to combat the rise in hate crimes in our borough;
• the relaunch of fire safety workshops in partnership with the FDNY and community partners with a focus on fire prevention targeting at-risk communities; and
• the launch of the “31 Days of Action Against DV” campaign in response to high rates of domestic violence in the borough to bring awareness to life-saving resources for domestic violence survivors.

 

Dr. Barbara L. Estrin is a member of “Not 62: The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx,” an initiative which aims to combat the fact that, as previously reported by Norwood News, the Bronx has, for over a decade, ranked 62 out of the 62 New York counties when it comes to healthcare outcomes, as recorded each year by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Estrin said this chronic situation contributed to the disproportionate effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on The Bronx, where the highest rates of deaths were recorded per capita.

 

Advocates have long campaigned to get the New York Health Act passed to cover all necessary medical care, including medical, prescription, vision, dental, hearing, long-term care and support services, mental health, substance abuse treatment, and reproductive care in one comprehensive plan, with the freedom to choose a provider, no more networks and no more co-pays.

 

Meanwhile, additional funding announcements during Gibson’s address included the following:

Economic Development:  

• as above, a $2 million investment into the Kingsbridge Armory; and
• grants available for small businesses participating in the BX Factor initiative.

 

Healthcare:  

• support for a new Bronx Opioid Center to combat high rates of opioid-related deaths in the borough, as reported;

 

Education:  

• a new Middle School to open in Highbridge, named after the former assemblywoman and former Deputy Bronx Borough President Aurelia Greene, at 1302 Edward L. Grant with a focus on debate and experiential learning that will prepare scholars for high school and beyond;
• the opening of the first-ever Bronx STEAM Center with a focus on healthcare, life sciences, and analytical research using Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. The Bronx STEAM center will serve as a new public school in the Bronx, providing deep, high-quality, career-connected learning and training for juniors and seniors in a workplace immersive model that connects students, educators, employers, colleges, and community partners; and
• a new music studio at Community School 55, funded in part by the borough president during her tenure as a city council member, in partnership with NYC Public Schools, principal of C.S. 55, Luis Torres, and led by Windows of Hip Hop, to prepare students for careers in the music industry.

 

Back at Cardinal Hayes, concluding her address, the borough president said, “Together, we will continue to move the Bronx forward and focus on the important priorities that unite us and not what divides us.”

Click here to read about New Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’ call for a public power system.

Click here to read last year’s story on Gibson’s first State of the Borough address.