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NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

and others have participated in the program. The Executive Budget includes one additional CD-funded position to assist in the administration of the Micro-Enterprise Programs.

Through outreach and technical assistance services, the City Business Assistance Program (CBAP) helps businesses in their interactions with other City agencies. CBAP agents also help businesses avoid summonses by advising them about local stoopline, sanitation and vending regulations. Over the past five years, CBAP agents have assisted over 9,300 businesses. Through the Mayor’s Anti-graffiti Task Force, CBAP agents have worked intensively with local groups to help remove graffiti from commercial building facades in Harlem and Washington Heights in Manhattap, Hunts Point and Soundview in the Bronx, Bayside in Queens, Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, and Port Richmond in Staten Island.

The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of CBAP works directly with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management to respond to businesses affected by disasters occurring in the five boroughs. The ERU provides businesses with timely updates on building reopenings, facilitates the resolution of matters affecting day-to-day business operations, and compiles evidence to support business claims for assistance due to economic injury. Thus far, ERU his provided critical assistance for over 50 major disasters, including the Times Square scaffolding collapse, the West 109th Street fire and the Bronx Starling Avenue fire that consumed nine small businesse.s in October 1999.

r In January of 1995, portions of Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx were designated an Empowerment Zone by the Federal government, entitling the City to an additional $100 million in Federal aid over ten years. Both the City andNew York State have committed funds matching this investment. These funds facilitate a variety of economic development initiatives by local development corporations and community-based organizations.

i Working in conjunction with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, DBS has developed an economic development initiative to improve the business climate on Fulton Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. The Executive Budget includes $3 million in 2001 and 2002 for the following commercial revitalization efforts on Fulton Street: supplemental street cleaning, graffiti removal, improvements to street lighting, the creation of a matching grant program for storefront and facade improvements, the development of an on-going merchants association, the creation Of a master plan for streetscape improvements, and the design of a marketing plan to attract new retail and service businesses.

Through a contract with DBS, NYC & CO. receive? City funding for its efforts to establish and maintain the City as the premier convention center and to publicize and advertise the City’s institutions and various opportunities for all visitors.; In the past year, NYC & Co. has successfully implemented programs such as Paint the Town Red and Park and Ride Wednesdays. The Executive Budget includes funding to match additional private sector support tp expand existing programs, create new programs such as the Retail and Bridal Promotion Programs, and produce items such as foreign language brochures and maps.

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