Category: What’s Happening This Month

From the Citizens Committee for New York, courtesy of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce: 

Small businesses, vital to the fabric of their neighborhoods, will receive grants of up to $10,000 to maintain payroll and operations. We will prioritize businesses owned by people of color, immigrants, and women, businesses that have the greatest need and minimal access to resources, as well as those that modify their operations slightly in order to remain open during the pandemic (i.e., hire delivery workers, increase inventory, or make modifications to provide product pick-up). CitizensNYC has cultivated the infrastructure, expertise, and community knowledge to help struggling New Yorkers directly. Our relentless commitment to empower even the hardest-to-reach New Yorkers has built a reputation that we will now leverage as we embark on this new grant program.   Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Apply here  https://www.tfaforms.com/4842203

From the NYC Dept. of Sanitation:

By preparing for snow,  we can keep Open Restaurants going strong all winter long. The NYC Dept. of Sanitation (DSNY) has been training to remove snow on streets with Open Restaurant structures. Protect your patrons, staff and property:

Use snow sticks to increase visibility of your Open Restaurant.  

Be prepared to consolidate and remove items when a Winter Operations Advisory or Snow Alert is issued.

Watch for two levels of advisories: Winter Operations Advisory;  Winter weather is possible.

• Roadway dining may continue, but take steps to protect your patrons, staff and property.

• DSNY may spread salt and/or brine to prevent freezing. nyc.gov/dsny | NYCsanitation sanitation Snow Alert:

• One or more inches of snow are possible. • Roadway dining MUST CLOSE by the time indicated in the Alert. • Remove or secure furniture, and remove electric heaters. Remove the tops of your structures if possible.• Remove snow and ice from your sidewalk. If you’re on a corner, clear a path to crosswalk. • Do not to block fire hydrants. • It is illegal to push snow into the street. Snow may be placed at the curbline, against the building, or on private property. • DSNY may begin spreading salt and/or brine on the roadway up to 48 hours before an Alert begins.

 NYC Restaurant Owners— What’s your Plan?  If the forecast calls for 12” of snow or more, remove or consolidate your structures, including barriers, to take up as little space as possible. This makes plowing easier and protects your property. The City will announce when the snow alert is over and in-street dining may safely resume.

Sign up for snow alerts and updates via nyc.gov/Notify or @NotifyNYC on twitter.

From the Office of Counsel to the Mayor:

Can we have an in-person holiday party at a restaurant or catering hall? Yes, outside red and orange cluster zones,  But attendance is limited.  Outside cluster zones: No more than 25% of the maximum occupancy or 50 people, whichever is less.  In yellow zones: No more than 25% or 25 people, whichever is less, with a maximum of 4-people per table.

Are outdoor, winter markets open this year? Yes. If you are going, you must adhere to social distancing and face covering requirements.

There will be COVID testing centers on November 27–29 from 9am–4pm on the corner of Randall and East Tremont.

From the NY State Liquor Authority, to State liquor license holders:

10 P.M. Curfew for Bars, Restaurants and Liquor Stores – Effective November 13, 2020 We are writing to thank you for remaining vigilant in complying with the important COVID-related public health requirements, and to remind and reaffirm to you that pursuant to Executive Order 202.74, effective Friday, November 13, 2020, New York State has imposed a new, statewide 10:00 PM curfew related to food and beverage service due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ON PREMISES SERVICE: All licensees with on-premises privileges (e.g. restaurants, taverns, clubs, catering halls, manufacturers with tasting rooms, etc.), must cease all on premises service (indoors or outdoors) of food and beverage at or before 10:00 PM daily. All such licensees must also ensure no consumption of food and beverage (indoors or outdoors) after 10:00 PM and that no patron remains in or enters into any interior portion of your premises at or after 10:00 PM. Licensees with on premises privileges may still provide food and non-alcoholic beverages for curbside or take-out window pickup or for delivery after 10:00 PM. Alcoholic beverages may not be sold for pick up or delivery at or after 10:00 PM, daily. No patrons should be at a licensed premise after 10:00 PM for any reason other than to pick up food or non-alcoholic beverages, and then only from an exterior point on the premises. Businesses may reopen for on premises service at 5:00 AM daily, and may resume alcohol sales based on the hours in the county where they operate, or the hours stipulated under the approved license – whichever is later. See county opening hours here.

LIQUOR AND WINE STORES: Additionally, all liquor stores and wine stores must cease all off-premises sales (including delivery and pickup) and close by 10:00 PM daily. Liquor and wine stores operating in counties where the county has restricted the closing hours earlier than 10:00 PM. must continue to abide by these further restrictions. See county closing and opening hours here.

For many years, local residents and businesses have hoped that a permanent evergreen tree would be planted at Derosa O’Boyle Triangle (Dewey Avenue between East Tremont and Edison.) The spot is where many community holiday events have occurred. The Throggs Neck BID has accomplished that goal! Working with the Parks Department, a tree will soon be planted there.

Will your business have any special holiday sales, discounts, programs or events? Let the BID know! We will do all we can to get the word out. 

The private security firm hired by the Throggs Neck BID responded to several significant incidents over the past weekend. Congratulations and thanks to Madison Security for helping the BID make our neighborhood safe.

Starting October 19, 2020 enforcement of the New York State Plastic Bag Ban and Paper Bag Fee will begin. Stores will be penalized for distributing single use plastic bags and must collect a 5-cent fee on paper bags. Please help us notify your constituents to use a reusable bag, wash it often and keep our environment clean. Visit nyc.gov/bags for more info or share our posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

If you would like a shipment of reusable bags for distribution, please complete the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/DSNYBagDelivery. Delivery may take a few weeks. 

HENRY A. EHRHARDT 

Director 

Bureau of Community Affairs 

NYC Department of Sanitation 

646-885-4503| nyc.gov/sanitation 

hehrhardt@dsny.nyc.gov 

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