Community Outreach Lessens Construction Impact
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

"Dust, noise, and heavy equipment are intrusive but common elements of construction," warns an advisory concerning work on the reconstruction of 47th Avenue posted on the New York City Department of Design and Construction Web site.

It's a fact of life in New York City- infrastructure is constantly under repair. Sewer, water main and roadway work all have major impacts on communities because the construction they bring involves noise, dust, and heavy machinery.

If that's not enough, parking is often disrupted, water service is temporarily turned off, and traffic is rerouted. Residents want to know what is being done, when it will be done, how they will be affected, and when it will all end.

Sybil Dodson, director of the Community Outreach and Notification Unit of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) presented the procedure for community outreach at the November meeting of the Queens Borough Cabinet.

Community outreach is DDC's way of mitigating the impact of construction on neighborhoods. The first step is the quarterly list of infrastructure projects DDC sends to community boards, providing detailed information on upcoming projects.

Next, DDC prepares and distributes project brochures for neighborhood residents, businesses, community boards, civic associations and other local institutions. The brochure describes the scope of the project, the project's sequence of activities, and gives the names and phone numbers of staff and construction personnel who can be called to answer questions and solve problems associated with the construction project.

Then there are meetings. DDC staff attend community board meetings to explain the project and answer questions. The community board is also invited to a meeting with DDC prior to the start of construction. At this meeting, the community board is informed about the project schedule and meets the project staff. Members have the chance to raise issues of concern or problems they see with an opportunity to correct them before construction begins.

The community board can also request a walk-through of the project area at any time before the start of construction. The DDC staff person on-site who is directly responsible for the status and progress of the construction is typically the Resident Engineer (RE) assigned to the project.

Beginning in the Fall of 2007 DDC is reconstructing 47th Avenue in Long Island City (HWQP 168). The year-long, $6 million project will include work on road construction, pedestrian ramps, sidewalks, curbs, distribution water mains, hydrants, combined sewers, catch basins, traffic lights, street lighting, trees and landscaping along 27th Street and 30th Street, from 47th to 49th Avenues/Hunters Point Avenue and 47th Avenue from Skillman Avenue to 30th Street. The work will be conducted weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.