Mayor Sheehan launches 'Restart Albany'
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan on Friday announced an expanded hiring effort to help clean local parks, streets, and sidewalks.
“It has been exactly one year since the first two cases of COVID were diagnosed in Albany County. Immediately, our City employees stepped up in herculean ways to continue providing essential city services when our residents and businesses needed it most—but we also know we had to scale back some of our typical efforts to ensure we remained fiscally solvent as the previous federal administration put airlines and Fortune 500 companies ahead of our frontline heroes. That’s why it is fitting that today, as vaccinations ramp up and our entire nation works to end this pandemic, we announce this new effort to mark a new beginning in Albany," Sheehan said in a statement. "Our best days are truly ahead of us.”
The new "Restart Albany" initiative from Sheehan follows Pres. Joe Biden’s signing of the American Rescue Plan while vaccine numbers grow. The citywide reset will:
- Add employees to the Department of General Services (DGS) to clean parks, streets, and sidewalks
- Add employees to the Department of Recreation to run a summer youth programs
- Encourage neighborhoods and communities to organize cleanups
- Ensure building and regulatory compliance
- Creates a COVID Recovery Task Force
Those interested in applying for positions in DGS or the Department of Recreation should check out listings online or apply in person by visiting DGS Headquarters at 1 Conners Boulevard. Neighborhood groups and community leaders can request supplies and support—tools, gloves, bags and trash collection—for clean-up efforts from DGS by visiting the department website or calling (518) 434-CITY.
The COVID Recovery Task Force is co-chaired by Jahkeen Hoke, the executive director of the Business for Good Foundation, and Mike Whalen, a vice-president at M&T Bank. Its stated goal is making sure the city distributes resources from the American Rescue Plan to residents, businesses, and community organizations fairly and strategically. The task force aims engage every sector of the city to reopen businesses, prevent evictions, and strengthen local nonprofits.