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Q&A
Capital budget allocation for DOHMH accessibility upgrades
0:59:52
ยท
116 sec
Council Member Linda Lee inquires about the capital budget allocation for DOHMH accessibility upgrades. Deputy Commissioner Julie Friesen explains that while she doesn't have the exact total budget figure, a significant portion is dedicated to improving accessibility in their facilities.
- Most of the capital budget is allocated to making buildings accessible during renovations
- Three new ADA-compliant buildings, including a public health lab, will open in 2026
- Animal shelters in The Bronx and Brooklyn are also being built or renovated with accessibility in mind
Linda Lee
0:59:52
Okay, and just out of curiosity, so not that funding is the only indicator, but I feel like depending how much money is in the budget it is at least one indicator to show how the agency is prioritizing the needs.
1:00:07
And so out of the could you I don't know if you have the answer to this, but do you know what the total capital budget is for DOHMH facilities and then what percentage of that is actually being dedicated to upgrading a lot of the facilities to be ADA compliant?
Julie Friesen
1:00:24
I will have to get back to you on the total number for our capital budget right now, but I can tell you essentially, I would say all of it is allocated to making our buildings accessible because every time we renovate, we bring them up to standards, you know.
1:00:42
We do have, and you'll see it in our update to our plan I think, which is coming out in early May, but we have three new buildings that will be opening in 2026 and they will all be ADA compliant.
1:00:55
One of them is a new public health lab on the campus of Harlem Hospital.
1:01:00
And it's a large building, it's going to replace our existing building, which is across from Bellevue Hospital.
1:01:08
It will be state of the art and fully accessible.
1:01:11
And that project comprises the majority of our capital budget right now.
1:01:17
We also have a couple of projects.
1:01:20
We do a lot of things.
1:01:22
We have a couple of animal shelters will be opening in 2026, a big one in The Bronx, a new one, and we're renovating the one in Brooklyn right now, and it will be opening.
1:01:33
They will be accessible as well.
1:01:35
In this past couple of years we renovated the Staten Island Animal Shelter, it is now accessible.
1:01:42
So basically all of our capital projects have this in mind.
1:01:46
Okay, perfect, good to know.