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Q&A
Discussion on codifying NYC's cooling center program
0:22:27
·
124 sec
Council Member Keith Powers and Christina Farrell discuss the core aspect of the proposed bill to codify cooling centers in NYC. Farrell provides an overview of the existing cooling center program, highlighting its long-standing operation since the late 1990s and the current availability of over 600 facilities.
- The cooling center program has been operating since the late 1990s
- NYC currently has over 600 cooling center facilities
- The program relies on partnerships with libraries, older adult centers, and community centers
Keith Powers
0:22:27
Thank you.
0:22:28
Thanks for the testimony.
0:22:30
A lot of time, I understand the air quality in the part of it, like, an inordinate amount of time spent on that.
0:22:36
So I wanna just talk about the cooling center piece of it, and then we can talk about the air quality piece of it.
0:22:42
The bill, at the heart of the bill, is to codify cooling centers here.
0:22:46
Yes, there's the air quality piece of it, too.
0:22:48
We can debate and discuss that.
0:22:49
But as a standalone, codifying the cooling centers in the bill as we're trying to do.
0:22:56
Can you just give me your feedback on that piece of the bill, set separate setting aside the air quality piece of it?
Christina Farrell
0:23:02
Sure.
0:23:03
We have we've been doing the cooling center program in the summers since the late nineties and it is, you know, one of our standard programs.
0:23:18
We as everyone has said here, we know that people are vulnerable.
0:23:21
We have fantastic partners.
0:23:23
All of the libraries, the older adult centers, community centers, know, partners that we've brought in.
0:23:31
And so we stand by that program.
0:23:34
We are very proud that, know, last year at the beginning of the season we had over 600 facilities that were signed up.
0:23:41
Obviously not every facility is open every day.
0:23:44
But by contrast, in the city of Chicago, they opened six cooling centers across the city when we're opening hundreds.
0:23:53
As we said in 2020, the extensive legislation was passed.
0:23:58
We now put a plan on our website.
0:24:00
We update it every year.
0:24:01
We have over the last couple of years been able to change the cooling center finder from a just in time application to something that is 20 fourseven.
0:24:10
So even today when it's cold out, people can go on and they can look and plan if they want for the summer.
0:24:17
So, you know, we feel like a lot of what is covered in the bill is already covered by our daily operations and by the 2020 legislation.
0:24:26
But for the cooling center part of the bill, you know, we don't have any serious roadblocks.