Economic Development

Jim Molinaro has made Staten Island a great place to do business. Throughout his career in public office, Jim has:

• Created the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC),

• Established ‘Empire Zones’ on the North Shore and West Shore

• Prevented ADCO Electric and Superior Chocolate from leaving the Borough. 
  
  

• Negotiated with the State to re-open New York Container Terminal, which had been shut for nearly 10 years.  Today, it is the largest container port in the State of New York.

As Borough President, Jim Molinaro:

• Brought Pratt Industries to Staten Island – the first manufacturing firm to locate in New York City in over 50 years. Pratt’s environmentally friendly facility has recycled millions of tons of waste paper and has created hundreds of well paying jobs.  Jim Molinaro also negotiated with the City to allow Pratt Industries to expand, adding another 100 new full-time jobs for Staten Island. 

• Revived Freight Rail service on Staten Island, connecting us to the Nation’s rail network and removing up to 90,000 trucks from our roads. 

• And successfully negotiated with State agencies to bring Staten Island Terminal to Mariners Harbor, a $50 million facility that will create 125 permanent jobs on Staten Island and inject up to $60 million a year into our State’s economy.

A strong local economy is one of the foundations of our community. Jim Molinaro’s Common Sense Leadership has made Staten Island a great place to do business and resulted in hundreds of quality jobs for Staten Islanders.

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Traffic and Transportation

Borough President Molinaro has delivered common sense traffic improvements throughout the Island, including:

• Large overhead street signs, “Next Signal” signage and new traffic signal arms to make driving easier and safer

• Dedicated bus lanes, center median turn lanes and a ban on left turns where there are no stacking lanes to improve traffic flow on Hylan Boulevard.

• Blinking stop signs that run on solar power, a first in New York City.

• Our Borough’s first Smart Light, located at the entrance to the College of Staten Island. 

• A new entrance to Miller Field on Father Capodanno Boulevard, giving park users greater access to Miller Field, and removing hundreds of cars from the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and New Dorp Lane. 

As Borough President, Jim Molinaro has taken an aggressive approach to improving our roads and intersections, including:

• New Left turn lanes and signals, including Clove Road and Howard Avenue, Steuben Street and Hylan Boulevard, among others.

• Capital projects to improve intersections, including Seguine Avenue and Amboy Road, and Victory Boulevard and Travis Avenue, among others.

• Greater cooperation with developers to improve our roads and intersections, including a new right turn lane at Victory Boulevard and Richmond Avenue, new right turn lanes at Victory Boulevard and Clove Road, and a new right turn lane at Amboy Road and Nelson Avenue

• Fighting the issuance of waivers, so we can widen and improve intersections throughout the Borough. Jim Molinaro successfully fought for two left turn lanes at the intersection of Midland Avenue and Hylan Boulevard, a badly needed improvement that required a tough stance on waivers.

Borough President Molinaro is also a strong proponent of Mass Transit:

• As part of Borough President Molinaro’s Charleston plan, the MTA is building a 3rd bus depot, which will improve service and expand bus routes on the South Shore

• Created four new park-n-rides at: Huguenot Avenue, Arthur Kill Road, Pleasant Plains and our most successful one at South Beach. Park and Rides encourage mass transit use, free up parking on residential streets, and remove thousands of cars off our roads.

• And Borough President Molinaro successfully negotiated with the MTA to create the S89 local bus service to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, vastly improving commutes to Jersey City and Manhattan.

By proposing and implementing common sense road and intersection improvements, taking a tough stance on waivers and improving Mass Transit, Jim Molinaro is delivering real solutions to improve the flow of traffic on Staten Island.

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Parks & Recreation

No one has done more to preserve and enhance Staten Island parks than Borough President Molinaro.  With over 12,000 acres of parkland, over one-third of Staten Island is protected and can never be developed.  

The results of Jim Molinaro’s commitment to our parks can be seen throughout Staten Island:

• A waterfront pavilion, visitor’s center and new trails at Conference House Park.

• The first City-built recreation fields on the South Shore as well as a handicapped accessible playground at Bloomingdale Park.
  
  
• An educational Nature Center and a new Recreation Center for the Greenbelt
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• Allocated $500,000 in capital funds for a new Visitors Center at Clay Pit Pond Park.

• Provided capital funding to build five new playgrounds in local parks. They are also designed so children with special needs can enjoy them.

• Prevented development and acquired properties as parkland, including Fort Hill Park, Chapin Woods and Blissenbach Marina.
  
  

• Leading the way in establishing the Mid-Island Bluebelt to preserve our wetland areas and relieve flooding.

• Provided $3 million in capital budget funding toward the purchase of the Goodhue Center property, saving it from development.

With the addition of Fresh Kills, Staten Island’s city, state and federal parkland now exceed 12,400 acres – that’s over one-third of the Island’s total land area! That’s one-third of Staten Island that can never be developed and will be preserved for future generations of Staten Islanders. Thanks to Jim Molinaro, now, more than ever, Staten Island is the “Borough of Parks.”

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Public Safety

Jim Molinaro works closely with our uniformed services to make sure they have the resources they need to keep our Borough safe and clean.  As Borough President, Jim Molinaro has provided funding for:

• All Terrain Vehicles, a Crime Prevention Van and a Mobile Command Vehicle for our Police Department.
  
  
  

• Brush Patrol Vehicles, a Marine Rescue Craft and a Major Emergency Response Vehicle for our Fire Department.

• And new salt spreaders, street sweepers and snow removal vehicles for the Department of Sanitation.

 
Our quality of life is a testament to the efforts of our uniformed services, and Jim Molinaro will continue to support our Police, Fire and Sanitation Departments in their efforts.

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Seniors

Borough President Molinaro has paid special attention to the needs of our Borough’s seniors.

• Year after year, Jim Molinaro has allocated funding for organizations that provide services for seniors, including the Saturday lunch program at the New Dorp Senior Center – the only such program in the City. 

• Borough President Molinaro’s Senior Pet Adoption program has successfully matched many Staten Island seniors with older pets needing a good home.
  
  

• Jim Molinaro has been involved in every major senior housing project on Staten Island since 1990.  Jim is working closely with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and Councilman Jim Oddo to create senior housing at Seaview, and has proposed the City’s first Senior Retirement Village in Charleston.

Jim Molinaro’s commitment to our seniors has helped improve their quality of life and increased their options to spend their retirement years here on Staten Island – close to family, friends and physicians.

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Health

Borough President Molinaro has also made improving our Health Care a top priority.

• Jim Molinaro was instrumental in establishing the Staten Island Heart Institute, so that Staten Islanders don’t have to go out of the Borough for life saving surgery. 

• Jim also played a role in bringing a state-of-the-art Veterans Community Health Center to Staten Island.

• And when Saint Vincent’s Hospital filed for bankruptcy, Borough President Molinaro worked closely with elected officials and community leaders to save the Hospital and create Richmond University Medical Center.
  
  

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Education

Jim Molinaro knows that children are 25% of our population, but 100% of our future. That’s why Jim has made improving education and recreation a top priority.

• Since 2002, Borough President Molinaro has allocated over $13.5 million in capital funds for improvements in our schools, including renovated school libraries, gymnasiums, and auditoriums. 

• Provided funding for new computers in 30 public schools on Staten Island, as well as for mobile science labs and over 200 smart boards, giving our students access to the latest technology.

• Worked closely with the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Education and the School Construction Authority to bring new schools to our Borough. Jim was directly involved in the creation of the Marsh Avenue Education Complex, which includes P.S. 58, I.S. 43 and two new High Schools.  With P.S. 15 converted into an early childhood center, and the former PS 44 annex set to reopen as PS 861, nearly 3,000 new school seats have been added to our Borough.
  
  

• New ballfields and playgrounds at our Borough’s Parks, and new and improved recreation centers, giving our kids fun and safe places to play, from St. George to Tottenville.

• Through a very effective public/private partnership between the Borough President’s Office, the Tisch Foundation and the Staten Island Advance, new artificial turf athletic fields have been built at 5 Staten Island high schools.

Improving our existing schools, opening new schools, and creating new recreational facilities  - Jim Molinaro’s Common Sense Leadership is ensuring that our Borough’s children have the resources they need for a bright future.

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