The completion of a NY Rising Community Reconstruction Plan is an important step toward rebuilding a more resilient community. Designed and driven by local communities, the plans account for specific needs, opportunities and strategies of cities, towns and villages throughout the State. Each locality is eligible for between $3 million and $25 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, as it implements new and innovative strategies that aim to establish a stronger and better future. NOTE: The NY Rising Community Reconstruction plans referenced on these pages are comprehensive planning documents created by and for the affected communities. For this reason, the documents describe projects that were discussed; however, not all of these were selected by the community as priorities to be funded.
Co-Chair. Daniel J. Ackerman is the Chief of Staff for the Alliance for Downtown New York, which manages the Business Improvement District for Lower Manhattan. Mr. Ackerman is responsible for the coordination of day-to-day project management as well as overseeing government and community relations. Mr. Ackerman was very active in Lower Manhattan’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy, staffing roundtables on disaster preparation and recovery organized by the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association. IN addition to his work at the Alliance, Mr. Ackerman is an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College in the Urban Affairs and Planning program.
Co-Chair. Catherine McVay Hughes was elected as the Chair of Manhattan Community Board 1 in June of 2012. Prior to serving as the Chair of the Community Board 1, Mrs. Hughes served six years as the Vice Chair and seven years as the Chair of the “World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee”. During her tenure, Mrs. Hughes worked with the private and public sectors and elected officials to encourage the World Trade Center site to follow green sustainability guidelines and to include Environmental Performance Credits. Mrs. Hughes has successfully advocated for NYC's emergency notification program that was originally piloted downtown before it was expanded throughout the City. Most recently, Mrs. Hughes spearheaded a report called "Emergency Preparedness: Lessons Learned from Superstorm Sandy", which was released in January 2013. The report made a series of recommendations for both the public and private sectors covering a wide range of topics from Communication, Evacuation, and Emergency Shelters to Housing Safety Precautions to Transportation to Schools to Utilities to Residential and Commercial Buildings to Small Businesses to Parks, Playgrounds, and Ballfields to Storm Surge Protection.
