Second Avenue Community Thanks Public Advocate Gotbaum

Giuseppe Pecora, owner of Delizia Pizzeria and a leading member of the Second Avenue Business Association, sent a letter last week to Public Advocate Gotbaum. He thanked her for her continued support, and for her office's recently released survey, which confirmed that construction of the Second Avenue subway is causing severe damage to business along the construction corridor. In the coming months, Gotbaum will continue to push for enactment of her recommendations--such as emergency grants to small businesses, tax abatements for landlords, among others. Mr Pecora's letter is reprinted below.

Dear Ms. Gotbaum:

It was both a pleasure and a desperately needed morale boost for the suffering community to have met you.

As you noticed on Friday, we support the Second Avenue Project. But it shouldn’t be built at our expense only. This project desperately needs leadership, and communications between business owners, contractors, tunnel builders, the MTA, the Department of Buildings and Sanitation.

Up to now, it is clear that if we don’t stand up for ourselves, city agencies will not give us the services that would minimize the overall community impact. Businesses and tenants have had phone services interrupted for days; disruptions in delivery services; thousands of dollars in losses. Blocks of car traffic is closed without notice.

Ms Gotbaum, we need your support. More than ever do we have a fighting chance to survive and save our community.

Thank you,

Giuseppe Pecora