LOWER EAST SIDE — Century-old neighborhood organization Grand Street Settlement on Friday unveiled a bevy of safety improvements to its community center, thanks to $40,000 in state funding.
The community center at 80 Pitt St. is newly equipped with additional cameras, surveillance equipment, and exterior lighting to make the building and the surrounding area safer.
State Sen. Dan Squadron, who helped allocate the funding, joined Grand Street Settlement and NYCHA representatives on Friday to unveil the improvements to the center, which every year serves 13,000 community members with programs and services for seniors, youth, and children, said the group's executive director.
“A brighter, safer and more secure building means our Lower East Side Hub will continue to serve as a platform to strengthen this community," said executive director Robert Cordero. "Big thanks to Senator Squadron for working with NYCHA to implement these much-needed upgrades."
The upgrades include the replacement of 16 existing security cameras and the addition of nine new ones, the replacement of non-working exterior lights with new floodlights, a new flat-screen monitor connected to the cameras and a DVR system to record the surveillance, according to a spokesman for Squadron.
