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Council Discourse

NYC Council meetings, chaptered and linked by time.

Created by Uzair Qadir

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Q&A

CM Justin Sanchez questions OMB on 21 sanitation workers for the Hub and Hunts Point Produce Market

New York City Council · Jun 9, 2026 · starts 3:27:52 · 2 min 18 sec

Sanchez raises maintaining 21 sanitation workers for Third Avenue Hub given new charter schools and the opioid crisis, and asks about the Hunts Point Produce Market contract deadline. Solomon offers to work with DSNY on Hub staffing. DiStefano reports $130 million in city capital and $505 million in grants for the produce market.

Justin E. Sanchez

and making sure that we have the actual tools to make sure that once we're fully in containerization, that New Yorkers are then not just bombarded with sanitation trucks all over their streets because there's no place to put them.

Justin E. Sanchez

Speaking of sanitation workers, the previous administration had put in a one-time funding for 21 sanitation workers in the heart of the hub, Third Avenue.

Justin E. Sanchez

It is the second most visited place in the city of New York after Times Square on a daily basis.

Justin E. Sanchez

The current administration just approved a third charter school within three blocks, adding over 1,000 new students.

Justin E. Sanchez

And so really understanding where the conversation is with maintaining these 21 sanitation workers to ensure that as we're continuing to build out the hub, that we actually have the ability to

Justin E. Sanchez

clean the hub, given that in addition to all of that, it is the center of the opioid crisis in the city of New York.

UNKNOWN

Yeah, so I appreciate that, Council Member.

UNKNOWN

I think that we'll work with the department to figure out what the overall resources are that are devoted.

UNKNOWN

We understand that that was a particular area of focus that the department had in the past.

UNKNOWN

We'll understand fourth levels and understand how we could work towards that goal.

Justin E. Sanchez

Thank you.

Justin E. Sanchez

That's super important.

Justin E. Sanchez

Thank you.

Justin E. Sanchez

Do we have time for one more question?

Justin E. Sanchez

Quick, quick.

Justin E. Sanchez

And finally, the Huntsville Produce Market.

Justin E. Sanchez

This administration has made a concerted effort to really talk about food insecurity and food access with the expansion of the community grocery stores.

Justin E. Sanchez

However, the produce market, which feeds much of the eastern seaboard, is in the middle of a contract negotiation in which if they don't get it signed with the city by June, we lose our produce market.

Justin E. Sanchez

So has there been any conversation with adding more additional funds to the produce market and being able to make sure that we don't lose a vital critical resource for our city?

UNKNOWN

I'm happy to look into that further and talk to EDC about that.

UNKNOWN

Yeah, yeah, okay.

Patrick DiStefano

There's $130 million in city capital in the Huntsville produce market, and we're expecting

Linda Lee

$505 million in other grant resources, including $230 million from USDOT.

Farah N. Louis

Thank you.

Farah N. Louis

Thank you.

Linda Lee

Okay, Lewis followed by Brewer.