The City of Syracuse plans to officially implement a very strict lead ordinance in 2022 to ensure the paint in homes built before 1978 are remediated to prevent youth from being poisoned. The ordinance passed by the Common Council during the summer of 2020 also holds landlords accountable to ensure they remove any lead paint so it won’t sicken children or affect their learning or development.
During Mayor Ben Walsh’s recentState of the City Address he announced the city is on track to spend $4.5 million in ARPA funds for the program.
”We’re taking other major actions to improve safety and the quality of housing. 2022 will bring full implementation of the Lead Ordinance spearheaded by Pres Hudson and Councilor Driscoll. The pandemic created delays but, thanks to the leadership of Code Enforcement Jake Dishaw and his team, we’ve continued progress over the past year.”
The city has been awarded an additional $2 million for the program from the CNY Community Foundation. The grant is one of many the organization hasfocused on to address quality of life issues. VP of Community Investing Frank Ridzi says the goal is to help ensure child lead poisoning in Syracuse is at least reduced or eliminated altogether.
“We really need to be vigilant as a community to make sure that housing is safe before youth move in. Even as people who are considering have a child move in… before they move-in, we need to inspect make sure that those housing units, those apartments are safe.”
Join us on January 26th to hear from Dr. Indu Gupta of the Onondaga County Health Department, @Syracuse1848 Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens & more. Dr. Chris Bolt from @waer883 will moderate. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event. https://t.co/kFRyn14aJT
— Central New York Community Foundation (@CNYCF) January 7, 2022
Ridzi adds the CNY Community Foundation is excited to know the lead ordinance will be enforced through a multi-pronged approach.
The Community Foundation will host the virtual event: Lead Poisoning in CNY: Progress and Challenges this Wednesday starting at 8:30 a.m., moderated by WAER News Director Chris Bolt. Information and registration for the free event can be found on CNYCF's events page.
