Contact:Sunny Mindel/ Edward Skyler (212) 788-2958
The Office of the Mayor, the Regional Plan Association and the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion tonight hosted a "Community Conversation" to discuss what the City is doing to ensure a smooth entrance into the Year 2000. The forum, moderated by NewsChannel 4's Tim Minton, took place at the John Jay College for Criminal Justice.
This forum was designed to provide citizens with information about the Y2K readiness of government agencies and key service providers. New York City's Deputy Mayor for Operations, Joseph J. Lhota, began the program by updating the progress of the City's plan for the Year 2000 and then opened a town hall discussion on the "Y2K bug."
"Our Y2K preparations began in 1996 and since then all of the City's agencies have been working very hard to correct and test their computer systems," Deputy Mayor Lhota said. "New York City has become a nationally recognized leader in Year 2000 readiness and I anticipate a smooth transition into the new Millennium."
City Commissioners, Federal officials and representatives from entities such as Bell Atlantic, Consolidated Edison, and the Greater New York Hospital Association answered questions from attendees and explained how utilities, transportation authorities, banks and health care networks are preparing for January 1, 2000.
John Koskinen, Chair of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, also participated in the forum. The Council is participating in similar meetings in other cities. "I am pleased that more and more localities are coming together in Community Conversations to help citizens better understand the Y2K challenge," Mr. Koskinen said. "These conversations are an ideal forum for the progress that has been made, what the risks are and what further steps need to be taken in light of those risks."
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani created the City's Year 2000 Project in November of 1996. Since then, it has become a frontrunner on Year 2000 approaches and has been contacted by jurisdictions across the country seeking guidance on Y2K preparation. Brian Cohen is the Executive Director of the Year 2000 Project Office.
For more information on Y2K, look at the City's Web Site at www.ci.nyc.ny.us/y2kinfo. This fall, the City will launch a Y2K phone hotline so that residents can receive answers to specific questions.