Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his staff today returned to a renovated Bullpen in City Hall after a two-week relocation to the Office of Emergency Management headquarters in Brooklyn. During that time, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications assisted in a renovation of the Bullpen that included wiring upgrades and technology improvements that will enhance the efficiency and productivity of the Mayor’s Office. In addition, the relocation allowed the Mayor’s Office to test its Continuity of Operations Plan, and during the test the Mayor’s Office and the City responded quickly and effectively to last week’s steam pipe explosion in Midtown. The Mayor also unveiled a 103-inch High-Definition Plasma television – the largest such television on the market today – donated by Panasonic. The Mayor was joined by Joseph Taylor, Panasonic Corporation of North America’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and other Panasonic executives at the re-opening. 
 
“New York’s City Hall is the oldest and longest-serving city hall in the nation, and this desperately-needed renovation has given the building new life – making our office safer, more efficient and more technologically advanced,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Panasonic has been a great corporate citizen, and I would like to thank them for their generous donation. I also want to thank the Office of Emergency Management and the great borough of Brooklyn for their hospitality over the last two weeks.”

“It is a great honor for Panasonic to have the flagship of our market-leading 1080p Plasma HDTVs be a part of New York’s City Hall,” said Panasonic’s Joseph Taylor. “Just as this cutting-edge display provides amazingly sharp, crisp video for entertainment purposes, it is also a great way for the city’s leaders to share remote video and other data vital to the safe and secure operation of the city’s systems.”

The renovation included necessary wiring upgrades that will improve the reliability and efficiency of the Bullpen. Work over the last two weeks included:

• New electrical panels were installed. 
• Portions of the floors were rebuilt to make them more structurally sound.
• The information technology infrastructure was upgraded to enhance performance and redundancy. New voice and data switches were installed, and data cables were upgraded and rerouted directly to each desk.
• Verizon revamped its City Hall infrastructure and moved equipment from the NYPD men’s locker room to a data center in the basement. 
• New phones were installed at each desk allowing for improved Ethernet connectivity.
• New desks were installed, replacing the previous government-surplus desks installed when the Bullpen was first created. 
• The windows were repaired and the air conditioning duct system was expanded and improved so that the room will be cooled more efficiently.
• The walls were repainted, and ceiling leaks and cracks were fixed. An area of damaged plaster that posed a safety hazard in the north-east corner of the bullpen was replaced.
• A new carpet was installed, replacing a tattered, old carpet that posed a safety hazard.
• Work began on opening a closed staircase between the basement and the first floor, which will allow for easier movement around City Hall.

The cost of these improvements and upgrades was approximately $627,000.

The Mayor today thanked the individuals whose planning and hard work made these improvements possible, including: Illiana Aponte, Gene Berardi, Ron Bergmann, Paul Caruso, John Castellaneta, Girish Chhugani, Damaris Colon, Paul Cosgrave, Ray Creighton, Matt Curatola, Walter Curry, Joe Del Senno, David Dimitri, Eric Feldman, Susan Hart, Paul Herszdorfer, Martha Hirst, Kip Hodges, Henry Jackson, Ed Jeffers, Tim Kane, Philip Kelly, David Krulewitch, Vicki Metzger, Gail Miller, Jeff Minnier, Jamal Othman, Mary Padavano, Sammy Perez, Alex Rivera, Jean Ross, David Sheehan, Nanette Smith, Jackie Snyder, Joseph Sorrentino, Paula Sortino, George Sultana, Noel Troche, Steve Vigilante, Joe Wagner and Jonathan Werbell.

Panasonic’s 103-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV – the world’s largest High Definition Plasma TV on the market today – will help the Mayor’s Office monitor news and information. In addition to television channels, the screen will display 311 call statistics and video feed from NYC TV’s City Drive Live traffic cameras.

“It is wonderful to see New York’s City Hall moving so quickly to utilize the world’s most advanced flat panel displays for its information display and video needs,” said Tom Campbell, Panasonic’s technology adviser to the project. “City Hall has set the standard for high-technology implementation in the municipal space.”

The oldest City Hall in the nation that still houses its original governmental functions, New York’s City Hall is considered one of the finest architectural achievements of its period. Constructed from 1803 to 1812, City Hall is a designated New York City landmark, and its rotunda is a designated interior landmark as well.