Crowd Jeers As Elected Protect Their Interest in Atlantic Yards
Amidst much jeering and booing, NYS Senate Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee conducted a public hearing at Pratt Institute to ascertain the status of the Atlantic Yards/FCR project, March 29, 2009. Bill Perkins (30 SD, Manh.), committee chair and the sole committee member present, St. Senator Velmanette Montgomery (18 SD, Bk.), Martin Golden (22 SD, Bk.), Karl Kruger (27 SD, Bk.), and St. Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (57 AD, Bk.) were present to hear testimony of five panels.
While Senator Montgomery and Assemblyman Jeffries’ presence were due to the project being in their respective catchments areas and Senator Kruger is the Finance committee chair, Martin Golden’s presence was questionable. Senator Golden isn’t a committee member and represents Brooklyn neighborhoods Gravesend, Bensonhurst and Gerritsen Beach. Sen. Montgomery remarked that Golden “showed disrespect toward his colleagues,” after he asked for “the public hearings to stop.” Absent were Forest City Ratner representatives.
The hearing’s purpose was to watch out for the public’s interest in the progress of a massive project involving the Empire State Development Corp. and the Metropolitan Transit Authority State of New York. Jeffries stated, “The Atlantic Yards Project bypassed the ULURP procedure, received $400 million from New York State, $200 million from the City and eminent domain approved to expedite land assembly to make way for luxury housing, an arena and commercial space.”
When asked what kept construction from starting, ESDC executive director Marisa Lago explained it was financial constraints; however, neither ESDC nor MTA applied for stimulus money (ARRA 2009), whose application deadline is June 24 2009.
Hakeem Jeffries served his constituency handsomely by asking the MTA why it hadn’t collected all or most of the $100 million up front from FCR, given its recent proposal to raise fares, defer maintenance and cut bus routes. Rather, the MTA agreed to accept allotment payments and can’t commit to holding fares to the increases that go in effect June 28, 2009.
Jeffries other questions concerned activating construction trade training, raising the present 10% allocation for affordable condominiums (195 units) and getting affordable rental and condominium housing constructed (2,445 units) constructed during Phase I.
Other panels included Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance, and the Independent Budget Office. BUILD COO Marie Louis asked “the elected to work with us to make the community benefits agreement enforceable.” The CBA is not a contract; rather a deal between FCR and the community. ESDC and MTA are not included or accountable for its execution.
Labels: Atlantic Yards Project, Brooklyn, Forest City Ratner, gentrification, NYS Senate
Ratner Rally And Opposition
In the face of the nation’s economic downturn and rumor of the Nets basketball team sell off, Atlantic Yards backers chose Brooklyn Day, June 5, 2008, for a show of strength. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, union leaders, the elected and others carpeted Brooklyn Borough Hall steps that face the Supreme Court Building. Community Benefits Agreement Chair Dee Hunley-Adossa warmly invited speakers to the podium.
Speech content ranged from glowing memories of the Brooklyn Dodgers to jubilant prospects of jobs to searing threats to critics of Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards Project. Curtis Sliwa described Brooklyn as “the emerald in the crown” and said, “Brooklyn needs the Atlantic Yards Project.” IronWorker Union Local 34 president pointed to “15,000 union jobs and 3,000 sustainable jobs as reasons to convince all opposition to step aside and let this project happen.” Sal Zarzana of the Carpenters Union Local 926 informed the crowd “all union members present lost three hours of pay to attend the rally.”
The crowd was predominantly Black adults and children with a sprinkling of Whites. Black senior citizens covered the benches. School children flanked the speakers at the podium. As large as the crowd was only one small food pushcart gave away free hot dogs. NYS Assemblyman Karim Camara asked, “Are you ready to bring basketball to Brooklyn?” He followed with, “We have a project that has significant provisions for housing for people like you and me.”
NYC Councilmen Lewis Fidler and Dominic Recchio spoke in favor of basketball, jobs and housing. They urged dissenting council members to join the bandwagon. Councilwoman Darlene mealy proclaimed herself “a union baby.” She named David Yassky, Hakeem Jeffries and Tish James as project blockers. Mealy declared, “If Tish James won’t build it, then we’ll knock her out of office…we have to think about who we vote for. If they’re not doing things in our favor, we have to get rid of them.” Upon hearing this statement, St. Senator Eric Adams who was absent from the rally responded, “This is the same idea we have for those elected that agree with using eminent domain for Atlantic Yards.”
Across town and hours later, Community Board 8’s Housing/ULURP committee met at the Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation to deliberate on the same matter. Committee Chairwoman Nizjoni Granville read eleven points for inclusion in a letter of inquiry to FCR and the Empire State Development Corp. from CB 8. Claims of “no business when the arena is dark” were heard. Peter Krashes who lives within the projects footprint explained “the project is being done in two phases where the arena and commercial space are in Phase I. Housing construction is in the second phase and its estimated completion is in 2018. City and state government have no measures to hold FCR accountable to completing Phase II.”
Eminent domain was used to shorten the project from a 20-year timetable to a 10 – 12 year process. The community is concerned that a great portion of the project area is cleared, though it will be ten years before constructions occurs. Present at the meeting was ESDC Ombudsman Forest Taylor who affirmed that the state reimbursed FCR $105 million for assembling the site. Though invited, FCR didn’t send a representative to the meeting.
Labels: Atlantic Yards Project, Brooklyn, FCR, gentrification, Ratner
NYC Admin for Children Services Has Centers at Each Other's Throats
A November 2007 letter from ACS Commissioner Robert Mattingly says all center- and family-based providers have until April 30, 2008 to be enrolled to license capacity—no excuses. Publicly funded childcare services all over the city face closing, sponsor board merging or sharing space with other centers if they can’t meet the goal. This situation is similar to the closings and mergers experienced by public high schools. ACS Office of Child Care and Head Start keeps centers abreast of enrollment status by sending monthly counts. Childcare is a major employer in NYC. Closings affect thousands of low- and moderate-income families and childcare staff.
Here in the Gowanus community, it has become a competitive situation. Centers use various tactics to meet the goal. Some centers with infant care instruct new families to move their preschoolers from their current care providers to theirs in order to get service for their babies. “This is disruptive for the preschoolers and reduces our numbers,” states an unnamed local center worker. Some providers resort to low rating other centers and suggesting the possibility of religious instruction at certain publicly funded centers. The fact is ACS-funded programs can’t provide such instruction. Communities experiencing gentrification have racism and classism rearing their heads. Centers that have operated for decades in a community now are questioned about their innovation and ability to care for children from more affluent families.
Bethel Baptist Day Care Center, a 35-year-old community institution, made changes in teaching staff and, now, boasts of NYS certified teachers and assistant teachers who passed the NYS Assistant Teacher examination. “We focus on continuous quality improvement in teaching, nutrition, sanitation, safety and recreation,” says Carlene Smith, Bethel’s education director. “Our staff distributes flyers throughout the area to families, local schools and community centers. We’re proud of their commitment.” Rather than take the low road, Bethel Baptist Day Care Center gets prospects from current and past families.
Rising above competitiveness, all centers agree that the new requirement for single parents to petition for child support and reduced staffing within ACS Resource Areas are major obstacles. Day Care Council of NYC has publicly raised these issues in recent months. Centers like Bethel will hold open houses and extend a year-round invitation to spend the day in classrooms to judge quality for yourself.
Labels: Brooklyn, childcare, children, gentrification, Gowanus, racism
