|
|
 |
- SERVING HUNTS POINT, LONGWOOD, MOTT HAVEN AND SOUNDVIEW -

Community Views
Your Forum for Ideas, Comments, Information, and General Gripes.

Help Fight Cutback in Child Care (From Alicia Cortez)
(from Alicia Cortez: desmia95@hotmail.com)
My name is Alice Cortez, I am 32 years old born and raised in The Bronx by a single Puerto Rican mother. I am a hard working young mother of three children Destini 11yrs, Edwin 4yrs and Hannah 3yrs old. Currently my two young children Edwin and Hannah attend Ileana D. Rodriguez Day Care Center and my oldest daughter Destini attends the After School Program at the center but before attending the after school program Destini also, attended Ileana's Day Care. That means I have been a parent at Ileana's for eight years ever since it open it's door to our community. The reason that I am writing and reaching out to you The representative of The Bronx is because, we the parents of the after school program at Ileana's Day Care need your help to fight for this after school program to stay open. It is the only after school program in our community and we the hard working parents of The Bronx need this program open. I am reaching out to you for your help, guidance and support in the fight of our After School Program. It is really sad that not only Ileana's School Age Child Care but all the other ones that are under ACS will be closed if we don't stand up and fight. ACS has 133 center that provide service all year to our school age children that is about 5,700 school age children that will be left out in the cold no where to go. Please I am crying out to you for your help. I come to you as representatives of The Bronx and together with us we can fight and make a difference. Please come together and call Mr.. Bloomberg and tell him to keep our centers open. We always here our children come first, they are the future of our tomorrow. So lets show our children we care and that they are important to us.
We need to fight to keep all of our School Age Child Care Programs opened including Ileana D. Rodriguez Day Care which is located at 500 Southern Blvd and East 147th Street.
So please once again I reach out to our Bronx representative.
Posted by:
Joshua Brustein
Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Agreement
The following was presented on behalf of Bronx Voices for Equal Inclusion by Greg Bell, co-chair of Bronx Voices of Equal Inclusion, to Adolfo Carrion, the Bronx Borough President, on April 3 (a full list of those who signed onto the statement is at the bottom):
We are aware and appreciate the fact that you are working on a Community Partnership Agreement for the new Yankee Stadium development. In this regard a collaborative of concerned residents in Community Board #4 has organized to develop and present some recommendations for the agreement prior to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) Application goes before the City Council. Through these recommendations the collaborative seeks to preserve the health, welfare and integrity of our community. Our primary concern is the proposal to build the new Stadium on land currently occupied by Macombs Dam and John Mullaly Parks—two public parks heavily used by Bronx residents and others throughout New York City.
The collaborative developed and forwarded an Alternative Plan for the Stadium, which has received no consideration. Therefore, we felt it imperative that we submit recommendations to be included in the agreement when it is developed. Our over-riding and urgent recommendation is that Bronx residents be included in the development of any Community Benefits Agreement/Community Partnership Agreement regardless of where the stadium is built; on the parkland, at the existing site, or as proposed by the community, south and west of the existing site.
As you review the recommendations, you will find that our major concerns are centered on job creation, training and education opportunities, procurement ventures for minority and women owned businesses, community funding commitments, and the environmental impact of the proposed project.
What follows are recommendations we feel must be included in any Agreement developed for the construction of a new Yankee Stadium.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS
Design Review
Purpose: To ensure that the development is constructed in accordance with ULURP plans and that the process is transparent and inclusive; meaning that the Yankees organization (the developer) is held accountable for an open process for RFPs related to construction, technical assistance, and monitoring.
To achieve a context-sensitive design for the entire project, establish a design review process. This will include the establishment of an Advisory Committee with professional consultants, including architects, engineers, planners, and other relevant disciplines. These consultants will be funded by the Yankees, and selected by and report to a coalition of community members, an Oversight Community Committee.
The oversight community committee will review design submittals at each phase (schematic, design development, construction documents), concurrently with review by public agencies. A mechanism will be established to ensure that concerns raised by the oversight committee are addressed in the design; for example, approval by public agencies, and/or release of funding for subsequent design phases, should be made contingent on a satisfactory response to the oversight community committee’s comments.
The design of any parking structure is of particular concern. Scale, materials & detailing, vehicle access and egress, and ventilation (i.e. preventing vehicle exhaust from impacting surrounding buildings and streets) are among the issues that need to be carefully addressed in design.
Design and Plan.
The developer will make available to the oversight community the cone and shell plans prior to commencement of construction setting forth in details of the project listed below:
a. Detailed landscape plans, depicting in detail the visual appearance of the new Stadium including parks, playgrounds, trees, and all external aspects of the site, including plants and coloration of all surfaces.
b. Plans for Southwest parking areas.
c. Plans for remote parking operations.
d. Plans for remote parking facilities.
e. Traffic routing plans, describing entrances and exits, parking areas, loading docks, and so forth.
f. Drainage plans, including both on-site and off-site drainage.
g. Design of Stadium, including LEEDS, and retail space.
h. Design plans for security base of enforcement on-site.
i. Maintenance plans for all external areas and surfaces at the site, including trees and other landscaping elements.
The developer shall provide the community any designs or plans, within two weeks after any designs and plans are made, and prior to any construction of such designs and plans, and shall have meetings to discuss the designs or plans in question.
The developer shall incorporate the following components and requirements into the design of the relevant aspects of the project.
1. Consider other alternatives to the stadium location that do not involve taking existing parkland for parking garages.
2. Consider renovation of the current stadium or construction of a new stadium on the existing site to preserve parkland.
3. If any parkland replacement is absolutely necessary, locate it within the Highbridge community, rather than across the Major Deegan Expressway.
4. Provide more, rather than less, uninterrupted access to active and passive green space.
5. Provide street-level parks as well as green roofs instead of rooftop recreation confined solely to artificial rooftop areas.
Environment
Purpose: To reduce the potential environmental impacts caused by the Development’s construction and operation by establishment of an office of environmental coordination that seeks to ensure the following areas are environmentally sensitive to community needs:
Construction.
Developer seeks to minimize potential construction impacts on surrounding community by working with the community to request frequent monitoring from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and must request that DEP monitor emission standards. This includes:
1. Best Available Emissions Control Devices Required.
a. Using low-sulphur emissions on-road vehicles
b. Using electric vehicles on-site
c. Enclosing demolition areas with a mat or tent to protect the community from air-born debris and dust.
2. Monitor Particulate Emissions
a. Monitor particulate emissions at the PM 2.5 level, close to the ground, during and post construction.
3. Independent Monitoring of Environmental Impacts. Six months prior to beginning construction of the Development, the developer shall provide $200,000 for the initial year, plus, $100,000 per year during construction and post construction, to fund an environmental consultant to advise the Committee on ongoing environmental impacts.
4. Green Building Principles. In accordance with local Building Codes and New York State codes, the Developer shall incorporate LEED building standards into the demolition, design, construction and operation of all aspects of the Development. Developer shall apply the LEED standards for LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations, Version 2.2 as defined by the U.S> Green Building Council. The Developer shall develop all buildings within the Development according to the principles of sustainability.
a. Developer shall seek the highest LEED ratings, “platinum” level
b. Install “green” roofs, which shall consist of a vegetated roof cover, with growing media and plants taking the place of roof’s bare membrane, gravel ballast, shingles or tiles. All vegetation must be comprised of diverse Bronx-indigenous plant species. The vegetation must be visible from car-level off of the Major Deegan Expressway and ground level pedestrians.
c. Incorporate “gray water” systems within buildings. These systems shall capture and reuse water consumed within the Development’s buildings, except water from toilets. This water shall be stored and reused for other purposes, such as landscaping needs.
d. Provide 100% on site storm water management capture and reuse. Storm water management shall consist of, but not limited to, gray water capture and reuse and green roofs.
e. Provide 100% on-site electric generation in order to achieve sufficient energy to keep the project “off the grid”. ON-site electric generation shall include but not limited to Tidal, Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Fuel Cell and Co-generation.
f. Six months prior to beginning construction of the Development, the developer shall enable the community to propose innovative energy measures by funding $100,000 for an independent energy consultant. This consultant shall be selected by the Oversight Committee to analyze clean and renewable ways that 100% on-site electric generation could be achieved for the entire site.
5. Waste Management. The Developer, with assistance from the Oversight Community Committee, shall create and implement a Zero-Waste Management Plan. Incorporate “zero-waste” principles with attention to waste prevention, reuse, recycling and composting. This will delineate how all tenants and users on the entire development site will reduce their waste to as close to zero as possible. The plan will be founded on the tenets of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting.
6. Trees. The Developer shall plant trees on local streets between River Avenue and Jerome Avenue and the Grand Concourse, from 161st to 167th Streets accompanied by a perpetual maintenance program consistent with a community-based “urban forestry plan” incorporating principles of biodiversity; collaborate with the U.S. Forestry Service and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation; the Developer shall fund $50,000 to develop the urban forestry plan. Additionally, the plan shall use maximize sized sheet (shade) trees, with emphasis on canopy cover.
7. Landscaping. The Project shall be designed so as to ensure adequate irrigation, through use of grey water systems, and soil for the health of trees, shrubs, and other ground cover. The Developer shall develop and implement a maintenance plan adequate to maintain health and appearance of all landscaping elements. In all street and green roof planting, the Developer shall use a diverse, indigenous plant selection that encourages the existence and re-introduction of Bronx-based habitat.
8. Traffic. To compensate for increased traffic volumes generated by Development, the Developer shall:
a. Six months prior to beginning construction of the Development, the developer shall provide $150,000 initially and $100,000 per year during construction to fund an independent study, whose consultant and scope of services shall be determined by the committee, of measures needed to ensure adequate traffic flow and evaluate the total number of parking spaces needed for the Development consistent with the geographic parameters used in NYS Department of Transportation’s Bronx Major Investment study but no less than a one mile radius of the site, recognizing the impacts of other major development projects in the area including the Bronx Terminal Market Development, and the Civic Center improvements.
b. The Developer shall cooperate with the City and/or New York State and with the community, for the life of the Development to:
i. Build the Metro North stop for which design funds have been allocated in the State budget, essential to reduce vehicular traffic at both Yankee Stadium and Gateway Projects.
ii. Provide traffic coordination between the Development and the Bronx Terminal Market Development and Yankee Stadium during and after construction, including but not limited to signal timing, traffic agents, traffic routing, etc.
iii. Provide traffic agents to channel traffic during and post construction.
iv. Install natural storm water mitigation in sidewalk
v. Extend Bx 13 bus service from 161st Street to 149th Street.
vi. Move Bx 19 bus stop as close to Gateway Center as possible.
vii. Create appropriate concrete bus pads, sidewalk cuts and shelters for bus stops.
9. Rodent Control. Developer shall distribute, at no cost to residents and businesses, rodent trashcans to neighborhood homes and businesses, per DEP’s precedent for the filtration plant.
10. Demolition Procedures. Any demolition of buildings by methods that avoid creating plumes containing contaminants and/or dust rather than by chain and ball methods.
Operation
Establish a Zero-Waste goal for the operation of the Stadium. Designate an office of Zero Waste and staff positions to develop and implement waste reduction measures and to report regularly on progress towards this goal with yearly milestones for each category of waste.
Demolition Procedures.
All demolition shall be in compliance with all requirements of the New York City Department of Buildings and Department of Health. In addition the demolition will be conducted under a Health and Safety Plan (HASP) to be approved by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that will detail measures to reduce dust and manage and minimize encounters with potential contaminants. The Developer shall provide a copy of the HASP to the community and shall notify the community at least five (5) days prior to commencement of demolition.
Waste Management
Waste from project construction and operation is not to be trucked through the surrounding communities. Identify direct routes to rail and barge transfer sites, and enforce compliance by all truckers.
Litter and Trash Removal. Subsidize at prevailing rate the salary for 20-25 youth for trash pick-up after games and following morning in an expanded area surrounding the Stadium, as well as additional side streets.
· Fund a command security center and hotline operated by the New York Police Department to receive calls from the neighborhood residents during Yankees homes games. This command center area is staffed by the police and used for role call etc. Establish a hotline for game days.
· Subsidize round-trip shuttle bus service from allocated/designated “Remote Parking Facilities” to Yankee Stadium. This helps keep cars from driving into streets and parking on sidewalks around the ballpark (Remote Alternative Transportation).
· Creation of a stadium wide recycling program.
Loss of 400 Mature Trees.
Retain an independent arborist funded by the Yankees but reporting to the Oversight Community Committee. The arborist’s services will include:
· Pre-construction survey of all trees inside and outside the construction areas.
· Prepare a plan for conservation of trees outside of the immediate construction area, and for the protection of trees that will be affected by the construction
· Monitor construction work and ensure contractor compliance with tree protection plan
· Post a bond or provide other financial penalties for contractors who damage trees designated for protection.
· Plant 24,000 trees
Asthma Study
We propose the Yankees fund an independent consultant to conduct a comprehensive asthma study for the next five years of construction who will report to the Oversight Committee.
Trucks
Trucks must be covered and must adhere to 2.5 micron particulate matter guidelines.
All trucks and all non-road construction equipment must adhere to clean-fuel standards adopted for World Trade Center site.
Parks and Parkland
The new Yankee Stadium is proposed to be built on two public parks and temporary parks have been proposed to be provided to the community until the year 2012. While this is extremely unacceptable, we propose that the temporary parks be built before construction in the existing parks begin.
We propose that the Yankees fund the cleaning and maintenance of all surrounding parkland.
Parking and Traffic
The Community opposes the building of an additional four thousand (4000) parking spaces, as proposed by the Yankees for this project. Scale back the amount of parking provided as a further incentive to use transit. This would also reduce the amount of parkland that would have to be taken for the project.
Require that the new Metro North station be completed before the stadium begins operation. Expedite the implementation of Metro North service along the Hell Gate line. Establish a shuttle service on the now-unused freight line between Melrose and Port Morris, with a transfer point connecting with the new Hell Gate service. Though tracks have been removed from this line, it could be re-activated as a multi-use path, with ‘trolley’ vehicle service on game days. In combination with the new Hell Gate service, this would re-create the “subway series” connection from Brooklyn & Queens to the Bronx, at very low cost using existing infrastructure, and enable fans from Connecticut, Westchester, the East Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn to conveniently reach Yankee Stadium by rail.
Expand service on the Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven lines for games and events.
The current design calls for the removal of the spur- the last remnant of the Old Subway Series line that connected the Polo Grounds to The Bronx. Instead of demolition, we should embrace our history and re-activate the line or keep the spur and memorialize it.
Work with the MTA to establish a combined transit and game ticket package so that all admission prices include transit; including off-site parking rides.
Locate any added parking south and west of the stadium, remote from the residential community. Deck over existing lots, rather than taking parkland.
Implement measures to prevent stadium patrons from parking on local streets. These should include:
· A residents-only sticker system for non-metered on-street parking (this would also have the benefit of eliminating weekday parking by courthouse and Bronx county building workers, lawyers, etc., and thus reduce the volume of weekday car trips into the area.
· Provide aggressive enforcement of all parking regulations during games and events.
· Publicize on-street parking prohibition in all promotional and ticket sale materials, to prevent patrons from cruising local streets upon arrival.
· Park and Ride. Developer will provide Remote Parking Operation and provide round trip shuttle to Yankee Stadium.
· Catch-a-Ride to Yankee Stadium. Seek to provide $5.00 round trip fee, for tourists and residents for an express bus ride to and from the game, with rides beginning two hours before the first pitch, and on weekend games pick up fans at three downtown stops.
· Operate ferry service to all games and events; expand the number of points from which ferry service is available.
· Provide twenty-four (24) hour parking facilities for neighborhood residents.
· Allow local residents to use stadium parking at low- or no cost on non-game days.
· Create a Bicycle Valet Service
Buses:
Increase bus service of the Bx 1, 2, 6 and 13.
As the construction of the new stadium will further encroach upon the residents of Highbridge and directly affect riders on the Bx 13 bus, notification of route changes should be made at least one month prior to implementation. Also, proper signage should be up within that time frame.
On game days, the Bx. 6 and Bx 13 bus should receive a greater right of passage when maneuvering through traffic before and after games.
Urban Design to Promote Walking and Transit use:
Expand Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Plazas to provide an attractive connection from Metro North station to 161st Street, open to the public at all times.
· Make the Babe Ruth Plaza a baseball theme park including exhibits of other famous baseball stars.
· Provide additional streetscape improvements to make 161 Street a safer and more attractive route for pedestrians and cyclists.
Amenities.
Purpose: To provide more recreational amenities for the community and over-all enhance the Development’s impact on the surrounding area. The Developer will work with the community to incorporate into the project, with costs subsidized by the Developer:
Light and Noise Abatement
If the new Yankee Stadium is developed across the street from residential buildings, funding must be provided to reduce the impact of light and noise on residents living in those buildings on River, Jerome, Anderson, Gerard Avenues, and the two adjacent schools, P.S. 114 and P.S. 73.
Funding of Community Facilities and Recreational Programming
Developer agrees to fully fund the SCAN Recreation Center SCAN needs $1.6 million annually with a 5% annual increase to continue operation.
In addition, the Developer agrees to provide a multi-purpose community center with state-of-the-art running track and indoor pool in the Development for the purpose of providing accessible and quality recreational opportunities to youth in the surrounding community. The Developer shall also provide programmatic funds for the life of the Development to help support such activities as educational scholarships, cultural events, youth programs, senior citizens programs, etc.
The community requests the restoration of the remaining $12 million budget allocation previously committed for the renovation of the track and ball-fields by the City. This should be directed towards funding the construction/operation of the above multi-purpose youth center. This should not be counted as a “community benefit” from the project, since funding was already committed for this work.
The developer will provide access to the Stadium by affected residents, providing space for community events, celebrations, culminations, etc. for a nominal fee to affected community.
Free Tickets
We propose that the Yankees provide the Bronx community with one thousand (1000) free tickets per game.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BRONX BUSINESS GROUPS
Small Business Development and Contracting.
Purpose. The purpose of this Section is to maximize business opportunities, foster and encourage the growth of Bronx-based Small Businesses, Bronx-based Minority and Women Owned Businesses (“M/WBE”) and Bronx-based Veteran Owned Businesses, and to create opportunities whereas they can benefit and prosper from the economic activities generated by the New Yankee Stadium Project.
The Developers, working with an Independent Administrator funded by the Yankees, hired by, and reports to the Oversight Committee (not affiliated with the Borough President’s Office or the Developer), shall seek and secure support to ensure that resources for management, implementation and business development are structured and funded. The following will apply across all initiatives contained in this section:
· Professional staff development;
· A technological infrastructure that promotes efficient program operations;
· Development of an advisory committee with expertise in urban projects development
· Appointment of an independent project administrator
· Ongoing studies and program evaluations to refine strategies and foster continuous improvements;
· Ongoing dissemination of information about outcomes and best practices; and;
· Innovative outreach and marketing practices.
Pre-Construction Services.
Upon execution of this Agreement, the Developers shall agree to use all commercially reasonable efforts to maximize the employment of Bronx residents; utilize qualified Bronx-based businesses; and purchase of materials from Bronx-based suppliers. With regards to performance of this particular development, the Developer will give a contract preference to Bronx-based firms and will be required to award no less than thirty-five (35%) percent of the total dollar value of pre-construction purchases and services to qualified Bronx-base businesses. The Developer will be required to award no less than twenty (20%) of contracts and procurements to qualified Bronx-based Minority Owned Businesses; no less than ten (10%) percent to qualified Bronx-based Women owned Businesses; and no less than five (5%) percent to qualified Disabled Veteran Owned firms of the total dollar value of pre-construction service contracts for each Development Phase. Preference will be given to community-based businesses, with special emphasis on Minority and Women Owned Businesses in the pre-bidding, bidding and post-bidding processes. These services shall include construction, legal, financial, marketing, food and beverages and other professional consulting services.
Construction Services.
The Developer shall agree to award no less than twenty (20%) percent of the total construction contract dollars of each development phase to qualified Minority Owned firms; no less than ten (10%) percent of the total construction contract dollars for each development phase to qualified Women Owned firms; and no less than five (5%) percent of the total construction contract dollars for each development phase to qualified Disabled Veteran Owned firms. Preference will be given to community based businesses, with special emphasis on Minority and Women owned business associations, especially Bronx based associations in the pre-bidding, bidding and post-bidding processes. The Developers will work with various organizations such as, Minority Construction Associations, NY&NJ Minority Supplier Development Council, NYS Association of Minority Contractors, and Professional Women in Construction and others to identify qualified businesses to meet these goals.
Post Construction Services.
The Developers, working with an independent project administrator, shall seek and secure support to ensure that contracts and procurement goals awarded are no less than twenty (20%) percent of total contract dollars of post-construction purchasing and service to Bronx-based business (excluding contracts awarded to Affiliates of Developers). With regard to the particular development, the Developer will be required to award no less than twenty (20%) percent of the total dollar value of post-construction purchasing and services contracts to qualified Bronx-based Minority Owned, including contracts for retail, food and beverages and other concession activities associated with the Stadium.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR JOBS AND JOB TRAINING
Purpose. This section seeks to ensure the employment of Bronx residents in the new Yankee Stadium Development Project, particularly those residents in the immediate vicinity of the Development and surrounding areas, and to meet the training needs of these residents as necessary. This section also seeks to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, employment opportunities created at the Development pay Living Wages.
We propose that the Yankees fund a Comprehensive Training Model, under the oversight of the Oversight Community Committee, which is not only union approved, that will assist unemployed minorities and women, particularly those residents in the immediate vicinity of the Development and surrounding areas to enroll in state certified apprenticeship programs, and to provide jobs for people in various levels. These jobs will not be limited to entry level, but managerial, clerical, supervisory and executive positions. In addition, training should include information that will help people gain employment that will generate a Living Wage.
Since the project will provide approximately seven thousand (7,000) construction jobs we propose the goal of training three thousand (3,000) individuals in successfully enrolling in a state certified apprenticeship program. Community-Based Organizations (CBO’s) will have to recruit and assess at least twice this amount in order to find the required number of candidates who meet the minimum educational requirements and are suited for work in construction.
The Yankees must fund technical assistance to the CBO’s in developing an outreach and recruitment campaign through the development of posters, flyers, and brochures, and public service announcements for radio and television
The Yankees must contract with more than one community-based organization that have the experience and the facilities to provide the necessary training and support systems needed to successfully prepare the participants for entrance into the apprenticeship programs. Technical assistance must be provided to place unqualified participants in other programs, such as GED, or other adult education and training programs.
In addition, the creation of a college paid internship program that exposes minority students from the area to career opportunities in front office management of Major League Baseball.
The Yankees must provide technical assistance to each (more than one) CBO in setting up centers and allow the Community to monitor and evaluate each center’s progress.
Technical Assistance must also include:
? Job training/apprenticeship
? Specialized training for disabled and elderly individuals
? Youth oriented employment advancements
With the understanding that full investment in an apprenticeship program is a lengthy process and as the implementation of construction on a New Yankee stadium is set to begin sometime in the near future, we propose that there is greater focus on pre- apprenticeship programs where outcomes for those who participate are guaranteed jobs on this project as well as other redevelopment projects as skills meet requirements.
We are requesting that twenty-five (25%) percent of said jobs be allocated for community residents directly affected by the project. Of the desired number 5 percent [5%] of said jobs must be allocated to disabled individuals.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has a three-part definition of “disability.” This definition, based on the definition under the Rehabilitation Act, reflects the specific types of discrimination experienced by people with disabilities. Accordingly, it is not the same as the definition of disability in other laws, such as state workers’ compensation laws or other federal or state laws that provide benefits for people with disabilities and disabled veterans.
Under the ADA, an individual with a disability is a person who:
1. Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major
Life activity;
2. Has a record of such an impairment; or
3. Is regarded as having such impairment.
The following are the community requests:
15% of the agreed upon number of Bronx residents should be from the disabled community.
Any disabled person that can demonstrate the necessary skill set to provide service to the employer should be considered employable.
The workplace should be adaptable to persons with disabilities.
Prospective employers should aggressively seek to hire persons with disabilities in every aspect of available employment, i.e., construction, advertisements, public relations, front office and support staff in day-to-day management.
Disabled persons that can demonstrate the necessary skill set and required experience to provide service to the employer should be employed in 3-5% of the middle and upper-level management positions.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Oversight Committee Responsibilities. The Oversight Committee shall provide oversight monitoring, reporting and feedback to the community at large on the progress and any problems related to the implementation of the agreement. All obligations, powers, rights and responsibilities of the committee under the agreement shall be obligations, powers, rights and responsibilities of each member.
Terms. The agreement shall remain in force through the completion of Phases 1 and 2 of the construction of the development and shall not lapse before 2046.
The parties shall develop reasonable provisions, as necessary, for funding of the oversight and enforcement activities described in the agreement; and for the conduct of periodic public open meetings. The purpose of the meetings shall be to ensure community awareness of progress with the development and with achievement of the goals of this agreement, and to ensure that the community at large has an opportunity to voice any concerns if may have regarding the development.
The parties shall meet monthly during the First Phase of the development and quarterly thereafter. The purpose of these meetings shall be to review progress towards implementation of measures required under the agreement and accomplishment of goals laid out in the agreement.
The developer shall be exclusively responsible for funding an Administrator and associated staff positions, office space, training/apprenticeship programs and other expenses associated with implementation of the agreement. The budget will be an ongoing cost to the developer. The total budget should not be less than 2% of the total costs of the development project. The Administrator will report to the Oversight Community Committee.
The developer shall provide funding for a legal consultation budget for the sole use of the committee for the enforcement of the agreement. The amount shall not be less than $1 million, to be replenished annually with an amount equal to 1% of the collective profits of the employers.
The penalty for developer noncompliance with the provisions of the agreement is $100,000 per infraction.
In conclusion, let us offer our full support and cooperation to your effort of bringing a meaningful and transparent process to this project and an agreement that can be embraced by the majority of the Bronx community.
Greg Bell, Co-Chair
Bronx Voices for Equal Inclusion
Executive Director of Insight for New Housing
718 585-0529
Gilberto Rivera, Co-Chair
Bronx Voices for Equal Inclusion
President of Nos Quedamos/We Stay
718 585-2323
Lillian Smith
Concourse Village
Wendell Niles
Niles Communications Group
Denae Brewer
Highbridge Community Neighborhood Council
Barbara Carey
Highbridge Community Neighborhood Council
Rev. Dr. Daniel Dupree
Pastor of Greater Universal Baptist Church
Pastor David Jenkins, Jr.
Christian Federation Ministries
Susan Mendoza
Bronx Independent Living Services
Shaking Alston
NYC Environmental Justice Alliance
Jim Fairbanks
Representing Council Member Helen D. Foster
Posted by:
Joshua Brustein
Save Our Parks
A Reply by a member of Save Our Parks, John Rozankowski, Ph.d, to the Draft Community Benefits Agreement proposed by Bronx Voices of Equal Inclusion
Save Our Parks, the sponsor of petitions and correspondence mandating the return of 2 community parks, numerous rallies, press appearances and responsible for the "show of force" by the community at public hearings, and recognized by the press and numerous neutral organizations as the true representatives of
the people, sets forth the following comments on the proposed Community Benefits Agreement.
WHO IS PROPOSING THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT
The Community Benefits Agreement (hence, CBA) associated with the Yankee Stadium project (hence, the Project) is being proposed and promoted by Bronx Voices of Equal Inclusion (hence, BVEI), an organization that cannot begin to lay
any claim to representing the people of the community.
BVEI, at that time a sub-committee of the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) commenced neighborhood action concerning the Project in July of 2005. From the outset, BVEI proclaimed a message of the inevitability of the Project, the
"done deal syndrome," and started touting a CBA as the only answer. This spirit of defeatism was the direct cause of the formation of Save Our Parks, a pure grassroots organization dedicated to winning back the parks and not surrender with a CBA. While some 4.000 people signed the Save Our Parks petitions and large numbers attended its meetings, BVEI was abandoned to a point that the NAC meetings had to be discontinued due to a lack of attendance. In spite of
a sudden and short-lived conversion to fighting for the parks in January, BVEI failed to win back the people and quickly returned to its original position of pushing for a CBA.
On March 11, 2006, BVEI invited the entire Bronx to a grand meeting in the huge Andrew Friedman Hall anticipating record numbers of people. In fact, only 22 people made an appearance, including 10 original BVEI members, 5 Save Our
Parks people who came in as observers only and some 7 others. Thus, some 17 people, elected by no one and gathered at random, made the audacious claim that they represent the community and set forth this CBA!
WHO IS THE REAL BENEFICIARY?????
A reading of the proposed CBA, especially Section VI raises some very disturbing questions:
1) Why are monetary awards being granted for very vaguely defined "not-for-profit" institutions all over the Bronx? How are they affected by the Project? Can most or any of them, outside of the host community, demonstrate that the Project affects them in any way? The only beneficiaries of any proposed
largess should be the host community if it is demonstrably willing to accept it. As it stands, this idea is a brazen affront to the host community and it is bewildering that BVEI claiming to represent the community seems more concerned with the entire borough.
2) Subsection "a" discusses granting $700,000 all over the Bronx. Under what criteria and for what purpose? This money should belong exclusively to the host community and could be invested in tangible and visible projects of direct benefit to the host community rather than being randomly distributed
throughout the Bronx without any clear guidelines.
3) Subsection "d" describes 15,000 free tickets handed out all over the Bronx. How can anyone be even remotely certain that these tickets would go exclusively to those who truly cannot afford them? Taken together, these somewhat strange proposals seem to suggest an open bribery of Bronx elected officials outside of the host community in exchange for their votes! These officials should be insulted and reject the Project with righteous indignation and anger.
4) In a letter to Mayor Bloomberg rejecting the Project, Councilman Tony Avella correctly indicates that any money should be handled by appropriate city agencies and not by some "private individual of prominence selected by a "Fund
Advisory Panel" in turn selected by Bronx elected officials–it's unclear exactly who. Such an Administrator would be at the mercy of those who appointed him/her and would be forced to channel money, etc. for projects and organizations favored by the Bronx elected officials. Most of these organizations claim to
represent their various communities and should engage in actions and projects favored by their residential constituents. Their independence would be severely compromised and there would be very little transparency and accountability.
WHY THE COMMUNITY CANNOT ACCEPT A CBA ON PRINCIPLE
No ULURP land use project comes to mind encompassing so many community rights violations as the Yankee Stadium. Thus, signing the CBA would mean ACCEPTANCE: of a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding (6/15/05) by all three
signatories concerning community outreach; of secret voting and backroom deals by both the City Council and the State Legislature in the park alienation vote; of a denial of the right to testify at an open meeting by the Bronx Borough President; of the deprivation of the right to a fair and impartial hearing in
front of City Planning because of City Advocacy of the project; of denial to local schools of the right to participate in major decisions concerning the community and affecting them; et alii. No community can sign away the fundamental rights of all communities. In addition, ACCEPTANCE of the proposed CBA would be ACCEPTANCE of the antithesis of good government formalizing the dangerously proliferating practice of elected officials ruling instead of serving the people.
No CBA can possibly be written which would even begin to compensate the South Bronx community for the enormous damage that the Project in its current form would create: 2 parks with 400 mature trees, a vital recreation center for the young and the elderly who cannot afford to go elsewhere would be lost; more people would be placed at risk of greater noise, more deadly exposure to asthma, of inconveniences from extra security and fallout from a terrorist attack. And, project amenities such as the new parking garages would eventually turn the neighborhood into a permanently grid-locked parking lot.
Save Our Parks, representing the people of the host community, categorically and unequivocally rejects a CBA, requests that the City Council not use it as an excuse for approval and emphatically urges the City Council to reject the Project in its current form.
Posted by:
Joshua Brustein
|
|
|
|
• Post Your Views!

• Read All Views
Help Fight Cutback in Child Care (From Alicia Cortez)
(May 11, 2006)
Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Agreement
(Apr 17, 2006)
Save Our Parks
(Apr 03, 2006)
Facts about the new Yankee Stadium plan
(Oct 25, 2005)
elelection
(Sep 17, 2004)
EAU Shleter in the Bronx!
(Aug 16, 2004)
EAU mess in my neighborhood
(Jul 19, 2004)
Bronx Terminal Market Hurts The Little Guy
(Jun 24, 2004)
where are our elected officals?
(Aug 29, 2003)
|
Sites of Interest from Collegester:
Online Casino |
Wireless broadband |
Place
Your Link Here!
|