May
2nd
Hot off the press. Chris Ward, who gave us the Croton Filter Plant in the Park, is now going to run the PA. Wonder why? He must be making that much at the General Contractors Association (GCA). He still has to be approved by the Port Authority Board approval, but that is most likely a done deal.
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By ***icle*** on May 4, 2008 | Reply
Yes. Nothing Changes!
Christopher O.Ward was appointed by the Mayor to the Department of Environmental Protection in April 2002. He, and his predecessors made many nice promises to the Jerome Park Community. Then they ignored them, and just went and did as told. Everyone at DEP was insincere even as they spoke to us at the Citizens Committee Meetings. I attended them as a representative of BxScience. The reservoir is ringed with schools, so there is a solid Educational Community which Anne-Marie Garti solidified into her Jerome Park Conservancy Education Committee. Karen Argenti leads another group called Friends of Jerome Park, that focuses more on the western park section, not the reservoir.
I suspect that Comm.Ward was told by the NYC Unions (and who knows who else?) that if he could manage to make the NYC Site look better, with all its many obvious flaws, both environmental and otherwise, he would be well-rewarded. He pulled it off, with false cost estimates, many faux facts in the environmental review, false statements. bribes, and promises. Poor Jeffrey M.Dinowitz had to suffer the slings and arrows of his colleagues who cared first for themselves, last for the community. I don’t recall Whether G.O.Koppell (Science HS alumnus) was vocal at critical moments?
The local Educational Community around the reservoir was promised, among other things, an Outdoor Urban Environmental Laboratory, open to local learners of all ages. Then Parks.com Henry J.Stern & BxParks.com, Bill Castro (BxScience Alumni) were both highly supportive of an OUEL. We were promised the land now under the DemoPlant (being dismantled). When Dr.VR asked Adrian Benepe about the OUEL, he replied, “That was a promise of a previous administration”. She hasn’t mentioned it since )-: Dartanian Westphal is concerned that if we don’t claim that site soon, the present admin will find another use for it that suits themselves, not the community. It’s ironic that everytime I attend a meeting where I ask Adrian a Question, I always ask, “How can we be sure that the next city admin will continue the progressive ideas of Mayor Bloomberg, i.e. the PlaNYC2030?”. He always confidently answers, “It’s up to you citizen activists to make sure the next admin continues our PlaNYC”. I agree.