Saturday, June 18, 2011
June view of PS 51 (red brick building) alone on city block
CEC D2 letter of support
This letter finally sent after support from Quinn was made public ... after parents had come to ask for support since February ...
Community Education Council District 2
333 Seventh Avenue
New York, New York 10001
Tel (212) 356-3915 Fax (212) 356-7506
www.cecd2.net
T. Elzora Cleveland, President Beth Cirone
Shino Tanikawa, 1st Vice President Diana Florence
Sarah Chu, 2nd Vice President Eric A. Greenleaf
Cynthia Alvarez, Treasurer Michael D. Markowitz, P.E.
Lisa Urban, Recording Secretary Mary Silver
May 4, 2011
Dennis M. Walcott
Chancellor
NYC Department of Education
Tweed Courthouse
52 Chambers Street
New York, New York 10001
Re: CECD2’s strong support of the request of local elected officials and the Public School 51 school leadership seeking your assistance in relocating P.S. 51, The Elias Howe School, located at 20 West 45th Street in Manhattan
Dear Chancellor Walcott:
We are writing to lend our strong support to the written request from local elected officials seeking your assistance in relocating the P.S. 51 school community for the duration of the construction of the large residential development at and around P.S. 51, that includes a new school and much needed permanently affordable housing (see letter dated April 27). We are very concerned that P.S. 51’s current location is untenable given the large-scale construciton happening in the immediate vicinity of the school and the potential for exposure to elevated noise levels, environmental toxins, and constant disruption from the required acitivities of large construction crews.
We understand that the P.S. 51 School Leadership Team and PTA Executive Board have requested an immediate postponement of construction of the new school and a temporary relocation of the school for the start of the Fall 2011 school year until the completion of the construction. We fully and strongly support these requests and we urge the DOE to begin site visits as soon as possible to evaluate the feasiblity of alternative locations.
Please feel free to contact us, if you need any additional support for these requests.
Very truly yours,
T. Elzora Cleveland
T. Elzora Cleveland
President
cc:US Congressman Jerrold Nadler
NYS Senator Tom Duane
NYS Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
NYS Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn
Elizabeth Rose, Director Portfolio Planning
Community Board 4
Daria Rigney, Community Superintendent
Nancy Sing-Bock, Principal PS 51
Dan Feigelson, CFN 203
PS 51 SLT & PTA
Community Education Council District 2
333 Seventh Avenue
New York, New York 10001
Tel (212) 356-3915 Fax (212) 356-7506
www.cecd2.net
T. Elzora Cleveland, President Beth Cirone
Shino Tanikawa, 1st Vice President Diana Florence
Sarah Chu, 2nd Vice President Eric A. Greenleaf
Cynthia Alvarez, Treasurer Michael D. Markowitz, P.E.
Lisa Urban, Recording Secretary Mary Silver
May 4, 2011
Dennis M. Walcott
Chancellor
NYC Department of Education
Tweed Courthouse
52 Chambers Street
New York, New York 10001
Re: CECD2’s strong support of the request of local elected officials and the Public School 51 school leadership seeking your assistance in relocating P.S. 51, The Elias Howe School, located at 20 West 45th Street in Manhattan
Dear Chancellor Walcott:
We are writing to lend our strong support to the written request from local elected officials seeking your assistance in relocating the P.S. 51 school community for the duration of the construction of the large residential development at and around P.S. 51, that includes a new school and much needed permanently affordable housing (see letter dated April 27). We are very concerned that P.S. 51’s current location is untenable given the large-scale construciton happening in the immediate vicinity of the school and the potential for exposure to elevated noise levels, environmental toxins, and constant disruption from the required acitivities of large construction crews.
We understand that the P.S. 51 School Leadership Team and PTA Executive Board have requested an immediate postponement of construction of the new school and a temporary relocation of the school for the start of the Fall 2011 school year until the completion of the construction. We fully and strongly support these requests and we urge the DOE to begin site visits as soon as possible to evaluate the feasiblity of alternative locations.
Please feel free to contact us, if you need any additional support for these requests.
Very truly yours,
T. Elzora Cleveland
T. Elzora Cleveland
President
cc:US Congressman Jerrold Nadler
NYS Senator Tom Duane
NYS Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
NYS Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn
Elizabeth Rose, Director Portfolio Planning
Community Board 4
Daria Rigney, Community Superintendent
Nancy Sing-Bock, Principal PS 51
Dan Feigelson, CFN 203
PS 51 SLT & PTA
Quinn and 5 other electeds letter in support of relocation
Letter sent to Chancellor spearheaded by Quinn's office to "evaluate the feasibility of alternative locations" *Previous letter from Quinn in January (see previous posts) she states that "the PS 51 project has commenced and any major changes in the specifications to the bid would generate costs overruns that could result in the project's cancellation" Months later, this comes in response to parents speaking out for our demands.
[transcribed from the pdf version]
April 27, 2011
Dennis M. Walcott
Chancellor
NYC Department of Education
Tweed Courthouse
52 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
Dear Chancellor Walcott:
We are writing you today seeking your assistance in relocating one of our local elementary schools, Public School 51, The Elias Howe School, located at 520 West 45th Street in Manhattan.
As part of the rezoning of West 44th and 45th Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues approved by the City last year, the School Construction Authority (SCA) began the process of building a brand new, larger, state-of-the-art home for PS 51. Both the new school, and a large residential development that includes desperately needed permanently affordable housing, will be built directly adjacent to the existing PS 51, leaving PS 51 as the sole occupied building. While these are welcome additions to the neighborhood, the PS 51 community has raised concerns about the impact of the ongoing construction on the students and staff.
On April 14, 2011, the School Leadership Team and the Executive Board of the PTA wrote to local elected officials and the DOE asking for an immediate postponement of the construction and a temporary relocation of the school for the start of the Fall 2011 school year until the completion of the construction. The school leadership clearly believes that remaining at PS 51’s current location is untenable given the large-scale construction happening in the immediate vicinity of the school and the potential for exposure to elevated noise levels and dangerous chemicals released during the construction process.
We certainly appreciate the steps that the Department of Education (DOE) and SCA have taken thus far to manage this complex development. As you know, throughout the construction process our offices have collaborated with the DOE, SCA, the developers, the School Leadership Team, the PTA, teachers, parents, community members, and other stakeholders to ensure that the process proceeds as smoothly as possible. Despite our combined efforts, PS 51 stakeholders continue to have concerns about the construction’s environmental impacts. In order to respond to the concerns of the PS 51 stakeholders, we therefore urge DOE to relocate the school for the Duration of construction and begin site visits as soon as possible to evaluate the feasibility of alternative locations.
We look forward to immediately working with your office on this project to the satisfaction of the school administration, parents and students. To update our offices please call Melanie LaRocca in Speaker Quinn’s Office at (212) 564-7757.
Sincerely,
[signed by]
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
Jerrold Nadler
Member of Congress
Scott M. Stringer
Borough President
Thomas K. Duane
State Senator
Linda B. Rosenthal
Assembly Member
Richard N. Gottfried
Assembly Member
Letter from PS 51 SLT and PTA to elected officials
P.S. 51
The Elias Howe School
520 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Phone 212 757 3067 Fax 212 582 8661
Principal: Nancy Sing-Bock
Assistant Principal: Cathy Myers-Jusko
April 14, 2011
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor Bloomberg,
The School Leadership Team (SLT) and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Executive Board are thrilled to be getting a new school for our community. Our administration and parent leaders have worked with the SCA, Turner, DOE and Gotham to help design and implement this unprecedented project. The task force comprised of all stakeholders has worked tirelessly for months to address basic concerns of safety and use of the public playground for our students. However, as time has progressed, it has become increasingly clear that relocation is the only solution to ensure the health, safety, and effective learning environment for our children and staff.
This is an unprecedented construction project where the existing P.S. 51 will be the only remaining building on the construction site during the 3+ years it will take to build the new school and 9 other buildings on the block. At the peak period of construction, the City expects approximately 1,000 construction workers to be working on this site.
The complexities and scale of this construction project including, but not limited to toxins, noise, dust and debris, machinery, and increased traffic, puts our school community at risk. As was the case with the relocation of P.S. 133, “the use of a temporary space would avoid the disruptive effects of construction as well as eliminate the need for a variety of protective measures that would otherwise be required to protect the existing school community during construction.”
Children are uniquely vulnerable to and affected by toxic exposure as their organs and nervous systems are still developing. We have a significant number of children with asthma and are anticipating that students’ heath issues will be exacerbated due to exposure to the dust and debris from the site. Children in our CTT classes are also particularly at risk from construction disruptions. Our teachers will have to compete daily with construction noise to effectively engage our children in learning.
The City’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) reported levels of toxic contaminants including lead, mercury, trichloroethene (TCE), and tetrachloroethene (PCE) in soil and groundwater samples taken from the new school project site that exceed New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation standards.
We’ve already had issues of dust entering the lunchroom just from the construction of a barrier fence that sent several children to the nurses’ office. This is only the beginning of what we will be faced with if we are forced to remain in our current location.
To ensure the safety, health, and quality of education at P.S. 51, we urge the DOE and the City to postpone construction until the current P.S. 51 school community is moved together into a swing space. The swing space should be ready for the Fall 2011 school year so that there is a smooth transition for our students, teachers and staff. The City and the DOE, along with Gotham, should guarantee that the new school construction and all construction surrounding the school be completed by September 2013. The DOE should move P.S. 51 in to the new school building after the construction surrounding it is completed. We urge the DOE to ensure that P.S. 51 continues to serve our diverse Hell’s Kitchen community.
Thank you for your support,
PS 51 School Leadership Team
PS 51 PTA Executive Board
cc: Congressman Jerrold Nadler
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
State Senator Tom Duane
Speaker Christine Quinn
Borough President Scott Stringer
Chancellor Dennis Walcott
NYC DOE Department of Portfolio Planning
Community Board 4
Children First Network 203
The Elias Howe School
520 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Phone 212 757 3067 Fax 212 582 8661
Principal: Nancy Sing-Bock
Assistant Principal: Cathy Myers-Jusko
April 14, 2011
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor Bloomberg,
The School Leadership Team (SLT) and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Executive Board are thrilled to be getting a new school for our community. Our administration and parent leaders have worked with the SCA, Turner, DOE and Gotham to help design and implement this unprecedented project. The task force comprised of all stakeholders has worked tirelessly for months to address basic concerns of safety and use of the public playground for our students. However, as time has progressed, it has become increasingly clear that relocation is the only solution to ensure the health, safety, and effective learning environment for our children and staff.
This is an unprecedented construction project where the existing P.S. 51 will be the only remaining building on the construction site during the 3+ years it will take to build the new school and 9 other buildings on the block. At the peak period of construction, the City expects approximately 1,000 construction workers to be working on this site.
The complexities and scale of this construction project including, but not limited to toxins, noise, dust and debris, machinery, and increased traffic, puts our school community at risk. As was the case with the relocation of P.S. 133, “the use of a temporary space would avoid the disruptive effects of construction as well as eliminate the need for a variety of protective measures that would otherwise be required to protect the existing school community during construction.”
Children are uniquely vulnerable to and affected by toxic exposure as their organs and nervous systems are still developing. We have a significant number of children with asthma and are anticipating that students’ heath issues will be exacerbated due to exposure to the dust and debris from the site. Children in our CTT classes are also particularly at risk from construction disruptions. Our teachers will have to compete daily with construction noise to effectively engage our children in learning.
The City’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) reported levels of toxic contaminants including lead, mercury, trichloroethene (TCE), and tetrachloroethene (PCE) in soil and groundwater samples taken from the new school project site that exceed New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation standards.
We’ve already had issues of dust entering the lunchroom just from the construction of a barrier fence that sent several children to the nurses’ office. This is only the beginning of what we will be faced with if we are forced to remain in our current location.
To ensure the safety, health, and quality of education at P.S. 51, we urge the DOE and the City to postpone construction until the current P.S. 51 school community is moved together into a swing space. The swing space should be ready for the Fall 2011 school year so that there is a smooth transition for our students, teachers and staff. The City and the DOE, along with Gotham, should guarantee that the new school construction and all construction surrounding the school be completed by September 2013. The DOE should move P.S. 51 in to the new school building after the construction surrounding it is completed. We urge the DOE to ensure that P.S. 51 continues to serve our diverse Hell’s Kitchen community.
Thank you for your support,
PS 51 School Leadership Team
PS 51 PTA Executive Board
cc: Congressman Jerrold Nadler
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
State Senator Tom Duane
Speaker Christine Quinn
Borough President Scott Stringer
Chancellor Dennis Walcott
NYC DOE Department of Portfolio Planning
Community Board 4
Children First Network 203
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Myths vs. Facts re: PS 51 construction
Here's some information addressing a few people's apparent opposition to moving our kids:
Myth: "The new PS 51 construction is just part of life living in New York, construction is everywhere, get over it"
Fact: There has been significant high rise luxury development construction in Hell's Kitchen over the last 10 years, but most of this construction has been along 42nd St., not adjacent to any school. Not that residents haven't been home during this construction but most are at work during the day and so avoid the construction noise. According to NYC law, as a school and as a sensitive receptor, Turner Construction is required to cooperate with PS 51 to minimize the noise, but the SCA has refused to provide a sound barrier. At the beginning, some parents asked if they could do the construction at night, but that requires overtime and special permits and involves a more powerful interest group that would complain -- nearby residents. Since you're in the construction industry, you may know better why that's not possible. The point is, those most "inconvenienced" by this construction are pre-K - 5th graders and a few teachers and staff - not a very powerful interest group for Christine Quinn.
This new school construction is part of an unprecedented luxury residential development project spanning nearly the entire city block between 10th and 11th Avenue between West 44th and West 45th Street that will consist of 9 other new buildings, including 3 luxury high rise buildings and six mid-rise residential buildings (consisting of three 14-story buildings, two 7-story buildings, and one 12-story building). According to the SCA, there will be 7 months of constant drilling and hammering against bedrock -- which we'll hear "every single minute" of the day. There will also be a 150 ton crane looming above. Then we'll have 4 months of steel work which will consist of high-pitched continuous noise. Many of our kids have learning or auditory issues or English is their second language. With the noise its hard to imagine a quality learning environment, much less the dust and potential toxic exposure that will hit our kids with asthma the hardest, but will affect us all.
But that's only the construction of our school. Gotham's two 14-story buildings that will be built right next to our school -- one over the rail cut, the other where the stables are -- will take another 8 months to build and that's not including the high rises. That construction won't likely start until August of this year. At the beginning, we were told the construction would be done simultaneously, but Gotham's finances take precedence over our needs -- they're not closing until the end of June 2011. Some in the Community Board and Christine Quinn are telling parents that this luxury development is too important to be modified by moving us out because the community will get affordable housing out of it. Most of that housing isn't even affordable for the working people of Hell's Kitchen. Regardless, why should we risk our health for housing? What responsible leader makes a community choose, especially when the community that needs affordable housing the most is shut out of the new housing anyway? According to Christine Quinn, PS 51 parents have to decide between getting a new school and the health and safety of their kids. Why do we have to decide? Why can't we have a new school and protect our kids and school community?
Myth: The SCA and the City have adequately reassured the PS 51 and larger community there is no health and safety concerns.
Fact: The SCA and Quinn have refused to put up a sound barrier (which they've done at other schools) or seal the windows or even provide air purifiers which some parents naively thought would be sufficient. Mike Mirisola maintains that no dust from the construction zone will enter the school. The DOE has quietly transfered some kids with serious asthma. If there is nothing to be concerned about then why allow these transfers? I don't understand how parents can say the City's done everything it can to ensure the health and safety of the PS 51 community. I don't see where they've spent one dime on protecting our kids, teachers, and administration. In fact, at a construction task force meeting, the community board rep admitted, when asked about all the potential accidents and health and safety risks that can occur on such a complex construction site, that our health and safety could not be guaranteed, saying, "we can't say nothing will happen".
The SCA has already lied to parents about the toxins in the soil and groundwater of the new PS 51 project site. In the City's own Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), its hazardous materials assessment states that soil and groundwater samples taken on the PS 51 project site indicated levels of trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) that exceeded New York State Department of Health standards. TCE is a known human carcinogen widely used as an industrial solvent by dry cleaning and industrial facilities, and is known to remain in soil and groundwater long after these facilities shut down, and can vaporize, migrating into above buildings via cracks in the wall and other exposure pathways and toxifying indoor air. As to your point about us all being in danger since we're in a city of construction, children spend significant portions of their day inside school buildings and are uniquely vulnerable to and affected by this potential toxic exposure. Major body systems develop from birth through adolescence and during these critical years children are more vulnerable to exposure to environmental toxins than adults.
When asked if there were any toxins in the project site at the first taskforce construction meeting, Mike Mirisola emphatically said NO. Yet, their own Phase II report says otherwise. The SCA and the City have done NOTHING to ensure our health and safety. In fact, as you say, they are treating our construction zone like any other construction zone in Manhattan. The SCA is playing games. They say its not their jurisdiction to monitor the indoor air. They throw up their hands. But, they are the lead agency here. Why are they not contacting the DOE and getting indoor air monitoring like they said they would in their own FEIS? Why hasn't the DOE rep in the taskforce meeting taken back our concerns from the first taskforce meeting and subsequent PTA meeting that indoor air monitoring is needed (and REQUIRED as part of the FEIS)? Its because exactly as you say, they don't want to spend the money. They don't even want to provide air purifiers which some confused parents think will be sufficient. Maybe they don't want to provide indoor air monitoring because they're worried about what they'll find? But you're right, they definitely were hoping that the community would not push the issue, take the time to read the FEIS but rather to be sympathetic to the fact that the City is in financial trouble.
Myth: The City is in financial trouble and can't afford to move PS 51, and besides, they've done construction additions to other schools and left the kids, faculty and staff in the existing buildings.
Fact: The City has moved other schools and even gotten developers to pay some of the costs -- just not in the case of PS 51. PS 133 in Park Slope was moved to a swing space for the duration of their construction. Here was the City's reason for the temporary relocation: “[t]he use of the swing space would also avoid the disruptive effects that construction activities could have on the students, as well as eliminate the need for a variety of protective measures that would otherwise be required to protect the existing school building and its occupants during construction.” And just down the street, Clinton Middle School was moved from an overcrowded situation at PS 11 to a closed catholic school on West 33rd St., St. Michael's, while it waits for its new school to be built. The City worked overtime over last summer to renovate the space, spending more than $10 million.
Finally, many of us see how the luxury high rises are displacing working class families of Hell's Kitchen and are organizing to ensure that the new PS 51 school will continue to serve us. The new school construction is part of a larger development project that will bring more luxury high-rise buildings to our neighborhood. New high-rise development continues to engulf Hell’s Kitchen. While elected leaders, led by Bloomberg and Quinn, rezone Hell's Kitchen for the rich, they refuse to build what we need -- schools, community centers, parks, whatever we want. The City, Speaker Quinn and CB 4 are now wanting to rezone the last remaining corridor of the community, 11th Avenue with the same limited affordable housing/luxury developments that have already displaced many of us. Quinn says there's no space for us, but there is and certainly for the 3-4 years they've been planning this development they could have started the process to move PS 51 if she had been prioritizing the health and safety of us rather than the needs of Gotham developers. For instance, even she says we need a middle school, but the City is selling our existing PS 51 building to Gotham and converting it into luxury housing.
By 2013, when the new PS 51 is scheduled to open, the City estimates that there will be more than 900 new elementary age school children living in the area due to new luxury developments, that's more than double the number of elementary school children within a ½ mile of P.S. 51. Not only will the new PS 51 already be overcrowded, there is a concern among many parents that many of us in the community will be shut out of the new school. Rents are skyrocketing due to the high rise development and landlords are using whatever means they can to push long time working class families out.
So this is why we are demanding the City and Quinn:
1. Prioritize the health and safety of our kids and the protection of the Hell's Kitchen working class community; not more luxury high-rise
development,
2. Delay all construction until the City has a safe and renovated temporary location for P.S. 51 in Hell’s Kitchen;
3. Relocate the entire P.S. 51 school community to the temporary location by Sept 2011.
4. Guarantee that all construction on the city block is finished by the scheduled completion date of September 2013.
5. Guarantee the P.S. 51 school community moves together into the new school building.
6. Ensure that P.S. 51 will continue to serve Hell’s Kitchen’s working-class families.
Mito: "El nuevo PS 51 de la construcción es sólo una parte de vivir la vida en Nueva York, la construcción está en todas partes, superarlo"
Realidad: No ha sido significativo de lujo de gran altura de construcción de desarrollo en Hell's Kitchen en los últimos 10 años, pero la mayor parte de esta construcción ha sido a lo largo de la calle 42, no al lado de cualquier escuela. No es que los residentes no han estado en casa durante esta construcción pero la mayoría están en el trabajo durante el día y así evitar el ruido de la construcción. Según la ley de Nueva York, como escuela y como un receptor sensible, Turner Construction está obligado a cooperar con PS 51 a minimizar el ruido, pero la SCA se ha negado a proporcionar una barrera del sonido. Al principio, algunos padres se les preguntó si podía hacer la construcción en la noche, pero que requiere horas extraordinarias y los permisos especiales y consiste en un grupo de interés más poderosos que se quejan - los residentes cercanos. Puesto que usted está en la industria de la construcción, usted puede saber mejor por qué eso no es posible. El punto es que la mayoría de los "inconvenientes" de esta construcción son pre-K - 5 º grado y algunos profesores y el personal - no un grupo de intereses muy poderosos para Christine Quinn.
Esta construcción de nuevas escuelas es parte de un proyecto de desarrollo residencial de lujo sin precedentes, que abarca casi toda la manzana entre 10 y 11 Avenida, entre West 44th y West 45th Street, que estará compuesto por 9 edificios nuevos, entre ellos tres edificios de lujo de gran altura y media de seis aumento de los edificios de viviendas (que consta de tres edificios de 14 pisos, dos edificios de 7 pisos y un edificio de 12 pisos). Según la CEA, no será de 7 meses de perforación y constante martilleo contra el lecho de roca - que vamos a escuchar "cada minuto del día". También habrá una grúa de 150 toneladas por encima de inminente. Entonces vamos a tener 4 meses de trabajo de acero que consistirá en el ruido continuo de alta frecuencia. Muchos de nuestros niños tienen problemas de aprendizaje o problemas auditivos o Inglés es su segundo idioma. Con el ruido es difícil de imaginar un entorno de aprendizaje de calidad, y mucho menos el polvo y la exposición potencial tóxico que llegará a nuestros niños con asma más duro, pero afecta a todos nosotros.
Pero eso es sólo la construcción de nuestra escuela. dos de Gotham edificios de 14 pisos que se construirá justo al lado de nuestra escuela - una sobre el corte ferroviario, y el otro en los establos son - se llevará a otros 8 meses para construir y eso es sin incluir los rascacielos. Que la construcción no comenzará probablemente hasta agosto de este año. Al principio, nos dijeron la construcción se llevaría a cabo simultáneamente, pero las finanzas de Gotham tienen prioridad sobre nuestras necesidades - no es el cierre hasta el final de junio de 2011. Algunos en la Junta de Comunidades y Christine Quinn están diciendo a los padres que este desarrollo de lujo es demasiado importante para ser modificado por nosotros en movimiento porque la comunidad va a conseguir una vivienda asequible fuera de él. La mayor parte de que la vivienda no es asequible incluso para los trabajadores de Hell's Kitchen. De todos modos, ¿por qué nos arriesgamos nuestra salud para la vivienda? ¿Qué hace un líder responsable de la comunidad elige, sobre todo cuando la comunidad que las necesidades de vivienda más asequible es excluido de las nuevas viviendas de todos modos? Según Christine Quinn, PS 51 los padres tienen que decidir entre recibir una nueva escuela y la salud y la seguridad de sus hijos. ¿Por qué tenemos que decidir? ¿Por qué no podemos tener una nueva escuela y proteger a nuestros niños y comunidad escolar?
Mito: La SCA y la Ciudad han asegurado adecuadamente el PS 51 y mayores de la comunidad no hay problemas de salud y seguridad.
Realidad: La SCA y Quinn se han negado a poner una barrera del sonido (lo que he hecho en otras escuelas) o el sellado de ventanas o incluso ofrecer purificadores de aire que algunos padres ingenuamente pensé que sería suficiente. Mike Mirisola sostiene que no hay polvo de la zona de construcción entrará en la escuela. El DOE ha transferido en voz baja algunos niños con asma grave. Si no hay nada para preocuparse, entonces por qué permitir que estas transferencias? No entiendo cómo los padres pueden decir todo lo que hace de la ciudad lo posible para garantizar la salud y la seguridad de la PS 51 de la comunidad. No veo donde he pasado una moneda de diez centavos en la protección de nuestros niños, maestros y la administración. De hecho, en una reunión de grupo de trabajo de la construcción, el representante de junta comunal admitió, cuando se le preguntó acerca de todos los posibles accidentes y riesgos para la salud y la seguridad que puede ocurrir en una obra compleja, que nuestra salud y la seguridad no estaba garantizada, diciendo: "no podemos decir nada va a pasar".
La SCA ya ha mentido a los padres acerca de las toxinas en el suelo y las aguas subterráneas del sitio nuevo proyecto PS 51. En la propia ciudad de Impacto Ambiental Final (FEIS), sus estados peligrosos de evaluación de los materiales que las muestras de suelo y agua subterránea tomadas en el sitio del proyecto PS 51 indica los niveles de tricloroetileno (TCE) y tetracloroetileno (PCE), que superó en Nueva York del Departamento de Estado de las normas de la Salud . El TCE es un carcinógeno humano conocido ampliamente utilizado como disolvente industrial por la limpieza en seco y las instalaciones industriales, y se sabe que permanecen en el suelo y las aguas subterráneas mucho después de estas instalaciones cerradas, y se puede vaporizar, la migración en los edificios anteriores a través de grietas en la pared y otros las vías de exposición y toxifying del aire interior. Usted puede buscar en el sitio de Superfund en Endicott Nueva York, donde las expresiones culturales tradicionales fue el principal contaminante en un derrame de la planta de IBM y se encontró que han emigrado fuera del emplazamiento en las estructuras del aire interior. La exposición al TCE está relacionada con el cáncer de riñón y el hígado, disfunción del sistema nervioso central, y más efectos en la salud a corto plazo, tales como dolores de cabeza, mareos, y la exacerbación del asma.
Cuando se le preguntó si había algún toxinas en el sitio del proyecto en la reunión del grupo de trabajo de construcción en primer lugar, Mike Mirisola enfáticamente dijo NO. Sin embargo, su propio informe de la Fase II dice lo contrario. El Subcomité de Acreditación y la ciudad han hecho nada para garantizar nuestra salud y la seguridad. De hecho, como usted dice, son el tratamiento de nuestra zona de construcción al igual que cualquier otra zona de construcción en Manhattan. El SCA es jugar. Dicen que no es su competencia para controlar el aire interior. Se alzan las manos. Pero, ellos son el organismo principal aquí. ¿Por qué no se en contacto con el Departamento de Educación y obtener el monitoreo del aire en interiores como dijeron que harían en su propia FEIS? ¿Por qué no el representante del DOE en la reunión del grupo de trabajo llevado de vuelta nuestras preocupaciones de la reunión del grupo de trabajo primero y posterior reunión de la PTA que el monitoreo del aire en interiores es necesario (y requerido como parte de la FEIS)? Es porque tal y como usted dice, no quieren gastar el dinero. No quiero ni ofrecer purificadores de aire que algunos padres confundidos crees que va a ser suficiente. Tal vez no quieren proporcionar el monitoreo del aire en interiores, ya que está preocupado acerca de lo que van a encontrar? Pero tienes razón, que sin duda se espera que la comunidad no se insista en el tema, tome el tiempo para leer la FEIS sino más bien a ser comprensivos con el hecho de que la ciudad está en problemas financieros.
Mito: La ciudad está en problemas financieros y no puede permitirse el lujo de pasar PS 51, y, además, que han hecho adiciones de la construcción a otras escuelas y dejó a los niños, profesores y personal en los edificios existentes.
Realidad: La ciudad se ha trasladado a otras escuelas e incluso llegado a los desarrolladores a pagar algunos de los costos - no sólo en el caso de PS 51. PS 133, en Park Slope se trasladó a un local provisional para la duración de su construcción. Aquí fue la razón de la Ciudad para la reubicación temporal: "[e] l uso de los locales provisionales también evitar los efectos perjudiciales que las actividades de construcción podrían tener en los estudiantes, así como eliminar la necesidad de una variedad de medidas de protección que de otra manera están obligados a proteger el edificio de la escuela existente y sus ocupantes durante la construcción. "Y en la misma calle, Clinton Middle School fue trasladada de una situación de hacinamiento en la escuela PS 11 a una escuela católica se cerró el West 33rd St., San Miguel, mientras que espera a su nueva escuela que se construirá. La Ciudad de las horas extraordinarias trabajadas durante el pasado verano para renovar el espacio, el gasto más de $ 10 millones.
Por último, muchos de nosotros ver cómo se levanta el gran lujo están desplazando a familias de clase trabajadora de Hell's Kitchen y se están organizando para garantizar que la nueva escuela PS 51 continuará para servirnos. La construcción de nuevas escuelas es parte de un proyecto de desarrollo más grande que traerá más lujosos edificios de gran altura a nuestro barrio. Desarrollo de nuevos rascacielos sigue cocina del infierno de engullir. La ciudad, Quinn y CB 4 son ahora quiere rezonificar el corredor último resto de la comunidad, la avenida 11 con la misma vivienda asequible limitada / urbanizaciones de lujo que ya han desplazado a muchos de nosotros. En tres años en el momento en el nuevo PS 51 está programado para abrir, la ciudad estima que habrá más de 900 nuevos niños de primaria en edad escolar que viven en la zona debido a la evolución de lujo, eso es más del doble el número de niños de escuela primaria dentro de una milla y media de la PS 51. No sólo el nuevo PS 51 ya se hacinamiento, hay una preocupación de muchos padres que muchos de nosotros en la comunidad serán excluidos de la nueva escuela. Los alquileres se han disparado debido al desarrollo de gran altura y los propietarios están utilizando todos los medios que pueden empujar mucho tiempo de trabajo a las familias de clase.
Por eso es que exigimos la ciudad y Quinn:
1. Dar prioridad a la salud y la seguridad de nuestros niños y la protección de la Cocina del Infierno de trabajo de la comunidad de clase, no más de lujo de gran altura el desarrollo,
2. Retraso toda la construcción hasta la ciudad goza de una ubicación temporal seguro y renovado para PS 51 en Hell's Kitchen;
3. La ubicación de la totalidad Posdata 51 escuelas de la comunidad para la ubicación temporal de septiembre 2011.
4. Garantizar que todas las construcciones en la manzana de la ciudad ha terminado en la fecha de finalización prevista de septiembre de 2013.
5. Garantizar la PS 51 comunidad escolar se mueve junto al nuevo edificio escolar.
6. Asegúrese de que PS 51 continuará sirviendo a las familias de clase trabajadora de Hell's Kitchen.
Myth: "The new PS 51 construction is just part of life living in New York, construction is everywhere, get over it"
Fact: There has been significant high rise luxury development construction in Hell's Kitchen over the last 10 years, but most of this construction has been along 42nd St., not adjacent to any school. Not that residents haven't been home during this construction but most are at work during the day and so avoid the construction noise. According to NYC law, as a school and as a sensitive receptor, Turner Construction is required to cooperate with PS 51 to minimize the noise, but the SCA has refused to provide a sound barrier. At the beginning, some parents asked if they could do the construction at night, but that requires overtime and special permits and involves a more powerful interest group that would complain -- nearby residents. Since you're in the construction industry, you may know better why that's not possible. The point is, those most "inconvenienced" by this construction are pre-K - 5th graders and a few teachers and staff - not a very powerful interest group for Christine Quinn.
This new school construction is part of an unprecedented luxury residential development project spanning nearly the entire city block between 10th and 11th Avenue between West 44th and West 45th Street that will consist of 9 other new buildings, including 3 luxury high rise buildings and six mid-rise residential buildings (consisting of three 14-story buildings, two 7-story buildings, and one 12-story building). According to the SCA, there will be 7 months of constant drilling and hammering against bedrock -- which we'll hear "every single minute" of the day. There will also be a 150 ton crane looming above. Then we'll have 4 months of steel work which will consist of high-pitched continuous noise. Many of our kids have learning or auditory issues or English is their second language. With the noise its hard to imagine a quality learning environment, much less the dust and potential toxic exposure that will hit our kids with asthma the hardest, but will affect us all.
But that's only the construction of our school. Gotham's two 14-story buildings that will be built right next to our school -- one over the rail cut, the other where the stables are -- will take another 8 months to build and that's not including the high rises. That construction won't likely start until August of this year. At the beginning, we were told the construction would be done simultaneously, but Gotham's finances take precedence over our needs -- they're not closing until the end of June 2011. Some in the Community Board and Christine Quinn are telling parents that this luxury development is too important to be modified by moving us out because the community will get affordable housing out of it. Most of that housing isn't even affordable for the working people of Hell's Kitchen. Regardless, why should we risk our health for housing? What responsible leader makes a community choose, especially when the community that needs affordable housing the most is shut out of the new housing anyway? According to Christine Quinn, PS 51 parents have to decide between getting a new school and the health and safety of their kids. Why do we have to decide? Why can't we have a new school and protect our kids and school community?
Myth: The SCA and the City have adequately reassured the PS 51 and larger community there is no health and safety concerns.
Fact: The SCA and Quinn have refused to put up a sound barrier (which they've done at other schools) or seal the windows or even provide air purifiers which some parents naively thought would be sufficient. Mike Mirisola maintains that no dust from the construction zone will enter the school. The DOE has quietly transfered some kids with serious asthma. If there is nothing to be concerned about then why allow these transfers? I don't understand how parents can say the City's done everything it can to ensure the health and safety of the PS 51 community. I don't see where they've spent one dime on protecting our kids, teachers, and administration. In fact, at a construction task force meeting, the community board rep admitted, when asked about all the potential accidents and health and safety risks that can occur on such a complex construction site, that our health and safety could not be guaranteed, saying, "we can't say nothing will happen".
The SCA has already lied to parents about the toxins in the soil and groundwater of the new PS 51 project site. In the City's own Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), its hazardous materials assessment states that soil and groundwater samples taken on the PS 51 project site indicated levels of trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) that exceeded New York State Department of Health standards. TCE is a known human carcinogen widely used as an industrial solvent by dry cleaning and industrial facilities, and is known to remain in soil and groundwater long after these facilities shut down, and can vaporize, migrating into above buildings via cracks in the wall and other exposure pathways and toxifying indoor air. As to your point about us all being in danger since we're in a city of construction, children spend significant portions of their day inside school buildings and are uniquely vulnerable to and affected by this potential toxic exposure. Major body systems develop from birth through adolescence and during these critical years children are more vulnerable to exposure to environmental toxins than adults.
When asked if there were any toxins in the project site at the first taskforce construction meeting, Mike Mirisola emphatically said NO. Yet, their own Phase II report says otherwise. The SCA and the City have done NOTHING to ensure our health and safety. In fact, as you say, they are treating our construction zone like any other construction zone in Manhattan. The SCA is playing games. They say its not their jurisdiction to monitor the indoor air. They throw up their hands. But, they are the lead agency here. Why are they not contacting the DOE and getting indoor air monitoring like they said they would in their own FEIS? Why hasn't the DOE rep in the taskforce meeting taken back our concerns from the first taskforce meeting and subsequent PTA meeting that indoor air monitoring is needed (and REQUIRED as part of the FEIS)? Its because exactly as you say, they don't want to spend the money. They don't even want to provide air purifiers which some confused parents think will be sufficient. Maybe they don't want to provide indoor air monitoring because they're worried about what they'll find? But you're right, they definitely were hoping that the community would not push the issue, take the time to read the FEIS but rather to be sympathetic to the fact that the City is in financial trouble.
Myth: The City is in financial trouble and can't afford to move PS 51, and besides, they've done construction additions to other schools and left the kids, faculty and staff in the existing buildings.
Fact: The City has moved other schools and even gotten developers to pay some of the costs -- just not in the case of PS 51. PS 133 in Park Slope was moved to a swing space for the duration of their construction. Here was the City's reason for the temporary relocation: “[t]he use of the swing space would also avoid the disruptive effects that construction activities could have on the students, as well as eliminate the need for a variety of protective measures that would otherwise be required to protect the existing school building and its occupants during construction.” And just down the street, Clinton Middle School was moved from an overcrowded situation at PS 11 to a closed catholic school on West 33rd St., St. Michael's, while it waits for its new school to be built. The City worked overtime over last summer to renovate the space, spending more than $10 million.
Finally, many of us see how the luxury high rises are displacing working class families of Hell's Kitchen and are organizing to ensure that the new PS 51 school will continue to serve us. The new school construction is part of a larger development project that will bring more luxury high-rise buildings to our neighborhood. New high-rise development continues to engulf Hell’s Kitchen. While elected leaders, led by Bloomberg and Quinn, rezone Hell's Kitchen for the rich, they refuse to build what we need -- schools, community centers, parks, whatever we want. The City, Speaker Quinn and CB 4 are now wanting to rezone the last remaining corridor of the community, 11th Avenue with the same limited affordable housing/luxury developments that have already displaced many of us. Quinn says there's no space for us, but there is and certainly for the 3-4 years they've been planning this development they could have started the process to move PS 51 if she had been prioritizing the health and safety of us rather than the needs of Gotham developers. For instance, even she says we need a middle school, but the City is selling our existing PS 51 building to Gotham and converting it into luxury housing.
By 2013, when the new PS 51 is scheduled to open, the City estimates that there will be more than 900 new elementary age school children living in the area due to new luxury developments, that's more than double the number of elementary school children within a ½ mile of P.S. 51. Not only will the new PS 51 already be overcrowded, there is a concern among many parents that many of us in the community will be shut out of the new school. Rents are skyrocketing due to the high rise development and landlords are using whatever means they can to push long time working class families out.
So this is why we are demanding the City and Quinn:
1. Prioritize the health and safety of our kids and the protection of the Hell's Kitchen working class community; not more luxury high-rise
development,
2. Delay all construction until the City has a safe and renovated temporary location for P.S. 51 in Hell’s Kitchen;
3. Relocate the entire P.S. 51 school community to the temporary location by Sept 2011.
4. Guarantee that all construction on the city block is finished by the scheduled completion date of September 2013.
5. Guarantee the P.S. 51 school community moves together into the new school building.
6. Ensure that P.S. 51 will continue to serve Hell’s Kitchen’s working-class families.
Mito: "El nuevo PS 51 de la construcción es sólo una parte de vivir la vida en Nueva York, la construcción está en todas partes, superarlo"
Realidad: No ha sido significativo de lujo de gran altura de construcción de desarrollo en Hell's Kitchen en los últimos 10 años, pero la mayor parte de esta construcción ha sido a lo largo de la calle 42, no al lado de cualquier escuela. No es que los residentes no han estado en casa durante esta construcción pero la mayoría están en el trabajo durante el día y así evitar el ruido de la construcción. Según la ley de Nueva York, como escuela y como un receptor sensible, Turner Construction está obligado a cooperar con PS 51 a minimizar el ruido, pero la SCA se ha negado a proporcionar una barrera del sonido. Al principio, algunos padres se les preguntó si podía hacer la construcción en la noche, pero que requiere horas extraordinarias y los permisos especiales y consiste en un grupo de interés más poderosos que se quejan - los residentes cercanos. Puesto que usted está en la industria de la construcción, usted puede saber mejor por qué eso no es posible. El punto es que la mayoría de los "inconvenientes" de esta construcción son pre-K - 5 º grado y algunos profesores y el personal - no un grupo de intereses muy poderosos para Christine Quinn.
Esta construcción de nuevas escuelas es parte de un proyecto de desarrollo residencial de lujo sin precedentes, que abarca casi toda la manzana entre 10 y 11 Avenida, entre West 44th y West 45th Street, que estará compuesto por 9 edificios nuevos, entre ellos tres edificios de lujo de gran altura y media de seis aumento de los edificios de viviendas (que consta de tres edificios de 14 pisos, dos edificios de 7 pisos y un edificio de 12 pisos). Según la CEA, no será de 7 meses de perforación y constante martilleo contra el lecho de roca - que vamos a escuchar "cada minuto del día". También habrá una grúa de 150 toneladas por encima de inminente. Entonces vamos a tener 4 meses de trabajo de acero que consistirá en el ruido continuo de alta frecuencia. Muchos de nuestros niños tienen problemas de aprendizaje o problemas auditivos o Inglés es su segundo idioma. Con el ruido es difícil de imaginar un entorno de aprendizaje de calidad, y mucho menos el polvo y la exposición potencial tóxico que llegará a nuestros niños con asma más duro, pero afecta a todos nosotros.
Pero eso es sólo la construcción de nuestra escuela. dos de Gotham edificios de 14 pisos que se construirá justo al lado de nuestra escuela - una sobre el corte ferroviario, y el otro en los establos son - se llevará a otros 8 meses para construir y eso es sin incluir los rascacielos. Que la construcción no comenzará probablemente hasta agosto de este año. Al principio, nos dijeron la construcción se llevaría a cabo simultáneamente, pero las finanzas de Gotham tienen prioridad sobre nuestras necesidades - no es el cierre hasta el final de junio de 2011. Algunos en la Junta de Comunidades y Christine Quinn están diciendo a los padres que este desarrollo de lujo es demasiado importante para ser modificado por nosotros en movimiento porque la comunidad va a conseguir una vivienda asequible fuera de él. La mayor parte de que la vivienda no es asequible incluso para los trabajadores de Hell's Kitchen. De todos modos, ¿por qué nos arriesgamos nuestra salud para la vivienda? ¿Qué hace un líder responsable de la comunidad elige, sobre todo cuando la comunidad que las necesidades de vivienda más asequible es excluido de las nuevas viviendas de todos modos? Según Christine Quinn, PS 51 los padres tienen que decidir entre recibir una nueva escuela y la salud y la seguridad de sus hijos. ¿Por qué tenemos que decidir? ¿Por qué no podemos tener una nueva escuela y proteger a nuestros niños y comunidad escolar?
Mito: La SCA y la Ciudad han asegurado adecuadamente el PS 51 y mayores de la comunidad no hay problemas de salud y seguridad.
Realidad: La SCA y Quinn se han negado a poner una barrera del sonido (lo que he hecho en otras escuelas) o el sellado de ventanas o incluso ofrecer purificadores de aire que algunos padres ingenuamente pensé que sería suficiente. Mike Mirisola sostiene que no hay polvo de la zona de construcción entrará en la escuela. El DOE ha transferido en voz baja algunos niños con asma grave. Si no hay nada para preocuparse, entonces por qué permitir que estas transferencias? No entiendo cómo los padres pueden decir todo lo que hace de la ciudad lo posible para garantizar la salud y la seguridad de la PS 51 de la comunidad. No veo donde he pasado una moneda de diez centavos en la protección de nuestros niños, maestros y la administración. De hecho, en una reunión de grupo de trabajo de la construcción, el representante de junta comunal admitió, cuando se le preguntó acerca de todos los posibles accidentes y riesgos para la salud y la seguridad que puede ocurrir en una obra compleja, que nuestra salud y la seguridad no estaba garantizada, diciendo: "no podemos decir nada va a pasar".
La SCA ya ha mentido a los padres acerca de las toxinas en el suelo y las aguas subterráneas del sitio nuevo proyecto PS 51. En la propia ciudad de Impacto Ambiental Final (FEIS), sus estados peligrosos de evaluación de los materiales que las muestras de suelo y agua subterránea tomadas en el sitio del proyecto PS 51 indica los niveles de tricloroetileno (TCE) y tetracloroetileno (PCE), que superó en Nueva York del Departamento de Estado de las normas de la Salud . El TCE es un carcinógeno humano conocido ampliamente utilizado como disolvente industrial por la limpieza en seco y las instalaciones industriales, y se sabe que permanecen en el suelo y las aguas subterráneas mucho después de estas instalaciones cerradas, y se puede vaporizar, la migración en los edificios anteriores a través de grietas en la pared y otros las vías de exposición y toxifying del aire interior. Usted puede buscar en el sitio de Superfund en Endicott Nueva York, donde las expresiones culturales tradicionales fue el principal contaminante en un derrame de la planta de IBM y se encontró que han emigrado fuera del emplazamiento en las estructuras del aire interior. La exposición al TCE está relacionada con el cáncer de riñón y el hígado, disfunción del sistema nervioso central, y más efectos en la salud a corto plazo, tales como dolores de cabeza, mareos, y la exacerbación del asma.
Cuando se le preguntó si había algún toxinas en el sitio del proyecto en la reunión del grupo de trabajo de construcción en primer lugar, Mike Mirisola enfáticamente dijo NO. Sin embargo, su propio informe de la Fase II dice lo contrario. El Subcomité de Acreditación y la ciudad han hecho nada para garantizar nuestra salud y la seguridad. De hecho, como usted dice, son el tratamiento de nuestra zona de construcción al igual que cualquier otra zona de construcción en Manhattan. El SCA es jugar. Dicen que no es su competencia para controlar el aire interior. Se alzan las manos. Pero, ellos son el organismo principal aquí. ¿Por qué no se en contacto con el Departamento de Educación y obtener el monitoreo del aire en interiores como dijeron que harían en su propia FEIS? ¿Por qué no el representante del DOE en la reunión del grupo de trabajo llevado de vuelta nuestras preocupaciones de la reunión del grupo de trabajo primero y posterior reunión de la PTA que el monitoreo del aire en interiores es necesario (y requerido como parte de la FEIS)? Es porque tal y como usted dice, no quieren gastar el dinero. No quiero ni ofrecer purificadores de aire que algunos padres confundidos crees que va a ser suficiente. Tal vez no quieren proporcionar el monitoreo del aire en interiores, ya que está preocupado acerca de lo que van a encontrar? Pero tienes razón, que sin duda se espera que la comunidad no se insista en el tema, tome el tiempo para leer la FEIS sino más bien a ser comprensivos con el hecho de que la ciudad está en problemas financieros.
Mito: La ciudad está en problemas financieros y no puede permitirse el lujo de pasar PS 51, y, además, que han hecho adiciones de la construcción a otras escuelas y dejó a los niños, profesores y personal en los edificios existentes.
Realidad: La ciudad se ha trasladado a otras escuelas e incluso llegado a los desarrolladores a pagar algunos de los costos - no sólo en el caso de PS 51. PS 133, en Park Slope se trasladó a un local provisional para la duración de su construcción. Aquí fue la razón de la Ciudad para la reubicación temporal: "[e] l uso de los locales provisionales también evitar los efectos perjudiciales que las actividades de construcción podrían tener en los estudiantes, así como eliminar la necesidad de una variedad de medidas de protección que de otra manera están obligados a proteger el edificio de la escuela existente y sus ocupantes durante la construcción. "Y en la misma calle, Clinton Middle School fue trasladada de una situación de hacinamiento en la escuela PS 11 a una escuela católica se cerró el West 33rd St., San Miguel, mientras que espera a su nueva escuela que se construirá. La Ciudad de las horas extraordinarias trabajadas durante el pasado verano para renovar el espacio, el gasto más de $ 10 millones.
Por último, muchos de nosotros ver cómo se levanta el gran lujo están desplazando a familias de clase trabajadora de Hell's Kitchen y se están organizando para garantizar que la nueva escuela PS 51 continuará para servirnos. La construcción de nuevas escuelas es parte de un proyecto de desarrollo más grande que traerá más lujosos edificios de gran altura a nuestro barrio. Desarrollo de nuevos rascacielos sigue cocina del infierno de engullir. La ciudad, Quinn y CB 4 son ahora quiere rezonificar el corredor último resto de la comunidad, la avenida 11 con la misma vivienda asequible limitada / urbanizaciones de lujo que ya han desplazado a muchos de nosotros. En tres años en el momento en el nuevo PS 51 está programado para abrir, la ciudad estima que habrá más de 900 nuevos niños de primaria en edad escolar que viven en la zona debido a la evolución de lujo, eso es más del doble el número de niños de escuela primaria dentro de una milla y media de la PS 51. No sólo el nuevo PS 51 ya se hacinamiento, hay una preocupación de muchos padres que muchos de nosotros en la comunidad serán excluidos de la nueva escuela. Los alquileres se han disparado debido al desarrollo de gran altura y los propietarios están utilizando todos los medios que pueden empujar mucho tiempo de trabajo a las familias de clase.
Por eso es que exigimos la ciudad y Quinn:
1. Dar prioridad a la salud y la seguridad de nuestros niños y la protección de la Cocina del Infierno de trabajo de la comunidad de clase, no más de lujo de gran altura el desarrollo,
2. Retraso toda la construcción hasta la ciudad goza de una ubicación temporal seguro y renovado para PS 51 en Hell's Kitchen;
3. La ubicación de la totalidad Posdata 51 escuelas de la comunidad para la ubicación temporal de septiembre 2011.
4. Garantizar que todas las construcciones en la manzana de la ciudad ha terminado en la fecha de finalización prevista de septiembre de 2013.
5. Garantizar la PS 51 comunidad escolar se mueve junto al nuevo edificio escolar.
6. Asegúrese de que PS 51 continuará sirviendo a las familias de clase trabajadora de Hell's Kitchen.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
A response to Quinn's email:
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
224 West 30th St (Suite 1206)
New York, NY 10001
Feb. 10th, 2011
Dear Mrs. Quinn,
Years ago, when the re-zoning meetings first began regarding the block where PS 51 is, many parents voiced their opinions about the new school. We spoke of the things that we wanted in the new school, but also spoke of the concerns we had regarding the health and safety of our children if the project were to be approved. These concerns were never addressed. As plans moved forward, we continued to work on getting the spaces, classrooms, etc. necessary for the new school, but our concerns about the children were still voiced at every meeting. We asked about the air quality, noise control, time and duration of construction. We asked about having the children moved since the massive project, not just the new school, would envelope our children. For some reason, these concerns continued to go unanswered.
In the letter you recently sent to your constituents you spoke of the “unprecedented” housing development that would take over the block. You spoke of how we “owe” our children the best learning complex possible. What you neglected to add is that we “OWE” it to our children to keep them healthy and safe. How can you justify leaving 330 children in a 100 year-old building that “lacks all the modern necessary functions” including insufficient air circulation, a school that is already over capacity, during this “unprecedented,” enormous construction project?
In one paragraph you spoke of how you will continue to explore the possibility of moving the PS 51 school, then said you have explored it, then you said unfortunately construction has already started and stopping it could cause the project to be cancelled. So, in essence, what you are telling us is that you know the parents want to have the children moved, have looked at that possibility, not taken action, and are going ahead with the project that will jeopardize the health and safety of the children.
Other schools in NYC have been moved with less necessity. Moves due to overcrowding (Clinton Middle School), moves because the construction could be intrusive (PS 133) and yet the construction that will envelope PS 51, this “unprecedented,” “one of a kind” development, is not cause enough? If, as you stated, our concerns for our children causes the construction of the new school to be halted, do you think that the parents will stop fighting to have the school moved? There will still be “unprecedented” construction all around them. Therefore, we will not have a new school and you will still have the parents fighting to have the children moved. If this were to happen in a more affluent neighborhood, you would have already moved the children. Do not think that because our school is comprised of low-income families that we will not fight for our children.
Regarding the task force meetings, you spoke of how the PTA is a part of it; however, these people are not properly voicing our concerns to you at these meetings. You have meetings comprised of all the people who are only thinking of the new school, the new development, and how great that is going to be for everyone, except the children that will be stricken with future illness or possible learning failures due to your achievement.
You said that this Task Force will “ensure that all issues are addressed before they have a chance to become a problem,” well Mrs. Quinn the issue of our children’s health and safety is already a problem and you are not addressing it. You are not taking a stand for our children. You are choosing to cater to the developers instead of taking care of your current community. You have taken our trust in you and the city officials and thrown it out the window. When you didn’t address our concerns years ago, we trusted that you would address them when the time was upon us. We trusted that you would do right by the children and you have failed.
Take a moment to think about these little kids who get one shot at going to kindergarten, one shot at taking the state tests, one shot to experience 5th grade. You are taking something away from them that they will never get back. Don’t do this to them, don’t be that kind of politician. Don’t be the person who allows these kids to be surrounded with dust, debris, shaking, insurmountable noise and having to learn by teachers that are forced to shout at them so they can hear; having future health problems due to the carcinogens that were found in the soil on the new school site and surrounding lots. Don’t. Don’t.
Regards,
Fightfor51 (growing larger everyday)
Speaker
224 West 30th St (Suite 1206)
New York, NY 10001
Feb. 10th, 2011
Dear Mrs. Quinn,
Years ago, when the re-zoning meetings first began regarding the block where PS 51 is, many parents voiced their opinions about the new school. We spoke of the things that we wanted in the new school, but also spoke of the concerns we had regarding the health and safety of our children if the project were to be approved. These concerns were never addressed. As plans moved forward, we continued to work on getting the spaces, classrooms, etc. necessary for the new school, but our concerns about the children were still voiced at every meeting. We asked about the air quality, noise control, time and duration of construction. We asked about having the children moved since the massive project, not just the new school, would envelope our children. For some reason, these concerns continued to go unanswered.
In the letter you recently sent to your constituents you spoke of the “unprecedented” housing development that would take over the block. You spoke of how we “owe” our children the best learning complex possible. What you neglected to add is that we “OWE” it to our children to keep them healthy and safe. How can you justify leaving 330 children in a 100 year-old building that “lacks all the modern necessary functions” including insufficient air circulation, a school that is already over capacity, during this “unprecedented,” enormous construction project?
In one paragraph you spoke of how you will continue to explore the possibility of moving the PS 51 school, then said you have explored it, then you said unfortunately construction has already started and stopping it could cause the project to be cancelled. So, in essence, what you are telling us is that you know the parents want to have the children moved, have looked at that possibility, not taken action, and are going ahead with the project that will jeopardize the health and safety of the children.
Other schools in NYC have been moved with less necessity. Moves due to overcrowding (Clinton Middle School), moves because the construction could be intrusive (PS 133) and yet the construction that will envelope PS 51, this “unprecedented,” “one of a kind” development, is not cause enough? If, as you stated, our concerns for our children causes the construction of the new school to be halted, do you think that the parents will stop fighting to have the school moved? There will still be “unprecedented” construction all around them. Therefore, we will not have a new school and you will still have the parents fighting to have the children moved. If this were to happen in a more affluent neighborhood, you would have already moved the children. Do not think that because our school is comprised of low-income families that we will not fight for our children.
Regarding the task force meetings, you spoke of how the PTA is a part of it; however, these people are not properly voicing our concerns to you at these meetings. You have meetings comprised of all the people who are only thinking of the new school, the new development, and how great that is going to be for everyone, except the children that will be stricken with future illness or possible learning failures due to your achievement.
You said that this Task Force will “ensure that all issues are addressed before they have a chance to become a problem,” well Mrs. Quinn the issue of our children’s health and safety is already a problem and you are not addressing it. You are not taking a stand for our children. You are choosing to cater to the developers instead of taking care of your current community. You have taken our trust in you and the city officials and thrown it out the window. When you didn’t address our concerns years ago, we trusted that you would address them when the time was upon us. We trusted that you would do right by the children and you have failed.
Take a moment to think about these little kids who get one shot at going to kindergarten, one shot at taking the state tests, one shot to experience 5th grade. You are taking something away from them that they will never get back. Don’t do this to them, don’t be that kind of politician. Don’t be the person who allows these kids to be surrounded with dust, debris, shaking, insurmountable noise and having to learn by teachers that are forced to shout at them so they can hear; having future health problems due to the carcinogens that were found in the soil on the new school site and surrounding lots. Don’t. Don’t.
Regards,
Fightfor51 (growing larger everyday)
Quinn's response to our organizing -email to HK community
This is an email sent from Quinn to Hell's Kitchen community on Jan. 28th ... suggesting that a temporary location for PS 51 will jeopardize the "enormous victory" of middle income housing --what about our kid's health and safety?! All issues are NOT being addressed and they ARE ALREADY a problem.
------------------
From: Speaker Christine C. Quinn <CSTAT03@council.nyc.ny.us>
Date: Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 7:02 PM
Subject: PS 51 Update
January 28, 2011
Dear Neighbor,
I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on work happening at the PS 51 site. As you may remember, in March of 2010, the New York City Council approved a rezoning of West 44 and West 45 Streets between 10 and 11 Avenues. This rezoning went through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), an extensive public review process. As a result of this public process, we as a community were able to achieve a number of substantial benefits.
This rezoning is in the development phase and it will bring the community two vital additions: a new school building and permanently affordable housing.
The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) has begun the process of building the new PS 51 school building. While the current PS 51 building has served this community well it lacks all the modern necessary functions found in other schools, such as a separate cafeteria, gymnasium, and auditorium. When completed, this building will at long last meet the needs of the PS 51 community. We owe it to our children to provide them with the best learning complex possible- and with this new building we will be meeting is goal.
In addition to the new school, the Gotham Organization has been selected by the City to develop the residential housing on this site. This development is one of a kind. Recognizing a critical need for permanent middle and moderate income housing, we will be creating at least 600 new units on this block. This is unprecedented and an enormous victory for our neighborhood.
At the same time, we must acknowledge the challenges that lay ahead of us. To this end, we have created a Task Force whose participants include the PS 51 school administration, the PS 51 PTA, the SCA, the Gotham Organization, Community Board 4, local elected officials, and local community groups. We have been and will continue to meet regularly to ensure that all issues are addressed before they have a chance to become a problem. If something becomes a problem we have the decision makers assembled and in place to make the necessary changes.
All the issues raised by the parents, administration, and greater community have and will continue to be discussed at the task force- this includes exploring the possibility of relocating the PS 51 community for the duration of the construction. We have explored this option with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the SCA. Unfortunately, the PS 51 project has commenced and any major changes in the specifications to the bid would generate costs overruns that could result in the project's cancellation. That said, I will continue to explore all new possibilities to ensure that while construction is occurring we are constantly reevaluating our situation and if something better arises, we take all the appropriate steps.
I want to thank the PS 51 administration and PTA who have participated in every meeting; before and during the ULURP process. They have advocated strongly for this project to include a new school building, which is what is being created, and not the minor addition the DOE and SCA originally suggested. They knew that their community needed more seats for our children and we are creating those seats today.
If you would like to work with me on this issue, or just stay updated on our progress, please contact Melanie La Rocca in my office at Mlarocca@council.nyc.gov or (212) 564-7757 to be added to my email list.
Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Spaces in the neighborhood
Possible spaces for in the neighborhood for relocation:
• Holy Cross School– 43rd bet 8-9, slated to close by end of academic year(merging with Sacred Heart School
• NYPL annex 43 bet. 10th and 11th. --DOE is looking at this space for either a charter school or for another school to use.
• St. Vincents Hospital- 415 W. 51st Street (formally St. Claires Hospital) for sale
• Holy Cross School– 43rd bet 8-9, slated to close by end of academic year(merging with Sacred Heart School
• NYPL annex 43 bet. 10th and 11th. --DOE is looking at this space for either a charter school or for another school to use.
• St. Vincents Hospital- 415 W. 51st Street (formally St. Claires Hospital) for sale
Examples of other schools that have been relocated
NUTSHELL RELOCATION SUMMARY
P.S. 59 – school relocated , new construction on 250 E. 57th tied to whole foods and retail. two years to build 59 story highrise, Will house P.S. 59 and High School of Art and Design.
The temporary site in the old Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital. It was renovated by World-Wide Group using the School Construction Authority’s “Green” guidelines and is the first school building to conform to the School Construction Authority’s “Green” standards
Clinton Middle School school relocated- school occupied top floor of P.S. 11 in Chelsea. New permanent school being build on E. 15th Street slated to open in 2015. School was moved out of overcrowded P.S. 11 to old St. Michael’s Academy on 33rd street bet. 9th and 10th. City has 7 year lease through Catholic Archdioces of New York Parents found location and were vocal and also have secured blocking off city block for recess during lunch M-Th. Community Board Support for it. The city spent 11 million to lease St. Michael’s.
P.S. 133 –Park Slope, Brooklyn, School relocated
Due to the complexity of maintaining school operation on the site during construction, the existing PS 133 elementary school would be relocated during construction to a temporary swing space at the St. Thomas Aquinas School located at Fourth Avenue and 8th Street. Prior to the SCA having secured this swing space, the construction plan entailed maintaining school operations for PS 133 in the existing school building while
the new school facility is under construction. Under the original construction plan, the existing school building would have been demolished upon completion and student occupancy of the new school facility in Primary School Replacement Facility at PS 133 (William A. Butler School) FEIS 2012 and, following demolition, construction of the outdoor recreation areas and community garden would have been completed approximately one year later in 2013. Locating the school in a swing space would
enable the site’s full development in three years, including demolition of the existing PS 133 building and construction of the outdoor recreational spaces and community garden, prior to student occupancy in 2012. The use of the swing space would also avoid the disruptive effects that construction activities could have on the students, as well as eliminate the need for a variety of protective measures that would otherwise be required to protect the existing school building and its occupants during construction. The reduction in the overall construction period would also result in energy saving and would shorten the duration of the temporary disruptive effects from construction on the surrounding community by one year. Therefore, given its temporary nature, construction of the proposed project would not result in significant adverse impacts.
New School Constructions where no students are/will be in the site of constructions below!
They are also 3 other school construction happening/will happen between 2010 - 2014 in district 2.
PS/IS @ Foundling Hospital in Tribecca/Village - renovate old hospital
PS/IS 281 in Flatiron/Gramacy/Murray Hill area - new development at old Con Ed site.
PS 59 Upper East Side - new development- new height rise
P.S. 51 no plan to move school– new school constructed in current play yard. Only school we found that has entire city block of construction zone with 10 buildings surround current building.
P.S. 59 – school relocated , new construction on 250 E. 57th tied to whole foods and retail. two years to build 59 story highrise, Will house P.S. 59 and High School of Art and Design.
The temporary site in the old Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital. It was renovated by World-Wide Group using the School Construction Authority’s “Green” guidelines and is the first school building to conform to the School Construction Authority’s “Green” standards
Clinton Middle School school relocated- school occupied top floor of P.S. 11 in Chelsea. New permanent school being build on E. 15th Street slated to open in 2015. School was moved out of overcrowded P.S. 11 to old St. Michael’s Academy on 33rd street bet. 9th and 10th. City has 7 year lease through Catholic Archdioces of New York Parents found location and were vocal and also have secured blocking off city block for recess during lunch M-Th. Community Board Support for it. The city spent 11 million to lease St. Michael’s.
P.S. 133 –Park Slope, Brooklyn, School relocated
Due to the complexity of maintaining school operation on the site during construction, the existing PS 133 elementary school would be relocated during construction to a temporary swing space at the St. Thomas Aquinas School located at Fourth Avenue and 8th Street. Prior to the SCA having secured this swing space, the construction plan entailed maintaining school operations for PS 133 in the existing school building while
the new school facility is under construction. Under the original construction plan, the existing school building would have been demolished upon completion and student occupancy of the new school facility in Primary School Replacement Facility at PS 133 (William A. Butler School) FEIS 2012 and, following demolition, construction of the outdoor recreation areas and community garden would have been completed approximately one year later in 2013. Locating the school in a swing space would
enable the site’s full development in three years, including demolition of the existing PS 133 building and construction of the outdoor recreational spaces and community garden, prior to student occupancy in 2012. The use of the swing space would also avoid the disruptive effects that construction activities could have on the students, as well as eliminate the need for a variety of protective measures that would otherwise be required to protect the existing school building and its occupants during construction. The reduction in the overall construction period would also result in energy saving and would shorten the duration of the temporary disruptive effects from construction on the surrounding community by one year. Therefore, given its temporary nature, construction of the proposed project would not result in significant adverse impacts.
New School Constructions where no students are/will be in the site of constructions below!
They are also 3 other school construction happening/will happen between 2010 - 2014 in district 2.
PS/IS @ Foundling Hospital in Tribecca/Village - renovate old hospital
PS/IS 281 in Flatiron/Gramacy/Murray Hill area - new development at old Con Ed site.
PS 59 Upper East Side - new development- new height rise
P.S. 51 no plan to move school– new school constructed in current play yard. Only school we found that has entire city block of construction zone with 10 buildings surround current building.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Join us for weekly Picket demanding our school be relocated during construction!
Join us in fighting for our school and community!
Speaker Christine Quinn's District Office
224 W. 30th bet 7th and 8th
Tuesdays 12-1:30pm
Fridays 12-1:30pm
Speaker Christine Quinn's District Office
224 W. 30th bet 7th and 8th
Tuesdays 12-1:30pm
Fridays 12-1:30pm
Thursday, January 20, 2011
City block Plan for Construction- construction will engulf us!
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| City Block Plan 44th-45th street between 10th and 11th avenues |
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Letter to the Community
To the Hell’s Kitchen Community,
Our neighborhood school, P.S. 51 located on West 45th between 10th and 11th Avenue, is finally getting a brand new school building that has been only a rumor for years. This project is a long time coming, but unfortunately it comes at a price.
The City is refusing to temporarily relocate our children during the 3 years of construction to build a new P.S. 51 building and 9 other mid-rise and high-rise luxury buildings spanning the entire city block. Our kids will be overwhelmed in this construction zone – and their health, safety, and quality of education will be in danger. New high-rise development is engulfing Hell’s Kitchen and, in three years, will more than double the number of elementary school children within a ½ mile of P.S. 51.
By fast-tracking luxury development in Hell’s Kitchen, the City and Speaker Quinn are putting the interests of big developers before the health and safety of our kids at P.S. 51.
The City has spent years and hundreds of thousands of dollars planning for luxury high-rises on the City-owned West 44th St. city block, but won’t spend one penny to guarantee the health, safety or instructional quality of P.S. 51 kids and staff. The City has temporarily relocated other schools – for overcrowding, to speed up construction time, and “to avoid disruptive effects that construction could have on students.” The City refuses to do the same for P.S. 51. The City and Speaker Quinn say there’s no space to move P.S. 51, but in 4 short weeks, the community identified 3 possible nearby locations. What has the City been doing? Nothing. The City and Speaker Quinn say they’re looking for space to build new schools in our community. Meanwhile, the City is selling the old P.S. 51 building to Gotham to convert into luxury lofts!
The City is selling off our community at the expense of our kids’ health and safety!
The community demands that Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn:
1. Prioritize the health and safety of our kids and the protection of the Hell's Kitchen working class community; not more luxury high-rise development.
2. Delay all construction until the City has a safe and renovated temporary location for P.S. 51 in Hell’s Kitchen.
3. Relocate the entire P.S. 51 school community to the temporary location by Sept 2011.
4. Guarantee that all construction on the city block is finished by the scheduled completion date of September 2013.
5. Guarantee the P.S. 51 school community moves together into the new school building.
6. Ensure that P.S. 51 will continue to serve Hell’s Kitchen’s working-class families.
Para la Comunidad Hell’s Kitchen,
Nuestro barrio de la escuela, P.S. 51 ubicada en 45th apuesta de avenidas 10 y 11, finalmente está consiguiendo un edificio de nueva escuela que ha sido sólo un rumor durante años. Este proyecto tardara un tiempo en llegar, pero por desgracia tiene un precio.
La Ciudad se niega a trasladar temporalmente a nuestros hijos durante los 3 años de construcción para construir un nuevo edificio para P.S. 51 y 9 edificios lujosos de mediana y de gran altura, que abarcan toda la manzana. Nuestros hijos van a ser expuestos a esta zona de construcción y su salud, seguridad y calidad de la educación estará en peligro.
Por el desarrollo de edificios de lujo por la vía rápida en Hell's Kitchen, la Ciudad y Quinn están poniendo los intereses de los grandes desarrolladores antes de la salud y la seguridad de nuestros niños en la Escuela P.S. 51.
La Ciudad ha invertido años y cientos de miles de dólares para la planificación de edificios lujosos que se construirán en la propiedad de la Cuidad del bloque occidental de la calle West 45th, pero no va a gastar un centavo para garantizar la salud, la seguridad o la calidad de la enseñanza de los niños y el personal de P.S. 51. La Ciudad ha reubicado temporalmente otras escuelas de hacinamiento, para acelerar el tiempo de construcción, y "para evitar los efectos perjudiciales que la construcción podría tener en los estudiantes” pero La Ciudad se niega a hacer lo mismo para P.S. 51. La Ciudad y Quinn dice que no hay espacio para mover a la Escuela P.S. 51, pero en 4 cortas semanas, la comunidad ha identificado tres posibles lugares cercanos. ¿Qué ha estado haciendo la Ciudad? Nada. La Ciudad y Quinn dice que está buscando espacio para construir nuevas escuelas en nuestra comunidad mientras que la ciudad está vendiendo la antigua P.S. 51 a Gotham para convertirlos en condominios de lujo!
La ciudad está vendiendo nuestra comunidad a costa de la salud y seguridad de nuestros hijos!
La Communidad para exigir que la ciudad y el Ciudad y Quinn:
1. Dar prioridad a la salud y la seguridad de nuestros niños y la protección de la comunidad de Hell’s Kitchen, no mas edificios mas lujosos de gran altura.
2. Retrasar toda la construcción hasta que la Ciudad tenga lista una ubicación temporal sana, segura y renovada para P.S. 51 en Hell’s Kitchen.
3. Reubicar la comunidad escolar entera de P.S. 51 a una ubicación temporal a más tardar en Septiembre 2011.
4. Garatizar que toda la construcción del bloque esté terminada para Septiembre 2013, la fecha ya determinada.
5. Garantizar que la comunidad escolar de P.S. 51 se mude juntos a la nueva escuela.
6. Asegurar que P.S. 51 continue sirviendo a las familias trabajadoras de Hell’s Kitchen.
Our neighborhood school, P.S. 51 located on West 45th between 10th and 11th Avenue, is finally getting a brand new school building that has been only a rumor for years. This project is a long time coming, but unfortunately it comes at a price.
The City is refusing to temporarily relocate our children during the 3 years of construction to build a new P.S. 51 building and 9 other mid-rise and high-rise luxury buildings spanning the entire city block. Our kids will be overwhelmed in this construction zone – and their health, safety, and quality of education will be in danger. New high-rise development is engulfing Hell’s Kitchen and, in three years, will more than double the number of elementary school children within a ½ mile of P.S. 51.
By fast-tracking luxury development in Hell’s Kitchen, the City and Speaker Quinn are putting the interests of big developers before the health and safety of our kids at P.S. 51.
The City has spent years and hundreds of thousands of dollars planning for luxury high-rises on the City-owned West 44th St. city block, but won’t spend one penny to guarantee the health, safety or instructional quality of P.S. 51 kids and staff. The City has temporarily relocated other schools – for overcrowding, to speed up construction time, and “to avoid disruptive effects that construction could have on students.” The City refuses to do the same for P.S. 51. The City and Speaker Quinn say there’s no space to move P.S. 51, but in 4 short weeks, the community identified 3 possible nearby locations. What has the City been doing? Nothing. The City and Speaker Quinn say they’re looking for space to build new schools in our community. Meanwhile, the City is selling the old P.S. 51 building to Gotham to convert into luxury lofts!
The City is selling off our community at the expense of our kids’ health and safety!
The community demands that Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn:
1. Prioritize the health and safety of our kids and the protection of the Hell's Kitchen working class community; not more luxury high-rise development.
2. Delay all construction until the City has a safe and renovated temporary location for P.S. 51 in Hell’s Kitchen.
3. Relocate the entire P.S. 51 school community to the temporary location by Sept 2011.
4. Guarantee that all construction on the city block is finished by the scheduled completion date of September 2013.
5. Guarantee the P.S. 51 school community moves together into the new school building.
6. Ensure that P.S. 51 will continue to serve Hell’s Kitchen’s working-class families.
Para la Comunidad Hell’s Kitchen,
Nuestro barrio de la escuela, P.S. 51 ubicada en 45th apuesta de avenidas 10 y 11, finalmente está consiguiendo un edificio de nueva escuela que ha sido sólo un rumor durante años. Este proyecto tardara un tiempo en llegar, pero por desgracia tiene un precio.
La Ciudad se niega a trasladar temporalmente a nuestros hijos durante los 3 años de construcción para construir un nuevo edificio para P.S. 51 y 9 edificios lujosos de mediana y de gran altura, que abarcan toda la manzana. Nuestros hijos van a ser expuestos a esta zona de construcción y su salud, seguridad y calidad de la educación estará en peligro.
Por el desarrollo de edificios de lujo por la vía rápida en Hell's Kitchen, la Ciudad y Quinn están poniendo los intereses de los grandes desarrolladores antes de la salud y la seguridad de nuestros niños en la Escuela P.S. 51.
La Ciudad ha invertido años y cientos de miles de dólares para la planificación de edificios lujosos que se construirán en la propiedad de la Cuidad del bloque occidental de la calle West 45th, pero no va a gastar un centavo para garantizar la salud, la seguridad o la calidad de la enseñanza de los niños y el personal de P.S. 51. La Ciudad ha reubicado temporalmente otras escuelas de hacinamiento, para acelerar el tiempo de construcción, y "para evitar los efectos perjudiciales que la construcción podría tener en los estudiantes” pero La Ciudad se niega a hacer lo mismo para P.S. 51. La Ciudad y Quinn dice que no hay espacio para mover a la Escuela P.S. 51, pero en 4 cortas semanas, la comunidad ha identificado tres posibles lugares cercanos. ¿Qué ha estado haciendo la Ciudad? Nada. La Ciudad y Quinn dice que está buscando espacio para construir nuevas escuelas en nuestra comunidad mientras que la ciudad está vendiendo la antigua P.S. 51 a Gotham para convertirlos en condominios de lujo!
La ciudad está vendiendo nuestra comunidad a costa de la salud y seguridad de nuestros hijos!
La Communidad para exigir que la ciudad y el Ciudad y Quinn:
1. Dar prioridad a la salud y la seguridad de nuestros niños y la protección de la comunidad de Hell’s Kitchen, no mas edificios mas lujosos de gran altura.
2. Retrasar toda la construcción hasta que la Ciudad tenga lista una ubicación temporal sana, segura y renovada para P.S. 51 en Hell’s Kitchen.
3. Reubicar la comunidad escolar entera de P.S. 51 a una ubicación temporal a más tardar en Septiembre 2011.
4. Garatizar que toda la construcción del bloque esté terminada para Septiembre 2013, la fecha ya determinada.
5. Garantizar que la comunidad escolar de P.S. 51 se mude juntos a la nueva escuela.
6. Asegurar que P.S. 51 continue sirviendo a las familias trabajadoras de Hell’s Kitchen.
Revised flyer
Protect Our Children’s Health, Protect Our Community:
MOVE OUR KIDS TO A SAFE LOCATION NOW!
The City is refusing to temporarily relocate our children during the 3 years of construction to build a new P.S. 51 building and 9 other mid-rise and high-rise luxury buildings spanning the entire city block. Our kids will be overwhelmed in this construction zone – and their health, safety, and quality of education will be in danger.
By fast-tracking luxury development in Hell’s Kitchen, the City and Speaker Quinn are putting the interests of big developers before the health and safety of our kids at P.S. 51.
• The City has spent years and hundreds of thousands of dollars planning for luxury high-rises on the City-owned West 44th St. city block, but won’t spend one penny to guarantee the health, safety or instructional quality of P.S. 51 kids and staff.
• The City has temporarily relocated other schools – for overcrowding, to speed up construction time, and “to avoid disruptive effects that construction could have on students.” The City refuses to do the same for P.S. 51.
• The City and Speaker Quinn say there’s no space to move P.S. 51, but in 4 short weeks, the community identified 3 possible nearby locations. What has the City been doing? Nothing.
• The City and Speaker Quinn say they’re looking for space to build new schools in our community. Meanwhile, the City is selling the old P.S. 51 building to Gotham to convert into luxury lofts!
The City is selling off our community at the expense of our kids’ health and safety!
How can our teachers instruct & kids learn with demolition, rock-splitting & steel beam clanging for half their grade school years?
Join us to demand the City and Christine Quinn:
1. Prioritize the health and safety of our kids and the protection of the Hell's Kitchen working class community; not more luxury high-rise development.
2. Delay all construction until the City has a safe and renovated temporary location for P.S. 51 in Hell’s Kitchen.
3. Relocate the entire P.S. 51 school community to the temporary location by Sept 2011.
4. Guarantee that all construction on the city block is finished by the scheduled completion date of September 2013.
5. Guarantee the P.S. 51 school community moves together into the new school building.
6. Ensure that P.S. 51 will continue to serve Hell’s Kitchen’s working-class families.
LET’S BUILD OUR NEW SCHOOL WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING THE SAFETY OF OUR KIDS!
For more information call (212) 358-0295 or visit our blog at:
http:// fightfor51.blogspot.com
MOVE OUR KIDS TO A SAFE LOCATION NOW!
The City is refusing to temporarily relocate our children during the 3 years of construction to build a new P.S. 51 building and 9 other mid-rise and high-rise luxury buildings spanning the entire city block. Our kids will be overwhelmed in this construction zone – and their health, safety, and quality of education will be in danger.
By fast-tracking luxury development in Hell’s Kitchen, the City and Speaker Quinn are putting the interests of big developers before the health and safety of our kids at P.S. 51.
• The City has spent years and hundreds of thousands of dollars planning for luxury high-rises on the City-owned West 44th St. city block, but won’t spend one penny to guarantee the health, safety or instructional quality of P.S. 51 kids and staff.
• The City has temporarily relocated other schools – for overcrowding, to speed up construction time, and “to avoid disruptive effects that construction could have on students.” The City refuses to do the same for P.S. 51.
• The City and Speaker Quinn say there’s no space to move P.S. 51, but in 4 short weeks, the community identified 3 possible nearby locations. What has the City been doing? Nothing.
• The City and Speaker Quinn say they’re looking for space to build new schools in our community. Meanwhile, the City is selling the old P.S. 51 building to Gotham to convert into luxury lofts!
The City is selling off our community at the expense of our kids’ health and safety!
How can our teachers instruct & kids learn with demolition, rock-splitting & steel beam clanging for half their grade school years?
Join us to demand the City and Christine Quinn:
1. Prioritize the health and safety of our kids and the protection of the Hell's Kitchen working class community; not more luxury high-rise development.
2. Delay all construction until the City has a safe and renovated temporary location for P.S. 51 in Hell’s Kitchen.
3. Relocate the entire P.S. 51 school community to the temporary location by Sept 2011.
4. Guarantee that all construction on the city block is finished by the scheduled completion date of September 2013.
5. Guarantee the P.S. 51 school community moves together into the new school building.
6. Ensure that P.S. 51 will continue to serve Hell’s Kitchen’s working-class families.
LET’S BUILD OUR NEW SCHOOL WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING THE SAFETY OF OUR KIDS!
For more information call (212) 358-0295 or visit our blog at:
http:// fightfor51.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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