By Arlene McKanic
After years of lying unused, the wedge of land between the Baisley Park Houses and the Long Island Rail Road embankment on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard finally is being transformed into the site for the High School of Law Enforcement and Public Safety.
“We started work in April 2001,” said Deborah Wetzel, spokeswoman for the School Construction Authority. “The ground breaking was actually last May 2001, and we’re aiming for an opening date of June 2003. It’s pretty quick for a school.”
Plans for the school, however, began in the early 1990s. The construction was accelerated when former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani took office.
The school, built by independent contractors at a cost of $92 million, will occupy 198,000 square feet, with capacity for 897 students.
“We go out to bid on all projects and oversee the entire construction,” Wetzel said. “This is a unique school because it’s going to have a Police Athletic Center in there for the community. It’ll focus on opportunities for careers in law enforcement.”
Students will learn about fingerprinting and EMS training, she said. The school will be equipped with a high-tech lab, equivalent to what the FBI has, and a mock courtroom. The building rises six stories, is fully air conditioned, has two gyms, a 330-seat cafeteria and a rooftop athletic area.
George Kalomeres of J.A. Jones Construction is the project superintendent.
“I just got reassigned from the Brooklyn courthouse,” said Kalomeres, who was putting in his third week. “This is a nice project. There’s about 200 people working, and the job is open 12 to 14 hours a day. The whole building is up, all the finishes are done. We really just got done as quick as possible.”
John Ryan, executive director of the Police Athletic League, said a complete PAL center will share the space with the new high school. He credited former Police Commissioner Howard Safir and former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman as the driving forces in promoting the project.
Shulman “should be given a lot of credit. PAL was trying to raise half the money and she put up some money as well,” Ryan said.
But the dearth of school seats in the borough prompted the Board of Education and PAL to become co-tenants.
“It’s a unique thing,” Ryan said. “Nationally, no one else has a full high school and a youth center that will be operating afternoons, evenings and weekends. It’s going to be an exciting concept right on the same land.”
The center, which is on the south side, has its own separate entrance and will serve youth from the high school as well as from south Jamaica. Part of the focus will be to attract inner-city children to law-oriented careers, Ryan said.
Ryan wants to get the high school designated as a beacon school, which would enable it to receive city money for after-school education.
“The city gives $400,000 to beacon schools. It would be nice if we’re able to get that,” Ryan said. Beacon schools are designed to operate longer hours than traditional schools and are available to the community.
“I think it’s going to be a huge success for the south Jamaica community, Queens community and the city in general,” he said. “We can provide jobs. We can do a lot.”
