By Albert Silvestri
Community members, such as Edna Dzigas, chairwoman of the Howard Beach Senior Center, remain unsatisfied with the information provided about the proposal. “We never opposed an assisted-living complex,” said Dzigas in a phone interview Tuesday. “We had many questions that haven't been answered.”According to Dzigas, the senior center, which is housed within the Rockwood Park Jewish Center, would be directly affected by the proposed facility. The proposal calls for two levels to be built above the existing structure.Dzigas said the community would have been more receptive if the Jewish Center had shown more transparency in its plans for the facility.Bernard Fisch, president of the center's board of directors, refused to comment and Rabbi Tzvi Berkowitz could not be reached. In addition, Joseph Weyenberg of Greystone Corp., the developer that proposed the assisted living facility, also could not be reached. “We started off the meeting with a lie,” Dzigas said. “Mr. Fisch said that the Jewish Center was approached about the project, and at the start of the meeting Mr. Weyenberg said that the center had approached his group.””I don't know how deeply the temple had been involved with the discussion,” said Elizabeth Braton, chairwoman of Community Board 10, which covers Howard Beach. “I saw it as the developer said one thing and Mr. Fisch said another and everyone saw it as a lie when it was probably a misunderstanding.””There was a lot of animosity at that meeting, but on the positive side they did go to the community first,” Braton said.”We understand that this is in the early phases and it's just talk, but we have not received any answers as of yet,” Dzigas said. “No one has approached us after the meeting, even though we are in the same building.” Braton said the Jewish Center had not requested a hearing at a community board meeting. The May 22 meeting was purely informational and the proposal still has to be discussed by the center's board of trustees and congregation. If the Jewish Center decides to move ahead with the facility, it must create an engineering report to determine the feasibility of the project and the proposal must pass through Community Board 10, the city Zoning Department, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Department of Health and the city's Department of the Aging. “If you look at the demographics of the area, certainly there is a need for the elderly,” Braton said. “Certainly there is nothing wrong with exploring the idea.” However, Braton admitted the crowd seemed adamantly opposed to the plan.”When you get 200 people coming out on a Sunday afternoon, it's obvious that they have a strong opinion on the issue,” Braton said. Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) echoed Braton's sentiments and said the main issue is whether or not the proposal is appropriate for the community and for the property. “I give the center and Rabbi Berkowitz credit. Concerns were heard and if the community was asked all the time, many problems would have been avoided. They have been a fine neighbor for years and I'm sure that they will continue to be,” Addabbo said.
