By Gary Buiso
Powerplay, the popular Park Slope gym, is now open, but the facility isn’t exactly in great shape just yet. “I’m recouping from the trauma” of the closure, said Fritzner Jean, the gym’s co-owner. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” he added. On Jan. 11, the child-friendly gym, located at 432 3rd Avenue, was shuttered by Fire Department inspectors for safety violations, who cited a lack of a sprinkler system and no permit to operate a day care center. Inspectors found that the Park Slope Child Care Collective, a day care center, was subletting a part of Powerplay’s space while its own facility was being repaired, according to Michael Hiller, the attorney representing the gym. While the day care center was immediately removed, according to Hiller, the Fire Department refused to permit Powerplay to reopen. The FDNY said it needed the Department of Buildings’ (DOB) final approval before the order could be lifted, but the DOB said it was the FDNY with is the final say on the matter. On Feb.1, Powerplay sued the FDNY, alleging violations of the city’s Administrative Code and due process, Hiller said. Just one day later, the FDNY allowed the gym to open. “Powerplay was never unsafe. It passed seven consecutive annual fire safety inspections by the same Fire Department that closed it down this time. This entire episode was driven by the temporary day care sublet, which was immediately removed,” Hiller said. “The facts of this case and the law left the city and the FDNY very little choice,” Hiller said. Jean, a longtime Park Slope resident, said that so far, the business has incurred losses totaling at least $45,000. “We’re still tallying,” he said. “We have obligations to deal with,” he said. He said the classes at the gym officially resumed Feb. 5. Some 500 children and their parents pass through the gym’s doors every week, Jean said. He said he is grateful for the “support and understanding” he’s received from the community.
