I am writing in response to the recent letter by Lawrence King, Student Government President at St. John’s University regarding the Henley Road dorm.
King’s assertions about the character and high standing of the St. John’s University students have not gone unnoticed. I agree with King that most of the St. John’s students are outstanding individuals who are focused on their studies.
As a community concerned about our quality of life we have every right to question all aspects of St. John’s plan to build a six-story, 485-bed dormitory in our neighborhood. The simple fact of the matter is this: no matter how you spin the facts or the numbers, the Henley Road dorm will have a negative impact on the Jamaica Estates community.
From the very outset, the actions of the St. John’s administration have violated their own self-proclaimed declaration of being a good neighbor. No public meetings took place to inform the community of their plans to build this dorm. The St. John’s administration engaged in no discussions with local civic leaders and elected officials prior to entering into the lease with the developer.
When confronted with these facts, St. John’s University President Father Donald Harrington admitted in a September 19 letter to my office, that “any early dialogue with the community would have been premature, speculative and fiscally irresponsible.”
Even when given the opportunity to attend a community meeting, where hundreds of local residents showed up, and engage in a meaningful dialogue on this issue back in December, Father Harrington failed to attend. In fact, St. John’s failed to send a representative to listen to the community’s concerns at this meeting.
The safety, security and well being of the Jamaica Estates community and St. John’s students is my chief concern. This dorm will also have additional adverse consequences for the entire community. It will overwhelmingly burden our infrastructure and utilities along with increased traffic congestion and noise pollution.
At the end of the day, my opposition to the building of an off-campus dorm in the heart of the Jamaica Estates community lies with the actions of the St. John’s administration and building developers.
Senator Frank Padavan
Anti St. John’s dorms
It is amazing the twists and turns that the St John’s University, Henley Road dormitory has taken. I am certain the damage control firm St. John’s University hired to protect their tarnished reputation has urged the developer to assume the blame for all that ails said project and cast aspersions on the community for not embracing it.
However, let us not forget the real culprit, Father Donald J. Harrington, and remind your readers that the point is not whether the building is legal or not. It is the ethics of using the “community facilities loophole” in the zoning code to build a private dormitory, for a private university in the heart of a residential community. And by doing so after providing assurances to the community that no off campus dorms would be built, Father Harrington went so far as to create a dialogue group to appease the neighbors, all while secretly planning this massive dormitory.
The important message to take away from this unfortunate situation is that this can happen in any community at any time. The character of a neighborhood can be altered and the quality of life of its residents diminished by corporations and special interest groups especially when said communities are saddled with politicians like Jim Gennaro who claim to have the residents’ best interest at heart while accepting hefty donations from the developers, this time the Kamali Organization.
Do not allow State Senator Frank Padavan to become a scapegoat for the St. John’s dorm fiasco. He is working on behalf of his constituents, protecting the little guy, the coop or homeowner who has invested their life savings in their home, the average taxpayer whose quality of life and property values are being threatened while the laws of this great city fail to protect them. It is nave to think that 485 students can reside where perhaps 30 or 40 lived before and not have this affect the infrastructure of this mature community.
Maria and Louis Collier
Jamaica Estates
Cyber café waste of money
Recently, my Congressmember, Joseph Crowley, sent me an e-mail bragging about how he secured $282,000 in federal funds to build a cyber cafe in the Soundview section of the Bronx.
Can someone explain to me why we need to spend over a quarter of a million dollars on a cyber cafe when there is free internet access at the Soundview Public Library?
Which, by the way, we pay for out of taxes in our phone bills. Go look at your statement folks. Look at your federal tax bill and remember how Joe Crowley and some other members of congress are spending it.
John LaPorte
Whitestone
Editor’s Note: We agree - $282,000 in federal funds could build a terrific work center for the day laborers featured in our special series “Ghost Workers.”
AAA funding clarification
It is regrettable that prominent groups such as the League of Conservation Voters continue to ignore any unintended impact that the plan may have including the effects of traffic diversion around the pricing zone.
Contrary to Marcia Bystryn’s assertion [Pro opinion in issue of January 24], AAA is also a non-partisan organization that does not “fund” anti-congestion pricing politicians. Nor has AAA funded the Committee to Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free as she implies.
The desire for bold action should not obscure the need to ask hard questions about the far-reaching impacts congestion pricing may have.
John Corlett, Director
Government Affairs AAA New York
Giant day for NY
The Giants won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots by the score of 17-14 and this is a Giant day for all New Yorkers. The Giants were the underdog, but remember this - Every dog has its day - and the Giants proved that quite true.
The Giants did the impossible against the Patriots who did not lose a game all season. I think it was because Eli Manning and his teammates did not lose sight of the goal and added to that they played with plenty of heart. And for that, we salute the N.Y. Giants.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose
Letters To The Editor
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