Crowley Delivers Appeal To Fariña
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña received this week a petition signed by thousands calling for a new school complex on the site where the city plans to build a homeless shelter in Glendale.
Nearly 3,000 written and electronic signatures were obtained through the Glendale Civic Association’s (GCA) petition, City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley announced on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The petition urged the School Construction Authority (SCA) to acquire 78-16 Cooper Ave.-a longdefunct factory where Samaritan Village plans to build a transitional housing shelter for up to 125 families- and two adjacent properties: the former Hansel ‘n Gretel deli meat plant, which closed this summer; and Independent Chemical Corporation, which reportedly plans to relocate sometime next year.
Crowley and the GCA stated the three properties- which encompass a combined nine acres-would be perfect for developing a public school complex serving students from elementary through high school.
“The School Construction Authority’s proposed capital plan for 2015-2019 indicates a need for nearly 9,000 additional [seats] and provides $3.3 billion in capital funding to meet this need,” Crowley wrote to Fariña. “However, the Department of Education (DOE) has continuously failed to identify possible sites for construction. We now have a shrinking window of opportunity to obtain a 9-acre parcel of land in Queens-a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide generations of children in our district with the high quality public education they deserve.”
“To have a large parcel of land in District 24 for an educational complex is an opportunity that we cannot afford to let slip away,” GCA President Kathy Masi added in Crowley’s announcement emailed to the Times Newsweekly on Tuesday. “The impact of an educational complex of this size will benefit the children in District 24 from Ridgewood to Corona. We are just hoping that the DOE puts politics aside, takes full advantage of this and does whatever necessary to bring this to fruition for the children.”
Crowley appeared at last Thursday’s Glendale Property Owners Association meeting and fielded questions about potentially building an educational complex at the proposed site. Some expressed concern that the land is contaminated after years of industrial use.
The legislator expressed confidence that the SCA is the entity best equipped to remediate any contamination discovered and make it safe for reuse as a public school campus.
