By Tom Momberg
Neighborhood residents and civic leaders turned out to the Bayside Jewish Center last week to protest the School Construction Authority’s plan to purchase the property for a new high school in northeast Queens.
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) organized the rally to introduce legislation to reform the site selection process for new schools in city school districts. But City Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) expressed support for the project because District 26 is so in need of school seats.
He was joined by about 75 members of the Bayside community to rally against the proposed high school that provoked the legislation, following the SCA’s announcement the week prior.
The SCA said it was still finalizing a purchase agreement with the Bayside Jewish Center at 203-05 32nd Ave. for the new high school and said the process could take some time.
The sudden notice to the community about the new plan was the second such controversial school proposal in Bayside, following the city’s 2013 plan to build a new elementary school at the former Keil Bros. Garden Center at 210-11 48th Ave.
The city agency’s repeated pattern of sidestepping initial community input for school site selection is what Avella and several members of the community called “ludicrous” when they gathered at the Jewish center to express opposition.
Like the Keil Bros. site, the Bayside Jewish Center is in close proximity to other schools, including PS 159, a private school and the Bayside High School athletic fields. Potential additional traffic congestion and the small size of the proposed lot were among the other primary concerns the protesters raised.
The SCA did not release any feasibility studies or environmental surveys to the public prior to its announcement that it would purchase the 32nd Avenue one-acre lot.
Avella is currently seeking additional senators from the city to sign on to his bill as sponsors. The bill would require a school district or the SCA to provide local officials and community boards with a detailed analysis of the proposed school site prior to finalizing any purchase.
“The city should not be operating that way,” Avella said. “And considering the tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money, it should be spent in a way that is transparent and we (should) make sure that if we find a site and agree on a site, that it is the best site.”
Vallone (D-Bayside) said, on the contrary, that the community has known the SCA and the city Department of Education have been looking for a site for several years.
“It’s no secret,” he said. “First and foremost, we have to deal with the shortage of seats in this district … There are not really a whole lot of options. Our phone hasn’t been ringing off the hook with people suggesting locations.”
Vallone said community involvement will be encouraged every step of the way moving forward, whether it be at the Jewish Center or alternative sites.
Neighbors will be consulted and Vallone said he expects compromises to be made regarding the scale of the school building and on-site parking, and also to mitigate traffic concerns and ensure students go to school where they are zoned to be.
“My office has received several calls in support of this new plan as well. It isn’t all negative. But this is a local issue right to the core and will be to the end,” Vallone said.
Reach reporter Tom Momberg by e-mail at tmomb
