PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Stephen Levin, CEO of Solar One, on SPARC Kips Bay Life Sciences Campus
1:32:04
ยท
134 sec
Stephen Levin, CEO of Solar One, expresses strong support for the SPARC project, highlighting its potential for workforce development and innovation in the life sciences industry. He emphasizes the project's unique approach of bringing students and industry together on one campus.
- Levin has been engaged with the SPARC project for over a year and serves on the SPARC task force
- The project will use cutting-edge construction techniques, resulting in significant emissions reductions
- Solar One sees the SPARC project as complementary to their mission of engaging young New Yorkers in sciences and related industries
Stephen Levin
1:32:04
Thank you very much, chair.
1:32:06
Chair Riley, council members Powers, and Narcisse, nice to see you all.
1:32:10
Good morning.
1:32:10
I'm Steve Levin, CEO of Solar 1.
1:32:12
We are a nonprofit environmental or, education organization where we focus on k to 12 education focused on renewable energy, green workforce development, and solar technical assistance for nonprofit and other affordable housing.
1:32:25
In addition, we are long term stewards of Stuyvesant Cove Park in Kalispellier Powers' district, and we are currently in the final stages of construction on the Solar One Environmental Education Center at 23rd Street in collaboration with EDC, which is scheduled to open in the coming months.
1:32:38
I'm happy to issue my strong support for the spark project.
1:32:41
I've been engaged with the spark project for over a year now.
1:32:44
And since, January of last year, I have served on the spark task force, where I and a diverse set of other community stakeholders met a half dozen times.
1:32:52
As a former council member, I've been impressed by this level of engagement at the at the earliest earliest stages of the project, and I look forward to continuing to work with the city.
1:33:02
Through these the many meetings that we had, I learned just how transformative the SPARC project is.
1:33:07
It's a tremendous workforce development opportunity.
1:33:10
It truly it is truly unique in that it will bring students and industry onto one campus.
1:33:15
As you have seen many times in developments in New York City in recent decades, this kind of cohabitation leads to great innovations.
1:33:22
Students will be exposed to the life sciences industry, meet people, get internships, and learn what it takes to enter the industry.
1:33:28
Industry will have the opportunity to have a robust pipeline of talented New Yorkers who can make up their future workforce.
1:33:33
And the neighborhood will benefit from the energy of a campus full of ambitious youth and innovators through a new high school, the community facilities, health and hospitals, OCME, and private industry partners.
1:33:43
I'm also thrilled that the part project will be using cutting edge construction techniques, like circular construction, which will result in emissions reductions equivalent to taking thousands of cars off the road.
1:33:54
Obviously, at Solar 1, we focus on environmental science as opposed to life science, but we see a strong complement in the spark project to our mission of engaging young New Yorkers in the sciences and the related industries, and we are long term stakeholders in the Kipps Bay community.
1:34:08
We could not be more thrilled to welcome a spark to the neighborhood.
1:34:11
We strongly encourage the council's support, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with the city on this project.
1:34:17
Thank you.