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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Costa Constantinides, Former Council Member of New York City Council
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Costa Constantinides, a former NYC Council Member, testified in support of the Queen's Future/Metropolitan Park proposal. He argued that the project would transform Queens, creating a vibrant community around Citi Field similar to other major league stadiums, while also providing environmental benefits and controlled gambling opportunities.
- Emphasized the potential for economic development and community enhancement around the stadium
- Addressed environmental concerns, stating the project would turn an asphalt lot into green space with climate resilience features
- Shared personal experience with gambling issues to argue for regulated casino gambling over uncontrolled alternatives
Costa Constantinides
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Thank you, Chair Riley.
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So this is I like to sit on this side of the table.
1:02:52
It's a little strange.
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Thank you, Chair.
1:02:56
Thank you, council members, for giving me the opportunity to testify this morning.
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I'm a lifelong Queens resident, And as someone that's been to 28 out of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, I'll say that Queens is way behind of where we should be.
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If you go to Atlanta, you go to Chicago, they've built entire communities where you can go and spend an entire day at the ballpark.
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Right now, you can't do that in Queens.
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Right now, you go to a game and you leave.
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We're in the process of changing that with Councilmember Memoya's vision for a Stocker's Stadium and arena.
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We're gonna change the community for the better.
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We'll be able to take my son and go play catch, have a nice lunch, go catch a game, and then I'll be able to bring them home and find a babysitter for my new daughter and take my wife out for a
David Karnovsky
1:03:43
night of
Costa Constantinides
1:03:43
entertainment.
1:03:45
This is the possibilities that Queen's deserves.
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The jobs are the are the what Queen's deserves.
1:03:51
When you talk about parking and and and the environment, the only park in this place is in the sign that says parking above it.
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This is an asphalt parking lot.
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No more, no less.
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We have the opportunity to turn it into a green space that can be a carbon sink, can reduce the ambient temperature in the neighborhood, that can capture storm water, that can make us more resilient and more sustainable.
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And lastly, I'll talk about gambling.
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My father had a very serious gambling problem with us growing up.
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Like, I was, you know, he was he was a VP at Bankers Trust.
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Everyone saw him as a as a strong upstanding member of the community, but he would go at night to underground gambling clubs.
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I got beaten up at 16 year olds by you know, as 16 years old by a bookie.
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You know, when anyone can gamble right now on their phone and lose everything, they can go to an underground gambling club.
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I'd rather be with Hard Rock and have controlled gambling in our communities, have the opportunity to have someone that's looking over things rather than the Wild West, which exists anyway right now.
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This is a opportunity for this community to be able to look at this and say, we're not gonna be able to solve every problem, but this is a once in generation opportunity for jobs, for community, for environment, and for what the needs of the neighborhood.
1:05:09
Queens deserves this.
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Thank you.