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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Nicole Bailey, Founder and Principal of Learning Tree STEM-Arts School
2:09:04
ยท
136 sec
Nicole Bailey, founder and principal of Learning Tree STEM-Arts School in Flushing, Queens, expresses strong support for the Metropolitan Park project. She emphasizes the project's potential benefits for her diverse student body and the broader community, including improved green spaces, job opportunities, and infrastructure upgrades.
- Highlights the project's commitment to creating 23,000 good-paying union jobs, addressing the area's high unemployment rate
- Discusses the educational benefits of new public park spaces and playgrounds for STEM and arts curriculum
- Envisions the project as a transformation of unused space into vibrant community resources that will serve generations of students
Nicole Bailey
2:09:04
Good afternoon.
2:09:07
My name is Nicole Bailey.
2:09:09
I'm the founder and principal of the Learning Tree STEM Arts School located in Flushing, Queens, New York.
2:09:15
As someone who has dedicated over two decades to educating children from pre k through eighth grade, I stand before you today, or I sit before you today, in strong support of the Metropolitan Park project.
2:09:28
Our school is a vibrant tapestry of black, brown, and Asian children who deserve access to quality green spaces, economic opportunity, and a thriving community.
2:09:39
I believe this project promises to transform isolation into connection.
2:09:46
Our students will gain invaluable outdoor educational spaces that complement our STEM and arts curriculum with the new public park space and playgrounds.
2:09:55
As an educator, I'm particularly excited about the project's commitment to creating 23,000 good paying union jobs.
2:10:03
Many of our families have struggled with Queen's Five Point Four unemployment rate, higher than both city and national averages.
2:10:11
These jobs represent real pathways to stability for families.
2:10:15
The modernization of the Metz Willis 0.7 Train station will make our community more accessible and ADA, that's the American Disability Act, compliant, allowing our students safer transit options.
2:10:29
The improved streetscapes and widened sidewalks will create safer routes for our children to explore their neighborhood.
2:10:36
For our community, this project isn't just about buildings and roads.
2:10:40
It's about transforming unused space into vibrant community resources that will serve generations of students to come.
2:10:48
I urge you, I strongly urge you, to join me in supporting the Metropolitan Park project because our children deserve a neighborhood as bright and promising as they are.
2:10:59
I believe this park and all it offers will become an attraction locally and internationally.
2:11:05
I want you to put your imagination caps on.
2:11:08
Imagine families planning vacations from across the country and states to come to this and all inclusive park that has something for everyone from the youngest to the oldest.
2:11:19
Thank you for your time.