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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Debbie Hirshman, Executive Director of Center at West Park
1:51:13
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107 sec
Debbie Hirshman, Executive Director of Center at West Park, provides testimony on the importance and success of their community arts facility. She emphasizes their model of financial self-sustainability and the positive impact they have on Upper Manhattan without burdening the city.
- The Center at West Park has established a replicable model for a self-sustaining community arts and community facility in less than two years.
- They have proven their capacity to manage the physical plant, including plans to fix the facade, roof, and remove a long-standing sidewalk shed.
- Hirschman argues that their success disproves any reasons for demolishing the landmark building that houses their center.
Debbie Hirshman
1:51:13
Debbie Hirschman and I have the privilege of partnering with all of these people and with the city council and with Gail, as the executive director of the center at West Park.
1:51:25
I'm gonna be very brief because what we have established in two years or less, as the DCLA said to me in a meeting, you have now given a model for a self sustaining community arts and community facility that can then be replicated in other spaces throughout the city.
1:51:50
It is really important, as Mark said, we believe in being financially self sustaining.
1:51:56
The city doesn't need one more arts and culture or any entity at this moment to take responsibility for.
1:52:02
And the impact, having founded and built the JCC, and you all see the impact that that community center has at 76 in Amsterdam, we being in Upper Manhattan will now and are extending ourselves to Harlem, Washington Heights, Yonkers.
1:52:19
We become the public of Upper Manhattan without a burden to the city and with the capacity to manage this building, which we've proved over two years, the physical plant.
1:52:34
We can fix the facade and the roof and take down a 23 year old sidewalk shed.
1:52:40
So all of the reasons that at one point might have been during COVID, reasons to consider destroying and demolishing the landmark have totally been disproved.
1:52:51
And we thank you all because today's meeting was really very important and the new commissioners, and it is problematic that they didn't get to hear any of this.