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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sommer Omar, Founder of Coalition to Save the Public Recreation Center Downtown
5:39:59
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115 sec
Sommer Omar, representing the Coalition to Save the Public Recreation Center Downtown, testified about the need to fully fund the renovation of the Tony Dappolito Recreation Center instead of demolishing it. She acknowledged the mayor's pledge of $51.8 million but emphasized that more funding is needed for complete repair and modernization.
- Criticized the Parks Department for neglecting the facility and not studying modernization options
- Highlighted the center's importance in providing affordable programming for seniors, swimming instruction for children, and free youth services
- Called on the City Council to intervene and support the repair and modernization of the center, opposing demolition and privatization
Sommer Omar
5:39:59
Good afternoon.
5:40:00
My name is Summer Omar.
5:40:01
I'm the founder of the Coalition to Save the Public Recreation Center downtown and I'm here on behalf of more than 20 member organizations and thousands of residents who depend on the Tony Dappolito Recreation Center, a public facility in the heart of the village that the Parks Department has proposed demolishing.
5:40:18
Let me start by acknowledging that the mayor pledged $51,800,000 towards the renovation of the center in his executive budget.
5:40:25
This is a meaningful step.
5:40:27
But to be clear, this is a start not a solution.
5:40:30
This city council must ensure full funding for a complete repair and modernization of the building.
5:40:35
Not demolition, not privatization, and certainly not further delay.
5:40:40
The city has neglected this facility for years.
5:40:43
That's not just an opinion, it's evident in the crumbling infrastructure and the years of deferred maintenance.
5:40:50
At the most recent community board meeting addressing this issue, tension between the Parks Department and the community escalated after Parks officials acknowledged on public record no less that they haven't even studied what it would look like to modernize the building.
5:41:04
That is not just bureaucratic oversight.
5:41:07
That is profound negligence and a breach of public trust.
5:41:10
Demolition of a public good should never be the first option.
5:41:14
Our recreation center is not disposable.
5:41:16
It provides essential functions including low cost and affordable programming for seniors, swimming instruction for children, and free youth services that were enjoyed not just by the local residents but by New Yorkers across the city.
5:41:29
Our government is supposed to be a trusted steward of public spaces, not an adversary.
5:41:34
We are calling on the city council to exercise its ample authority and intervene by supporting the repair and modernization of the Tony Depalido Recreation Center.
5:41:45
Don't let this be another example of disinvestment masquerading as progress.
5:41:49
Stand with us and help us save this center for generations to come.
5:41:53
Thank you.