"Neighbor to Neighbor: Bronx land swap spurs Queens' parks support " in TimesLedger 3/16/06

Neighbor to Neighbor: Bronx land swap spurs Queens' parks support

By Barbara Morris in TimesLedger on 3/16/06

The Feb. 28 meeting of the Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces was full of information about available grants and efforts to save our parks. John Rozankowski spoke on behalf of the group, appropriately named "Save Our Parks," which supports new Yankee Stadium development in the immediate area of the present stadium in a project anchored in mass transit.

Aside from the fact that Queens has many Yankee fans, Rozankowski pointed out that if one park can be confiscated, others can be, too.

The guest speaker pointed out that, once again, those with the power kept community involvement -including Community Board 4- to a minimum, and thus violated community rights. Anticipating public outcry, he said state legislators voted to give both Macomb's Dam and Mullaly parks to Yankee management without meaningful community outreach.

He noted that at the Dec. 12 public hearing, Bronx Borough President Adolf— Carrion Jr. had 150 community residents locked out, therefore giving the impression that there was no opposition. So that the state Legislature could act on city property, the city of New York lifted its "home rule" on those city properties. Five days after the project was announced, the City Council voted 47 for, none against (one, Letitia James of Brooklyn, abstained), to give two community parks to private development for private gain.

No one spoke to save the parks for the community, nor did they say the community should have been properly informed and allowed their input. John Rozankowski offers to speak on this subject anywhere. He may be contacted by e-mail at Rozankowski@aol.com.