Long Island City residents question the HPS Middle/High School proposal

It’s not just Astoria. Jackson Heights and Sunnyside too.

The community should remain involved in the programming of the school as it nears completion.

Contact http://district30communityeducation.wikispaces.com/ to discuss programming.

Here is a letter signed by about 200 community residents. It was personally given to Chris Persheff of SCA. Remains to be seen how seriously SCA will react to these burning community concerns. Their credibility is on the line

Dear Councilmember Van Bramer, Chairman Conley, School Construction Authority, et al:

We are writing specifically regarding the plans for Intermediate and High School planned for the Borden/51st Avenues & Center Boulevard/5th Street block. We would like to state our belief that the proper execution of the Hunter’s Point South development will help further transform the neighborhood into a vibrant and diverse residential community. As residents of Long Island City, day after day we witness the growth of our neighborhood and the challenges it poses to all of us; we are convinced that the success of this project depends on balancing the needs of the many stakeholders – businesses, residents and developers, those that had called the neighborhood home for a long time as well as those that recently saw the potential and decided to invest in our community.

After all the presentations given by the SCA to the community we would like to express our main concerns on the project and present suggestions and alternatives that we believe will help improve the present plan:

1. School entrances: The extension of Center Boulevard presents an opportunity to create a regulated traffic flow and parking area and, along with Borden Avenue’s bigger thoroughfare and absence of private homes, offer a safer option for students, drivers and residents and their vehicles to access the school. Furthermore, access to and from 51st Avenue could be restricted to better control the traffic flow while improving everyone’s safety and ease of access.

2. Environmental Hazard Assessment Plan: We understand that Parcels A and B are currently undergoing an environmental assessment, as mandated by the NYDEP. Pending the results of said assessment, there may be remediation work needed. Our concern is that once the area where the school will be built is deemed safe for human settlement, how will the City ensure that there are no pollutants flowing back to the area from filtrations or seeping from adjacent polluted lots? We would like to see a pollution risk mitigation plan to ensure the environment remains safe once the initial remediation job is completed. Along with the pollution concerns, we would like to see a flood risk assessment for the area with a plan for ongoing assessments to prevent changes from the current conditions of the surrounding water bodies.

3. Parking & Transport links: The majority of the students will be commuting from other areas of Queens, putting further pressure on public transportation links. We would like to see additional parking incorporated into the plan to account for teachers, parents and school buses, along with a designated bus waiting and disembarking area. As per point 1 above, these areas would be more efficient if designated along Center Blvd and Borden Avenue, where they would not further reduce the available parking spots for residents along 2nd Street and 51st avenue. The major concern we have relate to the future influx of residents in existing construction as well as residents in new construction planned for HPS. There will be massive parking requirements of the new residents combined with those of staffing required for the schools. The current lack of planning with respect to parking will cause serious issues above and beyond the parking issues LIC faces at this moment.

4. IS & HS students under one same roof: Recently there had been very disturbing episodes where bullying and pier pressure from older students to younger have made them take their lives. This is a major issue that is present at almost every public high school in the country that we believe could only be worsened by having such a wide age range of students concentrated in one school. We consider that a more efficient school environment will be better accomplished by having a single age range. Furthermore, HPS is a young community –, there is an urgent need for elementary and middle schools.

5. Building of Recreational areas inside the school walls: With all the available space to create a 21st Century school, a larger area within the parcel should be dedicated to build more recreational space for the exclusive use of the student body. It should not be expected that the public park serves as recreational space for both students and residents; when there is such a situation, it becomes a magnet for negative activities, such as drug-dealing, loitering and predatory activities targeted to the students that will also affect HPS residents and community. As you may appreciate, a healthy and academically sound student body begins with a sovereign environment where students are able to function within the school complex. In our opinion, the sharing of a school recreational space and public recreational space will lead to loitering issues which will not be conducive to a healthy community.

6. School Program: We believe this is an excellent opportunity to create a green school with a special education focus on the environment, ecology, urban agriculture in an area that has suffered contamination and is in the process of clean up. These are major issues, potential careers for these children and important for the future of our Planet. We have been told that the program is still to be determined, we would like to be informed when this process starts if not already and that our recommendation is considered.

7. Consideration of alternative locations for the school: If possible, we encourage you to consider alternative locations for the school – HPS does not have the demographic with children of intermediate- and high-school age; and the additional pressure on public transportation links (such as the already-strained 7 train) will be tremendous. Not many other transportation options are available given that the HPS area is bound by water on two sides. Thus, HPS is a sub-optimal location for the HS as the children will mainly be commuting in from other parts of Queens.

We hope that the proposed recommendations are given serious consideration and are of course available to discuss at your convenience. As residents of the neighborhood, we see on an everyday basis the changes that are positively transforming this neighborhood. We would like to see this positive transformation continue and improve the quality of life of people that live in LIC.
We are confident that as representatives of the community you share these same objectives and that we can work together to positively promote these projects.
Sincerely,

(attached five pages with names, signatures and contact info of all residents)