Something smells rotten at Oak Ridge

From a NYC Parks Department press release:

On June 30, Forest Park & Highland Park Administrator Debby Kuha received a Meritorious Service Award from the Highland Park Community Development Corporation (HPCDC). The HPCDC presented Debby with the award in recognition of her outstanding achievements and dedication to improving the quality of life for the families of Brooklyn and the Highland Park community.

"We are tremendously proud of Debby for receiving this award in recognition of her hard work and dedication to Highland Park," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "I would also like to thank the Highland Park Community Development Corporation for its commitment to promoting the vitality of the Highland Park neighborhood and the many invaluable services it provides to Brooklyn residents."

Well, here Parks gives us yet another reason for us to be suspicious of them:

Mr. Thompson, a likely candidate for mayor in 2009, said the department [of Homeless Services] used an off-the-books account to pay service providers on a month-to-month basis without drawing up long-term contracts that would require city oversight. He pointed in particular to payments to the Highland Park Community Development Corporation in Brooklyn, which in March was accused of corruption in an article in the New York Post.

Here's an excerpt from the Post article:

Highland Park Community Development Corp. never ran anything bigger than field trips and summer recreation programs before the city OK'd its $6 million bid to open a homeless shelter in Brooklyn last year.

Now, city investigators are probing whether the politically connected charity was just a bad manager or trying to fleece taxpayers - with big pay hikes, padded expense sheets and payrolls packed with cronies, The Post has learned.

This is who the Parks Department brags about receiving awards from? Maybe DOI should start an investigation starting at the Arsenal and ending at Oak Ridge.