From the NY Times:In a meeting on William Street, the city’s Economic Development Corporation drew $19.5 million out of a purse labeled “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” for the construction of a six-story parking garage at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.
Currently, about 25 people are employed as parking attendants and valets at the hospital. The new garage, where drivers will park themselves, will have jobs for 6.
Officials from the hospital and the city spent a good part of the day arguing that the project really wasn’t all that grim — many of the attendants would get jobs at parking lots elsewhere in the city, or could be hired as security guards at the hospital, and so on.
However you slice it, building the garage would result in a loss of about 20 parking positions.
“This financing is from an agency whose sole goal is to create jobs,” said Bettina Damiani, director of Good Jobs New York, a research group that analyzes the city’s economic development strategies. “So why are they funding projects that will lose jobs?”
The answer, said David Lombino, a spokesman for the Economic Development Corporation, is that the project will help buttress the central mission of St. Barnabas, which is losing money on its current parking setup. The hospital argues that a lack of parking facilities will thwart its ability to hire capable people and serve patients.
But there’s more. In truth, the city is financing the project because it has federal money and apparently doesn’t have all that many other great ways to spend it.
This proposed medical center in Flushing is another example. No one ever heard about it until the money was announced, and it didn't become a "stalled project" on an "underutilized lot" until EDC decided to throw stimulus money at it. And Flushing is an underserved neighborhood?
11 comments:
EDC is out of control, but the real problem here are the elected official and media.
All this is happening right in front of everyone's eyes, and they say nothing. Even when communities howl.
IF they can tear themselves away from crowing about the latest development project, and join the rest of us in the real world, they might clamp down on this outfit, or AT LEAST start to ask some questions.
Look. This is really an effort to improve the environment.
Those 20 or so unemployed parking attendants just exhale carbon dioxide - at a hospital, to boot.
Now, while unemployed in this severe jobless environment, they will eat less, likely some will die, and so, the environment is improved: 1 less jobless for each death, and less CO2 per death.
For each dead former parking attendant, the Commissar earns two points.
I need some stimulus as well. Does anyone know where I can get some discount Viagra?
This is the legacy of Obama. Instead of using these dollars to improve the country and its ability to deal with the challenges of the 21 century this money was pissed away on ill concieved project. why wasn't this money used to build windfarms in the midwest decreasing our reliance on foreign oil? Improve our electric grid which basically collapsed in the northeast a few years ago? Beef up border and port security so that we are not overun with illegals or blown up with dirty bombs? Build refinery capacity so that every summer we don't have to hear that the reason gas prices shoot up is because there are not enough plants to turn oil into gas?
During the great depression we got projects like the hover dam. Today we get parking garages. What a failure of leadership...
This is the legacy of Obama. Instead of using these dollars to improve the country and its ability to deal with the challenges of the 21 century this money was pissed away on ill concieved project.
The money wasn't pissed away. It was stolen!!! Ask Ackerman if he had to get suits with bigger pockets. At least developer friends are enjoying the holidays with their ill-gotten gains.
What is the latest and EDC with the millstones at Queens Plaza?
I think they are trying to move them out of LIC
and the politicans, who (as usual when EDC is involved beating up their community) will suddenly come awake - laud their 'care for the community's history' by 'saving them from a construction site' - and rush for a photo op,
and a few local civics will applaud this action (in exchange for ice cream money)
and everyone will go home.
Next question.
"For each dead former parking attendant, the Commissar earns two points."
-That is really childish.
"That is really childish."
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
-William Wordsworth, 1802
the union street lot is located in downtown Flushing,at
Sanford avenue.the population mostly live near Flushing Hospital,six blocks from the proposed new medical facility. the bus stops on the corner of union/sanford,and drops at Flushing hospital.a seven minute ride.
this is a heavily traveled route at rush hour,which backs up on union street, north to northern blvd.
union street ends at Franklin street and one must turn.
the nursing home is always congested at the franklin street area.
the new medical facility is poor planning for this tight area.but i guess the Obama supporters have to spend that so called stimulus money (stolen from the U.S.Treasury),before the citizens catch on to their sham.the n.y. democratic congress in action
with your taxes again.
see:get out of our house.......www.goooh.com
"if ever a time should come,when VAIN AND ASPIRING MEN
shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced
patriots to prevent its ruin" Samuel Adams 1776
Nice post & nice blog. I love both.
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