Michelle
09-15-2006, 10:31 PM
From NY1 (http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=12&aid=62605):
Multi-Service Center Fighting City To Stay Open
September 14, 2006
The battle to save a community center in the Bronx continues; the city wants to build a school in its place, but the center says it's not going anywhere. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.
Pre-kindergarten children at the Bronx organizations for the learning disabled spend their days having fun while improving their learning skills. But now it's survival skills that are needed for the school and the rest of the programs inside the Morrisania Multi-Service Center.
The education department is trying to evict the Bronx center from the city owned building in order to open a high school at the site.
"They should just leave this school where it is for these children," said parent Miguel Padilla.
The education department turned ownership of this school building over to the Human Resources Administration in the late 1970's. HRA had the Morrisania Center move in to help the surrounding struggling community.
Learning disability, job and housings programs were established. But in recent years the need for more school space has the education department saying it wants the building back. It took the property over at the end of 2004, but the Morrisania programs won't leave. They say they are needed as well.
"If we are going to address poverty in this city, you can not remove the Multi-Service center that has been providing services for 23 years," said the center's Biarni Burke.
In response the city started a court proceeding to evict Morrisania. And now Morrisania has rallied support from local leaders, clergy members and politicians to help save the center.
"The mayor and city must work with Morrisania on relocation and helping them to find a facility and to pay for the facility," said Bronx Assemblyman Michael Benjamin.
"We don't believe that due consideration to what this center has meant to this community has been given by the mayor or by any of the agencies," added State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson.
The education department says it made extensive efforts to assist Morrisania with finding another location, and that the center's refusal to leave prevented a new high school from opening this year. Morrisania says it supports new schools, but not at its expense.
If a deal or agreement is not reached in the next month, the Morrisania Multi-Service Center will be back in court on October 10th to continue its battle with the education department over the building.
Multi-Service Center Fighting City To Stay Open
September 14, 2006
The battle to save a community center in the Bronx continues; the city wants to build a school in its place, but the center says it's not going anywhere. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.
Pre-kindergarten children at the Bronx organizations for the learning disabled spend their days having fun while improving their learning skills. But now it's survival skills that are needed for the school and the rest of the programs inside the Morrisania Multi-Service Center.
The education department is trying to evict the Bronx center from the city owned building in order to open a high school at the site.
"They should just leave this school where it is for these children," said parent Miguel Padilla.
The education department turned ownership of this school building over to the Human Resources Administration in the late 1970's. HRA had the Morrisania Center move in to help the surrounding struggling community.
Learning disability, job and housings programs were established. But in recent years the need for more school space has the education department saying it wants the building back. It took the property over at the end of 2004, but the Morrisania programs won't leave. They say they are needed as well.
"If we are going to address poverty in this city, you can not remove the Multi-Service center that has been providing services for 23 years," said the center's Biarni Burke.
In response the city started a court proceeding to evict Morrisania. And now Morrisania has rallied support from local leaders, clergy members and politicians to help save the center.
"The mayor and city must work with Morrisania on relocation and helping them to find a facility and to pay for the facility," said Bronx Assemblyman Michael Benjamin.
"We don't believe that due consideration to what this center has meant to this community has been given by the mayor or by any of the agencies," added State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson.
The education department says it made extensive efforts to assist Morrisania with finding another location, and that the center's refusal to leave prevented a new high school from opening this year. Morrisania says it supports new schools, but not at its expense.
If a deal or agreement is not reached in the next month, the Morrisania Multi-Service Center will be back in court on October 10th to continue its battle with the education department over the building.