West Side City Council Candidate Responds to City’s Plan for
Demolition and
Redevelopment of P.S. 191 and P.S. 199
New York City (April 3, 2013)- Democratic
City Council Candidate (6th district - Upper West Side), Ken Biberaj, issued a
statement about the news that the City is entertaining plans to tear down P.S.
191 and P.S. 199. It was recently
reported that the Department of Education had requested proposals to demolish
P.S. 191, P.S. 199, and a school on the Upper East Side and replace them with
high-rise apartments and new schools on the ground level. The initial report came as a shock to our neighborhood. While more details continue to emerge about
the plan, our students, parents, and community deserve full involvement in this
process.
“Like many on the Upper West Side, I have serious
concerns about the plan to demolish P.S. 191 and P.S. 199 and that the
community was not approached at the outset.
Public education in our neighborhood is reaching a crisis point and while
we have a desperate need for more quality seats for our growing family
population, it has to be balanced with over development on the West Side” said
City Council candidate Ken Biberaj. “Any
plan to rebuild these schools within a new development must be done in a
responsible and transparent way. The community must be involved in the
decisions that are made so that we ensure that if there is a development it
creates additional school seats, provides affordable housing and addresses the serious
concerns about increased density. Far too much development has taken place over
the years on the UWS without our community getting enough in return. This
practice needs to stop. “
“The Upper West Side needs renewed energy to
fight for our community,” Ken continued. “While I am open to creative plans
that utilize City space in a way to raise revenue and make positive
contributions to communities, it must be done with the highest level of
scrutiny to make sure that plans make sense for the neighborhood and it’s
residents. I will continue to monitor this issue and work to ensure that voice
of the community is heard.”
* * * *
Ken Biberaj is a Democratic candidate for City Council on the
Upper West Side. It will be an open seat for the first time in 12 years as current
Councilmember, Gale Brewer, has reached her term limit. Ken currently works as
Vice President of the Russian Tea Room and has a Master’s in Public Policy from
the Harvard Kennedy School, as well as a J.D. from NY Law School. Prior to
joining the real estate firm that owns the Russian Tea Room, he served as the Research
Director in Florida for John Kerry’s presidential campaign. For more
information: www.ken2013.com
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