Signs of progress at War Memorial
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
The city has fi nally kicked
off a years-in-the-works project
to make the Brooklyn War
Memorial at Cadman Plaza
Park wheelchair accessible,
according to offi cials.
The city’s Parks Department
began work on the
nearly $4 million renovation
in January after years of rescheduling
the start of construction.
The project consists
of installing an elevator
and a ramp at the Downtown
Brooklyn memorial, which
honors Brooklynites who
fought during World War II.
One veteran said it’s about
time.
“After all these years
they’re fi nally doing something
now,” said Marine
Park resident Jack Vanasco,
92, who served as an army
corporal form 1939 to 1947.
Contractors with the city
set up a fence around the
shrine’s western section some
time at the beginning of the
year, where they plan to build
a ramp. Workers will also install
an elevator from the
ground fl oor restroom to the
fi rst fl oor auditorium, where a
wall bares the names of 11,500
Brooklyn boys who fought and
died during the confl ict.
COURIER L 24 IFE, MARCH 13-19, 2020
The project is scheduled
to wrap in January 2021, according
to the agency’s capital
project tracker, though
its launch follows years of
delays since it was fi rst announced
in 2017.
One local park steward
who lobbied for the upgrade
is relieved that the city’s
slow-moving bureaucracy is
fi nally moving forward.
“We’re incredibly encouraged
by this,” said Cadman
Plaza Park Conservancy
President Toba Potosky. “For
too long the city neglected
the memorial.”
Potosky, who lives right
across the street from the
park, noted that he’s seen the
fence, but has yet to witness
workers break ground on the
site.
The overhaul was originally
supposed to start in
2018, but was stalled for a
year due to an accounting error,
parks honchos claimed.
The agency then pushed
the start date back for several
months to November because
of trouble with the elevator
manufacturer, and yet again
missed that deadline because
they had to do some last-minute
asbestos remediation, according
to spokeswoman Anessa
Hodgson.
The city built the granite
and limestone memorial
in 1951 under the auspices
of then-Parks Commissioner
and master builder Robert
Moses, who planned to erect
a similar monument in each
of the fi ve boroughs. However,
only the Kings County
memorial ever materialized.
The interior hall was open
for special events and by appointment
until the early
1990s, when the city shuttered
it due to lack of accessibility
features and after the
passing of the 1990 Americans
with Disabilities Act.
Vanasco, a Fort Greene
native, said he hopes to see
the tribute back open in his
lifetime so he can honor his
fallen brethren.
“We have at least 25 to
30 people that are friends of
ours from the neighborhood
that are on that wall,” he
said. “Most people don’t even
know about it.”
The city started work to bring the Brooklyn War Memorial up to code in January. Photo by Amalia Arms
THE CITY CLERK
OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION
Pursuant to provisions of Section 25(b)(1) of the Charter of the City of New
York, notice is hereby given that a special election will be held in the
Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings on, Tuesday, April 28, 2020,
between the hours of 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM for the purpose of electing a
candidate for the 37th Councilmanic District. Only registered voters in this
district are eligible to vote.
For any information on whether you are eligible to vote or where your poll site
is located, please call (212) V-0-T-E-N-Y-C. TDD for the hearing-impaired is
(212) 487-5496.
The City Clerk of the City of New York
NOTICE OF A JOINT PUBLIC HEARING of the Franchise and Concession Review Committee and the New York
City Department of Parks and Recreation to be held on April 6, 2020 at 22 Reade Street, Spector Hall, Borough
of Manhattan, commencing at 2:30 p.m. relative to:
INTENT TO AWARD as a concession for the operation, maintenance and management of a year-round tennis
facility at the Parade Ground, Prospect Park, Brooklyn for a fifteen (15) year term, with three (3) one-year renewal
options, to Prospect Park Alliance, Inc. Compensation to the City will be as follows: for each operating year of
the license, Prospect Park Alliance, Inc. shall pay the City a fee consisting of the higher of a guaranteed minimum
annual fee versus 10% of Gross Receipts. When Gross Receipts exceed $3.3M for any given year PPA will pay
15% of Gross Receipts. The Minimum Annual Fee for each operating year are as follows: Year 1: $270,000; Year
2: $275,400; Year 3: $280,908; Year 4: $286,526; Year 5: $292,257; Year 6: 298,102; Year 7: $304,064; Year 8:
$310, 145; Year 9: $316,348; Year 10: $322,675; Year 11: $329,128; Year 12: $335,711; Year 13: $342,425; Year
14: $349,274; Year 15: $356,259; Year 16 (Renewal Option 1): $363,384; Year 17 (Renewal Option 2): $370,652;
Year 18 (Renewal Option 3): $378,065
A draft copy of the agreement may be reviewed or obtained at no cost, commencing Monday, March 16, 2020
through Monday, April 6, 2020, between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm, excluding weekends and holidays at the
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 313, New York, NY 10065.
This location is accessible to individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. For further information on
accessibility or to make a request for accommodations, such as sign language interpretation services, please
contact the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) via e-mail at DisabilityAffairs@mocs.nyc.gov or via phone
at (212) 788-0010. Any person requiring reasonable accommodation for the public hearing should contact MOCS
at least three (3) business days in advance of the hearing to ensure availability.
TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115
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