FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com AUGUST 25, 2016 • The Queens Courier 3 Photos courtesy of Jeff Reed Hundreds of union workers rallied against G&M Realty arguing that the developers backed out on a pledge to use all union labor for a construction project. Some say 5Pointz developer broke promise to use all union labor for LIC project By Angela Mat ua [email protected]/@AngelaMatua Several hundred union workers joined Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) President Gary LaBarbera and Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer in Long Island City on Tuesday to rally against developer G&M Realty, which they say broke a promise to use all union labor for an upcoming project. G&M Realty will turn the former 5Pointz graffiti mecca at 45-46 Davis St. into two residential buildings. According to Van Bramer, owner Jerry Wolkoff pledged to use all union labor when building the towers. During the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process, this pledge, along with a promise to include more artist studio space and more affordable housing, convinced the city to allow Wolkoff to build an additional 400 units. The buildings will be 41 and 47 stories each. “Jerry Wolkoff lied to me, Jerry Wolkoff lied to Gary, Jerry Wolkoff lied to every single New Yorker, every single New Yorker,” Van Bramer said. “So let me just say this: Jerry Wolkoff, I will never believe another word you ever say —never, ever again — nor will I ever approve any project you ever want to build in my district or in this city.” The project has been controversial from the start, with Community Board 2 voting down the permit after residents and artists protested. More than a dozen artists filed a lawsuit arguing that the destruction of the building would violate the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, which gives visual artists limited moral rights and copyright law. Wolkoff will also keep the 5Pointz name for the towers, which angered many artists associated with the building. They started a petition to stop G&M Realty from using the name but developers were able to register the name as a servicemark with the state. In a letter signed by Wolkoff, he wrote, “it is our intention to engage contractors which employ individuals represented by labor unions that are affiliated with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York for construction … as well as members of 32BJ operating the building.” He also wrote that the construction will create 800 “good paying construction jobs” and 200 full-time jobs on site. In a phone interview, Wolkoff said that he didn’t lie and that he still intends to use some union labor, including 32BJ if the contract is “reasonable.” “My intentions were to do it but one of the contractors wanted close to $20 million more on one contract and I said, ‘It’s insane, nobody would do it,’” Wolkoff said. “I don’t mind paying them more but I’m not going to pay 30 percent, 25 percent more.” LaBarbera argued that by not using all union labor, Wolkoff is prioritizing profits over people. “Jerry Wolkoff flat out lied and broke his promise to use union labor and as a result is putting profits over people. He simply cannot be trusted,” LaBarbera said. “The Building Trades are the best trained, safest and highest-quality workforce anywhere. We will continue to aggressively fight for a union workforce on this project and others across the city.” Bicyclist killed on Bayside ride An elderly Flushing man was struck and killed by a car while riding his bicycle along Northern Boulevard in Bayside on the morning of Aug. 24, police reported. Michael Schenkman, 78, was fatally struck near the corner of 223rd Street and Northern Boulevard at about 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 24. According to authorities, a black Chevrolet Impala operated by a 25-yearold male was traveling eastbound on Northern Boulevard when it collided with the cyclist, who was also traveling eastbound in the left lane. Officers from the 111th Precinct arrived on the scene and discovered Schenkman lying in the street. The cyclist had suffered severe body and head trauma and was transported to North Shore Manhasset Hospital by EMS. He later succumbed to his injuries. The driver remained at the scene. No arrests or summonses have been issued at this time. The NYPD Collision Investigation Squad continues to investigate. Suzanne Monteverdi Ozone Park to get a homeless shelter A transitional facility has been proposed for a former coffee factory in Ozone Park, according to a letter given to Community Board 9. The facility is being planned by a nonprofit group called Breaking Ground, which seeks to help homeless people with immediate needs, such as food, bathing and short-term shelter. Still early in its planning stages, is center is slated for the former site of Dallis Brothers Coffee at 100-32 Atlantic Ave., which technically is in Ozone Park but just steps from the neighborhoods of Richmond Hill and Woodhaven. The coffee manufacturer moved to Long Island City several years ago. At the Aug. 20 Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) meeting at Emanuel Church of Christ — four blocks from the proposed site — Assemblyman Mike Miller said the facility is “not the type of homeless shelter you’re used to hearing about,” but rather aimed at helping homeless and needy people “grab a shower, some food and get back on their feet.” The plan at the Ozone Park site aims to “enhance our services for the street homeless in Queens, which will benefit that group as well as the borough as a whole,” Breaking Ground’s Assistant Vice President for Quality Assurance John Lee wrote in the letter to CB 9, which the WRBA’s communication director, Alexander Blenkinsopp, read at Saturday’s meeting. WRBA President Martin Colberg stressed patience, saying that there needed to be more information about the facility before any possible organized opposition. The nonprofit has sites in Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan and several outside the city including one in Rochester, one in the Hudson Valley and two in Connecticut. Domenick Rafter
QC08252016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above