By Stephen Stirling
The city laid a king’s bounty at Community Board 7’s door Monday night and the board nearly balked.
Following four hours of haggling, CB 7 unanimously approved the city’s plan to build a $1 billion police academy in College Point. This came after the city promised in writing to fast-track an estimated $70 million in roadway and sewer projects for College Point and Whitestone that the board has been clamoring for over the past decade.
“We committed a lot to you guys,” said Scott Sigal, a senior adviser to Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler. “I think we were willing to commit far more than I ever thought we would be.”
The city’s proposed plan would construct a massive $1 billion, 3-million-square-foot police training academy in College Point with 250 classrooms, a field house and a tactical village.
Sigal said because of the economic crisis, the NYPD currently has only $700 million in funding, and will construct the project in phases until additional funding becomes available.
Sigal presented a letter to the board at Union Plaza Care Center in Flushing Monday signed by Skyler, promising a bevy of projects for the community. As compensation for the board’s approval, Skyler said the city Department of Transportation will carry out a makeover of College Point Boulevard, complete with computerized traffic signals, resurfacing and the resolution of problems from Seventh Avenue in College Point to Fowler Avenue in Flushing.
Under the agreement, the DOT will also widen the on-ramp to the Van Wyck Expressway to two lanes and create a new north-south U-turn on Linden Place.
Skyler also said the city Department of Environmental Protection will begin design work on a $50 million drainage project to mitigate flood-plagued regions in College Point and Whitestone over the next eight years and develop an air monitoring plan for communities downwind of the construction.
Skyler’s letter pledged the NYPD would keep all parking contained on the facility and would come back to the board if any substantial changes were made to the project.
But CB 7 was not completely appeased.
Board Chairman Gene Kelty and Vice Chairman Chuck Apelian said they also wanted Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s signature on a letter to insure the NYPD keeps its word about updating the board on the project and they initially demanded a $10 million contingency fund be set up to deal with unforeseen issues that might arise during construction.
“The only reason I’m sticking to this is we’ve been through this before,” Apelian said. “I still feel as though we need that letter from the police commissioner. Promises have been broken before.”
The fight dragged out for nearly an hour and culminated with Apelian threatening to delay the vote until the outstanding issues were addressed, but Sigal said it would not matter.
“I’m asking that we don’t play a cat and mouse game here. It’s not like we’re trying to pull a fast one on you guys,” he said. “We put all our cards on the table.”
Shortly thereafter, at about 11 p.m., the board voted to approve the project with a request that the issues be addressed by the borough president, the City Planning Commission and the City Council, which will vote on the plan in the coming months.
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at sstirling@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
