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January 26, 2009
What's Happened to the Plant in the Park
Gotham Gazette
By Anne Schwartz
The controversy over the construction of a water filtration plant in the Bronx underscores the importance of ongoing scrutiny by politicians and watchdogs over largescale projects like Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards, even after they are underway:
The escalating cost of the facility, which will be one of the largest water filtration plants in the world, is one of a number of complaints raised by critics, who opposed ever placing it in the Bronx and say the city is mismanaging the project. As they watch over the construction of the plant as well as associated work at nearby Jerome Park Reservoir, they want to ensure that the city keeps its promises to provide jobs to local residents, minimize the environmental impacts of construction in residential neighborhoods and spend an additional $240 million on Bronx parks.
Local politicians and state officials agreed to let the city build the filtration plant after the Bloomberg administration made these promises. Other projects throughout the city -- from Willets Point to Atlantic Yards to Yankee Stadium -- also faced local opposition and entail similarly elaborate agreements for community improvements, affordable housing and more. The ongoing saga of the filtration plant in the north Bronx shows the need for constant vigilance by residents and elected officials to make sure these promises are kept.
Posted by lumi at January 26, 2009 4:54 AM