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March 17, 2010

Atlantic Yards YES! Day Care NO!!

Faced with an enormous budget gap, Mayor Bloomberg is ordering the Administration for Children's Services to shutter 16 day care centers, while he continues to lavish subsidies on Bruce Ratner's basketball arena and lobster sliders.

Gotham Gazette, Day Care Dumped

Strong Place, which is located across the street from the New York City Housing Authority's Gowanus Houses, is one of 16 day care centers overseen by the Administration for Children's Services that could close in July. More than 770 children and their families and 300 workers would be affected.

The closings are just a small part of the Bloomberg administration's plan to fill an approximately $4.9 billion budget hole.
...

Administration officials say the leases at the centers slated for closure are too much to cover in this recession. By closing the 15 sites, according to budget documents, the city would save $9 million in the next fiscal year and $16.3 million every year thereafter.

For the sake of comparison, the city has already given Ratner $205 million in cash. Plus countless other tax breaks. For a private basketball arena.

Two elected officials who have been stalwart opponents of Atlantic Yards are also strong proponents of keeping the centers open.

Some of the city's unions, including District Council 1707, who represents day care workers, and the Council of Supervisors and Administrators, as well as a number of the city politicians are taking up Strong Place's cause.

In an ornate second floor room in Brooklyn Borough Hall on Friday, State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery joined them.

"We cannot let our families go," said Montgomery. "We have abandoned our children."
...

Councilmember Letitia James said federal funding could also help keep the centers open.

Of course, so could making Bruce Ratner pay his own way. But then, who would serve the Mayor lobster sliders?

Posted by eric at March 17, 2010 5:53 PM