« The 'Dwightmare' is over | Main | Brooklyn rebounds as the new bohemia »
August 14, 2012
For Better or Worse, Barclays is Becoming a Brooklyn Fixture
DNAinfo.com
by Janet Upadhye
Definitely worse. And how is something that isn't even open yet "becoming a fixture?"
Barclays is quickly becoming part of everyday life for Brooklynites. Now less than 50 days away from the Barclays Center's September 28 grand opening, excitement and fears are building in communities close to the arena.
And amidst the cacophony of welcoming cheers and voices of dissent, Barclays is steadily building its image as the friendly neighbor.
“We are putting the Brooklyn community first in everything we do,” said Nets and Barclays Center spokesman Barry Baum. “We are continuing to plan new programs that will help us further our goal of giving back and bettering the lives of those in the surrounding communities.”
Related coverage...
Atlantic Yards Report, What's missing from "For Better or Worse, Barclays is Becoming a Brooklyn Fixture"
As I commented, missing from this article is recognition of significant public subsidies and tax breaks for the arena, as well as the gift of arena naming rights to sell. You can add up all that charity--how does that compare to the $10M+ per year Forest City Ratner gets from Barclays for naming rights?
As for the "2,000 positions," that's not 2,000 full-time jobs. Even according to Forest City, that's 1,240 full-time equivalent. The real number, I suspect, is even lower.
Here's how the Barclays Nets Community Alliance has claimed credit for "funding" playground refurbishment mostly funded by the public, unmentioned in your link to NY Post coverage above.
Posted by eric at August 14, 2012 10:05 AM