Be sure to register to attend in-person or via zoom — CLICK HERE

If attending in person, sign up to speak when you arrive, or raise your hand to speak when public testimony begins. If attending via Zoom, use the Zoom “raise hand” function to indicate you wish to speak. 

It’s CRITICAL to stay on message and speak only to the issues germane to this hearing. Therefore we STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU SAY:

  • You strenuously object to any plan for the new 388 Hudson Street Recreation Center that doesn’t ALSO plan to keep or locate recreational facilities in the historic, landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, and plan for its repair and reopening. 
  • Tony Dapolito needs repairs and updates, and some uses that had been located there may be better suited for the new facility. That DOESN’T mean the Center must or should be demolished. There are a broad range of recreational uses that can be located at a modernized Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, and any planning MUST include that. 
  • The idea put forward by the Parks Department that it’s “impractical” to have some recreational facilities in the original building and some in the new one is ridiculous, and an unacceptable rationale for demolishing this beloved center and breaking a longstanding promise to the community.  
  • It’s unacceptable that the Parks Department has indicated that money allocated for the repair and reopening of the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center have been diverted for other uses. Those monies MUST be spent on preserving and modernizing Dapolito. 

Your speaking time will likely be limited to 2 minutes maximum (possibly less), so be concise and to the point. You can also say you strongly support the position expressed by Village Preservation, or anyone else who already spoke with whom you agree. 

PLEASE NOTE:

  • In the past, the Parks Department and some members of Community Board 2 have sought to discourage or prevent the public from speaking about the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center when hearing about plans for the new proposed replacement center.  AS LONG AS YOU STICK TO THE ABOVE TALKING POINTS SHOWING HOW THE TWO SUBJECTS ARE LINKED, you should go ahead and speak, and insist on your opportunity to be heard. Community Board 2’s official position is that the Dapolito Center should be preserved. But some have sought to keep members of the public from advocating for that position at Community Board hearings, and seem to disagree with the board’s position. 
  • The Parks Department and some members of Community Board 2 may treat plans for the new 388 Hudson Recreation Center that entirely replaces the Dapolito Center (and thus requires its demolition) as a fait accompli — inevitable and irreversible. IT’S NOT. To realize such a plan, they still must go through multiple approval processes that include the City Council, the Borough President, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. We still have AMPLE opportunities to change this destructive plan, so long as we keep fighting and insisting that demolition of the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center is UNACCEPTABLE.  

For more information on the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, CLICK HERE.