CB1 Seizes Chance for Community Center

By Ronald Drenger

With so much money and attention being showered on Lower Manhattan’s redevelopment, Community Board 1 is moving aggressively to turn its longtime dream—a large community center—into a reality.

Over the summer, three major institutions—the YMCA of Greater New York, the 92nd Street Y and the Educational Alliance—formally expressed interest in developing a community center Downtown.

The three groups responded to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued by Friends of Community Board 1, the board’s fundraising arm, and were asked to submit detailed proposals for an approximately 100,000-square-foot facility by Sept. 20. The proposals will be discussed at a public meeting of CB1’s Youth and Education Committee on Sept. 24 (see Community Calendar).


   Friends of CB1 hopes to receive partial funding for the community center from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and plans to make a recommendation to the LMDC by the end of October.
"Getting a Y down here would be such a tremendous boon to the community," said Paul Goldstein, CB1’s district manager.

In interviews, representatives of the three institutions discussed their broad visions for a Downtown center, but emphasized their desire to learn more about the community’s needs.

Ann Hanna, a spokeswoman for the YMCA, said that a Downtown site, like most of the organization’s facilities, would probably have a gym, a pool, fitness equipment, a computer center, multi-purpose rooms, child care facilities, community art space, and office space for community groups.

Sol Adler, executive director of the 92nd Street Y, said the facility might include a nursery, activities for seniors, after-school, and arts programming. It would be a place, he said, "where small art groups can gestate, where dance groups can try out new works. You would be bringing in great speakers, musicians, poets from around the world, and at the same time incorporating the rich culture that exists Downtown now."

Robin Bernstein, executive director of the Educational Alliance, similarly envisioned a site offering "core services of a typical community center—parenting programs, preschool, after-school, youth development, teen, adult and senior adult programs—as well as cultural and performing arts programs."

The Alliance, based on the Lower East Side, operates the Sol Goldman Y on East 14th Street and a community center on East Houston Street, and runs a wide range of social service programs at more than 20 other sites.

Some CB1 members have expressed concern that a new community center could squeeze out groups that have served Downtown for years. But those working on the project say that they have asked the large institutions to outline how they would collaborate with existing organizations.

"We are a unique community in that there are lots of groups and small businesses working with Downtown youth and families, and it’s very important to us to preserve that," said Martha Gallo, president of the Battery Park City Parents Association, who is part of a community center working group.

But Bob Townley, a CB1 member and director of Manhattan Youth, which runs a wide range of youth programs Downtown, said the community should first create a smaller center that could be developed faster and would cost less to build and run than a Y-type operation. Last month he was preparing to apply to Friends of CB1 for a grant to plan such a facility.

District Manager Goldstein said that working toward a Y-type facility "doesn’t mean that we can’t at the same time try to accomplish some of the community’s shorter-term goals."