Community Update Newsletter

In this issue:
	A Wilderness, Lost in the City
	Comptroller releases audit findings
	Thompson's consumer protection proposals part of new Verizon pact

City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently published this guest editorial in The New York Times, urging the City to reconsider plans to “renovate” land at the Ridgewood Reservoir on the Brooklyn/Queens border.

A Wilderness, Lost in the City

by William C. Thompson, Jr. & Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Many people are astounded to learn that there is a teeming wildlife preserve in New York City. Ridgewood Reservoir on the Brooklyn-Queens border is an oasis where an amazing range of plant and animal species thrive in a verdant landscape of steep hills and narrow valleys amid the city’s paved sidewalks.

But what’s more astounding, the city’s Parks Department could wind up destroying it.

Ridgewood is an accidental wilderness, tucked alongside the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Built in 1858 to provide drinking water to Brooklyn, the reservoir was abandoned in 1989.

As the 50 acres reverted to wetlands, meadows and forests, tens of thousands of plants and trees took root and flourished. Turtles, fish, frogs and millions of insects moved in. Songbirds nested in the glades, transforming the area into a migratory rest stop. According to the National Audubon Society, 137 species of birds use the reservoir, including eight rare species. It is a place as close to unspoiled nature as you’re likely to find anywhere within city limits.

Yet, the New York City Parks Department is considering a $50 million “renovation” project that would cover more than 20 acres of the reservoir with athletic fields and facilities.

This plan flies in the face of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s widely hailed environmental blueprint, which bemoans the loss of the city’s natural areas. The Parks Department’s own scientific consultants have warned against disturbing the reservoir, an area they call “highly significant for the biodiversity of New York City and the region.”

The parks commissioner has said the city needs the athletic fields to combat childhood obesity. This is an important objective, but the money that would be used to destroy this extraordinary natural habitat could be better spent improving Highland Park, next to Ridgewood Reservoir. Highland Park has plenty of ball fields to serve its neighborhood, but they are in such deplorable condition that few people use them.

Ridgewood’s natural preserve is a great place for people of all ages to walk and hike. Its trails should be upgraded with benches and rest areas as well as markers pointing out unique flora and fauna. The Parks Department should also open areas of the reservoir for guided nature walks, a great educational tool.

Ridgewood Reservoir offers visitors a rare chance to lose themselves in a forest, to hear bird song, to touch wilderness and to sense the divine. The city shouldn’t let that slip away.

Comptroller releases audit findings

Comptroller Thompson has released a series of audits identifying financial and management problems in City agencies. Several of the audits, available at www.comptroller.nyc.gov, found the following:

- The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Education are failing to properly screen children for hearing and vision problems. Findings indicated that the agencies were dodging regulations and failing to conduct a third of the required vision screenings and nearly half of required hearing screenings in the appropriate grades.

- The United Nations Development Corporation (UNDC) failed to pay the City more than $12 million in back rent. The UNDC agreed to pay half, but Thompson urged the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to recoup the remaining money.

-The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) did not promptly complete emergency, urgent and routine maintenance tasks. Thompson said improvements are needed to address delays in completing tasks requiring skilled-trades personnel.

- EDC failed to pay and bill sub-tenants at the Brooklyn Army Terminal for water and sewage fees for 22 years, amounting to $4.5 million owed to the City. Thompson criticized the City for not moving to collect more than two years in unpaid bills.

Thompson’s consumer protection proposals part of new Verizon pact

Incorporating a series of consumer protection proposals urged by the Comptroller, the Franchise and Concession Review Committee (FCRC) voted to grant Verizon a franchise to enter City’s market as a cable provider.

Thompson, who sits on the FCRC board, voted in favor of the pact and praised Verizon for including provisions he proposed in his “Cable Consumer Bill of Rights.”

“New York City can now be viewed as a leader in cable consumer protection,” he said. “This agreement will serve as a framework for future negotiations.”

The consumer safeguards include an Annual Cable Report Card issued by Verizon and creation of easily accessible service centers. Thompson expects that Cablevision and TimeWarner will follow suit when their franchise extensions come up.