Mayor Bill de Blasio made a $1 million pledge for the funding of a long-awaited community center for Marcy Houses, according to a recent report by DNAinfo.
"I know for many years, people in the community of the Marcy Houses have been trying to get a community center to help make that a better place to live, a safer place to life," he declared on March 9, 2017 at a town hall meeting in Bedford-Stuyvesant. "A place where everyone can be engaged, particularly our youth could have more opportunities to positive experiences."
In his address, the mayor recognized the dedicated commitment of Councilman Robert Cornegy who has long been a staunch advocate for the facility.
After having designated $5 million of his office funds to the community center, Cornegy was joined in his undertaking by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams who committed to an additional contribution of $1 million.
With the combined financial efforts of the offices of Cornegy, Adams and de Blasio the project can now come to final realization.
The community center, which will find its home in a vacated police station near Marcy Avenue and Ellery Street, will be providing services and programs to both the youth and the seniors of Marcy Housing.
"Both of these services are central and have been missed for two decades," the councilman stressed. Cornegy expressed hopes to start with the constructions as early as fall, encouraging Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise contractors to lead the development.
For the residents of the Marcy Houses, a long wait is coming to an end, giving their youth and elderly a much needed space for programming and services they have lacked so far.
