Ovington Avenue Has Three Schools, Brannan Wants to Put a High School There As Well
Last week, Community Board 10 had a meeting for Bay Ridge residents and Steve from School Construction Authority (SCA) presented the new high school to be placed where the St. Nicholas Home is (441-447, 425-439 Ovington Avenue).
Not one paper reported about it! How unusual!
Most people would think cramming a high school onto a block with several other schools would be big news, but not in Bay Ridge!
The three red arrows in the picture below are the existing schools. The yellow is where Councilman Brannan wants to put a high school for 676 students.
The three schools in that area are PS 30, IS 30 and the Lutheran School. Brannan wants to put high school students on the same block with elementary and middle school students. The head of Community Board 10 should have talked with Brannan about this by now. Come on!!!
For anyone who thinks it is fair to put a high school on a block that had three school is one very selfish person!
PS 30 is in an apartment building. Community Board 10 should have advocated for the students at the school and grabbed the large property for a nice school yard.
Several members of Community Board 10 were fighting for the community – they came out strong. There were a few who weren’t because they don’t live on that block and they don’t care about their neighbors!
On Monday, May 8th, Community Board’s 10 announced they are having a meeting on Tuesday, May 9th (today) about the high school – such short notice! Let’s hope that they are not going to vote!
You can register to speak at the meeting here: https://bit.ly/3nwDIuu or watch on YouTube at bit.ly/3HLO5lw. Email [email protected] with questions, comments or for meeting links
I hope they aren’t going to force this high school on that block.
SCA’s presentation for this school was not good. The presenter did not come prepared. Why? In April 2021, CB 10 took less than half an hour to vote on a new school on 5th Avenue and 88th Street. (See here) A new school was not needed there. PS 264 is a block away on 4th Avenue and 89th Street! The man who owned Nathan’s also owned the 5th Avenue property – Brannan knew this and he did not disclose that information!
Other Strange Things:
In November 2022, Community Board 10 met with CSA and CSA told Community Board 10 that Bay Ridge was not being considered for a new high school because students are allowed to apply for high schools citywide. When the meeting began, a Community Board 10 member asked: “Why Now and Why Here?”
Doris asked SCA listed the property on Shore Road as a possible site when that property was already planned for for Bay Ridge Prep a long time ago! This property has been known about since November 2021, so there was no way that SCA could have considered it! (Info here)
Currently, NYC middle school students can apply to any high school throughout NYC. Many students outside of our neighborhood will attend this school, just like they currently attend Fort Hamilton High School.
Doris on CB 110 questioned why is there a school being planned for a 30-foot-wide residential street? This is a huge burden on a block that has several schools already! Go Doris!
Would this location allow high school students to have sports teams? CSA did not know. No preliminary plans had been made to show the design.
How many kids in Bay Ridge commute? CSA didn’t know.
At the meeting, it was said that buses will not be needed because this is a high school. If a student will special needs uses a bus, then buses will be outside of this school.
CEC President, Stephen Stowe of District 20 said there is a need for the seats, but he did not think this was a good location for a school. Stowe presented SCA with other locations and did not know why other locations were not chosen because there was more of a need in other areas of the district.
People can send comments to the Department of Education and School Construction Authority within 45 days:
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Hugs,
marlene
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