Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972
MAYOR GIULIANI REDEDICATES THE 168TH STREET ARMORY YOUTH CENTER
Armory Now Home to Major Track Meets and Other Athletic and Anti-Drug Programs
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today attended a rededication ceremony for the 168th Street Armory Youth Center, a newly renovated complex for after school athletic and educational programs for neighborhood children. Joining the Mayor at today’s ceremony, held during the Hispanic Youth Games, were New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, First Deputy Police Commissioner Patrick Kelleher and Dr. Norbert Sander, Executive Director of the Armory High School Sports Foundation.
In 1990, Dr. Norbert Sander, a former New York City Marathon Champion, started a campaign to transform the 168th Street Armory from a homeless shelter to a track and field facility for thousands of young runners. His 168th Street High School Sports Armory Foundation, whose board consists of New York City business and political leaders, raised $500,000 to convert the Armory’s drill floor into a running track.
Last spring, the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (HIDTA), the regional office of the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, proposed that the entire Armory be converted into a center for after school programs. A $100,000 grant from the Mayor’s Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator financed, combined with $400,000 in federal money forfeited from drug dealers financed the renovation of the Armory atrium and several adjoining rooms.
In addition to track and field events, the Armory will house the following programs:
- The Police Athletic League will sponsor sports leagues, arts and crafts programs and computer training;
- Stanley Kaplan will offer SAT preparation courses to 200 high school students;
- The Board of Education will hold vocational classes where students will renovate two rooms at the Armory;
- The New York National Guard will sponsor a youth cadet program at the Armory;
- Officers from the New York City Police Department will teach anti-drug and anti-gang classes;
- The National Fencing Association will hold its 1998 National Championships in the Armory.
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