Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Opens Newly Rebuilt Hamilton Avenue Asphalt Plant, Helping City Resurface 1,000 Miles of Streets this Year

May 14, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, I just want to say I like any event that I can walk to from my house. It is great to be in my neighborhood, and wonderful to be here at the Hamilton Avenue asphalt plant. This is a really good news story you’re going to hear about today of the city making a huge number of improvements in the way we go about preparing the material to resurface our roads. This is a story of saving money for the taxpayers, of doing things more efficiently, of doing them in a greener way, of making it easier to repave our roads in a faster fashion. This is a good news story all along. I want to thank the commissioner for the department of design and construction, Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora, you’ll hear from him in a moment. This is a great example of what this agency does. It may not get all the attention it deserves, but it does extraordinary work on behalf of all New Yorkers. I’ve just gotten a tour – and seeing the $25 million facility, you can truly say it is cutting edge, this is the latest technology. And all the folks who work here, I just want to say a thank you to all of you for the work you do. It takes really good people to work with the cutting edge technology and we have them here. Let’s give them all a round of applause for the work they do.

[Applause]

Now, again, what I think about all the time is how can we save the taxpayers money, and this is an example of doing it. I want to thank so many people, but one of the people I want to thank is Anthony Bordenca, who is the project manager for the plant, for this fine work he has done.

[Applause]

Anthony obviously brought his fan club with him. And with us here also, the person who will lead the efforts to repave those roads and get them in better condition for all of us – our commissioner of transportation, Polly Trottenberg, who is now getting the nickname at City Hall, the ‘Road Warrior’.

[Applause]

Because no pothole, no street that’s not in good shape can possibly stand up to her. When she sets her mind on fixing these streets, it happens. And that’s not all, of course, that Polly does, and the people at DOT do. They really deserve tremendous credit for the way they handled this winter. They had everything thrown at  them, they did incredible things this winter, played a crucial role in the efforts to keep our streets clear, played an extraordinary role in filling the potholes, now getting deep into the repaving. This agency, when they’re not helping small planes land on the Deegan Expressway, this agency does a lot of other important things for New York City. And Polly has an incredible devotion to Vision Zero, she is one of the architects of our effort. And as you know, it’s already having a huge positive impact on this city, and Polly and everyone at the DOT are going to be a crucial part of getting us to a safer city.

I want to thank a man who I know loves his work, and you can see with the passion with which he speaks, the Deputy Commissioner Galileo Orlando.

[Applause]

I hope you thank your parents for naming you Galileo. The deputy commissioner very ably heads up the DOT’s road repair and maintenance unit. They do this extraordinary work. And all the men and women who serve on his command really should be very proud of what they’ve done. And New Yorkers see every day – this is the kind of thing, you know, we in government know that it begins with the most basic things. Running the government well. Watching out for the taxpayers. Making sure the potholes are filled. It’s a kind of classic phrase but it’s true. This is the kind of thing that affects people’s everyday lives. And this agency has done an extraordinary job helping people live better lives by addressing these problems. They don’t get the credit they deserve. You know, all public workers deserve a lot of credit for what they do. Some naturally get a little more attention, some get less, but the folks at DOT literally make it possible for us get around this city and for us to live the lives we do. So I just want to thank them again for their Herculean efforts, especially this winter. Let’s thank them all.

[Applause]

Now this plant is a key part of two big initiatives of this administration – filling potholes and resurfacing roads. We’re very proud of the work that’s been done by this agency in filling potholes. And I love these counts because they’re so extraordinary. So as of this week, it is 339,000 - 339,000 potholes filled since January 1. That is just breath-taking - twice - more than twice as many as were filled in the same time frame last year. About three times as many as were filled in 2012.

And you’re going to see just as focused an effort when it comes to road resurfacing. The new budget that I unveiled last week allocates $225 million in capital dollars to resurfacing. And with that, more than $141 million in expense funds also connected to the resurfacing effort. So we’re making a huge investment in resurfacing roads. This will allow us to resurface 1,000 lane-miles of roads in every part of the city.

On top of that, we are investing more than $620 million in street reconstruction. That is even more complicated, difficult work - when a street needs to be totally reconstructed. We’re making sure that those streets that need that particularly intense treatment get it while we’re also going about the work of resurfacing 1,000 lane miles. So it’s an extraordinary amount of effort being undertaken by this agency.

Now let’s talk about this facility because it’s really something to brag about. Everyone who’s been a part of bringing it to this day should be proud. We’re going to be able to increase our asphalt production by 30 percent. That means up to 450 tons per hour. And the plan is to produce 500,000 tons this year. And that will be crucial to the effort to resurface 1,000 lane miles across the city.

The plant also will allow the department to greatly intensify its use of recycled asphalt by 10 percent or 50,000 tons. So there’s a major green element of this plant as well. That will also save the taxpayers $5 million. So I’m painting the picture clearly - this is about efficiency, it’s about saving money for the taxpayers, it’s about getting the material we need faster. And it’s also about doing it in a greener fashion.

And we knew that with everything that we’ve done in our budget, we needed to be convinced that it was fiscally prudent, both today and for the long run. And this facility is an example of something that will keep benefitting the taxpayers for years to come.

There’s so much that we’re proud of in the area of transportation. Obviously the investment we made in Vision Zero - again, it’s already bearing fruit. It’s something we are convinced will have more and more impact over time. The new budget provides the resources to really attack the problem of traffic fatalities and to greatly bring down the number of fatalities. And those investments include $21 million for safer street design and 53 new positions at the agency to focus on Vision Zero, and almost $15 million for the purchase and installation of 120 speed cameras, and many many other pieces as well.

So we’re focused on the big picture changes, the new policies, the things that we think will improve life and safety in this city. But we also know every single day - it begins with the basics. It begins with filling the potholes, resurfacing the roads, making sure people can get around this city. And that’s what we’re committed to.

Just a moment in Spanish before I introduce the commissioner.

Esta hermosa nueva instalación nos ayudará a lograr dos de nuestras prioridades: llenar los huecos y re-pavimentar las calles de la ciudad – haciendo a nuestras calles más seguras y ahorrándoles millones de dólares -

I’m having trouble today -

- de doláres - dólares -

You can be my designated hitter -

- a los contribuyentes.

I’m going to ask whenever I make a mistake in Spanish that the Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna come in and instruct me, ably assisted by the council member for this district, Carlos Menchaca. I have a Spanish recovery team available at all times to step in, clean up the situation, and help us move on.

With that, it is my great pleasure to introduce someone who really should be incredibly proud of the work she’s doing already for this city in just her first few months on the job. Our transportation commissioner, Polly Trottenberg.

[Applause]

Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, Department of Transportation: Alright, thank you. I’m up on this step here as I always need to be when I follow our mayor. I’m towering above everyone.

Good morning. Thank you, Mayor de Blasio, and DDC Commissioner Peña-Mora, our Deputy Commissioner Galileo Orlando, our First Deputy Commissioner Lori Ardito, Plan Manager Anthony Bordenca, Councilmember Menchaca, Deputy Borough President Reyna.

I first want to stand here and thank the mayor for his commitment to funding road repair and infrastructure, and for putting Vision Zero at the center of his budget this year. We at DOT are deeply grateful. And the mayor, when he gave his hundred days’ speech, he personally praised our roadway crews for the extraordinary job they did this winter filling potholes. And he declared that this kind of work demonstrates competent, effective government in action. And I knew at that moment that it would be such a great honor for us if the mayor could join us here today to thank our DOT team personally.

As the mayor has said, the new Hamilton Avenue plant is the latest weapon in the city’s fight for safer, smoother streets. It’ll make the city greener and it’s going to save millions of taxpayer dollars each year.

From day one, coming into DOT, I felt personally how this agency’s heroic roadway crews worked tirelessly this winter, as the mayor said, removing snow, clearing pedestrian overpasses, filling potholes. And with winters like this one, the whole city does owe them their thanks. And I would like one more round of applause for all the DOT workers.

[Applause]

And as soon as the weather warmed, as you know, our roadway crews are now doing resurfacing. This calendar year they have already milled and paved 173 lane miles. They are also out doing potholes every single day. And the ongoing pothole blitz and resurfacing work is just part of the six-point plan that the mayor and I announced back in February.

For years, Galileo’s team has really worked to perfect the science behind our streets, with new blends of asphalt improving the performance of the mix in different temperatures, and also looking to be green - to cut energy usage, emissions, and the use of raw materials. And with Hamilton Avenue, we’re going to really start to meet these goals.

And perhaps better than anything, I’m proud to stand here with our partners at DDC, HAKS, RBA [inaudible]. We delivered this plan using an innovative design-build contract that actually came in $4 million under budget.

Mayor: Yes!

Trottenberg: Mr. Mayor, how often do you hear that?

We’re going to try and do more of those. And as the mayor mentioned, this plan is going to save about $5 million a year. And so it will pay for itself within five years. I think that is something we can really be proud of. So, Mr. Mayor, again, thank you so much for your support of DOT. It really means a lot for us to have you here today. We are really grateful that you are helping us keep New York moving. Thank you.

Mayor: Thank you.

So, I said coming in here we have an extraordinary good news story - just that this plant is going to do so much for us and achieve so much simultaneously. Your second good news story is coming in $4 million under budget. That does not happen every day. So that’s really - I hope that will get some attention because it’s an extraordinarily good sign for the people of this city. Third and final good news story I want to highlight - I know Councilmember Menchaca has to leave in a moment, but I want to just give him props here. He was at the city council earlier, voted in the transportation committee on an important piece of the Vision Zero program, wanted to be here - we’re in his district - and he approves of what’s going on here, so he wanted to get out here, so he rode his bike out and now is leaving to go back to vote on other matters. So this is an exemplary public servant. Let’s thank him for that.

[Applause]

And now you’ve read about him, you’ve heard about him. Galileo. Famous in history. I really want to thank Deputy Commissioner Galileo Orlando for his really energetic leadership. And you can see why so much get’s done - it’s partly his forceful and passionate leadership. Let’s hear from him. Deputy Commissioner.

[Applause]

Deputy Commissioner Galileo Orlando, Department of Transportation: Thank you Mr. Mayor. You know, this is truly a great day for the 1,200 members of our - of the roadway repairs division. On a personal level, it’s really meaningful to see this come to fruition after five years of effort. It really means a lot.

Where we stand today holds a special place in city law. The first incarnation of this plant was built in 1979. But this very space has been used for New York roadway maintenance as long ago as 1911. But we’ve come a long way since then. Our crews can now pave in temperatures as low as 15 degrees, while cutting the operating temperature of our warm weather mixes by 50 degrees, reducing emissions.

I would also like to thank Mayor de Blasio for his commitment to road repair by giving our workers the resources they need and deserve. This rebuild plan will allow us to work harder and to save money as well. Asphalt is the most recycled product in the world. And with Hamilton, we’ll increase our recycling capability by yet another ten percent, saving 50,000 tons and, as mentioned earlier, $5 million dollars a year. This also slashes the amount of raw materials transported or floated into the yard, to eliminate 600,000 barrels of crude oil used annually and cuts 530,000 miles of truck travel. Think of it as the start of a positive feedback loop for New York City streets. And I want to thank Mr. Mayor and the commissioner for making this project possible. Thank you.

Mayor: Okay, add another positive element. You reduced use of fossil fuels. Impressive. Alright. I’d like to now bring up Commissioner Peña-Mora. You know, DDC, as I said, doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. So this is an example of the work they do that is felt by New Yorkers all across this city. And the commissioner’s now, I think, in his third week on the job and already doing a wonderful job moving forward the agenda at DDC. Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora.

[Applause]

Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora, Department of Design & Construction: Thank you, Mayor. And thank you Commissioner Trottenberg. We at DDC, we are proud to partner with our colleagues at DOT on the construction of the new Hamilton Avenue Asphalt Plant. I think it’s safe to say that nothing could have done more to enhance our appreciation of asphalt than the potholes created by the brutal winter we just endured. Fortunately, these new plan will not only allow the city to increase its asphalt production, but also to produce an upgraded type of asphalt that can be laid down in sub-freezing weather.

Asphalt from the new Hamilton Avenue plant will provide a smoother ride for millions of New Yorkers traveling by bus, by car, particularly during the winter months, and with less of an impact on our environment. Indeed, asphalt from this plant will include a greater proportion of recycled materials that we have here, which will reduce emissions and cut costs. As we implement Mayor de Blasio’s vision for safer streets, and a more resilient and sustainable city, much of the materials with be produced at facilities such as this asphalt plant.

I would like to thank our design and construction teams, including HAKS, our construction manager. The RPA group, our design consultants. Our contractor, Tully Construction. And [inaudible] Corporation, which manufactures much of the facility’s new equipment. Unlike most of city construction projects where certain contracts are bid for design, construction, management, and construction, DDC is what is known as CM/Design/Build delivery model, to build the Hamilton Avenue plant. This innovative delivery model enables us to complete the work in less time and with very few change orders. This benefits our client, DOT, who were able to put the new plant back in service more quickly and, in turn, will help everyone who uses our city’s roadways.

We hope to use the CM/Design/Build delivery model for similar projects going forward.

I would like to commend DDC staff members, David Resnick, [inaudible], [inaudible], [inaudible], and [inaudible], for all their hard work to make this new plant a reality. And of course, I would like to thank the mayor for including a significant increase in funding for infrastructure repair in city’s executive budget. And investment for an additional $49 million for the total of $226 million in the next fiscal year. We look forward to continuing our partnership with DOT to mill and repave city streets and to make the mayor’s goal of repaving over 1,000 lane-miles of roadways with much of the material coming from right here on Hamilton Avenue. Thank you.

Mayor: Since the Spanish deserves improvement, can you give us just a few sentences on what this means for the taxpayers and for everyday people?

Commissioner Peña-Mora: Thank you, Mayor. Quiero hablar en español ahora. Quiero decir que esta planta que tenemos aquí hoy nos permitirá a todos los neoyorquinos a poder viajar en la ciudad de Nueva York usando menos materiales, usando menos impacto – haciendo menos impacto al medioambiente, y tratando de proveer a esta ciudad y a todos nosotros con calles que sean más seguras. Y que permita al alcalde poder implementar su visión por una ciudad segura, por una ciudad que es resistente a desastres, y con una ciudad que es sostenible para todos nosotros en el futuro. Gracias.

[Applause]  

Mayor: Major Spanish upgrade, thank you. Alright, with that let’s take questions on topic first, and then we’ll do some off topic. On topic first. Yes?

Question: [inaudible] better and [inaudible]

Mayor: Well, the bottom line is we’re going to be able to produce a lot more of it more cheaply and in a cleaner way – a greener way. I mean, that’s the amazing thing here, that everyone associated with this project found ways to save the taxpayers money, to get this done quicker so we have the asphalt quicker, so we can do all the work we have to do with our roads. And think about it, they’re reducing the use of fossil fuels in the process. It’s really an amazing combination of factors here. What it means is we’re going to have the supply we need, when we need it, at a cheaper cost. And that’s going to keep these extraordinary numbers that they’re putting up – in terms of the pothole repair and the resurfacing – that’s going to allow DOT to keep doing it very aggressively. And certainly the people of this city need that.

Question: Is the quality of [inaudible]?

Mayor: Even better quality?

Question: Yes.

Mayor: Come up and tell us why, Galileo. Galileo is an expert on science. He will explain.

[Laughter]

Deputy Commissioner Orlando: Yes, thank you. This plan will allow us to expand the technology in the material that makes it more workable in different temperatures, which also has compaction, which equals durability.

Mayor: He was telling me this thing earlier about apparently, the sun does not revolve around the Earth. I find it very controversial but we’re going to talk about it.

Deputy Commissioner Orlando: The sun revolves around Brooklyn.

Mayor: Yes, the sun revolves around Brooklyn, very good. Very good. On topic.

[Laughter]

Question: [inaudible] potholes [inaudible] Staten Island [inaudible] a permanent fix or [inaudible]

Deputy Commissioner Orlando: Well, as I mentioned before, it allows us to us it in colder temperatures so it will be a better fix, but a pothole is really just a temporary repair. The real fix is resurfacing. We’d like to thank the mayor on expanding our resurfacing resource.

Mayor: I think the fact is as you heard, there’s three things happening. There’s the potholes being filled where that’s the appropriate approach. There’s resurfacing where that’s the appropriate approach. There is entire reconstruction of the streets going far down into the ground where that’s the appropriate approach. So the fact is, all of these pieces are moving simultaneously. I think as New Yorkers, we are naturally a little jaded. But if you stop for a moment and say, ‘Okay, in just over four months, 339,000 potholes filled. And then the next year, 1,000 lane miles of roads will be resurfaced, and then a huge amount also going to full street reconstruction – this is a very major investment in infrastructure.’ And I think the bottom line is DOT uses the approach that makes sense for each particular location. But certainly in many cases, a pothole being filled is effective and is the right choice. Okay on topic, on topic. On topic going once, going twice, gone. Off topic.

Question: Mayor, I downloaded the NYC 311 app on my smartphone today. In a digital world [inaudible] analog, and I [inaudible] with an older woman who [inaudible] where there were trees [inaudible] 311 or online [inaudible] was not accepted by Parks.

Mayor: You mean she literally wrote them a letter?

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Yeah, that still counts in government. We do accept letters, so we’ll look into why that happened. I mean 311 is the go-to portal to everything in government in terms of people calling in complaints and alerting us to problems that we have to address. And it think it has been by and large successful, although we need to do more work to improve upon it. But clearly the citizen still has an opportunity to send a letter and send documents in, and we will make sure that in this case, this is followed up on. Yes?

Question: [inaudible – wedding anniversary?]

Mayor: Yes it is, thank you.

Question: [inaudible] plans for a [inaudible]

Mayor: We are going to dinner. Yeah, this is it. I was like, ‘Honey, come with me to the asphalt plant!’ She didn’t want to go, I was really surprised.

[Laughter]

No, we’re going to go to dinner tonight and we’re trying to figure out the most romantic place to go to dinner for our twenty years. But I have to say – I’m going to take this moment to say – twenty years, it really is an extraordinary feeling. And I want to restate my belief that there is such a thing as a soul mate in this world. And sometimes you really do find that one person that was meant for you, and I did. And there were doubting Thomas’s as the time, but I think today proves further that Chirlane and I were meant to be together, and it’s just an incredible feeling to get to 20 years.

Question: [inaudible] Long Island College Hospital –

Mayor: Wait, am I hearing a voice there? Yes?

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Absolutely. Look, we’ve gone through almost a year now of constant threats to the survival of healthcare in the community. And we have fought back those threats every single time, literally every single time. There were situations along the way last summer where we were hours away from closure and we stopped it. So I am confident that as SUNY now turns to the second bidder in the process, maybe the third bidder – I mean I know they’ll keep looking until they get it right – I’m confident that there’s going to be a strong plan that will provide substantial healthcare for the community, that will be financially viable for the long term. One of the things we have to do here is get it right once and for all. And I’m convinced that’s going to happen, and we’re going to work very hard to keep the continuity of healthcare service while that is being worked out. Yes?

Question: [inaudible]   

Mayor: Well again, I want to state: I am supporting the governor, and I’m going to be working hard for the governor and doing everything I can to help him. You know, I talked about this the other day, the WFP has its own process, and I am not a member of the WFP, I respect that they have their own process. But if they ask my advice, I would say to them clearly they should endorse Governor Cuomo. I think there’s so many areas where the governor’s made progress for the state that align clearly to a lot of the values of the WFP as well. And I think the historic achievements in areas like gun control and same sex marriage and a number of other things – bringing a stronger government to the state, making the government work better for the people of this state – all of that aligns to the WFP’s values. So my hope is that they will endorse him, but I respect that they go through a pretty elaborate process. But at the end of the day, if they seek my advice, I will certainly say to them I think it makes sense to endorse Governor Cuomo.

Question: Mayor, what do you think of Alec Baldwin’s arrest [inaudible]

Mayor: It’s unfortunate. I’ve been asked about him many times and I said consistently, I respect him. I think he has said some important and thoughtful things about this city over the years, but this is an unfortunate situation and you know, I think it’s self-evident what happened, and now we move on.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: We have not had serious internal discussions about it, and I want to be clear – there may be conversations at the staff level, I'm not aware of the specifics of them. I think we can safely say that the history of the Olympics, in a variety of cities around the world, has been a mixed bag. So that's something we'd look at very carefully. There may be a scenario where it makes sense, but I would say the bar is high. We'll certainly work closely with the governor's office to determine if this is a situation we think would work for New York.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I'm sorry?

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Here's the day of special events that I'm not familiar with the details of. Ok. Pro-American French group with rose petals. That is a new one on me, but it sounds lovely. That's a lot of rose petals, but – so, we'll certainly see how we can work with them. But we do thank France for giving us the statue to begin with.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Let me remind everyone – just of the last couple of weeks of history, and then I'll answer those two specific questions. Look, we had 152 open contracts. We had years of this going unaddressed. And, by the way, the rating agencies were the first to say, that the failure of the city of New York to deal with that outstanding labor dynamic was unhealthy for our fiscal future. And I said from the beginning, that this has to be resolved. I think you remember. Many of you asked me when, and I very consistently would not give you a date, and I said I hope to get it done in 2014, and I'm proud that we did get it done in 2014 – at least, the first major steps of the UFT contract, still pending final ratification, and the vote at the Municipal Labor Council in favor of the health care savings. So, I think we have to remember that what was fiscally dangerous was to leave this situation unresolved. And some of these contracts went back as far as 2008. It is now 2014. So, that's the real story here – that the city of New York drifted in this manner, and that there was not a plan to resolve the situation. Job one, from my point of view, for our fiscal health, was to get us to a real solution, and then be able to extrapolate what it meant for us going forward, and hopefully create an atmosphere of normalcy, where from this moment on, all unions operate under contract. That's what working people deserve, and it gives you fiscal certainty. So, that's the larger game plan, and then, on top of that, we've gotten historic health care savings. We've opened the door to a continued effort going forward, well beyond this contract, for additional health care savings thereafter. We got major educational reforms in the package. So, we feel very good about this total package, and how it reflects on the city's fiscal health. And everything we've seen so far from independent monitors suggests that they recognize those realities favorably as well.

On the two questions you raised. I think we said clearly, in the joint statement – accounting procedures are, by definition, an area where there's some natural and respectful disagreement about particulars. And you can see different ways of getting things done. We thought the way we had originally extrapolated made sense. The comptroller came forward with what we thought was a very productive solution. We talked it through, we agreed it was the right way to go. But there's more than one way to do things appropriately, and we thought the original plan was appropriate, but we're very comfortable with that update of our approach.

On the other question, we had said, at the time of both the labor agreement being announced, and the executive budget being announced, that there would continued updates as specific numbers were worked through, because there's a lot of moving parts in these deals, and some of the details have to be finalized. You're getting those updates once they are finalized. You've seen, in ways that we are able to provide more of the details, and we are convinced this is in the long-term fiscal health of this city, and it's a deal I believe in my heart, and I give all the credit in the world to Bob Linn, and Tony Shorris, and Dean Fuleihan. I think years from now, people will look back and realize it was a transcendent moment in terms of securing the city's long-term fiscal health.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I don't know the specific one, but again, with something of this complexity – and with specifics still being worked through with the other unions, by definition. Remember, we are lined up for the first ratification vote, and then there's a series of contracts with the 151 other unions. I think the template is quite clear, and I've said before, I believe it will be consistent, it will hold. But there will be specific details with each union, and that will come out over time.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Yes. Of course. And I was concerned when this happened last year, and we fought to correct the situation. Look, I think what we want to do here is get the long-term healthcare provider in place immediately, and that's going to allow us, then, to take the other steps to secure health care for the community. But, again, you know, deja vu all over again. This is exactly where we were, less than a year ago. We managed to fight it back, and fix it, and get it right, and I'm very confident we'll do it again. Anything else? Yeah.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Brooklyn Bridge Park, yeah.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Yes.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Well, I know this very intimately and personally, because for eight years I was the city councilman for the neighboring area, and a lot of the folks who benefit from the park lived in the neighborhoods that I represented. And so I had innumerable conversations with community residents, and I came to the conclusion early on, and it's the same view I hold today, that this park – it's going to be an 80-acre park when it's completed. It's going to be a transcendent impact on people's lives, and a really wonderful contribution to New York City. But it's a costly endeavor by definition, and it has to be maintained. And we know, in an atmosphere of fiscal discipline, that we have to make sure that these parks are self-sustaining whenever possible. So, here's a chance to do that. So, I think that development is fair, and we believe we can get a substantial amount of affordable housing into that package too, which conforms to our larger goals and values, and also allows us to make sure that that neighborhood has economic diversity, which is something I value across the board in this city. So, I know some people don't agree. I've talked to a lot of the people who don't agree over the years. But I think it's in the long-term interests of this city, so we're going to move forward. Thanks very much.