Transcript: Mayor de Blasio, Assembly Speaker Heastie Announce Plans for Bronx Recreation Center

August 3, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, what was the list now? It was Koch, Dinkins, Giuliani, Bloomberg – so, I’m the fifth. So, fifth time is a charm. Don’t they say that? Fifth time is a charm.

I want to say to Speaker Carl Heastie, who I consider a real friend, personally, and I consider one of the best friends New York City every had in Albany.

[Applause]

He’s – as everyone in this community knows, all his colleagues know – a good and decent man, a humble man, a kind of guy who actually shares credit. That is not typical of people in public life necessarily, but he’s the kind of guy who wants to share credit, wants to build a coalition to get something done. So, it was very kind of him to say we wouldn’t be here without me, but I think an even truer statement is – we wouldn’t be here without the persistence and the leadership of Carl Heastie. So, thank you.

[Applause]

This community has waited a long time, and we have made it our business in this administration to try and right a lot of wrongs, and we’ve gone many places where people were trying to get something changed for not just years, but decades – where there was something the community needed, like this extraordinary facility, or whether it was policies that were hurting and undermining our people. The process of change takes persistence and focus, and there are so many voices out there in the course of, you know, years and years – I’ve seen this in public life – you constantly get told what you can’t do. The people of this community did not buy the notion that they could not prevail. And I want to compliment everyone here. I know there’s people here who have been fighting for this idea literally for the last couple of decades. It’s the folks who give up who never get to this day, right?

[Applause]

I don’t know – I don’t know about you, but, to me, generally speaking, people from the great borough of the Bronx don’t like to give up. They have strength and persistence. People in many parts of the Bronx have fought long, tough battles to be able to live in the goodness of today’s Bronx. And I think there’s a reason we’re standing here today – is that a lot of people here believed this community deserved this and never stopped the fight. So, give yourselves a round of applause.

[Applause]

Now, I want to thank so many folks who are with us. First, I want to thank the elected officials. I want to thank the Borough President for always standing up for the Bronx. I will show him I know my proper symbolism.

[Laughter]

I want to thank our great District Attorney who’s making the Bronx safer – Darcel Clark, thank you.

[Applause]

I want to thank another guy who looks out for us in Albany and does a great job protecting New York City’s interests – Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, thank you.

[Applause]

I want to thank my old friend, and I’m so happy that he is now a member of the City Council. He fought for a long time to be one, and he is doing great work – Councilmember Andy King, thank you.

[Applause]

And I want to thank a Council Member who I really like, but my wife likes even more, because he has become a real partner in her effort to create a real new world for helping people with mental health challenges in New York City – and that’s the Chair of the Mental Health Committee, Andy Cohen – Council Member Andy Cohen, thank you.

[Applause]

From my administration, the Bronx’s own Gladys Carrión, Commissioner of ACS, thank you; President of the Economic Development Corporation, Maria Torres-Springer, thank you.

[Applause]

And then some folks who are absolutely crucial to our ability to do this today – I want to first thank the folks who have fought for this day. Walter McNeil, President of the Edenwalkd Houses Resident Association – thank you to you and all of the residents.

[Applause]

Al DeCastro, who has been a real activist –

[Applause]

And they say it takes a village, so, now, the village has the YMCA as a partner. So, I want to thank the President and CEO, Sharon Greenberger. Thank you.

[Applause]

So, this is a great day for this community. It’s a great day for Edenwald Houses, the Bronx’s largest NYCHA development. 5,000-plus people will benefit from what we’re going to build right here. It’s a great day for the Bronx as a whole. It’s a day we’re getting something done. And, boy, people wait a long time, but what excitement we’re going to experience now to actually see this come to life. It’s going to be a sweet, sweet experience, and it has come, and, as I said – years in the making – but now, you’re going to actually get to see this happen and it’s going to be beautiful.

[Applause]

If you ever want to meet with me, I’ll be here.

[Laughter]

I’ll be leaning against that rock, reading a book, do a kind of office hours thing – you just walk up with your concern. You know where to find me.

So, this was a vacant lot, and now it will be a 50,000 square-feet recreation center. Doesn’t that sound good?

[Applause]

State of the art, up to date – Carl already listed every conceivable element of it, including the Zumba classes – that’s to prove we’re up to date in our programming.

[Laughter]

A full gym, a full-size basketball court, and not one, but two swimming pools –

[Applause]

I would urge people, especially when it first opens – swim in one pool and the say, hey, I think I’ll just swim in the other pool. Go over to the other one and do that too.

[Laughter]

Our young people will benefit. We’ll have camp programs here, afterschool programs, a teen center, but our seniors will benefit greatly as well. So, it’ll be for everyone.

Now, here’s where I get to do my late-night advertising pitch here. This kind of beautiful, modern facility, up to date, with all the different services, all the equipment – everything you could want – well, this kind of facility normally costs hundreds of dollars a month for a membership, but, if you call now –

[Laughter]

It’s not going to be that way here because we believe everyone deserves a chance at recreation and healthiness. We believe everyone – it’s not about what zip code you’re from or how much money is in your wallet. Everyone deserves a chance to be healthy. So, this center is going to be for everyone regardless of ability to pay. It’s going to be open to all.

[Applause]

And I’ve talked to the Speaker about this, I’ve talked to the Borough President about this – we know that there have been disparities all over this city, and why I came here to be your Mayor was to fight those disparities and those inequalities. We know the Bronx has had more than its fair share, and there’s lots to do, and lots to fix. When it comes to recreation, here’s an example – you think about the City of New York as a whole – per 1,000 children – city-wide average – there are 13 acres of parks and playgrounds per 1,000 children city-wide. But, in the Bronx, community board district 12, there’s only three acres per 1,000 children. So, we know, you know, that tale of two cities I talked about – we have a lot of work to do to even up the score to really create opportunity, particularly to create opportunities for a healthy lifestyle for folks who have dealt with a lot of the things that undermine a healthy lifestyle. Those are societal realities that we’re trying to go right at the core of and change at the root. But, in the meantime, a facility like this could go a long way to helping our young people in particular to live and healthy, positive life.

So, this is an investment in the community. I have a special passion for when we invest in our young people because not only is it the morally right thing to do – they are going to be taking over soon and we have to get it right for them.

Now, at the same time, we have a chance to do something that makes an economic difference – and you heard the Speaker refer to it. There’s going to be about 100 jobs created here, and that’s important.

[Applause]

But a lot of what – again, the Speaker and I have talked about and acted on this – the Borough President and I – we felt for a long time, it’s, you know, just the jobs – that’s not the end of the discussion. You need living wage jobs, first of all – that people can actually afford to take care of their family with. So, we’re going to have living wage jobs. You need to make sure to the maximum extent possible that local residents get as many of those jobs as possible, and that is a commitment. And if you want to right the wrongs – and I always say to people, I just want to be real – I think realness is valued in the Bronx – bluntness is valued. If you want to overcome economic inequality and hundreds of years of structural racism, which go together, then we have to maximize opportunity for minority and women-owned businesses, and we will do that with this project as well – 35 percent [inaudible] for minority and women-owned businesses in the construction of this center.

There’s going to be something for everyone, for folks [inaudible], for folks that kids go to local schools – five local schools nearby. Even if you’re a senior in Co-Op City, you’re a short ride away on the BX-30. Everyone is going to be able to benefit from this and this is going to take us one step closer to a healthier, stronger, fairer City for all.

Just a few words in Español –

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

It is a joy to be with you here today. Thank you to everyone, and a special thanks, again, to Speaker Carl Heastie.

[…]

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie: Are there any questions from the press and media?

Mayor: On this topic.

Assembly Speaker Heastie: Right – on this topic – on topic.

[Inaudible]

Question: I wanted to ask the Mayor who frequents the Y if there is – and you can tell us about your relationship with the Y in Park Slope – and if there is something in particular about the Y that makes it a special place [inaudible]?

Mayor: Well, I want to say that I am a real devotee of the YMCA in my neighborhood in Brooklyn, but that I am the junior member of the family in this regard. My wife, Chirlane, really grew up in the Y. She grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts and the Y was like the center of her life. And that’s where she got a lot of the inspiration to pursue her dreams – where she learned to be a healthy, strong person. There was a thing called Leader Core that was part of the Y in Springfield, Massachusetts – she was chosen to be part of it. Little did they know she would one day be the First Lady of New York City helping to lead this whole city.

[Applause]

And she also – I want to make this point having heard from this good, young man – that one of the things the Y did also for her was encouraged her to see her future because in her family – no one in the previous generation – or maybe only one person had gone to college, and it wasn’t a typical assumption or aspiration. And in the Y, she was told what she could be and what kind of potential she had. And she ended up not just going to college, but going to one of the most renowned women’s colleges in all of America – Wellesley College, which I will note is the college from whom graduated our next President of the United States – just thought I’d add that, a little note there.

[Applause]

But – but so the Y meant that for Chirlane. For me, the Y – it’s been – it’s where we took our kids for gym and swim, and all sort of things that got Chiara and Dante a very healthy start. For me personally, it’s where I go to stay healthy, to stay focused, and sane. It’s an amazing place. And one of the things you find about the Y all over the country is it’s welcoming, it’s embracing of all people – when we talk about open to everyone regardless of ability to pay – the Y has a real sense of mission about being inclusive and making the opportunity there for everyone. So there could not have been a better partner in this effort, particularly recognizing how important it was to the community leaders who fought for years – that it be something for everyone. They didn’t want to – they didn’t want to create a private club. They wanted to create something that really would have that spirit and that belief – being open for everyone. So, I can say on behalf on all my partners in City government, all my colleagues – we regard the Y as a very kindred partner and a very effective partner in all we do. And thank you, Sharon.

Any other questions on this from the media – on this topic? Going once?

Question: Quick question – considering the Christopher School is on this property, [inaudible] going to be opened up for children with special needs?

Mayor: Are you saying considering the Christopher School is on this facility – continue.

Question: Will the children with special needs be able to use the YMCA facility [inaudible]?

Assembly Speaker Heastie: Yes, yes, yes.

Mayor: That was easy – yes. [Laughter] That’s why he is Speaker. That’s leadership.

Assembly Speaker Heastie: It’s for everyone. The Center is for everyone.

Question: Are you worried about kind of opening up [inaudible]?

Assembly Speaker Heastie: The interaction of the school and the Y has been discussed and the details of that – everyone is comfortable with how the two will coexist here on this site.

Mayor: Okay. Last call – anything on this topic from the media – going once, going twice?

Thank you, everyone. Congratulations.

Assembly Speaker Heastie: Thank you. Thank you again, everyone.