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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 007-07
January 9, 2007

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR BLOOMBERG ON CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF MOTT HAVEN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

New Mott Haven School Campus Will Create 2,400 Classroom Seats in the Bronx

City Will Move Forward With Rigorous State-Approved Environmental Remediation Plan to Ensure Health and Safety of School Site

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today praised the City Council's approval of the Department of Education's (DOE) plan to construct a $230 million school campus in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The project will create 2,400 classroom seats in a state-of-the art school campus consisting of four, three-story buildings that will house two high schools, a grade 6-12 school, and a charter school. In addition, the City has committed to an aggressive and compressive state-approved environmental remediation plan for the construction site (approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Health).

"The approval of this project is critical to ensuring that we continue to create high-quality classrooms all across the City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "For students in the Bronx, this project will create greater school choice and alleviate overcrowding - which ultimately will translate to increased classroom success. I thank City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for her leadership on this project and for her recognition of the importance of bringing a school campus of this caliber to the Bronx. Through her strong leadership, community groups and local elected officials were able to find common ground to move forward. I also thank Council Member Arroyo and Bronx Borough President Carrion for their support. The City will continue to be responsive to the needs and concerns of the local community, but today's vote is a clear step in the right direction and a victory for students and parents alike."

The Mott Haven Campus will be located on a 6.6 acre site at Concourse Village West between East 153rd and 156th Streets in the Bronx. In addition to classroom facilities, which include science and technology labs and art studios, the campus also includes a choral music room, an instrumental music room, a College & Career Student Resource Room, a competition gym with bleachers and locker rooms, a practice gym and locker rooms, an exercise room, a dance studio, a 4,000-square foot library, four, 200-seat cafeterias, a 600-seat auditorium, and a regulation-size synthetic-turf football field.

The Mott Haven project is part of DOE's Five-Year Capital Construction Plan which provides for the construction of 66,000 classroom seats and the renovation of school facilities. Combined with the seats created from 2003 to 2005, the Administration will provide nearly 106,000 classroom seats across the City, alleviating pockets of overcrowding and reducing class size.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser/Virginia Lam   (212) 788-2958

David Cantor   (Department of Education)
(212) 374-5141




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