Following Sunday’s big rally and thousands more letters sent to City officials opposing demolition of the landmarked public recreation center and calling for its restoration, local elected officials including Councilmember Erik Bottcher wrote to the Mayor and the Parks Commissioner to express their “grave concerns” regarding the proposed demolition of the landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. The electeds go on to acknowledge that the building has “suffered from decades of deferred maintenance … [and] long-term disinvestment,” and ask the Mayor and Parks Commissioner to hold off on demolition until a further public process takes place that would provide the public with more information. READ THE LETTER HERE. 

What the letter does not do is call for the City to drop demolition plans, nor does it prevent the City from moving ahead with demolition using the $52 million the Mayor has proposed for doing so in the upcoming City budget, which the City Council has the power to do. It also ignores the fact that continued delay will only allow the building to deteriorate further, closer and closer to the point of no return. And it overlooks that there has already been a robust public process through which the public has overwhelmingly stated that they do NOT want the Center demolished, but instead want to see it restored and reopened, which the Parks Department has repeatedly ignored. READ OUR FULL RESPONSE HERE. 

While some of the statements from elected officials are welcome and helpful, it is still far from the commitment we need to preserve this landmarked and much-valued public recreation center, or even to oppose demolition.

TO HELP: