At last night’s Community Board 2 Parks Committee meeting, City officials presented new and updated plans to demolish the landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, saying they intend to build an “aquatics center” on the site. Perhaps even more outrageously, it was revealed at the meeting that the City is sitting on and has refused to use $120 million allocated in years past for the repair and restoration of the long-shuttered and neglected Center. Instead, they chose to ask for — and got — approval from the City Council for a new $52 million to demolish the building and build this new “aquatics center” in its place. They also admitted that they have never even conducted a feasibility study to examine what would be required to preserve the beloved and landmarked building, opting instead to pursue demolition.

Village Preservation and dozens of local, citywide, and statewide groups, along with thousands of New Yorkers, had called on City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, as the representative of the area, to ensure that the budget approved by the City Council earmarked the $52 million for repairing and reopening the Center rather than demolishing it. He failed to do so, and instead voted to approve the Mayor’s request as is, which the City has taken as a green light to move ahead with demolition plans.

What happens now? In spite of the Mayor’s wishes and the funding approved by the City Council, the City can’t just demolish the landmarked building. An application will have to be filed with the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) that would trigger a long public hearing and review process, the purpose of which is to ensure that historically significant landmarked buildings such as this are not demolished. However, because the LPC is all appointed and controlled by the Mayor, it may simply do his bidding. But this is unlikely to happen before the end of the year, and who the Mayor will be at that time very much remains to be seen.

The Parks Department is also beginning a “public engagement” process about plans for the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. But in true form, in spite of the overwhelming sentiment expressed for preserving the Center, the City is NOT even offering feedback about preserving the Center as an option in the process.

We must tell Mayor Adams and Councilmember Bottcher this plan is completely unacceptable, and demand they reverse course and use the $172 million available to repair and reopen the landmarked, historic Tony Dapolito Center.

TO HELP: