On CBA Promises, Accusations of Yankee Dawdle
Pledges of parkland, donations and jobs are slow to be fulfilled, say some in Bronx
April 14th, 2008
Though the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, slated for completion in 2009, has been underway for over a year and a half, neighborhood groups are yet to see compensation. The money for the community benefits agreement (CBA), signed in April 2006 by Yankee president Randy Levine, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión (D-Bronx), and City Council members Maria del Carmen Arroyo (D-Bronx), Maria Baez (D-Bronx) and Joel Rivera (D-Bronx) remains untouched.
“It took the elected officials longer than expected,” said Levine. “The first $800,000 check was delivered to the non-profit, but we have nothing to do with how it was distributed.”
The team has promised to continue this annual contribution for the next 40 years, along with in-kind donations worth at least $115,000 in tickets and team merchandise. Though the Yankees plan to cover the costs of the stadium construction, valued between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion, the state is putting $70 million into the cost of parking garages, and construction of a new MetroNorth stop will cost the city $39 million, according to the Economic Development Corporation.
Since its inception, the New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund has been plagued by delays. The seven-member board—which has a minority of Bronx residents—includes a former bank president, a realtor, a former judge, a pastor, and executive directors of several Bronx non-profits. The board first met in December of 2007, three months after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) approved its application for tax-exempt status and a year after the fund’s administrator was chosen. The members are currently defining criteria to decide who can receive grant money.
“The question that most comes up is why did the process take this amount of time,” said Michael Drezin, who is the Yankees Fund Administrator. “Given that our not-for-profit involves the Yankees, there was a great interest in deciding who would be on the board. The politicians had their hands full in making the selections.”
Drezin said that once the board has its criteria in place, it will be open for applications from neighborhood non-profits, Little League teams and educational organizations. So far, the non-profit has made a single donation of $50,000, which went to a scholarship for students who attend a City University campus in the Bronx.
Employment advocates also questioned whether the promised jobs have reached Bronx residents. The Yankees report more than 25 percent of the workers on the job site to be from the Bronx, citing contracts totaling $121 million directed to Bronx companies, but no outside agency has verified these numbers.
“The city hasn’t released any job figures,” said Bettina Damiani, project director at Good Jobs New York. “Nobody’s watching the store on this one.”
The community benefits agreement also calls for the formation of a construction advisory committee to meet monthly, but no one who signed the CBA could verify who was on the committee or whether meetings have taken place yet.
“The elected officials have not to this date sent over the names of who they want on this committee,” said Levine.
Meanwhile, Bronx business owners are grumbling over the opportunity cost of the increased neighborhood construction on their bottom line.
“I don’t know how many of the businesses are going to survive the construction,” said Pasquale Canale, owner of P&D Hero Shop and the President of the 161st Street Merchants Association. Canale said that the Dunkin’ Donuts and Supreme Deli have already closed since construction began.
Some politicians who voted for the state and city funds to make the stadium a reality have expressed concerns about the delays in community remuneration.
Unanswered questions came to a head at a February breakfast meeting between Bronx elected officials and representatives of the Yankees.
“Things got a little heated, and the meeting ended early,” said Assembly Member Ruben Diaz, Jr. (D-Bronx). “I don’t fault the Yankees on this, but my question was, why did the foundation take so long?”
Diaz added that he would like to see membership on the Community Benefits Fund board expanded, regular reports from a Construction Advisory Committee, and an increase in the percentage of jobs for Bronx workers.
“It’s the biggest investment in the history of the Bronx, and there is no reason why the Bronx should still be leading the state in unemployment,” he added.
But politicians involved in the community benefits deal defended the project. Council Member Maria del carmen Arroyo said any lags in the process were due to basic bureaucratic sluggishness. “There were some delays in the filing of the non-profit organization,” explained Arroyo. “We didn’t appreciate the complexity of the project that we were setting up. It’s something that you could not avoid.”
Meanwhile, Carrión stood by his belief that the CBA’s original goals would come to fruition.
“This project is going to revitalize an entire neighborhood, and in the end everyone is going to be better off,” he said. “People from the Bronx are working on the stadium. There will be new, improved park space and a funding commitment from the Yankees for community organizations. It really will be beneficial to everyone in the end.”
“It took the elected officials longer than expected,” said Levine. “The first $800,000 check was delivered to the non-profit, but we have nothing to do with how it was distributed.”
The team has promised to continue this annual contribution for the next 40 years, along with in-kind donations worth at least $115,000 in tickets and team merchandise. Though the Yankees plan to cover the costs of the stadium construction, valued between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion, the state is putting $70 million into the cost of parking garages, and construction of a new MetroNorth stop will cost the city $39 million, according to the Economic Development Corporation.
Since its inception, the New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund has been plagued by delays. The seven-member board—which has a minority of Bronx residents—includes a former bank president, a realtor, a former judge, a pastor, and executive directors of several Bronx non-profits. The board first met in December of 2007, three months after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) approved its application for tax-exempt status and a year after the fund’s administrator was chosen. The members are currently defining criteria to decide who can receive grant money.
“The question that most comes up is why did the process take this amount of time,” said Michael Drezin, who is the Yankees Fund Administrator. “Given that our not-for-profit involves the Yankees, there was a great interest in deciding who would be on the board. The politicians had their hands full in making the selections.”
Drezin said that once the board has its criteria in place, it will be open for applications from neighborhood non-profits, Little League teams and educational organizations. So far, the non-profit has made a single donation of $50,000, which went to a scholarship for students who attend a City University campus in the Bronx.
Employment advocates also questioned whether the promised jobs have reached Bronx residents. The Yankees report more than 25 percent of the workers on the job site to be from the Bronx, citing contracts totaling $121 million directed to Bronx companies, but no outside agency has verified these numbers.
“The city hasn’t released any job figures,” said Bettina Damiani, project director at Good Jobs New York. “Nobody’s watching the store on this one.”
The community benefits agreement also calls for the formation of a construction advisory committee to meet monthly, but no one who signed the CBA could verify who was on the committee or whether meetings have taken place yet.
“The elected officials have not to this date sent over the names of who they want on this committee,” said Levine.
Meanwhile, Bronx business owners are grumbling over the opportunity cost of the increased neighborhood construction on their bottom line.
“I don’t know how many of the businesses are going to survive the construction,” said Pasquale Canale, owner of P&D Hero Shop and the President of the 161st Street Merchants Association. Canale said that the Dunkin’ Donuts and Supreme Deli have already closed since construction began.
Some politicians who voted for the state and city funds to make the stadium a reality have expressed concerns about the delays in community remuneration.
Unanswered questions came to a head at a February breakfast meeting between Bronx elected officials and representatives of the Yankees.
“Things got a little heated, and the meeting ended early,” said Assembly Member Ruben Diaz, Jr. (D-Bronx). “I don’t fault the Yankees on this, but my question was, why did the foundation take so long?”
Diaz added that he would like to see membership on the Community Benefits Fund board expanded, regular reports from a Construction Advisory Committee, and an increase in the percentage of jobs for Bronx workers.
“It’s the biggest investment in the history of the Bronx, and there is no reason why the Bronx should still be leading the state in unemployment,” he added.
But politicians involved in the community benefits deal defended the project. Council Member Maria del carmen Arroyo said any lags in the process were due to basic bureaucratic sluggishness. “There were some delays in the filing of the non-profit organization,” explained Arroyo. “We didn’t appreciate the complexity of the project that we were setting up. It’s something that you could not avoid.”
Meanwhile, Carrión stood by his belief that the CBA’s original goals would come to fruition.
“This project is going to revitalize an entire neighborhood, and in the end everyone is going to be better off,” he said. “People from the Bronx are working on the stadium. There will be new, improved park space and a funding commitment from the Yankees for community organizations. It really will be beneficial to everyone in the end.”
