BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | For seven years, local politicians and community activists have pushed for the state to sell 75 Morton St. to the city so it could be converted into a sorely needed public middle school. Complicating and slowing the process, during that time there have been three governors.
From the start, Assemblymember Deborah Glick has been a leader in the effort. Two years ago, former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn — as part of the approval of the Rudin residential project at the former St. Vincent’s Hospital site — helped broker the deal under which the city finally committed to buying the building, though there was technically no linkage between the two projects.
But then the process stalled. The deal was never sealed, the state agency occupying the building delayed moving out, and the school’s opening date kept getting pushed off into the future.
Last week, Community Board 2’s Task Force on 75 Morton St. issued yet another strongly worded resolution on the inaction:
“We are livid that the city’s Department of Education has not closed on the sale of 75 Morton St.,” they said, “and that the School Construction Authority now plans the school’s opening for 2017.”
Perhaps that frustrated plea finally got through, because this Monday, the state officially transferred the building to S.C.A., which will renovate it into a middle school for at least 800 students.
The area has lacked a public middle school since 2010, when Greenwich Village Middle School, formerly located in the P.S. 3 building, at Hudson and Grove Sts., relocated to the Financial District.
Politicians and advocates were elated.
“Anyone with a child in public school can tell you that school overcrowding is out of control,” said Glick. “I’m pleased to report that with 75 Morton St. becoming much-needed classroom space, we are on our way, and we will stand together until our children are in their new school.”
According to Glick’s office, the building’s sale price was $40 million.
State Senator Brad Hoylman said, “This milestone is a tremendous achievement… . We have more work ahead as we enter the construction phase, and I’m looking forward to working with all the stakeholders to get this new middle school online as quickly as possible.”
“I look forward to working with the community and my colleagues to make sure that this school fits the needs of the community — and that it certainly doesn’t take as long to build as it did to acquire,” added Councilmember Corey Johnson.
David Gruber, C.B. 2 chairperson, stated, “This happened on my watch but it has been a continuous effort by my predecessors on the board, former Chairpersons Brad Hoylman and Jo Hamilton, as well as Keen Berger, and many others, like schools advocate Irene Kaufman, who never lost sight of the goal. Now the next stage begins. Our 2015 opening for the school was moved to 2016 and the S.C.A. must meet that goal. This can and must happen.”
It was reportedly Kaufman who first identified the building as a school site.
School-parent activist Ann Kjellberg declared, “The process that made 75 Morton St. a new public school was a triumph of civic leadership. Parents came together, public officials listened and provided ideas and means, and a real need was met. With 75 Morton, we are a big step closer to giving our kids the education they deserve.”
