[quote]A Jets stadium in Queens? Yes
By HELEN MARSHALL
The New York Jets have decided that Queens would be the best site to build a football stadium, and they're right.
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia also had it right when he said in 1934 that his ticket said "Chicago to New York." Returning from a flight to the Windy City, the feisty mayor refused to deplane in Newark, citing the appalling lack of a major airport in his beloved New York City. He settled for a landing at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
Today, an airport is named after him, a tribute to his energy, hard work and vision.
Somewhat similarly, if the ticket says "New York Jets" the game should be in New York City. The team name is even derived from the aircraft landing at LaGuardia in 1964 when the Titans arrived in Queens and changed their name to the Jets.
The New York Jets practice on Long Island and play their home games in New Jersey. After sharing Shea Stadium with the Mets for a generation, they opted to share Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands for another generation. Now we must encourage them to come to Queens. It would be foolish not to.
The Independent Budget Office has concluded the return on a public investment in a new NFL stadium in New York City would generate significant incremental impact for the city and the state.
The stadium would create more than 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs. It would generate more than $250 million in annual economic impact for the region, bringing in an estimated $1.6 billion in new tax revenue over the next 30 years. Locally, the stadium would enhance the economy of downtown Flushing, improve existing soccer fields and also create several additional fields in the park. The city has even expressed interest in the 2014 World Cup.
City parks are much-needed oases. That's why I met in August with the Jets and almost 30 local elected officials representing the city, state and federal governments. Last week, I met with cultural institutions located in Flushing Meadows to hear their concerns. More meetings are on the horizon. We cannot proceed without consensus. Construction is expected to take up to three years and the Jets could be playing here for the 2009 season.
We must not fumble the opportunity!
Marshall is Queens borough president.
Originally published on September 11, 2005[/quote]
[quote]A Jets stadium in Queens? No
By JUSTIN KREBS
The idea of the Jets returning home is exciting, but it should not come at the expense of losing vital parkland in one of the fastest growing communities in New York City.
Borough President Helen Marshall wants to bring the Jets back to Queens by giving up 15 acres of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, including seven soccer fields and a historic fountain, which she refers to as a "big, big pool of stagnant water, with garbage thrown in."
Her comments underscore the main challenge facing our parks: poor maintenance leaves our parkland susceptible to private development.
Over the past 15 years, the New York City Parks Department reduced its staff from 4,643 maintenance and operation workers in 1980 to 1,373 today - a 70% decline - leaving too many neighborhood parks and playgrounds with broken drinking fountains, locked rest rooms, dusty ballfields and littered pathways.
In good times and bad, the city has slashed the Parks budget by more than 25%, forcing the department to do more with less.
Queens has only seven gardeners to care for more than 7,263 acres of parkland. When parkland is poorly maintained, it becomes a detriment to our quality of life.
Sadly, the public and even our elected officials become so frustrated that they would rather give the land over to commercial use rather than work to improve the park itself.
By increasing the maintenance budget, Parks can provide proper maintenance for the more than 28,800 acres of parkland. To date, 80 candidates, including Marshall, 375 partner organizations and 30,000 New Yorkers have signed on to the Parks1 pledge/plea, which seeks to make New York City parks No. 1 in the nation by dedicating 1% of the city's budget to the Parks Department.
It is not enough for candidates and elected officials to simply say that they are pro-park. All of our leaders must provide the necessary resources to protect our parkland. If all the energy, time and money spent on recruiting the Jets was focused on improving and maintaining Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, it would be the flagship park that the residents of Queens deserve.
Originally published on September 10, 2005[/quote] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/345133p-294670c.html
jake · 2005-09-12
[quote]A Jets stadium in Queens? Yes By HELEN MARSHALL The New York Jets have decided that Queens would be the best site to build a football stadium, and they're right. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia also had it right when he said in 1934 that his ticket said "Chicago to New York." Returning from a flight to the Windy City, the feisty mayor refused to deplane in Newark, citing the appalling lack of a major airport in his beloved New York City. He settled for a landing at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. Today, an airport is named after him, a tribute to his energy, hard work and vision. Somewhat similarly, if the ticket says "New York Jets" the game should be in New York City. The team name is even derived from the aircraft landing at LaGuardia in 1964 when the Titans arrived in Queens and changed their name to the Jets. The New York Jets practice on Long Island and play their home games in New Jersey. After sharing Shea Stadium with the Mets for a generation, they opted to share Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands for another generation. Now we must encourage them to come to Queens. It would be foolish not to. The Independent Budget Office has concluded the return on a public investment in a new NFL stadium in New York City would generate significant incremental impact for the city and the state. The stadium would create more than 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs. It would generate more than $250 million in annual economic impact for the region, bringing in an estimated $1.6 billion in new tax revenue over the next 30 years. Locally, the stadium would enhance the economy of downtown Flushing, improve existing soccer fields and also create several additional fields in the park. The city has even expressed interest in the 2014 World Cup. City parks are much-needed oases. That's why I met in August with the Jets and almost 30 local elected officials representing the city, state and federal governments. Last week, I met with cultural institutions located in Flushing Meadows to hear their concerns. More meetings are on the horizon. We cannot proceed without consensus. Construction is expected to take up to three years and the Jets could be playing here for the 2009 season. We must not fumble the opportunity! Marshall is Queens borough president. Originally published on September 11, 2005[/quote] [quote]A Jets stadium in Queens? No By JUSTIN KREBS The idea of the Jets returning home is exciting, but it should not come at the expense of losing vital parkland in one of the fastest growing communities in New York City. Borough President Helen Marshall wants to bring the Jets back to Queens by giving up 15 acres of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, including seven soccer fields and a historic fountain, which she refers to as a "big, big pool of stagnant water, with garbage thrown in." Her comments underscore the main challenge facing our parks: poor maintenance leaves our parkland susceptible to private development. Over the past 15 years, the New York City Parks Department reduced its staff from 4,643 maintenance and operation workers in 1980 to 1,373 today - a 70% decline - leaving too many neighborhood parks and playgrounds with broken drinking fountains, locked rest rooms, dusty ballfields and littered pathways. In good times and bad, the city has slashed the Parks budget by more than 25%, forcing the department to do more with less. Queens has only seven gardeners to care for more than 7,263 acres of parkland. When parkland is poorly maintained, it becomes a detriment to our quality of life. Sadly, the public and even our elected officials become so frustrated that they would rather give the land over to commercial use rather than work to improve the park itself. By increasing the maintenance budget, Parks can provide proper maintenance for the more than 28,800 acres of parkland. To date, 80 candidates, including Marshall, 375 partner organizations and 30,000 New Yorkers have signed on to the Parks1 pledge/plea, which seeks to make New York City parks No. 1 in the nation by dedicating 1% of the city's budget to the Parks Department. It is not enough for candidates and elected officials to simply say that they are pro-park. All of our leaders must provide the necessary resources to protect our parkland. If all the energy, time and money spent on recruiting the Jets was focused on improving and maintaining Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, it would be the flagship park that the residents of Queens deserve. Originally published on September 10, 2005[/quote]Pro / Con Articles
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