I opted to go out on a limb last Monday eve. Over the summer, I requested and received an opportunity to report to my  community board on the state of funding in the New York City capital budget adopted last June for “my” new senior center HQ and older adult center.  Last fall, Queens Community Board 13 on which I serve and played leading roles on many key initiatives from creating new bylaws to leading a successful effort against senseless overdevelopment in of surplus land at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center’s campus, again made funding for the SNAP (Services Now for Adult Persons, Inc.) project its #1 capital (budget) priority.  Inexplicably to this commentator, city funding — SNAP requested $5 million in the online application I completed on a pro bono basis as chair of SNAP’s board — failed to materialize.  Read my complete report.

Applications I similarly completed resulted in $1.25 million in New York State ($1 million through State Senator Toby Stavisky and $250,000 through State Senator Leroy Comrie (who has provided more in prior years) and $750,000 federal (through Member of Congress Tom Suozzi) funding. That $2 million enabled SNAP to commence work on site with a goal towards occupancy and seeking further funding to complete all necessary work to make the site full-service for programs and agency operations.  

After conversations last fall with City Hall, I believed roadblocks to city funding no longer existed. Unfortunately, only after deadlines to provide new funding passed did SNAP learn the same bureaucrats prevailed in needlessly blocking funding for a project to better serve seniors and their families.

After I made my report, I am hoping action occurs to inject sense where needed and realize the needed funding soon.

Gotham is connected to SNAP in many ways. Former Gotham Queens member Rev. Dr. Evelyn Miller-Suber serves as board vice-chair (her husband who Friday’s blogger calls “handsome” Tony Suber is in Gotham Queens) and still makes use of connections made via Gotham. Trust and Estates attorney Jeff Greenwood also of Gotham Queens serves as board secretary. Mortgage broker Renee Richter of Long Island Women and Gotham Green member Psychologist, Author and The Mentor Project founder Dr. Deborah Heiser also serve on our board. Princeton chair and my co-chair in Gotham Green Joshua Zinder is our architect. Steve Glassberg of Real Estate and Construction is our Construction Attorney. That group’s chair commercial real estate broker extraordinaire Scott Bloom represented SNAP and delivered a sound new lease in extending our Rosedale Senior Center’s occupancy at One Cross Island Plaza.