Where's the Atlantic Yards Ombudsman?

Brooklyn neighborhood groups are upset that the state has not followed through on a number of promises concerning the Atlantic Yards development, even though site demolition and preparation work are moving forward. Prime among the complaints is the fact that an ombudsman to handle problems has not been appointed. So, the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods, which was involved in doing some of the most comprehensive analysis of the massive environmental review documents of the project, is going to be holding a media event on Monday, Sept. 17 at Pacific Street and Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights to demand the state Empire State Development Corporation "honor the promises it has made and answer crucial questions about the safety of the residents of Prospect Heights during the Atlantic Yards project construction preparation."

The Council's Eric McClure, a founder of Park Slope Neighbors, says that "132 days ago the ESDC pledged to hire an Ombudsman to represent Community concerns and problems during the Atlantic Yards preparation and construction...What’s the holdup on keeping their word to the Community?”

According to an email blast from the Council, "The ESDC has repeatedly rebuffed offers from the Community to participate proactively. They haven’t responded to numerous complaints about problems that have already occurred. What, exactly, is the problem? Given the recent track record of ESDC projects, including the disastrous fire at the Deutsche Bank building in lower Manhattan, these are life and death questions."

We will simply note that there has already been one structural collapse on the site for which the developer has been faulted and that, overall, construction problems that threaten public safety and that violate quality of life exist at epidemic proportions at developments throughout Brooklyn and New York City.

[Photo courtesy of Tracy Collins/flickr]