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And, while the Parks
spokeswoman couldn’t say
when or why, the contractor
at some point stopped coming
to work, which caused
agency offi cials to scramble
to get the project back
on track.
In January, Parks reps
told members of the Prospect
Park Community Committee
— a body representing
various local groups
that meet with city reps on
a monthly basis to discuss
the park — that they were
considering defaulting their
contractor, but the agency
has since chosen to continue
relying on Akal, according to
Ferguson, who said ditching
the contractor would only
result in further delays.
The project is now expected
to be completed
sometime this summer, according
to the Parks spokeswoman,
who noted that,
while the project’s budget
has increased over earlier
estimates, the project did
not suffer any cost overruns
as a result of the delay.
As is, less than a quarter
GET A MOVE: A large portion of Flatbush Avenue near
Prospect Park remains fenced off and unfi nished, while work on the
remainder hasn’t even started. Photo by Natalie Roche
of the total project area —
which extends from Grand
Army Plaza to the zoo —
has been completed, and the
new sidewalk that has been
laid remains surrounded by
muck and fenced off to pedestrians,
with barricades
erected on Flatbush Avenue
providing pedestrians
a narrow path around the
construction area. Akal is
also responsible for installing
new fences, benches,
and light poles as part of
the project.
Park patrons were not
happy to learn that work
would continue into Prospect
Park’s busy season,
and demanded the city
pick up the pace.
“It’s not fair to do this in
the summer,” said Borough
Park resident Nechumi
Yaffe. “This is their job, to
have it fi xed.”
But an early advocate
for the sidewalk remediation
project said he hopes
locals don’t blame the
Parks Department for their
contractor’s failings.
“It’s frustrating when the
park, the city, and elected
offi cials have all done their
part and then the contractor
disappears,” said Seth
Kaplan, a founding member
of Parks4Us — a park
advocacy group.
— with Natallie Rocha
PATH
Continued from page 1
fi cers don’t have to worry
each day about how to
pay their rent, buy essentials,
care for their elderly,
and put food on the table,”
said Councilman Chaim
Deutsch at a March 19 rally
outside City Hall.
Deutsch that day delivered
a letter to Hizzoner
demanding salary bumps
for Police Department offi -
cers, which he signed along
with 36 other councilmembers,
including 11 of
Brooklyn’s 15 representatives.
The missive came as
leaders of cop union the
Police Benevolent Association
begin a new round of
contract negotiations with
the city, roughly two years
after Hizzoner signed off
on the last pay raise for local
authorities in 2017. And
the fact that a majority of
councilmembers support
boosting police paychecks
should be reason enough
for the mayor to allocate
more cash to cops, according
to Deutsch.
“The support that we
had for this letter is unparalleled,
and it sends
a strong message to the
mayor that our side of City
Hall supports the police,”
the pol said.
City cops currently receive
a starting salary
of $42,500, which rises to
$85,000 after fi ve-and-ahalf
years with the force —
but Deutsch blasted those
sums as paltry when compared
to fi gures he claimed
other authorities outside —
and inside — the Empire
State rake in.
“By fi ve-and-a-half years
on the job, offi cers in other
states are earning at least
$15,000 more than that.
And Suffolk County police
earn a whopping $54,000
more than NYPD offi cers,”
he said.
Some 16 percent of all
city police offi cers live in
Kings County, according
to data published by a gadfl
y who sued the city to get
the statistics. And that data
shows Brooklyn’s 11229 zip
code — which incorporates
much of Sheepshead Bay
and Gerritsen Beach, and
is represented by Deutsch
and Councilman Alan
Maisel (D–Flatlands) —
is home to 154 cops, the
highest amount by local
zip codes.
Kings County’s median
household income, however,
is $52,782, according
to the United States Census
Bureau — almost 25 percent
more than a city cop’s
starting salary. The federal
data also shows that
households with a 11229 zip
code earn a median income
of $59,287 — 38 percent
more than the city pays
rookie offi cers.
Deutsch noted those disparities
at the rally, where
he used DeBlasio’s own
words to accuse him of lowballing
offi cers, citing Hizzoner’s
2017 announcement
of his so-called New York
Works plan to create 100,000
jobs with good wages —
which the mayor then defi
ned then as more than
$50,000 annually.
“When Mayor DeBlasio
promised to create 100,000
well-paying jobs in New
York City, he himself defi
ned well-paying jobs as
$50,000 or more per year,”
Deutsch said.
A rep for DeBlasio,
who claimed local cops
are some of the county’s
best paid, said the mayor
is working with the police
union to reach an
agreement on pay
increases.
“New York City police
offi cers are some of the best
compensated in the nation,”
said Raul Contreras.
“We remain committed to
working with the PBA to
come to a contract agreement
that is fair to police
offi cers and taxpayers. We
proved we can accomplish
this across the bargaining
table in 2017, and we can do
it again now.”
Continued from page 1
Raising the issue: Councilman Chaim Deutsch speaks at a rally on the steps of City Hall in favor of a
salary raise for cops. Councilman Chaim Deutsch
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