By Mike Caputo
Although the center, on Lawrence Avenue in Inwood, provides a variety of services including health care, day care, after-school programs and a senior center, community activist Greg Nunn says it's more than just a service provider. "Everyone is welcomed into this building," Nunn said. "But you have a right to come in and talk about stuff. It's not perfect, but it's the only place we have."
According to Peter Visconti, the center's associate director, a few of its officials were informed of the possible sale at a meeting called by Legislator Jeff Toback and Deputy County Executive Mary Curtis on May 8. Administrators were told that a Request for Proposals would be going out within 45 days, and that one of the interested parties was the Jewish Community Center of the Greater Five Towns, Visconti explained.
Visconti, who has been a board member at the center since an expansion 1975 in which all of its services were consolidated in a single building, said he felt insulted after the May 8 meeting. "We gave up our soul, in a sense, to bring all the services in," he said. "There was no communication with anyone at the community center. This came as a shock."
Toback attributed the county's effort to find a buyer for the complex to a lack of resources. He added that the county has been trying to sell the complex back to the community center for the past six years, but has failed because of the expense of running it. "The county owns this building, and it is virtually the only landlord situation that we are in," Toback said. "We are not a very good landlord. We do not have the resources to maintain that building in a way that would allow for the services to be provided in the best and most efficient matter.
Toback emphasized that the center's services would not be eliminated if and when a deal is made. "We have been seeing if there has been another not-for-profit group to form a partnership with the community center so it can be upgraded and [provide] better services," he said.
Toback said he expects the RFP to be out sometime this summer.
The Rev. Gregory Stanislaus of St. John's Baptist Church in Inwood said that the possible sale of the community center means more than losing a building. "What concerns me is that people are seeing this as real estate," Stanislaus said. "This is like evicting a community."
Rina Shkolnik, executive director of the JCC of the Greater Five Towns, said that the organization's intentions do not include the elimination of the center or its services. "Whatever you have heard about JCC becoming the landlord of the Five Towns Community Center and eliminating any of their services are false and not true," said Shkolnik. "For years we have been utilizing places belonging to the county, like North Woodmere Park, and are constantly looking for additional space.
"The County invited us into discussion about available space in the [Five Towns] community center, [and] we are talking to them. It's an opportunity that came through that we are evaluating. Whatever will happen, there is no intent to eliminate any existing programs and services."
Nunn said that members of the community are already meeting to discuss their plans to stop any potential sale of the center. "Right now we are strategizing, because we want to do things with decency and in order," Nunn said. "But we are looking for anyone who understands what a community center is to give us a helping hand."
So, as Israel and Johnson continue to make use of the center's many services, they treasure their memories and hope their home away from home has a future. "I was a Brownie in this building," Israel recalled. "It will not be taken away from us. We won't let it happen."
Comments about this story? Call (516) 569-4000, ext.210
