Coney Island

Treyger: Send Super Bowl money to Coney Island

Calls on NFL to remember Sandy victims

October 15, 2013 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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City Council candidate Mark Treyger is throwing a flag down on a play by the National Football League to donate $2 million to New York City to help Hurricane Sandy victims.

Treyger, a Democrat running for the seat in the 47th Council District (Coney Island-Gravesend-Bensonhurst), said he doesn’t object to the fact that the NFL and the Super Bowl host committee plan to give the money to the city for Sandy-related projects. The problem, he said, is that Coney Island isn’t on the list of communities that will receive the financial help.

That’s no way to score a touchdown with Brooklyn voters, according to Treyger.

The Bloomberg Administration should be hit with a penalty for not pushing for Coney Island to be included, he said. “I wish I could say I’m surprised, but once again the Bloomberg administration has ignored the needs of working families in Coney Island,” said Treyger, a New Utrecht High School teacher who said many of his students were displaced by Sandy.

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Super Bowl XLVIII will be played in MetLife Stadium in the East Rutherford, New Jersey on Feb. 2, 2014. New York is considered a host city for the event.

“As we open our doors to the NFL and one of the most glamorous events in American sports, we cannot forget the families and children of Coney Island,” said Treyger, who is running against Republican Andy Sullivan for the open council seat. Current Councilman Domenic Recchia is term-limited and cannot run for re-election.

On Oct. 10, NFL and the Bloomberg administration announced that the NFL and the Super Bowl Host Committee have donated $2 million for projects across the city, specifically targeting areas impacted by Sandy.

The New York Daily News reported that the donation will help pay for new playgrounds in Queens and Staten Island, a new gym at the Hammel Houses in the Rockaways, a football field in the Bronx and a gym in Manhattan.

“Families in Coney Island are still struggling to deal with the impact of Superstorm Sandy. Coney Island’s parks, playgrounds, and recreational spaces remain in dangerous condition. These spaces are not luxuries for our families, they’re necessities,” Treyger said.

“I’m calling on the Bloomberg administration, the NFL and the Super Bowl Host Committee to fund necessary improvements to the playgrounds in Coney Island, so our kids have a safe place to play.” Treyger said.


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