By Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

DUMBO — With strong opinions expressed both for and against it, the middle school that is part of the proposed Dock Street Dumbo development adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge took center stage at a City Council subcommittee hearing Thursday.

Almost equal to the attention drawn by the school, was whether the development would detract from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, its views and the space around it, or whether the community’s needs that the Two Trees Management project is attempting to fulfill would seem more important.

At Thursday’s public hearing, however, which was held by the council’s Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee chaired by Tony Avella, the testimony of a representative of the School Construction Authority (SCA) is what drew the ire and most questions from council members.

The need for a school in DUMBO was not at issue, it was the site selection study and analysis conducted by the SCA that was the problem.

The representative, Ross Holden, vice president and general counsel, was criticized for looking at only four sites (including Dock Street) and not conducting a wider search of alternative sites. He was also criticized for not knowing what the costs would be for the school’s buildout — Two Trees would only provide for the core and shell of the school — or what the savings would be to the city for not having land acquisition and pre-development costs.

And he was criticized for not having a Department of Education statement about who will attend this school.

But drawing council members’ ire the most was a packet of internal SCA documents and e-mails they had received that indicated possible favoritism for the Walentas project.

Holden, who said there were other e-mails and documents that would put these in perspective, responded to council members’ questions by insisting that the person involved (the e-mailer) was not a member of his real estate department and was not involved in the site analysis study.

At the request of Council Member Eric Gioia, he promised to produce these other e-mails by the end of business Thursday.

“When I look at these e-mails, I think this is not how government is supposed to work,� said Gioia, calling them “the most disturbing he has ever seen.�

Chair Avella also expressed concern, saying he did not want to believe “there was collusion between the SCA and the Walentas family,� but “this committee and this council deserve copies of all emails related to the site analysis study.�

Council Member Robert Jackson added that “this person may not be involved in the analysis but what she said is clear. And I’m not saying that this is not the appropriate site for a school, it may well be, but all documents and emails should be sent to all the council members.�

Saying it was “embarrassing� that the SCA representative did not have facts and figures, Council Member David Yassky commented, “We’re supposed to think it’s the best deal for the city but we have no idea how much it will cost or how much it will save. I think that’s a disgrace.�

Yassky concluded, “I find it hard to believe there is no other site for a school� and “it [a school] should not be a pretext for building a building.�

Council Bill de Blasio added, “We have not been given a proposal worthy of our approval.�

Ken Burns and David McCullough

Several council members said they were impressed by “the stature of those who oppose the project,� naming Ken Burns, the Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker of Brooklyn Bridge and The Civil War, who was on hand to testify Thursday; and David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of The Great Bridge, whose comments were read into the record.

Additionally, Kristian Roebling, a descendent of the bridge builders, submitted his comment that he “was shocked and appalled to learn that a huge residential building was planned so close to the bridge� and called it “the people’s bridge.�

Editor’s Note: Please see next Tuesday’s edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle for additional coverage of the hearing.

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