By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — Residents and activists gathered for the third time in four days Monday night to discuss Columbia University’s plans to build on its Baker Field sports complex.
Inwood activists and residents joined forces to prepare a list of concerns and community requests to present to local officials in an attempt to negotiate for improved community benefits from the school before the City Council votes on the project April 6.
Columbia plans to build a new $100 million 47,700-square-foot field house at 218th Street and Broadway and has promised a host of community amenities in exchange, including a $3 million investment in the sports fields, which would be more readily accessible for community use and a new boathouse marsh that would be "gifted" to the city for public use.
But the Inwood group contends Columbia’s "Action Plan," a list of promises to the community the school published in October 2010 in order to "improve the University-Community relationship," is insufficient.
"They should be offering some of that just because they are an educational institution in this neighborhood," said Paola Martinez, an education activist and Inwood resident.
Led by the nonprofit group New York Lawyers For The Public Interest (NYLPI) the residents and activists plan to meet with City Councilman Robert Jackson Tuesday afternoon to campaign for more benefits to the Inwood and Washington Heights community, including additional educational opportunities for Northern Manhattan students, increased access to the University’s facilities and a more rigorous look at environmental concerns raised by the construction.
"You can’t say you are giving the community something if it doesn’t have teeth to it," said Dawn Phillip, an attorney from NYLPI, at the meeting held at local nonprofit group Inwood Community Services.
The battle for an improved and enforceable community benefits agreement has picked up some steam since the last community meetings held late last year after which Community Board effectively deadlocked on a resolution to approve Columbia's plan.
Last week, City Councilmen Ydanis Rodriguez and Robert Jackson engaged in a public feud during a City Hall session over who would have the final say regarding Columbia’s development plans.
Columbia’s Baker Field is officially situated in Jackson’s district, but Rodriguez covers the area just east of the field.
The pols went on to host two separate community meetings in Inwood over the weekend, but attended and presented at one another’s meetings.
State Sen. Adriano Espaillat, who co-hosted Rodriguez’s meeting on Sunday, also attended Jackson’s meeting on Friday night along with Assemblyman Guillermo Linares and Rep. Charlie Rangel, who both represent residents who live near Baker Field.
