By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — On the eve of Verizon's launch of the iPhone, representatives from AT&T met with community leaders from Washington Heights and Inwood to announce the opening of a new neighborhood store, and the launch of a community outreach effort.
AT&T representatives said they were interested in deepening their reach in the area, building on current community sponsorships of the Armory Track & Field Foundation and after-school programs through the Police Athletic League.
"It's really important that we become part of the fabric of the community, not just another retail store," said Tom DeVito, vice president and general manager at AT&T. "We're here to ask you 'how do we become part of the fabric and culture of Washington Heights?'"
AT&T executives also assured neighborhood representatives that the company was stepping up its game in terms of voice and data connectivity — a notorious issue in New York City, where excessive dropped calls on AT&T's iPhone have been widely-reported.
According to DeVito, AT&T has made a commitment to update and service all cell towers in Upper Manhattan and added a new tower near Fort Tryon Park last fall.
The event, which included community leaders, media and a short appearance by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, was held at the joint offices of the Washington Heights Business Solutions Center and Washington Heights Business Improvement District on West 181st Street near St. Nicholas Avenue, just doors away from the site of the planned store.
Both groups are actively involved in improving the business hub on West 181st Street and the surrounding area.
"We may not get the same numbers of tourism as on 42nd or 34th Street, but in this area every weekend we see 300,000 people from other areas shopping here," Councilman Rodriguez said.
DeVito said the new 4,000-square-foot space was scheduled to open in July after $700,000 to $800,000 was invested in retro-fitting the space to make it a "world class" retail store, which he said would act as a "hub for education and employment opportunities" in the community.
The new store will employ 10 staff and AT&T executives. The telecom giant said they planned to hire as many workers as possible from the area. The store will be managed by Washington Heights resident Delvyn Fernandez.
According to officials, AT&T currently lists 181 job openings online in the Greater New York area.
"We try to hire from within the community," DeVito said.
AT&T is not only focusing its outreach in Washington Heights and Inwood.
Last week, AT&T executives met with Harlem officials and community leaders to make a similar promise to improve wireless service in Harlem this year "while also pledging its support to important community and civic causes," reported Harlem World.
