WEST VILLAGE — The grassroots organization behind the new middle school coming to Manhattan's District 2 in 2017 requested $1 million in funding from City Councilman Corey Johnson and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to create a "green roof" at the school.
The city's School Construction Authority designed the school at 75 Morton St. to accommodate a green roof, but said the 75 Morton Community Alliance had to find the funding for it on their own.
Capital grant applications for half a million dollars each were submitted to Brewer and Johnson in February by Community Board 2, with the support of the SCA. (Some of the leadership of the 75 Morton Community Alliance are also members of the local community board.)
The building's roof can support 100 pounds per square foot, which advocates say is "enough to support an extensive green roof with planting beds for growing fruits, vegetables, herbs and native plants."
Roughly 1,200 square feet of the roof will be designated for use by the students, and the roof will be accessible by an elevator.
The garden would promote biodiversity, reduce the school's energy consumption, and facilitate "urban agriculture and education" to all of the school's children, including the 100 or so students in the city's special needs program known as District 75.
The green space would also be available to neighborhood residents and weekends and during the summer.
The community board's schools committee will discuss the benefits and potential of green roof at their March 14 meeting at local elementary school P.S. 41.
P.S. 41 has a 9,000-square-foot green roof, completed in 2012 after years of fundraising and planning.
It was built with city capital improvement funds through grants from then-Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and State Senator Tom Duane, according to Vicki Sando, the founder of the school's gardening program.
The Community Board 2 Schools and Education Committee will be held at P.S. 41 at 116 West 11th St., and is scheduled to begin at 6:30 on March 14. It is open to the public.
