Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Announces $10 Million for Jackson Heights Community Center
Governor Kathy Hochul today was joined by Queens elected officials to announce a historic $33.8 million investment for the first ever community center in Jackson Heights through the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens. The State awarded $10 million for the center, administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). The grants will support the building out of Jackson Heights’ first-ever community center and community pool, serving thousands of New Yorkers each year with high-quality, affordable programming.
VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).
AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.
PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Costa, you are truly the man of the hour. The person who knows how to take an idea and run with it like it's a football in your arms, and you're not going to let go until you get into the end zone. I'm a Buffalo Bills fan, so I just had to say that. But this is a special day, and it's so great to be back here in Jackson Heights. [I was] just here a couple weeks ago, talking with many great small business owners and trying out some Nepali food at some cafes that I look forward to getting back to. And at that time, I said, "I look forward to coming back with some good news," just kind of teasing it up a little bit. And now I'm making good on that promise.
Today, we're here to announce $10 million in State funding to build Jackson Heights' first ever Boys and Girls Community Center. And we would not be here without the vision of the leaders in this community. The community leaders have been talking about this and dreaming about this for over five years, and they scoured the neighborhood looking for the perfect spot, and they found it right here across the street. It's 30,000 square feet — room for a pool. See the picture of the pool? This looks amazing. And enough space to serve roughly 4,000 kids.
So I want to thank those leaders. I know everybody was called out, but we have everyone who pulled together different sources of money, different amounts of money, but all came together to make this dream come true. And I want to thank Costa, everybody who's working with you directly on your board of directors, Shekar Krishnan — you told me in the early meetings we had, you said, "If there's one thing I could have —" of the three wishes you ask the genie, this is one, two and three. So you have brought this to us, and I'm so honored to be with you here on this special, special day. Also, it is great to have such strong allies in Washington, D.C. We are so fortunate to have a powerful voice, a woman from this community, from Queens, who loves her district so much and fights for us every single day in Washington D.C. Again, some difficult circumstances, but we put our faith in Grace Meng, and she always delivers. Our Congresswoman Grace Meng.
And City Hall stepped up big. I want to thank Julie Menin and the councilmember working together to deliver substantial dollars for this as well. Julie Menin has been a step forward, is a great leader here at a time when we need her common sense voice and the ability to just cut through it all and deliver for the people. Ladies and gentlemen, Speaker Julie Menin. And Donovan Richards, who I deliver so much money to — Queens. He's a real pain, but he knows how to get the money, right? So I thank him for his championship. And also our great colleagues in the State: Jessica González-Rojas and Steven Raga and Catalina Cruz. You are really the champions of this community as I mentioned. Also good to see — always forever to us, Senator Mike Gianaris. No matter what he's called, we call him our senator. And Danny Dromm — and I want to thank Danny for their leadership.
But I was proud to step in, and someone said they need $10 million to be able to put shovels in the ground. I said, "What are we waiting for? I want shovels in the ground." And I was proud to step in and make this come true. Because you've heard me say before, your family is my fight. And what does that actually mean? It means I want New York State to be the number one place in America to raise a family, and that means putting our kids first.
Coming into office as New York State's first ever mom Governor, I could see a lot of our kids are struggling. Look at the challenges, the proliferation of smartphones and the addictive algorithms they're constantly being bombarded with, and all the pandemic isolation that is still lingering for the ones who had a substantial share of their young lives stolen from them, no fault of their own. And it was really dragging our kids down, and we had to take some very bold steps. And I'm really proud that we stood up and said we'll be the first major state in America to say no smartphones, bell to bell, morning ‘till afternoon, and banning cell phones in schools, but also putting guardrails on social media, stepping forward and saying, "We're putting our kids first, ahead of your profits,” and expanding youth mental health services — all of this to help reclaim our children's childhood, which is what was stolen for them for so long.
We also need to build more community spaces that bring children together in person as they get offline and get in person and get outside and do something that's positive and good for their soul and their connectivity with other kids and adults. Get them out of the devices and help keep them on the right path because it's in these new spaces that the whole world is opened up to them. They can learn something new, have new dreams, have great ambitions. For the kids playing in the basketball court, dream of playing for the Liberty or the Knicks someday. Kids exploring the film studio will be dreaming of directing their first picture production. Kids who have a chance to meet mentors in their own neighborhood, developing lifelong relationships that we know can help children make sure that they are not just healthy, but also on the right path. But also to imagine themselves as teachers and business owners and electricians and engineers and architects and artists — all of this allows our kids to think about the future and where they fit into it.
And here's the best part: they can access all of this at no cost to the parents, and that is the game changer, to have this connectivity with a place that we're going to be building right across the street. Right? Right across the street. When this is completed, I’m sure, as I'm standing here, a generation from now, the first kids who came through here, made their first friends, are able to hang out with their friends, and their parents know that their kids are being liberated. This is going to be something that binds them together forever. Remember the days we were at our Boys and Girls Club? Remember we did this, or we met this person? So this is what we're giving these — a gift back to a community that never had this before. It is hard to believe that this community never had it.
And so, while the chaos in Washington keeps driving us crazy, here in New York we're trying to lighten the load on parents, and helping them with their taxes, the largest middle-class tax rate cut in 70 years; tripling the child tax credit, more money back in parents' pockets; and making all school meals free, 400 million free meals. And also, another part is not just money for parents, but giving them [and] their kids a positive outlet to go to, and making sure this space is accessible to all. My job is to make sure that no matter how much money you have, that you have the same access to a good, quality childhood that everybody else does, no matter where you come from.
Because that's the diversity of Jackson Heights. That's what I cherish about Jackson Heights, that you'll meet people from all around the world, different faiths, different languages, different beliefs. But they can all come together in one place in this community together, and really define what community means. Community center is not just a word, it's an experience, and I want them to experience the diversity, and have more understanding of each other, and to grow as adults who understand and embrace what life is all about. So I want to thank everybody. Showing what the strength of Jackson Heights is, the strength of Queens is, and truly, the strength of New York State. So I want to thank everyone who's part of this experience. Let's get it built.
Let me call up our speaker, Julie Menin.
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