BOROUGH PRESIDENT ODDO, SAVO and the HOUSE NUMBERS (and the Committee to Save Manresa)
As you know Borough President Oddo has refused to give the Savos house numbers, which means they can’t move forward with development. Oddo has publicly said he will block the construction until every pending probe has concluded, after a grand jury handed down a 36-count criminal indictment against a father-son engineer team on charges they lied in reports to the city that the former Fort Wadsworth site was free of asbestos. The Santoros are expected to have their day in criminal court 11/19/2015.
In the meantime, The Savo Brothers took Oddo to court last week to compel him to release the numbers. The Committee To Save Mount Manresa filed a motion to intervene as interested parties to the action. While the Savos have not yet been charged with the crimes related to the false documents being submitted which allowed them to receive the permits, and claim innocence, we contend that further investigation will uncover their involvement in this deception.
In our complaint, we included the horrific NBC footage of the trees coming down, that residents reported issues breathing during the demo, the pending Community Board 1 Rezoning application for Rosebank, Fort Wadsworth and Clifton, photos of the flooding that has occurred to surrounding homes since the demolition has occurred, as well as a possible connection of Wilson Garcia (the DOB employee who was arrested for accepting bribes) who was also an inspector at Mount Manresa. We now await the judge’s decision.
We urge you to thank BP Oddo for standing strong on this issue by writing him directly jodddo@statenislandusa.com as well as sending letters of support to the editor@siadvance.com
REZONING APPLICATION UPDATE
This Community Board 1-sponsored ULURP application, which we pushed to initiate, was completed by Land Use expert Paul Graziano. It covers over 1,300 properties will help to protect the overall community from further overdevelopment which would continue to overburden our already overcapacity school system and help limit the currently unbearable traffic, flooding, sewer capacity and other infrastructure issues that these communities suffer from with the current population. We must now push City Planning with the help of our City Council Members, Debi Rose, and Steve Matteo and our Borough President and Community Board 1 to support this plan and make it happen.
UPDATE ON OUR APPEAL
The Committee to Save Mount Manresa was also in Appeals Court last week concerning our original case to stop the Jesuits from moving forward with the sale of the property. We now await the appellate court decision.
COMMITTEE TO SAVE MOUNT MANRESA ON CTV
Pat Brady’s CTV Environment interview show with the Committee to Save Mt. Manresa, Jack Bolembach, Caroline Labita, Beth Malone, Phyllis Zito and Charlotte Mentzer, will be broadcast on channel 35 or 79 Tues.3:30PM, Nov. 10, Wed. 9:00PM Nov. 11, Thurs. 10:00AM Nov. 12.
MOUNT MANRESA: The Story Book – Donate to our Kickstarter to make this a reality!
This book will be a beautiful collection of photos and stories of beloved Mount Manresa. Learn about the amazing grassroots efforts of the Committee to Save Mount Manresa and the power of Mount Manresa, which has continued to inspire the passion of these “ordinary” citizens. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1902827581/mount-manresa-the-story
See photos of the beloved Grotto, Water Tower, Sheally Hall, Founder’s Hall, and Mount Manresa’s old growth trees. Learn about the committee to Save Mount Manresa, and their efforts to save as a public park. From weekly rallies to efforts to landmark, letter writing campaigns to Pope Francis and Mayor Bloomberg and deBlasio, rezoning and more!
The amazing story in photos and writing of historic Mount Manresa and the community battle of to save it.
SUPPORT THE COMMITTEE to SAVE MOUNT MANRESA – Help us pay our Legal and Expert Fees
Since our creation in 2013, the Committee has been fighting on many fronts…to stop the sale, to expose the illegal activities of the Jesuits (illegal fundraising) and the Savo Brothers (submitting false documents), to change the zoning, to raise awareness of issues affecting the quality of life on Staten Island. We are committed to CHANGING “business as usual” on Staten Island through education and community involvement. While the Committee to Save Mount Manresa is a passionate and dedicated group, it takes money to protect our community from overdevelopment. Please donate and help us continue to fund our legal, expert and printing fees: http://savemountmanresa.org/donate-2/
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In other news…
Waldbaums in Rosebank is closing. No other supermarket is currently moving in. This will be a big loss for the Rosebank community. It also has resulted in the loss of employment for over 100 workers, many who have been there over 30 years. Rumors are circulating that the owner is planning to tear down for townhouses. We continue to watch this site.
PS13 in Rosebank parents are fighting to create a K-8 School. With the closing of St Josephs and St. Mary, the school is already over capacity. Visit their facebook page for more info. https://www.facebook.com/Help-us-turn-PS-13-School-Rosebank-into-a-Kindergarten-to-8-Grade-School-827553457324369/?fref=ts
Community Board 1 Meeting is Tonight – Tuesday, Nov 10 at 7:30 P.M at All Saints Episcopal Church, 2329 Victory Blvd.
Rosebank/Ft. Wadsworth Community Board 1 – Local Area Meeting is Tuesday Nov 17 at 7:30 P.M., Mt. Carmel Hall, 36 Amity Street
For more info…please visit our website at Savemanresa.org
