U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and GOP Rep. Vito Fossella are rising to the defense of the $18.55 million Staten Island Army Reserve Center.
“The funding that was approved for the Army Reserve Center was specifically set aside for Staten Island, and that’s where it should be,” said Mrs. Clinton (D-N.Y.).
The three-building Island complex was part of President George Bush’s 2009 defense budget, and the funding has been approved by both houses of Congress.
It is one of several facilities set to be built across the country in a bid to boost military recruitment.
Mrs. Clinton and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) trumpeted the allocation in a joint press release last week.
But the Army Corps of Engineers has said that a suitable location for the center could not be found on the Island, and that the center is now slated to be built in New Jersey.
Sources said that the Army Corps rejected one potential Island site for the center because it is in a flood plain. That exact location has yet to be revealed.
Still unexplained as well is how the center was shifted from New York to New Jersey without local lawmakers being notified.
Schumer and Conservative Borough President James P. Molinaro led a rally in support of the center last week at Fort Wadsworth, which officials believe is a suitable location for the facility.
Said Mrs. Clinton, “Staten Island is well prepared for this mission and wants to maintain a strong Army Reserve presence in its community.”
Mrs. Clinton and Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) have written letters to Army Secretary Peter Geren in a bid to save the project.
“Locating the Reserve Center on Staten Island … will allow countless New York City residents the opportunity to serve their nation in the Army Reserve while being able to train and prepare close to home,” Fossella wrote.
Fossella said that having the center in New York would also help local first responders react in the event of another terrorist attack
October 9, 2008 at 2:25 pm
What a lovely photo of her!
October 9, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I like this photo of Hillary. With that laser beam focus, think she could scare the economy back into shape. And that’s precisely what the markets need, a firm smack in the pants.
Right now, no leadership means no rudder or discipline, means no confidence. This selloff is in part anticipating Barry, who does not inspire confidence. Whenever he says he’s going to take a scalpel to the economy, I break out in a cold sweat..