Columbia Spectator - State Money Request Blasted at Hearing

Columbia Spectator

State Money Request Blasted at Hearing
Columbia Request for $500 Million Scrutinized Before the Board of the State Dormitory Authority
By Tom Faure
Columbia Daily Spectator

November 29, 2005

The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York held a public hearing yesterday to discuss Columbia�s request for $500 million in loans.

The seven people who attended voiced their displeasure with the plan, arguing that the amount of money requested was unnecessarily high and that the loan application process should allow for more public input.

Columbia has requested the funds to from the authority, an agency that regularly provides low-interest loans to finance construction by private educational and health care institutions, to fund dozens of construction and renovation projects. The largest single sum, $52,457,000, will go toward completely refurbishing the Studebaker building on 131st Street, a project Columbia will complete in the first stage of its proposed Manhattanville expansion.

In response to questions from attendees, Donna Rosen, associate counsel to DASNY, revealed that the authority had already decided to request the Governor�s approval for the funds. Rosen�s announcement prompted many of those who showed up at the hearing to persuade DASNY to reject the financial requests wonder what purpose the hearing served.

Norman Siegel, an attorney who represents several Manhattanville business owners, called the hearing �with all due respect, a sham [that] raises substantial legal questions.�

�I would at least request DASNY to make an independent judgment based on the merits of this application,� Siegel said, encouraging the authority to rethink its acceptance of Columbia�s plan.

But Rosen emphasized that DASNY�s acceptance of the bonds still need to be approved by the Governor before Columbia receives any money.

Walter South, a member Community Board 9, voiced his outrage at the lack of professionalism in what he called only a �semi-public hearing.� South criticized officials for holding the meeting during work hours and at DASNY�s downtown offices rather than in the West Harlem community.

South also opposed Columbia�s intentions to use the loan to preserve landmarks such as the Studebaker Building. �$52,000,000 for the Studebaker... for a potential historical resource... strikes me as a complete gut renovation,� he said.

�Columbia should have gone to CB9� before making its financial requests, he said.

University officials have announced plans to move several offices, including the recently consolidated Columbia University Information Technology department, to the building. They have repeatedly stated that they are having ongoing discussions with community members as the proposed changes in Manhattanville move forward.

Though Rosen did not comment on the time and location of the hearing, she apologized for the inconvenience and assured the audience both before and after the hearing that she was committed to presenting the speakers� case and the passion they expression they expressed.

Carolyn Kent, another member of CB9, advocated the 197-a plan, which she said would avoid the �proposed historic resource expenditure�, the sum of which makes 16 percent of the proposed bond issue.

The financing and request for Governor�s approval will be finalized on Wednesday.

�The people who came today are very troubled,� said Siegel. �We hope that Wednesday this hearing will at least be tabled, considered... and the funds should, at a minimum, be conditioned.�