MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARSHALL BREAK GROUND ON
$55 MILLION POOL AND ICE SKATING COMPLEX IN FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA
PARK

Complex Will Include Special Features to Accommodate People With
Disabilities


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined Queens Borough President
Helen Marshall, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Executive Director
Matthew P. Sapolin to break ground on a new pool and ice skating
complex in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The $55.2 million
project will include an Olympic-sized indoor pool and an NHL
regulation-sized skating rink, and will be completed by Fall 2007.
The site, which will be utilized by schools, leagues, and community
members of all ages, will be Parks & Recreation's first in Queens.
The complex includes a number of special features to allow for
recreation activities designed for the physically disabled.

"Making the City more livable has been a priority from day one, and
today we finally break ground on a long-promised and long-overdue
project for the people of Queens," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The local
community has wanted to build a new pool here for a very long time
and I'm pleased that we've been able to get this complex project
underway. It is important that we build and maintain these kinds of
facilities throughout the City especially in growing areas like
Flushing. They strengthen our neighborhoods and provide New York
City residents with quality venues for recreational activity. I am
particularly pleased we were able to incorporate special features at
both the rink and pool to accommodate people with disabilities. I
want to express my gratitude to Borough President Marshall,
Commissioner Benepe and Executive Director Sapolin for their work on
this tremendous project."

"My office has allocated $14.5 million for this recreational complex
because it will literally help to build sound bodies and better
futures for so many of our residents," said Queens Borough President
Marshall. "This pool and skating rink will not only provide exciting
and attractive venues for swimming, hockey and ice skating
enthusiasts, but also add to our flagship park's reputation as a
magnet for fun lovers of all ages. Our parks are oases in urban
environments, and, as such, require our commitment to their
maintenance and improvement."

"Few things are more important than providing quality sports and
recreation facilities for the city's residents," said Commissioner
Benepe. "Thanks to generous funding from elected officials and a
supremely talented creative team, we continue to build innovative
structures in all five boroughs. This new sports complex will
introduce generations of children to the joys of swimming, skating,
and hockey; and to lifetimes of fitness and health."

The pool will measure 25 by 50 meters and will include a diving tank
with a three-meter board and two one-meter boards. An outdoor
seating area will flank the pool. The ice rink venue will measure 80
by 200 feet and include 400 bleacher seats. The entire complex will
span more than 100,000 square feet, with an exterior of pre-cast
concrete panels with an extensive use of glass panels that will allow
natural light into the entire pool area. The building's shape and
design allude to the World's Fair pavilions in Flushing Meadows
Corona Park in both 1939 and 1964. Other aspects of the design,
including a "floating canopy" and tension wires holding up the roof,
allude to the movement of athletes. During the planning phase of the
project, the City engaged the Mayor's Office of People with
Disabilities and the United Spinal Association to review of the
facility and implemented their suggestions to ensure it would best
accommodate people with disabilities.

"The Flushing pool will be furnished with lift equipment providing
recreational swimming for people with disabilities, and the
accessible ice-rink will allow them to play sled hockey," said
Executive Director Matthew Sapolin. "We have enjoyed working with
EDC, Parks and the design team to make this facility accessible to
all New Yorkers, and it will be a wonderful addition to our many
sports facilities here in Queens."

"Making the City a better place to live is an important component of
our economic development strategy," said Economic Development
Corporation Andrew M. Alper. "We are making a number of strategic
investments in Flushing to revitalize the area and catalyze further
development. This new, state-of-the-art facility will be a
tremendous asset for Flushing residents for years to come."

The design was a collaboration effort between Handel Architects, LLP
and Hom & Goldman Architects, two renowned firms known for such high-
profile projects as the World Trade Center Site Memorial and Ritz-
Carlton Downtown (Handel) and renovations to the Fashion Institute of
Technology and the Seward Park branch of the New York Public Library
(Hom & Goldman). Landscape architecture was prepared by Semmens
Associates.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park's current ice skating facility, located
in the same building as the Queens Museum, is more than 60 years
old. Once the new structure is completed, the old rink will be
removed and the museum will expand into the space. The City
allocated $40.7 million for the new facility; Borough President
Marshall set aside $14.5 million.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Edward Skyler / Robert Lawson (212) 788-2958

GENERAL CONTACT:

Warner Johnston (Parks & Recreation)
(212) 360-1311
Michael Sherman/Andrew Brent (Economic Development Corp.)
(212) 312-3523