Avella Slams City Council's Land Use Committee for Approving Bayside School

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, has blasted the City Council’s land use committee, Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, and Councilman-elect Paul Vallone on the grounds that they supported a plan to build a 416-seat primary school in Bayside.

Avella said he had been assured by City Council members that the proposal to construct the school on a site owned by Keil Bros. at 48th Avenue between 210th and 211th Streets would not be approved.

The senator said he has been notified that both Halloran and Vallone have come out in support of the proposed school. The full Council is expected to vote on the plan on Thursday.

“I think it is a disgrace that both the councilmember and councilmember-elect went behind the community’s back and made a deal to have the proposed school approved, while ignoring the will of the people who will be most affected by the new school,” Avella said. “I am afraid this just sets an extremely bad precedent for the duration of Paul Vallone’s tenure in public office.”

Austin Finan, a spokesman for Vallone, said that the councilman-elect had not said he was supporting the plan for the school.

"Paul Vallone has never once voiced his support for the proposed school nor has he even been formally sworn into office," Finan said. "Tony must not have gotten the memo - he's not the councilman anymore. Moving forward, Paul Vallone will not be responding to the lies perpetuated by Sen. Avella, who has clearly demonstrated he is more focused on personal vendettas than he is the future of northeast Queens."

Avella and state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, D-Fresh Meadows, joined Bayside Hills residents last year to oppose the proposal for the school, which would be facing the backyards of 31 homes.

In May, Community Board 11 voted 25-3 against the proposal, which was followed by a terse written exchange between the board’s chairman, Jerry Iannece, and city Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott.

Iannece had said that the city has not kept the board notified about hearings on the matter.

Avella said he believed that a new school facility in the community could be beneficial, but not at the proposed site, citing its proximity to P.S. 31.

He also said he did not know why Halloran’s input was taken into account for the proposed school following the councilman’s arrest in April for allegedly attempting to rig the mayoral election.

“I simply do not understand why Councilman Dan Halloran’s opinion was even taken into account in this situation, seeing as he is busy fighting disturbing corruption charges and is obviously out of touch,” Avella said.

A spokesman for Halloran said that the city's School Construction Authority told him that the site should not have traffic problems.

"He's happy that the new school will serve District 26 and we've been promised that traffic will not be intolerable," a spokesman for Halloran said.