With relief needed to ease the overcrowding in the City’s public schools, plans are moving forward to turn the former site of the Young Israel of Pelham Parkway Synagogue into a school.
For months Councilman Jimmy Vacca, with the support of the community, has been pushing to create a school that would provide much needed relief to P.S. 105. Vacca hopes to secure 2126 Barnes Avenue as that site.
P.S. 105 is at 120% capacity with approximately 1,500 students. According to Principal Christopher Eustace things remain under control now, but with new development planned for the area, he is anticipating a big influx of youth that could create a potential problem.
The Capital Plan for 2010-2014 calls for two new school buildings that would accommodate roughly 1,476 seats in school district 11.
In a letter from the Department of Education, Office of Portfolio Planning, regarding 2126 Barnes, it states ‘the site would be best utilized by demolishing the existing two-story building, and constructing a new state-of-the-art public school facility.’
The new facility, designated as P.S. 292, would hold 380 students from pre-k through 5th grades.
The letter further explains that this site will serve School District 11, with a proposal for a zone created from the existing P.S. 105 zone. Due to its limited size and need, no specialized space will be used for District 75.
Vacca said, “When completed it is going to provide major relief to the seriously overcrowded schools in the Pelham Parkway community. I think the completion date would be September 2013.”
According to Vacca, the plans passed unanimously by the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses of the Land Use Committee of City Council on Monday, October 26, and he expected it would pass through the full Council on Wednesday, October 28.
“This is definitely good news for parents in P.S. 105. Over the past few years parents have had to put their children in other school outside Pelham Parkway because there was no space,” said Vacca. “I think this is a win-win.”
