Categories: New York City, Member News, Groundbreakings
09.20.2024
On September 19th, friends and partners of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens gathered to break ground on the Catholic Charities Gail P. Duke Senior Residence which will create 141 apartments for older adults, 48 of them supportive. Onsite services will be provided by Catholic Charities funded by the NYC 15/15 initiative through the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) for 43 residents and New York State Office of Mental Health for five residents.
The ceremony was opened by Tim McManus, Senior Vice President of Catholic Charites Progress of Peoples Development (CCPOPD) Corporation with the opening prayer by Very Reverend Patrick J. Keating, Esq., Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.
Tim then valiantly emceed the event challenged by thundering noise from passing overhead 3 trains (stopping one block away at the Junius Street station). He thanked all the many partners responsible for the progress that has been made from the popular WGBH podcast, The Big Dig, which follows the epic story of massive infrastructure project in Boston. The words given in a 1972 speech by then Massachusetts’ Governor Francis Sargent offered this insight: “What I propose cannot be done without your help. You must join with me in this massive endeavor. You’ve done so before and on other major undertakings. And we won the gambles that we’ve undertaken. We can do so again. And there is this to remember as we begin: the risks we take come down to betting on ourselves. On people -- the only real progress is the progress of people”.
Tim also pointed out the singular contributions of Community Board 16 and noted that the plans for the residence had won an award from NYSERDA. He finished by praising his colleague, CCPOPD Vice President David Downs “the single most important person responsible for moving the needle toward this day.”
HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrion spoke next about the genesis of the Senior Residence. The City awarded the public site to CCPOPD (who later purchased an adjoining lot to improve the site design and financial feasibility) but it was the organization working with the Brownsville community that led to the design and purpose of the residence. Together, said the Commissioner, “they saw the future.”
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso spoke about the ways in which the project – and CCPOPD – embodied the principles of Christianity pointing out that Jesus spent all his time working on behalf of the most vulnerable.
First Executive Vice President of NYC Housing Development Corporation Ruth Moreira spoke next who outlined the four stages of development: Creating the vision, creating the plan, bringing together the village to refine and implement the plan and time.
Also speaking were Erin Gallagher of Bank of America and Kevin Hoffman of Richman Housing Resources. Regrettably the Commissioner from the NYC Department of Aging Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez was delayed.
The star of the hour was the woman for whom the residence was named: Gail P. Duke. Longtime Board Member and Treasurer of the CCPOPD and POP Management Boards. Ms. Duke spoke movingly about the future residence and praised the incredible staff at the organization: “I am humbled to have my name on a building.“
The Most Reverend Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, spoke last: “We are not building a building: we’re building homes!” He added “our faith calls us to serve everyone with love and dignity – particularly our seniors.” He closed out the program by thanking the seniors who will age with dignity at the Gail P. Duke Senior Residence.
The Gail P. Duke Senior Residence will feature a 10,000 square foot Older Adult Center operated in partnership with NYC Aging and CCPOPD affiliate Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services. The Passive House (Phius) building will feature all-electric heating, cooling, and hot water systems, and incorporate resiliency components to create areas of refuge for residents and community neighbors, including back-up generator power for cooling, charging, sheltering in place and other emergency needs. Dedicated residential amenities include multiple activity rooms for program coordination, a second floor lounge porch, an eighth floor laundry room with NYC skyline views, and an outdoor landscaped terrace with a walking path and other restorative zones.
Funding for the residence was provided by NYC HDC, NYC HPD, NYC Department of Aging, NYC HRA/DOHMH, NYS Office of Mental Health and NYSERDA.
The architect is Magnusson Architecture and Planning, Passive House and sustainability consultant is Bright Power, and the contractor is Monadnock Construction.