STOP the Federation of Italian American Organization and the Brooklyn Community Board 11 from poisoning our Community

The Federation of Italian American Organization (FIAO) is having their 6 story Community/Cultural Center (Il Centro) being constructed adjacent to peoples' private houses. This Center will have Social Services, Classrooms, Senior Citizen Center, Meeting Rooms, Banquet Hall, Fitness Center, Pool, Entertainment, etc., etc.

Also, the FIAO is having their 31 Car underground garage being constructed adjacent to a private property owner's driveway on a narrow 1-way street. Cars will be lining up in front of residents homes' 7 days a week, day and night forcing them to inhale fumes and listen to the idling engines going to this underground garage. There will be a lot of in and out traffic since many people who will be coming to this facility will not need a lot of time.

Also, the FIAO has gotten 47 parking spaces in a street level parking lot from the local church (St. Finbar's). These parking spaces are right next to the Heartshare Residence and School for Autistic Children. The CEO & President of the Heartshare Program is Mr. William Guarinello, who is also the Chairman for our local Brooklyn Community Board 11. Also, I would like to mention that the Board Members of the Federation of Italian American Organization are and continue to be on the same Community Board with Mr. Guarinello. You would think that Mr. Guarinello would keep the children out of harms way instead of adding more pollution to their environment. These children do not have a say in what is happening here in this community. We believe Mr. Guarinello has his own agenda and could care less about these children or the residents living in this community. It seems his only priority is having this Community Center constructed. I do not believe Mr. Guarinello even comes to see what is going on in the (Heartshare) facility. I think Mr. Guardinellos' only concern is winning points with the business owners.

Another issue that affects the children is that there is a Motorcycle Repair Shop across the street from this Residence. The Owner of this Motorcycle Repair Shop leaves the motorcycles idling for long periods of time. On many occasions the Owner and his friends have motorcycle races back and forth past this Residence which is located on a 1-way street.

I had called 311 on several occasions to complain about the noise and emissions and nothing has been done. I have called the Police and still nothing was done. I even spoke to the owner of the Motorcycle Shop and he told me “if people don’t like the noise and the smell they should move to the suburbs”. I guess he means people in the community. I even mentioned this to the Priest from St. Finbar’s Church and he said he would look in to it but nothing has been done. St. Finbar's Church is involved with the Federation of Italian American Organization.

No one from the Brooklyn Community Board 11 or The Federation for Italian American Organization live anywhere near this monster building. On the top floor (Roof Top Garden) of this building I have read that they could see 3 boroughs and that is why they (Big Brother) have no problem looking into the neighboring properties taking away our privacy.

You would think that the FIAO and the local Community Board would discourage people from driving their cars into an already extremely motorists populated neighborhood that is already very polluted from all the traffic. In a 2 block radius of this Community/ Cultural Center (Il Centro) there is a Post Office, 5 Churches, Home Improvement Center, Lumber Yard, 8 Auto Repair Shops, several restaurants, 2 Department Stores, 2 Super Markets, Fire Station, Children's Learning Center, Medical Building, and more.

People should be encouraged to take Mass Transit as there is a train station 1 block away from this Community/Cultural Center. There is a Bus Stop right across the street from this Center. These people are bent on killing the Residents of this Community as well as taking away their privacy and rights to enjoy their homes. Sadly, even our right to sleep later in the morning instead of being woken up early to hear the sound of engines idling and the smell of fumes coming in their windows. Or motorists honking their horns for traffic to move. This unfortunately, will be going on all day and night/7 days a week.

The FIAO hasn't been a good neighbor nor do they care about their neighbors’ problems. We are extremely concerned about the FIAO’s hours of operation and the present and long term effects of the air and noise pollution and what the environmental impact will cause this Community presently and long term.

The FIAO has encouraged their construction crew to harass neighbors as they hang out in front of my/and neighbors homes and throw their cigarettes, food, coffee cups, etc in front of our houses. As well as they have thrown their garbage from their construction site onto our carport and our backyard narrowly missing our feral cats which we have tried to protect from these people. We are trying to protect these cats, as well as the cats living inside the construction site. Unfortunately we had tried to trap 3 feral cats that have lived in the construction site long before they started doing construction but it has been unsuccessful. These cats have lived on their property for many years and now are inhaling dust and dirt from the construction site. We have tried to meet with Mr. G. Jack Spatola, Chairman of the Board for the Federation of Italian American Organization but he has rejected meeting with us or anyone in this community. We believe he could care less about what problems he and his organization have caused. This man is a educator, you would think he would want to open the lines of communication.

We spoke to the Chairman of Brooklyn's Community Board 11 (Mr. William Guarinello), and the Police Community Team regarding many of the above issues and they were of no assistance. Also, we had called or written to the local Politicians, Public Advocate, COIB, DOB, DOT, DEP, etc., etc. regarding the above and other issues and unfortunately due to the FIAO's political clout no one has given us any help with the exception of one politician who did not want his name mentioned due to the people involved with this Community/Cultural Center. The FIAO has board members that have jobs in many of these agencies or is on their Boards and that is why so many of our complaints were closed. I was told from the Commissioner of the Department of Buildings after meeting with him regarding this construction that one of the names on a FIAO document that I had showed him works for the Department of Buildings. I do believe that might be a conflict of interests, but so is the fact that another board member (Carlo Scissura) was a past member of the local Brooklyn Community Board 11 and also worked for the Brooklyn Borough Presidents Office as his Chief of Staff. Mr. Scissura is also a lawyer. While working for the Brooklyn Borough Presidents office both he and Mr. Markowitz were involved in a conflict of interests.

Many of our complaints that were submitted to the Department of Buildings were closed by DOB Inspectors saying e.g., complaint unsubstantiated, site closed, etc.

We had called in many complaints regarding fumes from cars and trucks which belonged to the construction workers and nothing was ever done about these complaints and they were closed. Construction Workers parked illegally and did not get parking tickets We even have pictures of them working during their Stop Work Order. Our complaints were closed saying things like complaint unsubstantiated or worksite closed which was not the truth.

We have gone to a lawyer and after telling him the whole story (which would be much too much to write here) he felt that there is collusion and corruption going on and that is why no private or public agencies would help us.

We are fighting for our/and neighbors rights especially for the children who live in the Residence. We certainly see that Mr. William Guarinello, Chairman of Brooklyn Community Board 11 and CEO & President of the Heartshare Program, Residence and School for Autistic Children has his own ideas on who he helps and it doesn’t look like he is helping the children or residents of this community.

We want to live in a neighborhood where we are able to breathe clean air, as well as have certain a amount of privacy and enjoyment of our homes which they have already taken away from us. Once the FIAO's (Il Centro) Cultural Center is opened it will only get worse. We feel like Big Brother is watching us and everyone around us.

We know this building is going up and perhaps we can not fight the windows looking right into our homes and backyards. But possibly we could do something to fight their hours of operation since it will affect our environment and our quality of life due to the fumes and noise from their cars idling from approximately 6:30AM till approximately 11PM/ 7 days a week and later on the weekends.

WE THE RESIDENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY WILL NEVER HAVE ANY PEACE FROM THESE PEOPLE. WE HAVE NO POLITICAL CLOUT OR A VOICE IN WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY! THEY HAVE TAKEN AWAY ALL OF OUR RIGHTS.

We would like to fight to change the traffic pattern so traffic will line up on a street that has businesses instead of people’s homes. Also, hopefully change the street that the traffic will go to for the street level parking lot so the Children living in the Residence will not be as badly affected by the fumes and noise.

If you would like to see a picture of the FIAO's Cultural Center, please go to fiaobrooklyn.org. Go to the first picture on top and you will see a picture of this huge building next to a 2 family house on the far right side.

Mr. G. Jack Spatola, Chairman for the Federation of Italian American Organization and Mr. William Guarinello, Chairman for Brooklyn Community Board 11 have gotten away with many, many bad things, now it’s just a matter of time before they kill the residents of this community with air and noise pollution.