Council Candidate Halloran: Secure the Fort!
Council Candidate Demands City: Secure the Fort!
City Council Candidate Dan Halloran who is running in the 19th Councilmanic District (College Point, Auburndale, Whitestone, Bay Terrace, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck) joined with community leaders, elected officials and neighborhood residents at a demonstration Saturday to protest the removal of security guards from Fort Totten due to FDNY budget cuts.
“Times are tough, but removing security guards from Fort Totten is not the answer. It puts the fire and police units at risk and makes the historic buildings vulnerable to arson and vandalism,” remarked Halloran.
Halloran called upon U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Gary Ackerman to seek emergency federal funding to secure the fort.
“The federal assets at Fort Totten such as the Coast Guard and the 77th ARCOM have to be adequately protected. Before a longterm solution can be implemented, the Department of Homeland Security should provide staffing for the security gate.”
“It is incumbent that our federal representatives act immediately to obtain funding for security at Fort Totten, a site of vital historical significance and value as a park and greenspace, in the best interests of our community at large,” concluded Halloran.
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Federal Funding for Fort Totten Security
An Open Letter to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, and Congressman Ackerman:
As you are likely aware, gate security at Fort Totten is being discontinued due to FDNY budget cuts. It is entirely unacceptable that a site where NYPD, FDNY, Coast Guard and the 77th ARCOM are housed, along with historic buildings such as the Bayside Historical Society’s “Castle,” is left unprotected.
Times are tough, but removing security guards from Fort Totten is not the answer. It puts the fire and police units at risk and makes the historic buildings vulnerable to arson and vandalism.
While many have criticized the city for not allocating money for Fort Totten’s security, there are state and federal agencies operating on site. A budget allocation from either level of government would be of immense help at this time, especially as we are asking the FDNY and NYPD to do more with less.
In view of the federal assets situated at the Fort, I urge you, as our federal representatives, to work to secure federal appropriations to fund the security guards at the entrance to Fort Totten. Before a longterm solution can be implemented, the Department of Homeland Security should provide staffing for the security gate.
Fort Totten is too valuable to our community, city and country to be deprived of security. I respectfully request that you act immediately to obtain funding for security at Fort Totten, a site of vital historical significance and value as a park and greenspace, in the best interests of our community at large.
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Dan Halloran
New York City Council Candidate
19th CD – Queens
