Good Afternoon, 

Thank you for permitting me to speak at today’s hearing on the New York Sports and Convention Center.  My name is Richard Breslaw and I am the president and CEO of George Breslaw and Sons Inc., a union plumbing shop located on the West Side at 45^th Street and 11^th Avenue.  I am a licensed plumbing contractor and my father started the plumbing business in 1929.  Today, we are a third generation business operating at the same location on the West Side since 1953.  At the present time, my three children, Michael, Seth and Amy are working with me in the same building that my father bought.  In Yiddish, we call this feeling of pride and joy, kvell. 

In the same way, I can honestly say that I love this neighborhood.  I love the interaction with my neighbors, both residential and commercial.  As a business owner, and a property owner, I feel a commitment to helping my neighborhood improve and supporting good development. 

Up until now, I have personally been involved in getting rid of the prostitution business that plagued our neighborhood in previous years.  I was involved in a CBS documentary called, ‘Belly in the Beast,’ that observed, filmed and ultimately helped rid the area of ‘street walkers’ on 11^th Avenue.

The proposed New York Sports and Convention Center is a positive step for not only the economic growth of this city but also the West Side.  The facility will finally allow the West Side to be enjoyed not only by the few small businesses and residents of the neighborhood but also visitors as they come in to attend conventions, Jets games, and events that attract major attention like the Super Bowl, and if we’re lucky, the Olympics.  The New York Sports and Convention Center is the much needed change that my neighborhood needs. 

I’ve watched the neighborhood fight the battles of Westway and other proposals that often came and went without a real financial commitment behind it.  Yet, I’ve watched the same people complain that the neighborhood needs attention from the city.   It’s time we embrace this vital, creative and community friendly proposal that actually has $800 million behind it. 

We should not be the barrier that prevents growth. 

Thank you for listening and thank you again for this opportunity to speak before you today.