Albany Legislators Weigh Fate of Venerable Youth Cadet Corps Under Eviction Threat From Park Avenue Arts Organization

Legislators in Albany are weighing the future of a 142-year-old youth cadet corps, the oldest after-school youth group in the country, that an arts organization is trying to evict from its longtime home on Park Avenue at the Seventh Regiment Armory.The state Senate approved last week a bill that provides the cadet corps, the Knickerbocker Greys, permanent space at the Seventh Regiment Armory building with 61 votes in favor against one. The bill has now moved to the Assembly, which appears to be more of a challenge, though many Assembly members say they are committed to passing the bill.The proposed legislation is a response to an effort by the Park Avenue Conservancy to evict the cadet corps from their longtime base of operations.There is overwhelming and bipartisan support in the Assembly to ensure the Knickerbocker Greys have a space at the Armory and aren’t evicted, assembly minority leader Will Barclay, speaking through a representative, tells the Sun. “I’m pleased this measure has moved through the Senate and proudly support it in the Assembly. This is an issue all New Yorkers can get together on,” Mr. Barclay adds.A companion bill to the Senate-passed measure was introduced in the Assembly by a Democratic member, Alex Bores, with Rebecca Seawright as co-sponsor. Its backers want to ensure they pass a bill that will be signed by Governor Hochul and that will also sustain any court challenges, Mr. Bores tells the Sun. At the moment, there are concerns in the Assembly as to whether the bill, as currently written, would pass those two tasks, he adds. “We are continuing to look at the exact language of it. There is a strong commitment to getting something passed,” Mr. Bores says. The Assembly met over the weekend but did not act on the measure. It will meet again next week for two days. The bill was introduced in the upper chamber by state Senator Elizabeth Krueger. The Greys, she says, are a well-respected program for young boys and girls in which they learn about civic responsibility and the history of the military. She has also visited a number of the programs and talked to the youths, some of whom are even following the steps of their parents or grandparents by attending. Founded in 1881, the Knickerbocker Greys have had their headquarters in the Armory since 1902. Out of a 200,000 square feet complex, they occupy an 800 square feet space in the Armory basement. They have in the past used the cavernous Armory space for drilling practice. The Greys have trained and served about 5,500 New York children over the years. The group was originally formed to keep children off the streets by providing youths between six and 16 years old with leadership training. Notable alumni include Mayor Lindsay, Vice President Rockefeller, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.The Armory, which is trying to evict the Greys on the grounds that there is no space for the cadet corps, has now set surveillance cameras outside the Greys’ door without giving prior notice to its directors or seeking their approval. Children that are part of the Greys are not allowed into the building. Only one or two parents at the time are permitted to take items out of the basement office. Losing the Greys’ longtime base of operations at the Armory could impact the future and viability of the organization, the cadet corps has told the Sun.The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy began managing the Park Avenue building in 2006. They demanded last spring that the Greys vacate the premises by June 1 and sent an official ten-day eviction notice on August 18. The Conservancy claims it needs the basement to renovate its Americans with Disabilities, Act-compliant entrances. The building currently has a handicapped-accessible entrance on East 66th Street. The Conservancy filed an eviction lawsuit against the Greys in September last year in Manhattan civil court. That dispute is still pending. The Conservancy has not responded to repeated requests for comment from the Sun.If the Assembly does not reach a conclusion next week, the bill will be reintroduced next year in the January session, legislators say. Yet, Ms. Krueger says there would be no need for a piece of legislation to fix this if the Conservancy would allow the Knickerbocker Greys to continue the work they have been doing for more than 100 years.“It is a beloved program in our community, and there is no justification I can find for the Conservancy to be unwilling to allow them to use a small amount of space a couple of times a month,” Ms. Krueger says._____________This article was updated to reflect Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright’s co-sponsorship of the proposed measure in the Assembly.

Albany Legislators Weigh Fate of Venerable Youth Cadet Corps Under Eviction Threat From Park Avenue Arts Organization

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