On his last day in office as New York City Controller, former (and future) mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson caved into pressure from the Bloomberg administration and agreed to stop blocking the expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. For months, Thompson had stood in the way of the renovation and/or expansion of the facility by refusing to OK a $34 million design contract, though many people speculate his resistance had more to do with a personal power struggle with Mayor Bloomberg than outrage over the price tag; the two design firms involved are 1100 Architect and Ricci Green Associates.. As recently as this fall, he was on record as saying, “This boondoggle has been a disaster since day one.” So what happened? According to a Daily News article this morning, he cut a deal with City Hall to drop a lawsuit against him in return for his complicity. But don’t expect a tear-down anytime soon. The $34 million is just for preliminary work: It’s the first real look at whether the site can sustain the type of facility we’re looking at for that location, said a spokesman for the Department of Corrections.
Thompson OKs Brooklyn Jail on Way Out Door [NY Daily News]
Battle Over Brooklyn Jail Withdrawn [Brooklyn Eagle]