By Maria Simmons
Columnist

How is the new Yankee Stadium project affecting High Bridge area residents and families?

A window into the answer to that question can be found in another one, asked recently by P.S. 126 student Hasan Ali Simmons Jr. to his mother, Helen Hernandez.

“Mommy,” Simmons Jr. asked, “why can’t Grandpa, Daddy, and I go jogging at the track anymore?”

Jogging at the now-defunct Joseph J. Yancey Track and Field, inside Macomb’s Dam Park, was a longstanding ritual that provided the community with far more than just exercise: it allowed families to spend quality time together and build memories. To be sure, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has promised to replace the parks and the track, and to build an interim baseball field and track to be ready by the spring of 2007. But what are local families expected to do as they wait for these promises to be kept? Tax-paying residents in Highbridge are left out to dry in right field.

Imagine, in your youth, a wonderful family tradition like jogging every Saturday with your father and grandfather suddenly being interrupted. What are parents now supposed to tell children who ask why they can’t play baseball at the park anymore?

I often doubt that people outside this community fully recognize what a major resource this park was to area residents and families. When the deal to build a new Yankee Stadium was being hashed out, I believe much more consideration could have been given to community residents being directly affected by the plan. For instance, all area residents could have been offered free passes to Yankee games played at home until other interim compensation was provided.

I also think we are well within our rights to demand additional compensation from the Yankees organization, which certainly has the resources to reach out to Highbridge far more than it has in the past. The Yankees should commit resources to provide P.S. 11, P.S. 126, and CES 73 with state- of- the- art computer labs, gymnasiums, cafeterias, auditoriums, libraries, science labs and much more. That would make somewhat of an impact on community residents and families.

Another area where the Yankees should serve the Highbridge community, especially given the extra traffic and congestion sure to result from the new stadium and parking structures, is local hospitals. In particular, the Yankees should allocate funds to fighting asthma.

Can we get a breath of fresh air?

The game of baseball is governed by sportsmanship, respect, and rules. It is a fair process. It is unfortunate that these regulations do not always spill over into reality.

In August 2006, even before summer was officially over, area residents and families suffered a great loss. We lost the use of Yancey Track and Field, tennis courts at Mullaly Park, and much more. Community residents previously utilized space at Mullaly and Macomb’s Dam Park for soccer games, softball games, and relaxing strolls in the park.

We are clearly dealing here with a lack of respect for human life. If you can cut down a 100 or 200-year-old tree without even blinking, that speaks enormously to your lack of humanity. So it is no surprise that the community has been treated in the manner that it has.

That said, I must say that I am proud to be part of a community like ours that stood up to express their concerns about the new Yankee Stadium and continues to let its voice be heard.

In planning for the new stadium, developers and local elected officials were shrewd, seemingly making sure to “cover all the bases”. It seems fair to say, in fact, that they hit a “homerun” with the new project. It appears to some that they’ve won the game. However, as baseball fans are well aware, a game is just one game. It’s not a Championship.

My fellow Highbridge residents, let’s keep fighting. We need to play catch up. Use your voice, your power to let the elected officials know exactly what you think and feel about how the new Yankee Stadium Project has been handled by local politicians. . How? By registering to vote and actually voting. By attending community board meetings and expressing your concerns to representatives. It is even relatively easy to join a committee on your local community board, CB4. All that is required is to attend three consecutive monthly meetings that are supposed to serve as a liaison between you and elected officials.

We should not allow the parties responsible for the new Yankee stadium to ignore the will of the community.

If the people of Highbridge do not let their voice be heard, we can look forward to increased pollution from gas fumes, higher rents, and the related possibility of longtime residents being driven out of the neighborhood. Brothers and Sisters, let’s get it together!