Yonkers Insider: Westchester County Legislator Jose Alvarado 17th District: State Should Buy Leake & Watts Property for WCC Campus in Yonkers.

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

I am joining Mayor Mike Spano in calling for the State University of New York (SUNY) to purchase the 32-acre property at Rising Ground, formerly Leake & Watts, located in southwest Yonkers to serve as a second major campus for Westchester Community College (WCC).

Rising Ground announced earlier this month its intent to sell its Yonkers location, which is at 463 Hawthorne Avenue in the 17th Legislative District I represent. 

Ensuring access to affordable higher education for everyone -- especially the residents of South Yonkers -- is among the most important things we can do as lawmakers, and Westchester Community College is a crucial resource for the people of Yonkers. Having served as the Legislature’s liaison to the WCC Yonkers Extension during the prior decade, I know of the need for higher education access for our Yonkers graduating high school seniors. I, myself, am a local college graduate, and I clearly remember the difficulty of commuting to college in a different municipality without a car. I am sure that this move would be a win-win for SUNY and for our local adult students and graduating seniors.

Twenty-five percent of WCC’s student body are Yonkers residents. From June 2016 through June 2020, 28 percent of Yonkers Public Schools students who graduated high school and attended college began their post-high school studies at Westchester Community College. Providing them and other local students a chance to take classes near their home and close to public transportation will be a huge help, fostering an even greater commitment to higher and continuing education. Yonkers enrollment would surely increase.

And this piece of prime real estate overlooking the Hudson would be provide more than just additional classroom space – it can also serve as an accessible location for local community activities and events.

Rising Ground, originally founded in 1831 in Manhattan as the Leake & Watts Orphan House, moved to the Yonkers site in 1890. In 1979, the organization grew to provide a wide range of human services for children, adults, and families in need. Last year, Rising Ground moved its main administration office from its Yonkers campus to Brooklyn to be closer to its New York City-based programs and to its government and community partners.

It is with great hope and excitement that I join Mayor Spano in encouraging Governor Cuomo to support our efforts to expand the county’s largest educational institution to the largest city in Westchester.

Sincerely,