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S.I. debuts bigger borough office

New York Teacher
A man in the middle laughs with a group of members. Two women on the left and two men on the right of him.
Erica Berger

Sean Rotkowitz, the Staten Island borough representative, is surrounded by his predecessors at the Aug. 31 ribbon-cutting for the new borough office. 

A new Staten Island borough office that can accommodate more in-house activities had its grand opening on Aug. 31, with UFT President Michael Mulgrew and other union officials on hand.

The new quarters at 1200 South Ave. have been in use since January and have hosted meetings of family child care providers, parent leaders, the parents of special education students, district parent coordinators and chapter leaders.

Staten Island Borough Representative Sean Rotkowitz said an audiovisual system is being installed that will make it possible to more fully utilize meeting spaces for retiree classes and workshops. The facility offers more meeting and classroom space, “an abundance of parking” and greater technology, including the ability to conduct remote events, Rotkowitz said.

The previous borough office on Amboy Road in Eltingville had been more accessible by mass transit. But its space and technological limitations meant the borough’s annual parent conference and its school-related professionals celebration were held either in a school lunchroom or at the Staten Island Hilton, where costs continued to rise, Rotkowitz said.

The new office, which is a short distance from the Staten Island Expressway, will be able to accommodate these larger union events, Rotkowitz said.

In addition to UFT President Michael Mulgrew, the grand opening attracted chapter leaders, delegates and paraprofessional representatives, as well as the four previous borough representatives.

As for the new, now fully functioning office, Rotkowitz said, “We’re all excited about it.”