What is the "bathtub" and what will it be used for?
Upon a search on the Columbia University website, there is only one mention of the “bathtub,” and it’s from a Spectator article.
In a Community Board 9 community forum, a Ms. Ruth Eisenberg is cited as claiming that the underground “bathtub” will contain two natural gas power plants and the MTA bus terminal. However, I noticed that in another instance when a resident was addressing the “bathtub,” their statements were not recorded allegedly due to there being too much noise for the transcribr to hear.
Overall, it would appear that the only sources really speaking to the “bathtub” are newspaper articles, as well as several governmental documents where there is brief mention. In every case, the answer is quite vague: it is unclear exactly what will be included and what will be left out. It appear that the urban planners hired by Columbia University are the main gatekeepers, who select which information will be dispersed to the newspapers and communities and which will remain under wraps. And when concerns about potential flooding are brought up, Columbia appears to be of the opinion that these concerns are blown out of proportion and that they have taken the needed precautionary measures, despite reports by newspapers and community residents part of the Community Board that the environmental impact review was rushed and incomplete. Several scientists who were likely hired by Columbia stated that the risks are very minimal regarding flooding and earthquakes.
One reason given as to why Columbia insists on building the “bathtub” was proposed by another resident at the public hearing, from a Mr. Schley: “I understand that Columbia’s Plan here is make every effort to prey on desperation of the black community, our community against this plan…The reason we unite against this plan, because we are against eminent domain, because we are against biotech labs in our community…Please support the 197A Plan, they don’t have to build a bathtub, they can share this community, they don’t have to make it all or nothing. But they are greedy. This institution only serves a very specific group of people in this country and the vast majority of people in Harlem will never be in that group, blacks, Hispanic, you will to being that group. I am against this plan. Thank you.”
I located this in a proposed plan for the Expansion on the NYC government website: “The proposed plans place many functions, such as central energy plants, parking, truck loading, and storage, in underground spaces.”
Cite as
Anonymous, ""the Bathtub"", contributed by Isabelle Soifer, Center for Ethnography, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 9 February 2020, accessed 30 April 2024. http://centerforethnography.org/content/bathtub
Critical Commentary
What is the "bathtub" and what will it be used for?
Upon a search on the Columbia University website, there is only one mention of the “bathtub,” and it’s from a Spectator article.
In a Community Board 9 community forum, a Ms. Ruth Eisenberg is cited as claiming that the underground “bathtub” will contain two natural gas power plants and the MTA bus terminal. However, I noticed that in another instance when a resident was addressing the “bathtub,” their statements were not recorded allegedly due to there being too much noise for the transcribr to hear.
Overall, it would appear that the only sources really speaking to the “bathtub” are newspaper articles, as well as several governmental documents where there is brief mention. In every case, the answer is quite vague: it is unclear exactly what will be included and what will be left out. It appear that the urban planners hired by Columbia University are the main gatekeepers, who select which information will be dispersed to the newspapers and communities and which will remain under wraps. And when concerns about potential flooding are brought up, Columbia appears to be of the opinion that these concerns are blown out of proportion and that they have taken the needed precautionary measures, despite reports by newspapers and community residents part of the Community Board that the environmental impact review was rushed and incomplete. Several scientists who were likely hired by Columbia stated that the risks are very minimal regarding flooding and earthquakes.
One reason given as to why Columbia insists on building the “bathtub” was proposed by another resident at the public hearing, from a Mr. Schley: “I understand that Columbia’s Plan here is make every effort to prey on desperation of the black community, our community against this plan…The reason we unite against this plan, because we are against eminent domain, because we are against biotech labs in our community…Please support the 197A Plan, they don’t have to build a bathtub, they can share this community, they don’t have to make it all or nothing. But they are greedy. This institution only serves a very specific group of people in this country and the vast majority of people in Harlem will never be in that group, blacks, Hispanic, you will to being that group. I am against this plan. Thank you.”
I located this in a proposed plan for the Expansion on the NYC government website: “The proposed plans place many functions, such as central energy plants, parking, truck loading, and storage, in underground spaces.”