CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Monday, Apr 26, 2010

HARLEM NY (04/26/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs is actively seeking an organization that is willing to lease the recreational facilities which the Police Athletic League rehabilitated in the New York National Guard's historic Harlem Armory. The armory is home to the New York Army National Guard's 369th Sustainment Brigade. The Police Athletic League (PAL) has decided that it will not renew the agreement to manage youth programs, athletic events and educational activities at the PAL Center in class rooms that were created in the Armory drill hall during renovations in 2003. Since entering into an agreement with the Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA), PAL invested almost $6 million in turning the drill hall, which had been used for military training and other community programs, into a first rate sports facility for New York City youth. The PAL agreement with DMNA expires on May 31 and the agency has issued a request for information focused on local community groups to explore which organizations would be willing to manage the space. DMNA does not have the staff or expertise to run separate, individual athletics programs, or administer multiple short-term leases at the armory. The agency also does not have a budget that will allow it to utilize and maintain the space for public use. DMNA is looking for an organization to enter into a lease agreement that will also continue and maintain the programs established by Harlem Junior Tennis, which has been based at the armory since the early 1970s, and the PAL. "My goal is to find a community-based organization which can continue to provide the types of fine programs that PAL has," said Brig. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the Adjutant General of New York. "The 369th has been a part of the fabric of the Harlem community for almost 100 years and we want the young people of the area to continue to benefit from our association with their neighborhood," Murphy said. Under the stewardship of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Honorable Robert M. Morgenthau, the Police Athletic League has had the privilege of restoring an historic Harlem iinstitution for the benefit of children and families in Harlem and the larger New York Community. PAL is proud to have made such a vital contribution in partnership with DMNA, several Federal and New York State Agencies as well as local and civic leaders. The request for information generated six responses, currently under evaluation by DMNA. The goal is to find a potential lease-holder that can provide a diverse and balanced array of community-focused programs that promote health, education, physical fitness, and safety for disadvantaged youth and their families from the armory neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods. Except in the case of an emergency, there is no daily need to use this 50,000 square foot space for military purposes The armory drill hall includes three tiers of stadium seating, houses six modern tennis courts and one multi-purpose court equipped for basketball, volleyball, and tennis. On the ends of the complex, there are three classrooms, a tennis lounge, and a computer room and office space. By partitioning certain sections of the drill floor, there is space for, among other sports activities, gymnastics, dancing, fencing, martial arts as well as batting practice. The Harlem Armory, located at 2366th Fifth Avenue, is also known as the 369th Regimental Armory. The 369th was originally organized as the 15th Regiment, New York National Guard, and was manned by African-American Soldiers. The unit was renamed when it entered federal duty in World War I and fought as part of French infantry divisions. The Soldiers earned the nickname "Harlem Hellfighters" because of their heroism in battle.