Adams dives in on Knicks legend John Starks with cell tower outside his Kia dealership
Knicks legend John Starks has gone from “posterizing” all-time NBA great Michael Jordan to towering Mayor Eric Adams.
The Adams administration has approved the installation of a white, 32-foot-tall 5G cell tower in front of Starks’ Kia dealership in Queens — a structure that dwarfs the tallest 7-foot models used by the Knicks star in played and competed against in the 1990s – including Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon.
The tower at the corner of 87th Avenue and Queens Boulevard actually blocks the view of Starks’ name on the dealership from across the street.
Starks – whose iconic May 25, 1993 dunk over Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals sealed his stature as a New York sports legend – was so enraged by the “eyesore” that he recently had the Queens Borough President, Donovan Richards called to file a complaint.
Starks told Richards that he was not notified by the city before they decided to build the tower about 10 feet from the front of his dealership.
The city’s Bureau of Technology and Innovation is overseeing the installation of 2,000 Link 5G street towers across the city to bolster service — including 18 that have caused an uproar at Community Board 8 on the Upper East Side.
Richards, a die-hard Knicks fan who fondly remembers Starks’ dunk over Jordan, said he supports the city’s Wi-Fi expansion program but added that officials were ahead of themselves in their communications and the placement of the Link 5G tower Starks’ shop would have been wrong.
“Unless the city plans to install a 10-foot hoop on the tower and fly Michael Jordan to Sunnyside for John Starks to dunk back onto him, moving that pole is a small but important victory for transparency,” Richards told The Post.
“We appreciate the investment in building out high-speed internet service across the county, but just like Starks’ Knicks teams from the front office, Queens deserves clear communication from the city ahead of such an installation when it comes to location – especially as residents have to pay for the 5G service that these towers offer.”
Damien Corbett, John Starks’ Kia dealership manager, confirmed that Starks is upset with the tower’s placement.
“Basically one of the things where it is right now is in front of our dealership and blocking our sign, the signage of it. It’s not that we don’t support free WiFi, but where they have it is an issue,” Corbett said.
“It’s location right on our doorstep that’s the hard part… It’s of no use to anyone. We weren’t made aware of it in any way until they came that day and said, ‘We’re building a WiFi tower here,'” Corbett added.
Starks was honeymooned and unavailable for comment, but Corbett said his boss considered the huge tower “definitely an eyesore”.
Borough of Queens President Donovan Richards Jr. said he received a complaint from John Starks about a cellphone tower that had been erected in front of his dealership.
The city installed a 5G cell tower just yards from great Knick John Stark’s car dealership.
Like Knicks great John Starks, residents of the Upper East Side oppose the construction of cell towers in their neighborhoods, calling them eyesores.
The city could possibly adjust its sales. The tower in front of the Starks dealership isn’t working yet. A sign on it reads, “LinkNYC Powering Up Soon.”
Ray Legendre, spokesman for the Office of Technology and Innovation, responded: “We believe that improved digital connectivity is a modern necessity, which is why we are expanding infrastructure to improve network coverage and broadband capabilities to help New Yorkers live in succeed in today’s digital world.
“As we build this specific piece of digital infrastructure, we plan to work with John Starks to minimize the impact on his business while ensuring this Link5G benefits the surrounding community.”
OTI also said that prior to installing Link5G’s tower at Starks’ Kia dealership, the agency followed its procedure of notifying elected officials and community stakeholders of the proposed location and complying with a 60-day public comment period.
However, the statement acknowledged that when the site was surveyed in March of that year, John Stark’s name had not been placed on the building.
https://nypost.com/2022/12/14/adams-dunks-on-knicks-legend-john-starks-with-cell-tower-in-front-of-his-kia-dealership/ Adams dives in on Knicks legend John Starks with cell tower outside his Kia dealership
