Arts Materials Supplier Will Expand
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Materials for the Arts, a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) located in Long Island City, is expanding.

"We are helping artists and art education teachers to realize their visions by providing materials," DCA Deputy General Counsel Tracey Knuckles said at the January meeting of Community Board 1.

Created in 1978 as a collection, reuse and distribution service to provide materials for reuse in non-profit arts organizations, public schools and social, health and community service organizations that have arts programs in the city, MFTA has about 25,000 square feet of space on the third floor of the warehouse it has occupied since January 2001 at 33-00 Northern Blvd.

Now, MFTA will soon occupy an additional 10,360 square feet of space that will be leased long-term at the same location. Plans for expansion were approved according to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) by the board.

Qualified groups can "shop" (no money is transacted) two days per week for a wide variety of materials that are reused for a number of educational and recreational activities.

"These are donated materials that companies no longer need," Knuckles said.

Every year, MFTA collects approximately 500 tons of materials from some of New York's biggest names, for example: Conde Nast, McKinsey & Co., GAP Inc., Kate Spade and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, MFTA recovers hundreds of tons of materials from the New York City Sanitation Department.

MFTA also takes donations of office furniture and supplies, musical instruments and sound and lighting equipment, as well as fabric, paint and construction materials.

The additional space will allow MFTA to take in another 200,000 pounds of material annually. There will also be another 3,700 square feet of shopping area, 1,200 square feet for processing, staging and storage space, and 1,000 square feet in classroom space for educational programs and workshops.

Currently, the shopping space is shared with the processing area, making for inventory control problems with the collection and turnover of materials. Also, administrative offices are located at the rear of the space, cutting staff off from the entrance area. In the new arrangement, the administrative offices will be relocated, making room for two new classrooms.

Leasing additional space in the current location also eliminates the problem of relocating to a larger space when the 2001 lease expires in six years.

Since MFTA has successfully operated at 33-00 Northern Blvd. for more than five years, no significant changes or adverse effects on pedestrian and vehicle traffic, parking or community services are expected.

The immediate area is an M1-5 zone, with several other warehouses and industrial buildings in the surrounding area. Among other tenants located at 33-00 Northern Blvd. are the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the Human Resources Administration (HRA), an industrial sign shop and other light manufacturers.

For information, call 718-729-3001 or visit www.mfta.org. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; shopping is by appointment only.