QNS: Hundreds rally to make Jackson Heights’ 34th Avenue Open Street permanent

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

By Angélica Acevedo

Originally published in QNS.com on October 27, 2020.

Hundreds of families and local elected officials gathered at the widely popular 34th Avenue Open Street in Jackson Heights, with a mission to demand Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Department of Transportation (DOT) keep the COVID-19 program permanent, on Saturday, Oct. 24.

At the event, during which several Queens and city elected officials showed their support of the idea, they also called for the Open Street on 34th Avenue to be extended to 114th Street in Corona.

For many families in a community that became the “epicenter of the epicenter” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 34th Avenue Open Street served as a lifeline — especially in a district ranked fifth to last in per capita park space compared to other districts in the city, according to a 2019 report by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Dawn Siff, a member of the 34th Avenue Open Streets Coalition and co-organizer of Saturday’s rally, said this is the moment to “radically reimagine our streets and who they are for.”

“If we don’t seize this moment to reclaim space for our families, for our children, for our elderly, shame on us,” said Siff. “The 34th Avenue Open Street has changed lives in our community and it is made possible by dozens and dozens of volunteers and by all the members of our community who use it every day, and will not rest until it is permanent and extended.”

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

 

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

The march and rally was hosted by 34th Ave Open Streets Coalition, with the Queens Activist Committee of Transportation Alternatives.

Juan Restrepo, Queens organizer for Transportation Alternatives, said more than 1,600 community members have already signed their petition to make the 34th Avenue Open Street permanent and extend it to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

“The 34th Avenue Open Street is the crown jewel of New York City’s open street program,” said Restrepo. “We look forward to collaborating with the community and all the elected officials in support of this project to make those goals happen.”

34th Avenue runs from Woodside, through Jackson Heights toward Corona. The 1.3-mile stretch is home to more than half a dozen local public schools, including P.S. 398, I.S. 145, I.S. 230, P.S. 149, P.S. 280 and P.S. 212.

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

 

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

The rally featured speeches from Jackson Heights elected officials, including state Senator Jessica Ramos, Assembly member Catalina Cruz, Assembly candidate Jessica González-Rojas and Councilman Danny Dromm.

“I am proud to have worked closely with the NYC DOT and the de Blasio administration to ensure the permanent closure of 34th Avenue,” said Dromm. “Certain details of what the street will eventually look like remain to be ironed out and the DOT has assured me that community input will be given high priority for the redesign of the avenue. I want to thank the DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and all the advocates Dawn Siff, Nuala O’Doherty, Jim Burke and many others, along with fellow elected officials Senator Jessica Ramos, Assembly member Catalina Cruz, and Democratic Nominee for AD34 Jessica Gonzáles-Rojas, who worked with me to help make this dream come true for our community.”

Other City Council members also attended the rally and march, including Council members Carlina Rivera, Donovan Richards, Jimmy Van Bramer and Brad Lander.

Community members then marched from 34th Avenue and Junction Boulevard to Travers Park.

“Our community has always lacked sufficient green spaces and locations where families can play, exercise and spend time with their friends and neighbors. This was only exacerbated by the isolation we all endured during COVID,” said Cruz. “Having 34th Avenue be accessible to families all around Jackson Heights, Corona, and the surrounding neighborhoods have been key in keeping many of us healthy and safe during a very tough time.”

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

 

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

 

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

The day also had activities for kids, street performers, music and exercise classes, as well as bake sale so participants could experience the flavor of 34th Avenue Open Street.

Dasia Iannoli, a 7-year-old resident of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, said she loves 34th Avenue’s Open Street.

“I live on 34th Avenue and I love Open Streets because I get to bicycle and play and roller skate and scoot and play soccer and basketball and tennis and badminton with my friends and stay safe. 34th Ave. is the best place to be,” said Iannoli. “Please keep 34th Ave. open.”

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

 

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

 

Photo by Dean Moses/QNS.com

On Oct. 23, the DOT said the city will keep the 34th Avenue Open Street program going while they look into a plan for its “long-term” transformation.

The DOT revealed it will present a plan to keep the street permanent at a Community Board 3 committee on Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to Streetsblog.

Ramos, a fierce advocate for the 34th Avenue Open Street program, said the city needs to “transform the way we are using our streets.”

“Streets are for people, not cars! The more we talk about climate change and how to better protect our communities, we must begin taking concrete steps to reverse car culture. Making 34th Avenue Open Streets permanent and extending it further is step number one,” said Ramos. “I am also here as a resident and mother to say that 34th Avenue Open Street changed my life. It allowed me and my kids to practice and learn how to bike in a safe space. Honored to stand with just about every community activist in our district to call upon the mayor to make it official and keep 34th Avenue open for our families.”

Read more here.

Streetsblog NYC: Queens Pol Makes It Official: Demands 34th Avenue Open Street Be Made Permanent

The open street on 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights is the most popular in town. Photo: Clarence Eckerson

Queens council member has jumped on the popular effort to turn the city’s best open street into a “permanent public space for the community” — the first salvo in a debate that will likely grow to include other neighborhoods that don’t want to lose their well-used gathering places once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

In calling for permanence, Council Member Danny Dromm cited “overwhelming positive response” from residents of Jackson Heights and Corona, whose neighborhood is second-to-last in per capita open space. He also cited the “wonderful impact” the open street between 69th Street and Junction Boulevard has had.

“Children from the surrounding cramped apartments safely propel their scooters down the street,” he wrote. “A small group takes a salsa dance lesson in the open. Two older women pull out lawn chairs and bask in the sun.”

The benefits go far beyond those three constituencies. Whether by kismet or design, the de Blasio administration’s 34th Avenue open street has long been described as the best one in the city — and several factors make it so: It runs entirely through a residential neighborhood with very little open space; it is parallel to the much busier Northern Boulevard, which provides drivers with a better route than a residential street; it has the strong support of volunteers who put out barricades every morning and remove them at night; it is very widely used by pedestrians, which deters drivers from using the roadway for local trips.

Dromm’s letter was partly responding to a massive effort to focus attention on this particular open street. Earlier this summer, Streetsblog covered the initial failure of the project, which succumbed to the weight of overpolicing by the NYPD, only to become a uniquely popular space after cops stood down.

Next, Streetfilms got both Dromm and State Senator Jessica Ramos to committo the permanent car-free proposal. And Transportation Alternatives started a petition drive shortly thereafter — one that has already garnered 1,236 signatures (it’s online if you want to sign it). People who have volunteered to gather petitions have noticed how eager residents are to sign.

“Being out on the street asking my neighbors to sign the petition is the best volunteer gig I’ve ever had,” said Angela Stach, who lives in Jackson Heights and has been collecting signatures for several weeks. “There is literally no need to explain why the city needs to make this open street permanent — because it’s completely self-evident. It has brought joy to our neighborhood during a very traumatic time, especially for the kids. And people really want to hold on to that. It’s almost surreal how easy it is to have these conversations with neighbors who have never before considered that the way in which cars monopolize public space is not the ‘natural’ order of things.”

Stach believes that unlike other public space battles in her neighborhood, this one will be easier to win because people can see the benefits, rather than have to imagine them, as in the case of a new bike lane or residential loading zone that hasn’t been created yet.

“Having experienced how the open street has transformed our everyday lives has dramatically broadened the constituency for challenging the dominance of cars in our community,” she said.

One of the main organizers of the volunteer effort, Jim Burke, added that the community involvement was the key.

“Many of us came together to demand open streets and then to open and close them together each morning and each evening,” he said. “We were hungry for connections, for exercise, for space and fresh air. Thirty-fourth Avenue enables all of that. So many of our neighbors plant the medians, clean the avenue and make sure drivers respect our open streets.”

That’s not to say Jackson Heights and Corona residents are all holding their hands in a Kumbaya moment for a car-free roadway. The neighborhood is home to many car owners who have expressed frustration to petitioning volunteers and on a neighborhood Facebook page about how difficult it is for them to find free storage for their private vehicles.

Others point out that there are many schools on the strip — then make the counter-intuitive point that a car-free street is somehow more dangerous for the school-age pedestrian commuters.

“There are many schools on 34th Avenue, therefore weekdays, it should not be a permanent walk way,” wrote Barbara Goldman. “Also, it makes it difficult for teachers to find parking.”

Another resident, who gave the name Nina Starz, gave the Marie Antoinette response: Let them move to the suburbs!

“I’m sorry, I understand that people want outdoor areas, but if that’s the case consider moving out of the city,” she wrote. “You have so many sidewalks to walk your little hearts away, so it is not fair to limit traffic for cars when you have much space to walk.”

Many residents responded back that sidewalks represent a tiny fraction of the neighborhood’s public space — and are certainly no replacement for true open space in a neighborhood with but one central gathering place, the small Travers Park.

“We are so grateful for the open road!” wrote Rebecca Mehan. “With two young kids, it is difficult to stay inside all day. The open road gives us a safe place to walk/run/scoot/bike outside without needing to leave the neighborhood. Moreover, it connects us with our community . It is so uplifting to see and move with all of our neighbors. We will use it in the heat, rain, and snow. I hope it can remain open to pedestrians long past our current situation.”

Meanwhile, the debate over 34th Avenue will likely grow to include other neighborhoods. In Inwood, for example, a local mom got 600 signatures on her petition to restore Margaret Corbin Drive to car-free status after the city unceremoniously ended the open-street program there in August. And members of Community Boards 2 and 4, which cover adjoining sections of the West Side and Lower Manhattan, have long advocated for more streets to be made off limits to cars.

Meanwhile, several groups are working on petitions calling for the open streets on Avenue B in Manhattan and Berry Street in Brooklyn to be permanently car-free.

The Meatpacking Business Improvement District showed off what such a street could look like this weekend — to rapturous support from residents, visitors and local businesses, as Streetsblog reported.

The Department of Transportation did not respond directly to Dromm’s letter, but told Streetsblog in an anodyne statement, “We are excited about the success of the open street, and we look forward to working with the community on the future of 34th Avenue.”

Here is Streetfilms’ video from earlier this summer:

Read more here.

NY1 Noticias: Se quejan en Jackson Heights de tapas defectuosas de alcantarillas; un hombre cayó en un hueco

Publicado por Spectrum Noticias NY1 Queens el 21 de agosto 2019.

Un vídeo captado por una cámara de seguridad muestra el momento exacto en que un hombre cae en una alcantarilla ubicada en una acera de Jackson Heights. El incidente ocurrió hace tres semanas según los empleados de un restaurante del área.

“Alcanzó a sostenerse con sus brazos y la bolsa de la ‘laundry’ cayó y nosotros salimos a auxiliarlo”, contó una de las empleadas.

Marisol es una mesera en esta restaurante ubicado en la calle 84 y la avenida 37. Ella asegura que ha pasado varias veces por el mismo lugar.

“Ya en repetidas ocasiones ha pasado lo mismo y nadie ha dado solución…En la esquina del andén ya también se había dañado y varias personas se han caído y se han dañado carros volteando porque el aluminio está salido, entonces el encargado del restaurante puso los conos para que las personas observaran que hay algo malo ahí”, agregó Marisol.

A pocas cuadras de este lugar también se encuentran otras alcantarillas que han tenido que ser tapadas con conos. En otras hasta plantas han crecido.

Y es que además de las quejas por el mal estado de las alcantarillas, algunos residentes aseguran que estas pueden ser trampas mortales para adultos mayores y personas en condición de discapacidad.

“No paso por encima porque mire lo que puede pasar, pero por pura precaución siempre he tenido esa idea de que de pronto uno por estar por encima de donde no debe de pronto pasan esas cosas”, dijo un hombre de la tercera edad.

Y es precisamente por este temor que el concejal por Jackson Heights, Daniel Dromm está haciendo un llamado a los Departamentos de Transporte y Protección Ambiental para que hagan un inventario de las alcantarillas y que hagan las reparaciones necesarias. El problema es común en el vecindario, según Dromm.

“Eso es mantenimiento que debe tener la ciudad para protección de los ciudadanos”, agregó el hombre.

En Nueva York hay más de 30 agencias o empresas privadas que son las dueñas de las tapas de alcantarillas. Esto incluye desde servicios públicos como Con Edison o como en este caso, al Buró de alcantarillas del condado de Queens.

El reto para el Departamento de Transporte es determinar qué agencia es dueña de la tapa para después comunicarles que se hagan responsable de reparar o reemplazar la alcantarilla. Para reportar problemas similares en tu vecindario, comuníquete al 311.

Lean más aquí.

PIX11: Queens tragedy inspires crosswalk safety campaign

 

By Jay Dow

Originally published by PIX11 on May 2, 2019

QUEENS — The family of a 9-year-old boy killed one year ago as he crossed a Queens street is determined to improve crosswalk safety.

Giovanni Ampuero was out with his mom getting ice cream when he was fatally struck in Jackson Heights. The Ampueros — surrounded by friends, relatives, transportation advocates and elected officials — all marched Thursday evening from the boy’s school, down Northern Boulevard to 70th street, where the boy was killed.

Raul Ampuero has a message for drivers: obey traffic laws and slow down.

“My son shouldn’t be dead,” he said. “Our children need to be protected.”

The family’s march came on the day of another fatal collision. Earlier Thursday in Brooklyn, a 61-year old driver of a van turned right at a corner and fatally struck a 3-year old boy on a foot scooter. The boy was in a marked crosswalk. Police arrested and charged the driver with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.

Read more here.

WCBS: Demanding Answers – Dozens Of Abandoned Taxis A ‘Pox’ On Queens Neighborhood, Councilman Says

 

By Marcia Kramer

Originally published by WCBS on October 5, 2018

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Residents in Queens are furious, claiming they’re unable to get the city to remove dozens of taxis parked illegally in their Jackson Heights neighborhood.

It turns out, some of the cab owners have political ties.

If you’re looking for a taxi ride in New York City, you may have to look elsewhere. There are a whole lot of taxis, but none of them parked at the block-long abandoned gas station have license plates or even medallions.

It’s become a makeshift taxi graveyard, and frustrated people who live and work in the area have been unable to get the city to do anything.

“It’s terrible, it’s an eyesore,” said Jackson Heights resident Kirk Merrick. “They got to clean it up.”

“It brings rodents and other things, rubbish, people coming around want to hang out,” neighbor Rhys Springer said.

CBS2’s crew counted about 60 taxis parked haphazardly, with some of the bumpers on the sidewalk amid bags of garbage.

“It’s clutter, makes the city look worse,” said Jackson Heights resident Deborah Lentz.

Political Reporter Marcia Kramer demanded answers from a number of city agencies. Officials claim many of the taxis were owned by Gene Friedman, a controversial Russian-American businessman once dubbed the “Taxi King.”

In his heyday, Friedman was a major donor to Mayor de Blasio who raised more than $70,000 for hizzoner. He partnered with President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who city officials believe may now own some of the abandoned vehicles.

“This is a pox on the community that this has even been allowed to happen,” said Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-25th).

Dromm says he’s been trying to get the city to remove the taxis for months, taking his constituents’ complaints to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, Consumer Affairs, and the Department of Buildings.

In response, the DOB fined the property owners $5,280. A spokesman for the agency says the issue is now in court, with a hearing scheduled for December. For Dromm, that just won’t cut it.

“Unbelievable that it’s going to be here for another three months, we’re fighting them, we’re pushing them on this,” he said. “You cannot turn a gas station into a used taxi cab lot.”

The councilman says he hopes exposure on television will push the city to act faster.

Zinc Realty, which owns the gas station where the taxis are parked, is apparently in bankruptcy. Records indicate the company was owned by none other than Gene Friedman, who did not return calls and texts from CBS2 seeking comment.

Read more here.

Bond Buyer: NYC Council approves $500M bond issue to expand Hudson Yards

By Chip Barnett

Originally published in the Bond Buyer on August 8, 2018

The New York City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved up to $500 million of bonds to back additional financing by the Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corp.

Earlier on Wednesday, the finance panel, under the chairmanship of Daniel Dromm, voted 9-0 to approve a financing that will implement Phase 2 of the development on Manhattan’s Westside and expand the Hudson Boulevard and Park three blocks north to West 39th Street from West 36th Street.

The boundaries of the Hudson Yards Financing District in Manhattan are approximately from West 29th and West 30th Streets in the south, 7th and 8th Avenues in the east, West 42nd and 43rd Streets in the north and 11th and 12th Avenues in the west.

Construction continues at Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s West Side. Photo: Chip Barnett

Since 2001, the city, the state and the N.Y. Metropolitan Transportation Authority have worked to create a redevelopment program to transform the Hudson Yards area into a transit-oriented, mixed-use district.

Two entities make up the HYFD: the Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corp. and the Hudson Yards Development Corp.

The HYIC, formed in 2004, is a local development corporation created to finance infrastructure improvements and related construction costs at Hudson Yards. The HYDC, formed in 2005, is a local development corporation created to manage the redevelopment process of the Hudson Yards.

In 2005, the Council approved a $3 billion plan for financing Phase 1 of the infrastructure improvement for the HYFD.

The Phase 1 plan provided that payments in lieu of property taxes, or PILOTs, from the area would be used to fund the infrastructure improvements; it said that the Council would make sure that interest payments on the debt to fund the infrastructure improvements were made until revenues from the development were sufficient to make the payments; and approved the use of the city’s Transitional Finance Authority to provide credit support for a some of the debt issued, subject to unanimous approval of the TFA Board.

N.Y. City Council/Emil Cohen

The resolution passed Wednesday also supports city efforts to pay current interest, subject to appropriation, to the extent not paid from revenues of HYIC on its indebtedness; and authorizes that interest support payments may be made by the city, subject to appropriation, in connection with interest on bonds issued by HYIC to refund or refinance any HYIC bonds for which the city was or is currently obligated to provide interest support.

Late Wednesday, the de Blasio administration announced the city will begin the process of acquisition, design and construction of Phase 2 of the master plan for Hudson Yards.

“Every New Yorker deserves well designed public space,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press release. “In a growing neighborhood like Hudson Yards, three acres of new parks is a vital investment in the wellbeing of residents for generations to come.”

The construction of the Park and Boulevard will not only provide public space but it will also unlock the commercial development of the northern area of Hudson Yards. The addition of the new parkland expands Hudson Yards’ parkland by 75%.

The HYDC will manage the acquisition, design and construction process. When it’s completed, the land will be transferred to the Department of Transportation and NYC Parks, who will collaborate with the Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Business Improvement District on daily management. The design process will begin this fall.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Photo: Chip Barnett

In May, the HYIC sold about $2 billion of second indenture revenue bonds. The HYIC issued $2 billion of bonds in 2007 and $1 billion in 2012 and proceeds from May’s sale refunded all $2 billion of the 2007 bonds and $391 million of the 2012 bonds.

The deal was rated Aa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, A-plus by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings. Just before May’s sale, S&P upgraded its rating on the HYIC’s outstanding Fiscal 2012 Series A first-indenture senior revenue bonds to AA-minus from A.

In June, the New York City Independent Budget Office reported that the HYIC needed an additional $96 million to cover higher-than-expected development costs. The IBO said the funding gap came even as the city coughed up $128 million from its capital budget to cover project costs from Fiscal 2005-2016; the city has another $138 million budgeted over the next five years.

The capital costs are in addition to the $360 million that the city has spent to subsidize interest costs on the $3 billion in bonds the infrastructure corporation issued to pay for the project. The HYIC’s 2007 and 2012 bonds financed the extension of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s No. 7 subway line and to make other infrastructure improvements necessary for related commercial and residential development in the neighborhood.

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson at City Hall. — John McCarten/NYC Council

“Completing this park has been a goal of the West Side community for years,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “Securing this financing is an important step in ensuring that this neighborhood has essential public green space as Hudson Yards grows. All New Yorkers and people from around the world will one day enjoy this remarkable public park in what is currently a rail-cut. I want to thank Mayor de Blasio, Community Board 4 and everyone else who helped make this a reality.”

Paul Burton contributed to this article.

Read more here.

CBS NY: MTA To Make Repairs And Clear Lead Paint From Aging 7-Line

 

Originally published by CBS New York on June 19, 2018

NEW YORK (CBS NewYork) – Metropolitan Transit Authority officials announced their plans to repair the long-neglected 7-line train.

Transit Authority president Andy Byford and other officials spoke Tuesday morning, outlining their plan to repaint the subway line and clear stations of dangerous lead paint the MTA says has been left on the 7-line for years.

Painting will begin at 82nd street and progress towards Citi Field.

Last year, city lawmakers called out the MTA’s handling of the lead paint on the 7-line.

“I’m surprised that it hasn’t fallen down yet. It’s rusted. Paint is falling down off of it,” City Councilman Daniel Dromm told CBS2’s Valerie Castro, regarding 7-line train trestles in Queens. “They found that the chips that are falling off of that trestle are 44 times greater than acceptable levels of lead paint poisoning.”

Byford unveiled a $19 billion 10-year plan to overhaul the entire subway system in May.

He said in the next five years, a new signal technology and knock as communication-based train control will be installed on portions of the most heavily traveled subway lines.

Five years after that, the upgrades will be installed on parts of the 1, 2, 3, B, D, F, M, S, N, Q, R, and W lines.

Also part of the plan, the MTA is putting in seven times as many security cameras underground and plans to redesign the bus network to improve accessibility.

CBS2 asked the MTA if other lines have similar toxic problems or will be upgraded. Thus far, they haven’t responded.

Read more here.

Metro New York: Transit advocates ask subway riders to call the mayor in push for fair fares

With the passage of the city budget getting closer, transit advocates are asking riders to call up Mayor Bill de Blasio and ask for the Fair Fares initiative to be implemented.

 

Transit advocates are asking subway riders to call the mayor and demand fair fares. Photo: Getty Images

 

By Kristin Toussaint

Originally published by Metro New York on May 14, 2018

As you wait on subway platforms this week, you may see transit advocates asking you to call Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office to ask him to adopt “fair fares.”

Members of the Riders Alliance and Community Service Society, an organization that advocates for low-income New Yorkers, announced on Monday a weeklong grassroots campaign in an effort to secure half-priced MetroCards for those living in poverty.

In April, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Finance Committee Chair Daniel Dromm recommended that the mayor institute the Fair Fares initiative in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget.

“The administration should fund a program to provide half-fare MetroCards to individuals and families living below the poverty level so that approximately 800,000 low-income people could save up to $726 per year,” they recommended.

But de Blasio did not include the initiative in the proposed budget, prompting Johnson and Dromm to release a statement saying they were disappointed that it did not address all of the City Council’s priorities.

Nearly $1 billion in additional revenue is expected in Fiscal Year 2018, they noted, and they said that “the administration should use this additional revenue to institute Fair Fares to help our most vulnerable neighbors,” as well as to fund a property tax rebate for middle-class homeowners and put some money in reserves.

Now, with the passage of the city budget just weeks away, advocates with the Riders Alliance and Community Service Society gathered in Harlem on Monday to bring that call to action to regular New Yorkers. In front of the 125th Street subway stop, they announced a weeklong canvassing effort to ask riders to call Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office, voice their support for Fair Fares and ask him to join the cause.

The location is also meant to raise awareness of the Fair Fares initiative, the advocates said. Making the announcement in Harlem — parts of which have poverty rates around 30 percent, or nearly one-third of residents — they hoped to reach some of the riders who may qualify.

Citywide, 19.5 percent of New Yorkers live below the poverty line. At an estimated cost of $212 million out of a $90 billion budget, Riders Alliance said, nearly 800,000 of these working-age New Yorkers would be eligible for Fair Fares, with participants saving up to $726 annually.

“New Yorkers living at or below the poverty line should not have to wait any longer for relief from the often prohibitive cost of public transit in our city,” said David R. Jones, president and CEO of the Community Service Society, in a statement.  “Our Fair Fares proposal could save working poor New Yorkers hundreds of dollars a year and give them the freedom to access more of what New York City can offer them and their families. We have overwhelming support for this plan and now simply need Mayor de Blasio to pick up the phone and listen to his constituents. Fair Fares can’t wait.”

Read more here.

NY1 Noticias: Destina la MTA $45 millones para reparar la línea 7 en Queens

 

By Julio César García

Publicado por NY1 Noticias el 3 de mayo 2018.

Tras años de espera y cabildeo de oficiales electos en Queens, además de una demanda por miembros de la comunidad, la MTA adjudicó $45 millones de dólares a la reparación y pintura de las instalaciones elevadas de la línea 7 del metro, que atraviesa el corazón de los barrios latinos de Corona y Jackson Heights.

El concejal, Daniel Dromm, explica: “Nosotros sabemos que la pintura tiene plomo dentro y esto es una cosa muy peligrosa para los niños especialmente. Solo una pequeña pieza de plomo en la sangre de un niño puede causar muchos problemas para el niño en el futuro”.

Según el Centro para el Control de Enfermedades, estos problemas derivados de la exposición al elemento incluyen enfermedades cardiovasculares, renales y neurológicas. El anuncio de la MTA fue bien recibido tanto por los vecinos del área como los usuarios del subway.

“Se ha tardado demasiado. Es bien peligroso. Yo no sé cuántos años exactamente, pero es tiempo ahora para arreglar todo eso. Si pueden arreglar las calles y todo, eso es lo principal que deberían hacer”, comentó un usuario.

Alguien más añadió: “Es buena inversión. No importa el dinero que gasten porque es una inversión que a largo plazo va a servir para los niños sobre todo. Es algo peligroso. Deberían hacerlo de emergencia”.

Sin embargo, hay preocupaciones acerca de la forma en que la compañía Ahern Painting Contractors hará las reparaciones, que tomarán aproximadamente dos años, así como las interrupciones que habrá que hacer al servicio para realizarlas.

“Tendremos que asegurarnos que empiecen en un horario que sea aceptable para la gente que vive en la comunidad”, detalla Dromm.

La MTA anunció que las obras en el tren 7 comenzarán a partir de junio.

Lean más aquí.

QNS: De Blasio announces new school, upgrades at Jackson Heights town hall meeting

 

Photo courtesy of New York City Mayoral Photography Office. Mayor Bill de Blasio held a town hall in Jackson Heights on March 28.

By Angel Matua

Originally published by QNS on March 30, 2018

Mayor Bill de Blasio hosted his 52nd town hall meeting on March 28 where he announced new construction projects, additional services and answered questions from Jackson Heights residents.

Among the new projects announced at the town hall at I.S. 145, which was co-hosted by Councilman Daniel Dromm, was a new 476-seat middle school scheduled to open in Sept. 2020. Officials broke ground on P.S. 398 last June.

The five-story, 65,000-square-foot building will include a rooftop garden, art and music classrooms, a library and more. School District 30, which encompasses Astoria, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside, is one of the most overcrowded school districts in the city.

“This is a community where there’s a real need for new school space,” the mayor said.

P.S. 69, which is located at 77-02 37th Ave., has had roof issues and residents have asked for speedier repairs.

“There’s been a concern about the roof and a desire to speed up repair of the roof,” he said. “I want to show you government in action. The repairs will begin next week and will be done by the end of April.”

De Blasio also announced that the upgraded Travers Park 76-9 34th Ave. will open in Sept. 19 and that design work has been completed for an upgraded Jackson Heights library. Nearly $11 million has been allocated to improve the library.

The grand opening of the new, permenant Diversity Plaza will take place this July and $30 million will be poured into Elmhurst Hospital’s emergency department. The hospital’s trauma center is the eighth busiest trauma center in the country, he said.

Residents have also called for additional garbage pickups along busy thoroughfares in Jackson Heights. The Department of Sanitation began making an extra Friday pickup at 37th and Roosevelt Avenues and garbage pickup along Broadway has increased from five days a week to seven days a week.

By this November, the Department of Transportation will install additional lighting underneath the elevated 7 line from 71st through 81st Streets along Roosevelt Avenue, he said.

De Blasio also announced that after safety concerns were voiced, a new traffic agent will be placed at the intersection of 73rd Street and 37th Avenue.

Watch the full town hall below:

Read more here.