Thursday, April 22, 2010

Queens Chronicle: Dromm Fights for Open Space in Jackson Heights

From Queens Chronicle: By Elizabeth Daley

As the city expands, space for walking, biking and even driving has become scarce in some communities. Beyond the potholes that wreck havoc on everyone, city streets are too often the scene of terrible accidents.

Children who don’t have enough space to play venture out of safety, ducking under cars to pick up lost balls, while the elderly put their lives at risk attempting to cross streets expediently.
At a Community Board 3 meeting, Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) proposed closing a street surrounding Travers Park so that kids in Jackson Heights could have more space to play this summer.

The issue was also addressed at an April 14 parks and recreation town hall meeting attended by 250 people, Dromm said. Community board members responded favorably to Dromm’s proposal to close 78th Street during the summer, but the plan has not yet been approved. The street was closed on weekends last year as a “Play Street,” according to the Department of Transportation.

Dromm’s suggestion comes as the DOT hosts a series of workshops in Jackson Heights, helping to establish a vision for how streets in the neighborhood will look and function in the future.

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posted by DrommMedia @ 5:21 PM  

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Queens Gazette: Dromm Seeks More Open Space

From The Queens Gazette:

There’s always a need for more open space in many areas throughout the city, and Jackson Heights is one of them, says the area’s councilmember, Daniel Dromm (D). In a recent discussion at a town hall meeting, where the topic was improvements to Travers Park, Dromm cited a proposal he supported to turn an empty portion of 78th Street next to Travers into a play street in July and August by blocking the street off to traffic.

Previously the proposed two month play street served the same purpose, but only on Sundays between June and October.

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posted by DrommMedia @ 4:22 PM  

Friday, April 16, 2010

NY Daily News: Dromm Champions Park Space in Jackson Heights


From NY Daily News: By Clare Trapasso

Jackson Heights needs more park space.

That was the message at Wednesday's town hall meeting as more than 100 locals learned about Travers Park renovations and how to increase open space in the congested neighborhood.

"We're fighting for open space because our families need that," said City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights). But "we have to be creative."

Dromm championed turning an empty stretch of 78th St. next to Travers Park into a "play street" for all of July and August, blocking it off to traffic.

He was set to speak to Community Board 3 about the issue last night.

The play street has run from June through October for the past two years. But it has been open only on Sundays, because residents don't want to lose coveted street parking, local leaders said.

"We see 78th St. as a natural future piece of land for additional park space," said Donovan Finn of the Jackson Heights Green Alliance. "There is a baby boom going on in Jackson Heights and a tiny park that is not big enough for all of the kids who want to use it."

But Travers Park is scheduled to be reopened sooner than expected.

The playground renovations, which weren't due to be completed until the fall, were finished early, Parks Department officials said.

"We hope by May 5 to have the majority of the playground open," said JoAnne Amagrande, chief of staff for Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski. "By the end of June or so, we will open up the whole park."

Local officials are also looking into turning a stretch of state-owned land on 69th St. between 35th and 37th Aves. near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway into open space. But there are rat problems at the site, officials said.

"There are other places we are looking at," state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights) said at the meeting. But "it's too premature to mention."

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posted by DrommMedia @ 10:49 AM  

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Dromm Speaks at Parks and Recreation Town Hall - Part 2

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posted by DrommMedia @ 11:13 PM  

Dromm Speaks at Parks and Recreation Town Hall - Part 1

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posted by DrommMedia @ 11:07 PM  

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Queens Gazette: Dromm Addresses Community Board 3


From Western Queens Gazette: by Thomas Cogan

Community Board 3’s first meeting of 2010 at the board’s usual meeting place, I.S. 227, the Louis Armstrong School in Corona, three politicians introduced themselves and talked. A spokesman for a local ambulance service sought letters of approval for a plan that would expand its territory. There was a new election of board officers. Near the end of the meeting, there was word of a proposal to build an elementary school, while the MTA proposal to eliminate free transit fare for students was not appreciated.

City Councilmember Daniel Dromm was the first politician to the front of the room. New to political office, he first defeated incumbent Helen Sears in a primary race for nomination to the City Council’s 25th district seat then won the November election, where, he acknowledged, his share of the vote was 75 percent. Just after being inaugurated, he was named head of the council Immigration Committee.

Dromm has a 25-year background teaching in city schools and spoke first of educational matters. He noted that the local problem of overcrowded classrooms would be allayed considerably if an arrangement could be effected for public school students to fill 700 seats at the now closed Blessed Sacrament elementary school at 34-20 94th St. “It would be like getting a new school,” he said. He praised the Renaissance Charter School, a K-12 school that has operated at 35-59 81st St. for nearly a decade. Turning to another critical area, he deplored the healthcare situation since the recent closing of three Queens hospitals, saying the closings have had a particularly severe impact on Elmhurst Medical Center, where people in need of treatment often must wait nine or 10 hours just to be admitted. He said that several primary care centers are needed locally, and added that he and Congressmember Joseph Crowley have been trying to gain funds from the federal stimulus package, which might be used toward getting some of those centers.

He said that day laborers, widely seen as a great problem in the vicinity of Roosevelt Avenue, should instead be seen as those “least amongst us” that he learned about in his Catholic youth. Allowing that they have caused some problems, he said that they need community centers to address their situation of being unattached to just about anything. He praised the closing from time to time of 78th Street to make it a play street for children, hailing Board 3 Member Ed Westley for his part in bringing it about. Considering the number of local restaurants, he said that Jackson Heights should stage something like Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue neighborhoods. He concluded by saying: “The strength of our community is the diversity of our community.”

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posted by ProgressNYC @ 10:58 PM  

Queens Chronicle: Dromm Gets Top Committee Assignments

From Queens Chronicle: By Michael Lanza

City Council Member Daniel Dromm was elected to serve as Chair of the Immigration Committee. Dromm will also serve on these committees: Education; Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations; Juvenile Justice; Parks; and Veterans.

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posted by ProgressNYC @ 10:48 PM  

Friday, November 21, 2008

Dromm Sponsors Children's Face Painting at 78th Street Play Street


District Leader Daniel Dromm will sponsor face painting for children on the 78th Street Play Street at the Play Street Season Finale 2008 on Sunday, November 23rd at 1pm. Come and join the fun!

photo credit: flickr/dudleystewart

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posted by ProgressNYC @ 11:57 PM