HOLD YOUR BLADDERS!
A city scheme to build a bathroom in Canarsie Park suffers yearlong delay
BY JESSICA PARKS
A city plan to build a bathroom
in Canarsie Park has
come to a stand still, with National
Grid refusing to connect
the loo to gas and the city warring
with its contractor over
who’s to blame for a monthslong
delay that’s forcing locals
to whizz in the bushes.
“There is no bathroom on
that side of the park at all,” said
Marc Want, head of the Canarsie
Improvement Association.
“We are having literally crowds
of people using the park for parties
and people end up going
into the bushes. It is just disgusting.”
The city was scheduled to
begin construction of a $3.6
million comfort station in Canarsie’s
namesake park back
in April, but Brooklyn’s only
natural-gas provider placed a
moratorium on new customers
— including the city — in May,
shortly after state regulators
killed the utility company’s
scheme to construct a 23-milelong
pipeline off the coast of Coney
Island, according to a local
civic guru.
“The bathrooms that they
are building at Canarsie Park
couldn’t be built because National
Great rates like ours are always in season.
6-Month
CD or IRA CD 2.00%
APY1
$5,000 minimum deposit
To qualify you must have or open any Flushing Bank Complete Checking account2 which provides you
with access to over 55,000 ATMs, ATM fee rebates, mobile banking and mobile check deposit. Plus, you
can qualify for additional cash bonuses of up to $300.3,4,5
Small enough to know you.
Large enough to help you.®
COURIER L 4 IFE, NOVEMBER 8-14, 2019
Grid was not supplying
any more gas lines,” Dorothy
Turano explained at an Oct. 16
Community Board 18 meeting.
“So they had to go back to the
drawing board and get plans for
an electric bathroom.”
In the face of National Grid’s
strong-arm tactics, the city
choose to redraft designs for
its bathroom to include an electric
heating system, but as of
now the project remains on an
indefi nite hold, according to a
spokeswoman for the Parks Department.
“Right now, we don’t have
an updated timeline for the
project,” said Parks Department
spokeswoman Anessa
Hodgson.
Hodgson blamed the holdup
on New York Construction and
Renovation Inc., the general
contractor in charge of the project,
saying offi cials are considering
whether to hold the company
in default.
But a rep for the construction
company claimed the city
that Parks offi cials are causing
the delay by failing to communicate
and leaving the workers
to twiddle their thumbs.
“We have asked two or
three times when we can start
the job,”,” said an offi ce manager
at New York Construction
and Renovation Inc., who gave
his name as Assad. “We have
asked ‘please let us know when
to start the job,’ but we haven’t
heard anything.”
Meanwhile, the year’s building
season is nearing its wintery
end, and work is unlikely
to begin on the project until
next spring, meaning the originally
September 2020 opening
may be pushed back by a year,
or longer.
A rendering of the long-delayed comfort station. Parks Department
For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch,
call 800.581.2889 (855.540.2274 TTY/TDD) or visit www.FlushingBank.com.
1) New money only. APY effective September 26, 2019. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of
$5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. Premature withdrawals
may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. 2) New money required for new checking accounts only. A Flushing Bank checking account
with a $5,000 minimum balance is required to receive the advertised rate. Certain fees, minimum balance requirements and restrictions may apply. Fees may reduce earnings on these
accounts. A checking account is not required for IRA accounts. 3) New Complete Checking account with new money only. Existing checking account customers are not eligible. A new
checking account is defined as any new checking account that does not have any authorized signatures in common with any other existing Flushing Bank checking account(s). An existing
checking customer is defined as anyone who currently has or has had a Flushing Bank checking account within the last 24 months. New money is defined as money not currently on deposit
with Flushing Bank. 4) The Cash Bonus is limited to one (1) account credit per new Complete Checking account. To qualify for the Cash Bonus, a new Complete Checking account must be
opened with a minimum opening balance of $1,000 or more. The Cash Bonus credit will be based on the monthly average account balance of the first three (3) full months after account
opening. The monthly average account balance tiers and respective account credits are as follows: Tier 1: $1,000 - $4,999 a $10 account credit, Tier 2: $5,000 - $9,999 a $50 account
credit, Tier 3: $10,000+ a $100 account credit. The Cash Bonus credit will be posted to the account on or about the end of the subsequent month following the account’s three (3) month
anniversary. A 1099 will be issued in the amount of the account credit. The new Complete Checking account must remain open, active and in good standing for six months. If the account
is closed prior to six months or prior to receiving the credit, the account credit will be forfeited. Other fees and restrictions may apply. Notwithstanding the Cash Bonus offer, a minimum
deposit of $25 is required to open the Complete Checking account. 5) This offer is limited to one Complete Checking account per household. Minimum deposit required to open a new
Complete Checking account is $25. No minimum balance required to be eligible for the Bonus. Direct Deposit– You will receive $100 for signing up for and receiving a recurring direct
deposit. Each direct deposit must be $250 or more. Tax refund checks do not qualify as direct deposit. Direct Deposits must be completed prior to 90 days after the account is opened.
Debit Card Purchases – You will receive $50 for the completion of 5 debit card purchases. Each debit card purchase must be $25 or more. Online Banking bill payments – You will receive $50
for completing 5 online banking bill payments via Flushing Bank’s Online Banking portal. Each online bill pay must be $25 or more. Debit Card Purchases and Online Banking bill payments
must be completed prior to 60 days after the account is opened. THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT ANY CUSTOMER CAN RECEIVE IS $200. The compensation will be credited to the checking
account on or about the end of the month following the completion of the above qualifying transactions within the required time after account opening. A 1099 will be issued
in the amount credited to your account. Other fees and restrictions may apply. The promotion and offer are subject to change and termination without prior notice at any
time. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
/www.FlushingBank.com
/www.FlushingBank.com