Astoria Houses Senior Center will remain open
City scraps closure plan of center that provides warm meals and socialization to elderly
BY BILL PARRY
The de Blasio
administration backed off
an ill-conceived, cost-cutting
proposal to close down the
Astoria Houses Senior Center
following intense opposition
from elected officials in
western Queens and prolonged
negotiations with the City
Council in what is referred to
as the “budget dance.”
City Councilman Costa
Constantinides joined with the
Astoria Houses community
on June 20 and announced
their senior center, where a
$500,000 renovation is just
completing, will remain open
and continue to provide warm
meals and socialization for the
complex’s hundreds of elderly
residents instead of the city’s
proposal to bus then to the
Queensbridge Houses nearly
two miles away.
“Today, we can celebrate
both the opening of the
renovated senior center,
which will be able to hold more
people, as well as its continued
service to this community,”
Constantinides said on
Thursday. “Though these
cuts should not have been
proposed in the first place, the
City Council made sure these
seniors wouldn’t have to get on
a bus and travel down cramped
streets for basic services.”
The councilman was
irked that the city planned on
closing the facility because
it was underutilized. He
argued it was simply too
small and that was the reason
the Astoria Houses Senior
Center received the $500,000
for renovation and expansion
under the Astoria Cove
rezoning in 2014.
Constantinides thanked
City Council Finance Chair
Daniel Dromm and Council
Speaker Corey Johnson for
fighting to save the facility.
“The City Council is
committed to protecting all
of our most vulnerable New
Yorkers, and that is why we
fought hard during the budget
negotiations to reverse the
administration’s proposal
to close the Astoria Houses
Senior Center,” Johnson said.
City Councilman Costa Constantinides announces the city will not
close the Astoria Houses Senior Center after the City Council would
not back down during budget negotiations.
Courtesy of Constantinides’ offi ce
“As part of the agreement, the
Department of the Aging will
operate this senior center to
better address the needs of
the seniors close to their own
homes. For Fiscal 2020, we are
also dedicating $10 million,
which will increase to $15
million for next fiscal year, to
improve senior center meals
and provide better wages for
kitchen staff.”
State Senator
Michael Gianaris joined
Constantinides and
Assemblywoman Aravella
Simotas on Thursday to speak
out against the city’s proposal
in May.
“Seniors rely on this center
for hot meals and recreation
but even more importantly to
foster a sense of community
we cannot put a price on,”
Gianaris said. I am thrilled
that, by working together
and with the support of the
community, we were able to
save this critical center.”
In recent weeks
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney and Assemblywoman
Catherine Nolan fired off
letters to Mayor de Blasio.
“This is a big victory
for the community as the
seniors will not be uprooted
and can stay at the Astoria
Senior Center,” Nolan said
before adding diplomatically
“a big thanks to the city for
listening to our community
and doing the right thing for
our seniors.”
Maloney said, “I am
so happy that by working
together, this great community
was able to save the Astoria
Houses Senior Center.”
Read more at QNS.com
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