Annual holiday parade
returns to Bell Boulevard
BY JENNA BAGCAL
As the holiday season
approaches, Bayside is gearing
up for its long-awaited
yearly tradition.
On Sunday, Dec. 1 from
3:30 to 5 p.m., the sixth annual
Children’s Holiday Parade
& Lighting Ceremony
returns to Bell Boulevard.
Councilman Paul Vallone
along with the Bayside Village
BID invites attendees
to participate in a festive
march down the boulevard,
holiday-themed performances,
hot chocolate and a tree
and menorah lighting.
The parade and celebration
will start on 36th Avenue
near the Redeemer
Lutheran Church and will
culminate on 41st Avenue
near the Bayside LIRR
station.
The BID welcomes all
community groups, schools,
sports programs and local
organizations to march in
the parade.
Other family-friendly
activities include holiday
caroling, marching bands,
holiday treats and costumed
characters available for fun
photo ops. Kids can also
meet Santa, who will arrive
atop an FDNY fire truck.
Attendees can also enter
a raffle to win a free Christmas
tree from Garden World
or a decorated wreath from
Bayside Florist. The winner
must be present to accept the
prize.
Following the parade and
performances, head to participating
local restaurants
to see their available food
Children’s
Holiday
Parade
and
Lighting
Ceremony
• When: Sunday, Dec. 1,
from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
• The parade will start
on 36th Avenue and
end on 41st avenue
• Other activities
include caroling, treats
and photo ops
• Enter to win a free
Christmas tree or a
decorated wreath
and drink specials.
For more information
or for those interested in
marching, contact Ahmed
Nazaar at 718-619-8611
or anazaar@council.nyc.
gov or the Bayside Village
BID at 718-423-2434 or
info@baysidevi l lagebid.
com.
Information is also available
at baysidevillagebid.
com, Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and Eventbrite.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
260-2583.
Congress members Grace Meng, Eliot Engel and Nydia Velázquez called on NYCHA to provide
consistent heat to residents this winter. Courtesy of Meng’s office
All NYCHA residents must
have adequate heat: Meng
BY JENNA BAGCAL
As winter approaches and
temperatures quickly plummet,
a Queens lawmaker
urged New York City Housing
Authority (NYCHA) to take
action in providing residents
with adequate heat.
In a letter to the city agency,
Congresswoman Grace
Meng — along with fellow U.S.
Reps. Eliot Engel and Nydia
Velázquez — demanded that
CEO Gregory Russ provide the
details of the NYCHA’s “action
plan” following their failure to
keep boilers working and units
at a proper temperature.
Back in 2016, the New York
City Congressional Delegation
passed an amendment as part
of the Housing Opportunity
Through Modernization Act.
Under the amendment, the
Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) set
federal guidelines establishing
minimum heating requirements
for NYCHA and other
federally supported public
housing units.
The guidelines took effect
on Nov. 19, 2018, but multiple
reports exhibited NYCHA’s inability
to provide heat consistently.
A year after HUD issued
its guidelines, a report from
Gothamist showed that nearly
23,000 city residents experienced
heat or hot water outages
during a boiler system test.
“It is completely unacceptable
for any resident to
be forced to live in these cold,
and, often unsafe, conditions,”
the members wrote in the letter.
“While we understand
that the Action Plan is still
under review by the Federal
Monitor, we are becoming increasingly
concerned about
the lack of transparency of the
Action Plan. Many of our constituents
are already reporting
heating outages in their
NYCHA units.”
According to the letter, On
Jan. 31, 2019, NYCHA, HUD
and the city entered into a
consent decree to remedy living
conditions across NYCHA,
which is considered the nation’s
largest public housing
authority. The agency houses
approximately 380,000 residents
in 316 developments.
Part of the consent decree
requires NYCHA to maintain
certain temperatures in apartments
between Oct. 1 and May
31, also known as “heating season.”
When outside temperatures
fall below 55 degrees,
NYCHA must heat buildings
to at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit
between 6 a.m. and 10
p.m., and to at least 62 degrees
between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The consent decree also
requires NYCHA to establish
the action plan identifying
how NYCHA will respond to
heating outages in each of its
316 developments.
“Nobody should be forced to
endure frigid temperatures,”
Meng said. “NYCHA’s troubling
history of heating problems
has been reckless and
unacceptable, especially after
we passed minimum heating
requirement guidelines into
law. My district includes three
NYCHA public housing units:
Pomonok, Latimer Gardens
and Bland Houses. As winter
sets in, I demand that NYCHA
residents in my district and
throughout the city have warm
homes during the cold weather.
I am thankful to and proud to
work alongside my colleagues,
Representatives Engel and Velázquez
in holding NYCHA accountable.
I await Chairman
Russ’ response to our letter.”
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.com or
by phone at (718) 260-2583.
The sixth annual Children’s Holiday Parade and Lighting
Ceremony is on Sunday, Dec. 1.
Photo courtesy of Bayside Village BID
FLUSHING TIMES (USPS#03925) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2019. All rights reserved.
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TIMESLEDGER,2 NOV. 29-DEC. 5, 2019 QNS.COM
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