Your Neighborhood — Your News®
THE NEWSPAPER OF JAMAICA, HOLLIS & ST. ALBANS
75 cents
GET THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY AT QNS.COM
Sept. 24 - Sept. 30, 2021
Southeast Queens residents celebrate
groundbreaking of new 116th Precinct
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Southeast Queens community members,
elected officials and Mayor Bill de
Blasio on Monday, Sept. 20, broke ground
on the long-awaited 116th Precinct and
community center that will serve the
neighborhoods of Rosedale, Springfield
Gardens, Brookville, Laurelton and the
southern portion of Cambria Heights.
Borough President Donovan Richards
and Congressman Gregory Meeks,
along with Council members Selvena
Brooks-Powers, I. Daneek Miller, Adrienne
Adams and Leroy Comrie, were in
attendance at the press conference held
at the 105th Precinct’s satellite office, located
at 242-20 N. Conduit Ave. in Rosedale,
which will soon become the 116th
Precinct.
According to the mayor, the new precinct
will make the community safer.
“The real pride and real respect goes
to the community leaders — you all
fought for this, and it was not easy, there
were ups and downs. Southeast Queens
deserves this and has a right to public
safety and reform and we couldn’t do it
right without a new facility,” de Blasio
said. “This new facility will help bring the
community into policing while making
policing more responsive for everyone.”
Southeast Queens elected officials
commended the mayor for listening to
the needs of the community.
“Mayors came and left, but we still
had the same voice and nobody delivered.
Nobody listened to the entire community,
but Mayor Bill de Blasio listened
and delivered,” said Meeks, who referenced
the struggle that started in the
Mayor Bill de Blasio joins southeast Queens elected officials and community advocates to break ground on the new 116th
Precinct at 244-04 North Conduit Avenue in Rosedale. Courtesy of Queens Borough President Richards’ offi ce
1970s for the creation of a new police precinct
amid public safety concerns. “We
are breaking ground on a dream that’s
been deferred for far too long, and a reality
that is most important for this community,
at a time when it’s most needed.”
Now, 44 years later, residents are
overjoyed with happiness that the project
is finally coming to fruition.
“It was a long journey, but we know
at the end we are going to help save lives
because it won’t take 15 minutes to come
from the 105th Precinct and this part of
town to resolve any problems that we
may have,” said Bess DeBethem, a community
member who has long advocated
for the precinct. “We would also like to
make the 116th Precinct an example of
how the police department and community
can work together.”
Construction on the $78 million building
began last month and is projected to
be completed in January 2024. The NYC
Department of Design and Construction
is managing project for the NYPD. The
total project cost is $104.8 million.
The new, 48,410-square-foot facility
has been designed with a community
meeting room on the first floor, with a
dedicated entrance from the front of the
building, to allow members of the neighborhood
to engage with the precinct in
a way that strengthens awareness of
the NYPD’s commitment to community
policing. The precinct is placed strategically
within the community to allow for
more rapid responses and effective policing
.“
This new police precinct was conceived
by the communities of Southeast
Queens. It was forged, and designed, as
a reflection of their best vision for effective
public safety and is thankfully
now being realized after decades of their
hard work and inspiration. The NYPD
embraces this moment for the opportunities
this premier facility gives us to help
deepen our connections and better serve
the people who live in the neighborhoods
it will cover,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot
Shea said.
The 116th Precinct was approved by
Community Board 13 in October 2018.
Read more on QNS.com.
Vol. 9, No. 39 32 total pages
VOTE NOW!
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE BANDS, BARBERSHOPS,
BAGEL STORES & MUCH MORE THROUGH NOVEMBER 11TH AT
2022 BESTOF.QNS.COM
@bestoftheboro
/QNS.COM
/QNS.com
/BESTOF.QNS.COM
