College Pt. community unveils ‘Joe Femenia Way’
BY JENNA BAGCAL
In January, College Point lost beloved
civic leader and activist Joe
Femenia. Nine months later, the community
has dedicated a local street in
honor of “Mr. College Point.”
This past weekend, the Femenia
family, elected officials and members
of Community Board 7 and the College
Point Civic and Taxpayer Association
(CPCTA) gathered at the intersection
of 130th Street and 23rd Avenue to unveil
the new “Joe Feminia Way.”
The CPCTA learned of Femenia’s
sudden passing at the monthly meeting
on Jan. 30. The fourth-generation
College Point resident had been the organization’s
president on and off since
2008.
In February, Councilman Paul Vallone
proposed a street co-naming in
Femenia’s honor.
“Joe worked tirelessly to make sure
that the community he was born in
received its fair share, was vigilant
when it came to capital improvement
projects, and always stressed the importance
of civic engagement,” said
Vallone. “If ever there was someone
who perfectly personified the neighborhood,
it was Joe. A dear friend, an
outspoken civic leader, and a great
man, our ‘Mr. College Point’ will be
dearly missed.”
The lifelong Queens resident attended
P.S. 129, JHS 194, Flushing
High School and Queens College. He
married Laura Wiskemann in 1992
and started his career with the MTA
in 1993. He was the chair for Community
Board 7’s Transportation Committee
and served on the board for a
decade.
“Joe attended school and church in
College Point, he played in the parks,
married me, and had a lifetime of love
and dedication to his hometown,”
said his wife Laura Femenia. “He had
many victories in protecting and preserving
the integrity of College Point.
As far as my husband was concerned,
every resident in College Point was his
neighbor.”
During his life, Femenia was also
responsible for restarting the CPCTA
in 2008. He served as the organization’s
president from 2008 to 2012 and
again from 2014 until his passing.
“Joe served ten years with us on
the board and was a fantastic chair of
the Transportation Committee,” said
Community Board 7 Chair Gene Kelty.
“Joe was a wonderful friend, I really
will miss him and we will never forget
him.”
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal by email
at jbagcal@qns.com or by phone
at (718) 260-2583. Courtesy of Vallone’s office
Call Now & End Your Tax Nightmare!
��������������������������������������
��������������������������������������
��������������������������������
��������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������
Co-Author of the
best selling book
“Breaking the Tax Code”
��������������������������������
��������������������������������
Salvatore P. Candela, EA, ATA, ABA
Enrolled Agent - Tax Advisor
����������������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������������
Do you know a Student of Distinction?
TimesLedger Newspapers and Community Newspaper Group
invite your school to participate in our feature highlighting
young people who are excellent students as well as
role models for their younger peers.
Nomination requirements are:
A) That the student excel in academics in addition to
participation in extra-curricular school activities.
B) A nominating letter from your school’s guidance
counselor and instructors describing the student’s abilities
and why they would be worthy of this recognition.
C) Please make sure that the student’s bio and a recent
photo are included with the nomination.
D) Categories are:
1) Middle School 2) High School 3) College
Please send nominations and information to:
srossi@cnglocal.com, or mail to:
S. Rossi – 41-02 Bell Blvd., 2nd Floor, Bayside, NY 11361
If you have any questions, you may contact me at:
718-260-4522
TIMESLEDGER,34 NOV. 1-7, 2019 QNS.COM
/QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
