FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com FEBRUARY 27, 2014 • The Queens Courier 19 PARENTS PROTEST DOE PLAN BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected]/@aaltamirano28 A group of Woodside parents is sending the Department of Education (DOE) back to the drawing board. Congressmember Joseph Crowley gathered with other local elected officials and parents of students from P.S. 11, located at 54-25 Skillman Avenue, to voice their disagreement with the DOE’s final recommendation of sending the school’s kindergarten and first grade students to P.S. 171 in Astoria. The temporary relocation of the students, expected to begin for the 2014-15 school year, comes as the School Construction Authority (SCA) plans to build a brand new mini-building addition to P.S. 11 with a capacity of 856 seats. “I commend the DOE and the SCA for allocating millions of dollars towards this expansion,” Crowley said. “At the same time, though, we must ensure that our children, especially our youngest elementary students, are not displaced to a school outside of the confines of their own neighborhood.” Last month, the elected officials sent a letter to Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña urging her to reconsider the proposed plan. According to the DOE’s proposal, the incoming kindergarten class and some first grade students would be transported by bus to P.S. 171, close to three miles away from their zoned school. Then for the 2015-16 school year the children would be relocated to a new elementary school located at 39-07 57th Street. For the third year, the students would then return to P.S. 11. Woodside parent Julianne O’Riordan currently has a daughter in second grade and a son in kindergarten at P.S. 11, and her youngest son is expected to start kindergarten at the school next year. “For the first three years of school he’s going to be moved around Queens like a piece on a chess board,” said O’Riordan, about her youngest son, Enda. “We love P.S. 11, its principal, teachers and staff. That is why we are upset that our younger children may not get to have the same wonderful experience that our daughter has enjoyed.” Although the group of parents and elected officials are thrilled to be getting an expansion for the crowded school, they are calling on the DOE to look at different options that would keep the children in the community. “Taking these kids and moving them miles away to school is going to damage their education and slow them down in their progress and it’s something we impose upon the DOE to fix, and fix before it becomes a problem,” State Senator Michael Gianaris said. Throughout the process of deciding the best course of action during the estimated three year construction, consideration was given to every possible option, according to the DOE. “Our aim is to deliver a state-of-the-art addition to the building, and as part of our newly announced engagement protocol, we will be scheduling a meeting with the entire school community,” said DOE spokesperson Harry Hartfield. THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano Woodside parent Julianne O’Riordan is calling on the Department of Education to change its proposal sending P.S. 11 students, including her son Enda,4, to P.S. 171 in Astoria for the upcoming school year. CALLING ALL ARTISTS BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] @aaltamirano28 One landmark Long Island City building is calling all artists to come and create. Nonprofit arts organization Local Project and the Falchi Building, located at 31-00 47th Avenue, have come together to look for artists to collaborate on a site-specific installation piece in the 20-by-40 feet glass vitrines of the five-story location. “I’m super excited. It’s a great opportunity for artists to show their work in a new environment,” said Carolina Peñafiel, founder and director of Local Project. Artists can submit proposals presenting collaborations in any media and inter-borough groups are welcomed, with at least one of the artists in each proposal from Queens. “We are definitely looking for artists to collaborate from borough to borough,” Peñafiel said. “We’re pretty open to see what’s out there.” The temporary or semi-permanent pieces selected to be displayed inside the Falchi Building will investigate the everyday movement through a diverse city and the projects will receive a stipend, according to Jamestown Properties, which owns the building. The Falchi Building went through a recent lobby renovation and upgrade, which brought a 2,000-square-foot pop-up artisanal food fair, known as The Food Box, to the site. The deadline for the proposals is March 15 and artists can expect to be notified no later than March 20. An opening reception is scheduled for April 12. For more information, visit www.localproject. org/open-calls/local-project/in-my-borough/. Artists can submit their proposals to info@localproject. org. Long Island City’s Falchi Building and nonprofit arts organization Local Project are calling for artists to collaborate on a site-specific installation piece to be displayed in the five-story building. RENDERING COURTESY JAMESTOWN PROPERTIES COURTESY LOCAL PROJECT POL: RACINO $ SHOU LD GO TO AQUE DUCT BY MAGGIE HAYES [email protected] @magghayes Following years of neglect and two recent crimes, one Queens pol wants to turn the Aqueduct Racetrack from a “national disgrace” back into a community gem. “It’s unacceptable that this once national treasure has become an eyesore and serious danger to our families and neighbors in southern Queens,” said Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder. Goldfeder has introduced new legislation that would require an existing $30 million, generated by neighboring Resorts World Casino, go directly to Aqueduct. Earlier this month, a mentally handicapped 40-year-old woman was found naked in the racetrack’s bathroom stall after being sexually abused by Frank Wood of Pennsylvania, according to District Attorney Richard A. Brown. Additionally, just this week the 1985 Breeders’ Cup trophy and several electronic items were stolen from the site, police said. Goldfeder said his proposal would bring in funds to significantly upgrade security as well as give current employees the tools needed to combat crime. It would also go toward general upgrades for the facility. The $30 million from Resorts World accounts for 4 percent of the racino’s yearly revenue. It is allotted to capital expenditures for maintaining and upgrading New York Racing Association (NYRA) facilities. Currently, NYRA uses the funds upstate at the Saratoga and Belmont racing sites. Eric Wing, a NYRA spokesperson, said revenue received is diverted to Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct depending on what is needed in capital improvements. “In the past year, we’ve spent well over $5 million just on upgrades at Aqueduct,” Wing said. “Everyone who comes can easily get a firsthand look at the many improvements that have been made.” He said NYRA has a “responsibility to all three of our racetracks” and upgrades will continue to be made at the borough’s track.
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