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QC03142013

14 The Queens Courier • MARCH 14, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com THE COURIER/Photo by Terence M. Cullen Community Board 9 voted against the USTA’s expansion plan after a lengthy debate. New center to treat first responders BY ANTHONY O’REILLY Nearly 12 years after the attacks on the Twin Towers, the Queens World Trade Center Clinical Center for Excellence opened a new facility in Rego Park – its third in the borough – to treat workers suffering from 9/11 related illnesses. Dr. Jacqueline Moline, director of the center, said the new building would allow for the center to care for more 9/11 first responders than it previously could. The new 3,650-square-foot building is about 50 percent larger than the center’s Flushing site. The new facility received $3.85 million under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which Congress passed in 2011 in order to provide care for more than 3,000 Queens workers who were at Ground Zero in the days following 9/11. Moline said she had worked with first responders during the first WTC bombing in 1993 and after the events of 9/11, she said she knew she would have to help those who were on the pile. “I knew I had to help because I knew what was in those buildings,” she said. Moline also testified in Congress about the health risks that working at Ground Zero posed to workers. She said the new center would help provide extra assistance to 9/11 first responders, who previously might not have had access to health care. “We’re really thrilled to open a new space and see new patients,” she said. “We’ll be able to provide an additional resource to those who have any illnesses from working at the World Trade Center.” Lorelei Sander, a retired NYPD officer who was at Ground Zero, said she developed a cough days after first arriving at the scene. Her cough then At the ribbon cutting were Borough President Helen Marshall; Michael Dowling, President & CEO, North Shore-LIJ; Jacqueline Moline, MD, director of Queens WTC Health Program; and retired NYPD officer Lorelei Sander, who is receiving developed into respiratory problems, including difficulty breathing and sleep apnea. At first, Sander received treatment at Mount Sinai. Photo Courtesy North Shore-LIJ Public Relations But after going to one of the center’s sites in Queens, she says her health has greatly improved, plus she has the added convenience of visiting a doctor in Queens. treatment at the Queens WTC program. NET BALL Local boards mixed on USTA expansion BY TERENCE M. CULLEN AND MELISSA CHAN editorial@queenscourier.com Six community boards are lobbing back and forth on approving the proposed expansion of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The boards surrounding the park are required to vote on the .068 acres lost in the U.S. Tennis Association’s (USTA) plan to expand in the park. Their recommendations, which are solely advisory, then go to the Borough President, the City Council and the Department of City Planning. So far, two community boards have voted against the expansion, and one has opted in favor of it. Community Board 9 voted 22-20 against the plan, with one abstention, after a lengthy debate at its March 13 meeting. Board member Alex Blenkinsopp said he thought many voted against it to send a message that parkland should not be given up for expansion. “I believe the majority of Community Board 9 voted the way we did because we’re concerned about the future of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park,” he said. “This would have set a worrying precedent. That land, once surrendered, will never come back. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want the National Tennis Center to live within its current footprint.” Community Board 4 also voted down the expansion. However, it said it would approve it if the USTA meets nine requests, according to District Manager Christian Cassagnol. Some of the resolutions call for better park security, a $15 million trust fund exclusively for the park, and a $500,000 per year maintenance fund that would be overseen by members of different community boards. Community Board 7 voted 30-6 in favor of the expansion, but members also had nine conditions. The board asked the USTA to establish a $15 million capital endowment fund and an annual $300,000 expense fund for sole Flushing Meadows-Corona Park maintenance. All damaged trees, they said, must also be replaced within the park, and there must be substantial discount programs for seniors and children living nearby. Community Board 7 also insisted National Anthem tryouts should be held in Queens. The USTA must also work with the Department of Parks to clean and maintain the property and mitigate traffic concerns. “The reason why we voted yes with conditions is because we found out that even if they didn’t want to take our conditions, they came back to the table to talk to us,” said Community Board 7 Chair Eugene Kelty. “They had a meeting in our office. They asked us if they could come in and explain what was happening after the fact. They didn’t have to, but they did.” Community Boards 3, 6 and 8 were scheduled to vote after The Courier went to press.


QC03142013
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