FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com march 20, 2014 • The Queens Courier 3 PARADE MARCHES ON The 87th annual Little Neck- Douglaston Memorial Day Parade will march on this year, despite rumors it may be canceled, sources said. Residents feared for the future of their long-standing tradition after the Little Neck-Douglaston Parade Organization, which has run the event for the last few years, said on its website it would no longer fund or produce the popular parade due to financial reasons. But the nearly two-mile long parade, deemed one of the largest of its kind in the United States, will still take place, rain or shine, May 26 at 2 p.m., parade sources said. It will move west along Northern Boulevard from Jayson Avenue in Great Neck to St. Anastasia’s School. This year, it will be organized by the United War Veterans Council, which has been a huge financial supporter of the parade in the past. Organizers held a meeting for concerned residents Wednesday, as The Queens Courier went to press. SAFETY PLEDGE IN VICTIM’S HONOR BY MELIS A CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com @MelissaCourier The family of the 3-year-old girl tragically killed by an SUV in Flushing will watch hundreds stand to take a pledge against reckless driving Friday to honor the toddler. “This is actually pretty amazing,” said Hsi-Pei Liao, whose daughter, Allison, was fatally struck while crossing Main Street at Cherry Avenue last October. “It’s very personal.” Nearly 2,000 people are expected to take a safety oath at P.S. 173, promising to “value the preservation of life above all else” while behind the wheel. The Fresh Meadows elementary school, which Allison’s 5-year-old brother Preston attends, has been the site of daily, dangerous drop-offs during the morning rush, civic leaders said. Police even stepped in last month to stop short-tempered drivers from double parking, blocking the school bus stop and letting students run across the street, The Queens Courier reported. “Our traffic conditions outside of our school are so severe,” said PTA President Italia Augienello. “We don’t need another tragedy. I’m afraid because, next time, it could be my kid.” The driver who hit Allison remained at the scene and was not charged with a crime, police said. He was issued two summonses for failing to exercise due care and failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The irreversible tragedy has led Hsi-Pei and his wife, Amy, who works as a social worker, to turn their pain into progress. “We can’t save her,” said Hsi-Pei, a 36-year-old software technician. “There’s a feeling of helplessness and we can’t do that anymore. We can’t do that to ourselves anymore.” The couple, in February, helped create Families for Safe Streets, a New York City-based group fighting for an end to traffic deaths. They also meet monthly with local precincts and the PTA, drive to Albany to plead with elected officials and rally with a local advocacy group, Make Queens Safer. “Something needs to be changed,” Hsi- Pei said. “Even if it constantly brings up the topic of why I lost my daughter, I feel like we’re proactively doing something.” The family of 3-year-old Allison Liao, who was killed by an SUV last year, will watch hundreds on Friday support their cause to stop traffic fatalities. ‘HEART’ YOUR QUEENS PARKS The family’s resilience has inspired hundreds on a local and citywide level. All 940 students in the school are expected to take the pledge to be careful on the streets and at least 1,000 parents, staff and residents plan to do the same. “It’s amazing — the strength they have after what they’ve been through,” Augienello said. “They’re humble and THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan quiet, yet they’re strong and their voices are heard.” All are welcome to join the assembly March 21 at 1:10 p.m., inside the school’s auditorium at 174-10 67th Avenue. “They’re healing by helping other people understand what their actions can cause,” said Parent Coordinator Jean Mendler, “and that’s wonderful.” This month, Macy’s shoppers can spend some green to keep Queens green. Two parks in the borough — Cunningham and Queens Botanical Garden — have been selected for the major department store’s “Heart Your Park” fundraising initiative that raises money for upkeep and improvement projects. More than 550 parks in the nation were chosen for the program. From March 7 to March 31, customers can make donations at three Macy’s locations in Flushing, Douglaston and Queens Center Mall. Macy’s will match the total up to $250,000 and give the proceeds to the city’s Parks Department. “I’m ecstatic,” said Friends of Cunningham Park President Marc Haken. “We’re constantly improving the park.” Haken said his parks support group, which is funded through City Council and state assembly grants, has spent at least $100,000 over the last few years to maintain the Fresh Meadows park. The much-needed help from Macy’s would go toward cleaning up hiking trails and fixing many eroded parts of the park, Haken added. “It’s like owning a house,” he said. “There’s always stuff to do, equipment to be purchased.” Melissa Chan Group releases LGA renderings Advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance released renderings, created by design firm Neoscape, showcasing its vision for LaGuardia Airport’s main terminal, which is slated to get a facelift. “This design maximizes the area’s significant space constraints while seamlessly connecting passengers to the city,” said Joseph Sitt, the group’s founder and chairperson. Renderings courtesy of Global Gateway Alliance SCHOOL VOTE POSTPONED The Department of Education announced the vote on a Woodside school’s partial co-location and resiting has been postponed. Next month the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) will decide if kindergarten and first grade students from P.S. 11 in Woodside will be sent to P.S. 171 in Astoria. The three-year 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. The PEP was originally going to vote on the proposal on March 18 but will now vote on April 9. Angy Altamirano
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