18 The Queens Courier • march 27, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Elevated anger in LIC over 7 train closings BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 The Long Island City community plans to express its rage at the MTA for the lack of local subway service. A town hall meeting for locals to decry the last three weekends of No. 7 train suspensions is scheduled for March 27 to go over the details of the service disruption, expected to last for 19 more weekends. Local elected officials, who asked the MTA to set the meeting up, and MTA NYC Transit President Carmen Bianco are expected to hear feedback from community members. “I really thought the community should have the same access and same right to get the briefing and be able to ask their own questions,” Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said. “I want the folks to be able to share with the MTA how they feel about this and why it is so harmful to their business and everyday lives.” Senator Michael Gianaris said the MTA does not realize Long Island City has become a destination. The community SOON-TO-BE SAINT HONORED WITH QUEENS STREET NAME BY LIAM LA GUERRE lguerre@queenscourier.com @liamlaguerre As Pope John Paul II is about to be canonized a saint, some Queens groups are planning to celebrate his legacy in their own way. The street in which Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Maspeth is located, 56th Road, will be co-named Pope John Paul II Way in a ceremony on April 6, three weeks before the canonization. The co-naming is the brainchild of the Polish American Congress and the Jewish Historical Society of Queens, and it was sponsored by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. As a cardinal in 1969, the pope visited Holy Cross, using his birth name Father Karol Józef Wojtyla. Members of the organizations said it was Pope John Paul II who strengthened Jewish and Catholic ties, because his visit to a synagogue in 1986 was the first for a pope since biblical times. “John Paul has been a close friend of the Jewish people,” said Frank Milewski, president of the Polish American Congress. “His extension of friendship as pope to the Jewish community when he visited a synagogue in Rome was a momentous time in Catholic and Jewish relations.” Pope John Paul II’s papal leadership was from 1978 until his death in 2005. THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Pope John Paul II will be honored with a street co-naming of 56th Road in Maspeth, where Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church is located. G LINE GOING OFF THE TRACKS BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 Starting in July, G train riders are going to have to find a new way to get from Brooklyn to Queens. The MTA announced the line will be shut down for five weeks, including weekdays and weekends, starting July 28, though full details of the closure are still being finalized. Service will also be suspended between Nassau Avenue and Court Square. Although the transit agency said there will be no scheduled suspensions on the No. 7 and L subway lines during the five weeks, Long Island City residents and business owners are concerned about the inconveniences the shutdowns will bring. “It’s one thing after another. We just have to throw up our hands and ask what’s next from the MTA,” Senator Michael Gianaris said. “They make these decisions without asking the community for its input.” The closures are due to Sandy-related repairs, which involve track, structural, signal and electrical component repairs and replacement work, the MTA said. The work was scheduled during this period because it is when the G train has the lowest ridership. Sheila Lewandowski, co-founder and executive director of The Chocolate The G train will be shut down for five weeks starting July 28. Factory Theater in Long Island City, said more commuters are using the line. “There’s more and more people traveling within the other boroughs,” THE COURIER/ File Photo Lewandowski said. “It should not just be a talk down decision. There has to be communication. They need to be listening to their communities more.” has attempted to be more reasonable with the agency, but without success. “It’s nice to have a dialogue, but a dialogue without action is not that helpful,” Gianaris said. “I hope this time is different. We’re going to keep their feet to the fire.” Through July 21, there will be 13 weekend suspensions. Those dates are finalized, the MTA said, but there are also nine tentative weekend shutdowns scheduled for August through November. The suspensions are expected to be in effect from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between Times Square- 42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza. On some weekends, there will also be reduced or express-only service between 74th Street-Broadway and Queensboro Plaza. Ideas for transportation alternatives during the weekend disruptions, such as the shuttle bus from Vernon Boulevard through the Queens Midtown Tunnel into the city, will also be brought up. Sheila Lewandowski, Long Island City resident and owner of The Chocolate Factory Theater, believes such a meeting should be done before the disruptions began. However, she hopes the MTA will take what is said at the meeting and put it to good use. “I think it’s important that the MTA remembers that it’s a public service and that they need to hear from their customers. I don’t feel like we get much opportunities for that to happen,” Lewandowski said. “What I want is for them to be more accessible to the very people that use the system because I feel like that’s what’s going to drive better service and change.” The town hall meeting is open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at P.S./I.S. 78 at 46-08 Fifth St.
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