18 The Queens Courier • april 4, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Charge landlord with illegal rentals BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com An Elmhurst landlord has been charged with endangering the lives of 46 residents, including 12 children, by renting them illegally converted one-and two-family houses and garages, the district attorney announced. Landlord Segundo Chimbay, 48, has been charged in connection with renting out converted houses and garages in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, charging tenants from $850 to $1,4000 a month. “In addition to putting a strain on city services, such as parking, transportation, waste disposal and schools, illegal conversion endanger the lives of building residents as well as firefighters and other personnel who in responding to an emergency are confronted by a maze of rooms with no way out,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. The Building Department’s Quality of Life and Queens Borough Enforcement Units had found alleged illegal conditions at a twofamily house at 48-14 94th Street in Elmhurst; a two-family house at 35-39 92nd Street in Jackson Heights; a two-family house at 35-41 92nd Street in Jackson Heights; and a one-family house at 40-33 Forley Street in Elmhurst. Chimbay is presently awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on charges including firstdegree scheme to defraud, seconddegree reckless endangerment and violation of the New York City Administrative Code for failing to comply with an order to vacate. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison. “Illegal conversions can kill, and this arrest sends a clear message that property owners who create these dangerous living conditions will face serious consequences,” said NYC Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri. In addition to the criminal charges, Chimbay has been named as a respondent in a $1.6 million civil asset forfeiture action for allegedly failing to comply with prior vacate orders and building code violations. The suit was filed in Queens Supreme Court by the District Attorney’s Special Proceedings Bureau, said Brown. The Red Cross is temporarily relocating and providing shelter for the 46 tenants due to the reported dangerous situations at the homes, including fire hazards, illegal construction, unauthorized gas lines and many others. Rendering Courtesy of SculptureCenter/Andrew Berman Architect Rendering of the exterior sign of the expansion of the SculptureCenter. GROUNDBREAKING SculptureCenter expansion gives ‘defining role’ BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com Artists and audiences alike will soon have more space at the SculptureCenter in Long Island City. On Tuesday, April 2, Sascha Bauer, chair of the center’s board of trustees; Mary Ceruti, executive director and chief curator; Borough President Helen Marshall, Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer and Kate Levin, commissioner for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, broke ground on the expansion that will include a 2,000-square-foot addition to the structure that has been standing since 1908. “We’re really proud to be a part of this really great community in Long Island City and I think this expansion furthers our commitment to the neighborhood,” said Ceruti. “We’re really here for the long haul.” The front half of the outdoor lot, which the center already uses for outdoor exhibitions, will become a one-story building that will house an entrance lobby providing guests with ticketing, orientation and different visitor services such as restrooms, a seating area and coatroom. “It will allow us to better serve our audiences and improve the visitors’ flow,” said Ceruti. “It will create a more visible street presence for us.” Along with the lobby, the finished facility will include an elevator and stairway to the lower level galleries, a 1,500-square-foot enclosed courtyard to be used for outdoor exhibitions and events, some upgrades to electrical and mechanical systems and improvements in office and storage space. “When the work is completed, the new space will provide the SculptureCenter the opportunity to expand their audience and serve more artists,” said Marshall. The expansion project was designed by Andrew Berman Architect who has designed projects for The New York Public Library and MoMA PS1. The addition will maintain the steel and brick structure of the present building, yet will create a street presence “through the introduction of a limited vocabulary of new materials including plywood and Corten steel.” The project is expected to be completed by fall of 2014 with exhibitions still remaining open throughout the construction period, with some changes in the schedule. In addition, the “Building SculptureCenter Campaign” will provide $4.5 million in building funds and $1.5 million in working capital and term endowment to “position the organization to play a defining role in the neighborhood and contemporary art field far into the 21st century.” The SculptureCenter moved to the former trolley repair shop in 2002 and has since then presented works by over 700 artists.
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