24 The Queens Courier • april 11, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com THE COURIER/ Photo By Angy Altamirano Special guests at St. Mary’s (From left to right) Elvis Duran and the Z100’s Morning Show’s Garrett, Skeery Jones and Carla Marie stood alongside WWE superstars Mick Foley, Diva Layla, Zack Ryder and R-Truth in Bayside at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children on April 3. The group visited St. Mary’s patients, who are battling complex medical and life-limiting conditions. Photo Courtesy of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children BID battles graffiti BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] Sunnyside will soon shine brighter, thanks to a monthly graffiti removal program. With the help of a $2,500 donation from the TD Charitable Foundation, the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District (BID) launched its efforts to combat vandalism. “We are extremely grateful for this generous award from the TD Charitable Foundation, which will sustain our increased graffiti removal efforts in the neighborhood,” said Rachel Thieme, executive director of the Sunnyside Shines BID. Each month Sunnyside Shines flags graffiti in the area, which is later removed by a specialized contractor. Last month, tags were removed from 22 businesses. By removing the graffiti on a monthly basis, Sunnyside Shins hopes to beautify the neighborhood and make Sunnyside a more attractive area to shop and do business. “Removing graffiti on a monthly basis helps maintain a clean and safe commercial district, and also helps attract new businesses to Sunnyside,” said Thieme. To report graffiti on your business, call Sunnyside Shines at 718-606-1800 and the business will be added to the list of upcoming sites to be cleaned. Photos Courtesy of Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District Strauss Auto, located on 48th Street and Queens Boulevard, was one of the 22 properties that had graffiti removed from its storefront in March. Rite Aid, at 46th Street and Greenpoint Avenue, also had graffiti removed in March. SLOWER MEANS SAFER Push for slow zones in Jackson Heights BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] In December, 11-year-old Miguel Torres was struck and killed as he tried to cross the street on Northern Boulevard. Now, leaders in Jackson Heights are calling for a slow zone to prevent more deaths. Councilmember Daniel Dromm is leading the push that would lower the speed limit in the neighborhood from 30 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour on specific streets to stop drivers who speed through. Last year, the councilmember applied to have a slow zone between 74th Street and 86th Street, from 37th Avenue up to Northern Boulevard. The application was denied by the Department of Transportation (DOT), as Northern Boulevard cannot be part of the slow zone because it is considered a major arterial traffic way, said Dromm. But now Dromm hopes to reapply and focus on the side streets that meet Northern Boulevard. “There is a very big problem in Jackson Heights on those side streets,” said Dromm. “We have to change the mentality of drivers that when they are coming into such a congested area, you aren’t going to get in and out fast. You need to slow down, calm down and take it easy.” About two weeks ago, on the corner of 81st Street and 35th Avenue, a pedestrian was struck in a hit-and-run accident when a car was making a left turn. Another pedestrian was hit on 82nd Street and Northern Boulevard and is in critical condition. Edwin Westley, president of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, said he is working with Dromm to bring the slow zone to the neighborhood. “We need it for two reasons, one is the number of senior citizens in the neighborhood and the other reason is there are a large number of schools in the area,” Westley said. A slow zone in East Elmhurst, on 25th Avenue from 69th to 83rd Street, was approved by the DOT and is nearly completed. “Northern Boulevard needs to be a safe environment considering just how many schools sit right along it throughout Jackson Heights and into Corona,” said Serhan Ayhan, 26, a Jackson Heights resident. “We shouldn’t be playing a game of chicken waiting until a student is hurt while crossing the street to implement safer policies.” Along with the slow zones, Dromm also hopes to implement other traffic measures including bike racks and extended curbs to get drivers to slow down. He is also working with the NYPD for additional enforcement on the north and south ends of Northern Boulevard to decrease fatalities and hit-and-runs. The DOT did not respond as of press time.
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