10 welcome to bayside s The QUEE NS Courier • WELCOME TO • april 23, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Fighting to make Bayside an age-friendly neighborhood Nestled in the heart of my district, Bayside has long stood as a neighborhood iconic of the quieter lifestyle that draws so many, myself included, to Northeast Queens. Although a vibrant and diverse community filled with residents from all walks of life, many don’t realize that Bayside is home to a large and quickly growing senior population. As an elder law attorney for over 20 years, and now as councilman and chair of the Subcommittee on Senior Centers, I have had the opportunity to protect and fight for the needs of seniors on many levels. That is why I was so thrilled to announce earlier this month that Bayside was selected for the City Council’s Age Friendly Neighborhoods Initiative. For the first time, the city is directly engaging seniors throughout Bayside in an innovative effort to make it a more accommodating place to grow old. This initiative, made possible by $400,000 in funding from the City Council in partnership with neighborhoods chosen by the New York Academy of Medicine, aims to bring forward the concerns and suggestions of older New Yorkers within particular communities in order to implement community level changes in an effort to help ensure that these communities become more inclusive of the needs of older adults. For example, some of the programs that have arisen from this initiative include the CityBench Program, which has installed over 1,000 sidewalk benches across the city; Senior Swim, which offers senior-only swim times at 16 public pools citywide; and the Age-friendly Local Business Initiative, which has engaged over 1,000 small businesses in learning how to better attract and serve older customers. The Age Friendly Neighborhoods Initiative has been moving forward in full gear since I announced it. We have already had two paid focus groups for seniors, hosted an age-friendly town hall meeting and held an advisory committee meeting with community, business and spiritual leaders to ensure that this initiative is a success. The Advisory Committee serves as an important guide to the work of the Age-friendly Neighborhood Initiative. Identifying key members of the community to involve in an advisory group is an incredibly important step in the process of creating Hour Monday – Friday 4-7pm 2 for 1 Rooftop and implementing age-friendly strategies in Bayside. My goal is to spread this initiative throughout my entire district so that Northeast Queens remains and becomes an even better place for seniors to live. I urge everyone to spread the word about this initiative and to contact my office if they would like to become involved. Now as we move closer to June and the passing of the city’s FY16 budget, I will continue to fight and advocate for our seniors and ensure that they receive adequate funding for the services they rely on. Many organizations in Bayside, such as the Clearview Selfhelp Senior Center, rely on adequate funding from the city and I was very disappointed to see that the administration’s FY16 preliminary budget had no new funding added for the Department for the Aging. A city’s priorities Daily 4 Rooftop Opening are reflected in the budget and our seniors need to be a priority. On Monday, April 27, at 11 a.m. on the steps of City Hall, I will Hour Monday – Friday 40-12 Bell Boulevard Bayside,Sunday join Councilwoman Margaret Chin and many senior advocates as we rally to increase the funding for critical senior services and I encourage everyone to join us at this rally. Councilman Paul A. Vallone – Friday 4-11pm Happy 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu Sunday – Friday 4-11pm $24.95 pp Happy Hour Monday – Friday 4-7pm 2 for 1 Appetizers Daily Specials L a i s s e z L e s B o n Te m p s R o u l e z Daily Specials 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu Daily Specials 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu Sunday – Friday 4-11pm $24.95 pp Happy Hour Monday – Friday 4-7pm 2 for 1 Appetizers Sunday – Friday 4-11pm $24.95 pp Rooftop Opening Summer 2015 Rooftop Opening Summer 2015 Happy Hour Monday – Friday 4-7pm 2 for 1 Appetizers Course Prix Sunday Daily Specials www.bourbonstreetny.718—224-2200 Happy Summer 2015 www.bourbonstreetny.com 718—224-2200 40-12 Bell Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361 Opening Summer 2015 www.bourbonstreetny.com 718—224-2200 40-12 Bell Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361 Rooftop Opening Summer 2015 www.bourbonstreetny.com 718—224-2200 40-12 Bell Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361 Rooftop Opening Summer 2015 Daily Specials 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu •Happy Hour 4 Monday Course Prix Fixe – Friday Menu Sunday – Friday 4-11pm $24.95 pp 4-7pm 2 for 1 Appetizers Sunday – Friday 4-11pm $24.95 pp Happy Hour Monday – Friday 4-7pm 2 for 1 Appetizers 40-12 Bell Boulevard • Bayside • 718.224.2200 • www.bourbonstreetny.com
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