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QC06152017

4 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 15, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM Parks & education centers are big budget winners BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 Bayside, Whitestone, College Point and Douglaston community centers and groups will be getting a fi nancial boost, a lawmaker announced. Earlier this week, the New York City Council passed a budget of $85.2 billion for Fiscal Year 2018. Councilman Paul Vallone, who represents Council District 19, announced that he has secured nearly $23 million for northeast Queens parks, school, libraries and community groups. Over $11.8 million for the district’s parks was secured, Vallone’s offi ce said. Of that total, $8 million has been allocated toward the renovation of the Alley Pond Environmental Center (APEC), the remaining amount needed to begin a long-anticipated renovation project that will create a brand-new, state-of-the-art education building. A total of $2.5 million was allocated to improve the Bay Terrace Playground. “Th e long-awaited dream of APEC’s new facility has fi nally become a reality,” Vallone said. Over $4.8 million was allocated for the district’s schools. Each school within the district will receive at least $50,000, with many schools receiving additional capital funding for critical upgrades. Nearly $6 million was allocated “for much-needed capital and expense projects” in the community, Vallone’s offi ce also said. Additionally, over $1 million was allocated to support nonprofi ts in the district, including the Bayside Historical Society, the Douglaston Local Development Corporation (DLDC) and College Point’s Poppenhusen Institute. “Th roughout my fi rst four years, I’ve worked hand in hand with my fellow elected offi cials and have put northeast Queens not just back on the map, but on top of it,” Vallone said. “Th is year’s budget marks another clear victory for our communities as we continue to invest fully in the future of our children, schools, parks, libraries and nonprofi ts that call northeast Queens their home.” $23M for older adult services in Queens BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 Th e city’s seniors can count on a strengthened social safety net, a Baysidebased lawmaker announced. According to Councilman Paul Vallone, the fi scal year 2018 budget that the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed upon includes a $22.89 million increase in permanent funding for Department for the Aging-funded senior services. Funding was allocated to hire additional senior center staff , provide additional meals for seniors and address the waitlist for senior home care and case management services. Of the nearly $23 million in funding, $10 million was allocated to allow the city’s senior centers to hire appropriate staff and provide necessary services; $6.49 million was allocated to address the home care services waitlist; and $1.2 was allocated for the case management waitlist. A total of $4 million to support caregivers was baselined, as was $1.2 million to allow low-income seniors to take home an additional meal from their local center for the weekend. Vallone, who sits as chair of the City Council’s Subcommittee on Senior Centers, worked with Manhattan Councilwoman Margaret S. Chin, chair of the Council’s Committee on Aging, to advocate for the increase in senior funding. Vallone praised the Council’s permanent increase in funding. “Th is $23 million increase in permanent funding is a major win for seniors throughout NYC and truly refl ects the needs of this rapidly growing segment of our population,” Vallone said. “Baselining this funding will allow the City Council to allocate funds towards innovative programs and technologies that will only enhance the quality of the services we are able to provide our seniors.” Additionally, through the Council’s “Support of Seniors” initiative, created by Vallone, each council member will receive an additional $60,000 to directly allocate to his or her district’s quality senior centers or senior-service organizations. Photo courtesy of City Councilman Paul Vallone Vallone used this funding to establish a free transportation program for northeast Queens seniors earlier this year. Th e services can be accessed by seniors living in the 19th Council District (Bayside, College Point, Douglaston, Flushing) by contacting the Selfh elp Clearview Senior Center at 718-224- 7888. “I will always continue to be an advocate for our city’s seniors and I am proud to have fought for these additional funds to improve and increase the services available to our aging population,” Vallone said. “Th is huge increase in funding will make sure 2017 is remembered as the year of the senior.” City DOT to conduct Union Tpke. safety study BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 Th e Department of Transportation (DOT) will study the Fresh Meadows section of Union Turnpike for possible safety and mobility enhancements, Councilman Rory Lancman announced on June 9. According to Lancman, the city agency agreed to study the venue between Utopia Parkway to 188th Street. Residents voiced particular concerns about conditions at the site and possible safety problems stemming from the development of 179-24 Union Tpke. — which, according to reports, will be site to a three-story, 32,400-square-foot, mixed-use building — at a town hall meeting earlier this year. At the town hall, the Jamaica Estates Association, Lancman, residents, the DOT, a representative for Assemblyman David Weprin and AB Capstone, the project developer, come together to air their concerns and collaborate. Following the meeting, Lancman wrote to DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia urging the city agency to study the busy and developing area. In Garcia’s response to the lawmaker, she indicated that she had commissioned the study and advised the DOT team in charge to “focus particularly on the western segments” of the roadway, given its proximity to a local school (St. John’s University), commercial businesses and the upcoming development project. Th e study will begin in the near future, according to Lancman’s offi ce. “We greatly appreciate the Department of Transportation’s interest and cooperation in this matter which is of great concern to our community,” said Martha Taylor, chairwoman of Community Board 8. “Conducting this study is critical to our long-term safety and our quality of life.” Lancman welcomed news of the upcoming study. “I am pleased that the Department of Transportation will be conducting a study to determine how we can improve safety along Union Turnpike,” Lancman said. “My constituents made their concerns very clear to me, and it is important that we fi gure out ways to improve traffi c patterns and keep people safe.” Photo via Facebook/Alley Pond Environmental Center The Alley Pond Environmental Center is getting a funding boost in the new city budget. Photo via Google Maps The city will be launching a street safety study of Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows.


QC06152017
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