28 The Queens Courier • JUNE 20, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com LIC’S SHADY PARK TO BE RESTORED TO ITS GLORY BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com After massive damage from Sandy, repairs are underway for the beloved Long Island City site known as “Shady Park” for its signature tall trees. Andrews Grove, located on 49th Avenue between 5th Street and Vernon Boulevard, had significant damage to its play equipment, safety surfaces, fencing and immense trees. Since Sandy, a large portion of the playground has been fenced off. According to the Parks Department, the repairs began on Monday, June 17. The project includes repairs to the playground equipment, safety surfaces, asphalt and fencing. Depending on the weather, the repairs are expected to take about a month. “I am pleased that work is currently underway to fully restore Andrews Grove Park in Long Island City,” said Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, whose office has secured $10,000 in private funding to help replant the park’s beloved trees. Local elected officials and the Friends of Shady Park – a group of neighbors advocating for repairs at the site – have been working together with the Parks Department to restore the 2.3-acre park to its original state. “I am thrilled that the Parks Department listened to our voices and will begin restoring Shady Park to the leafy refuge it was before the destruction of Sandy,” said Senator Michael Gianaris. “Repairing the playground and mending fences are important steps towards restoring this gem in our community.” According to Sheila Lewandowski, co-founder of Friends of Shady Park, the next step for them is to work closely together to ensure the selection and planting of the trees meets the needs of the community. “Friends of Shady Park is happy that repairs will finally begin,” she said. Airport workers want a living wage BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com Security workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport find themselves in limbo – between terminals and supporting families on minimum wage. “Nobody cares about our guys in the airport,” said Lorrington McKenzie of local union SEIU 32BJ, who works traffic security outside the terminals. McKenzie, along with other security officers, gets paid $8 an hour. He has not gotten a raise since he started working at JFK nearly four years ago. To support his wife and three children, ages 10, 6 and 1, McKenzie has resorted to pawning anything and everything, including his wedding ring. He said he is also considering getting a second job on top of working full time at the airport. “It’s tough,” he said. “I’m struggling.” McKenzie said not having paid sick days adds to the “terrible conditions” of his job. He is in charge of monitoring traffic coming in and out of the arrivals section and said drivers have gotten hostile in the past. “They’re not allowed to sit in the terminal and wait for passengers. It’s for safety purposes,” he said. “But they get angry and frustrated when they have to drive around.” Once, when he turned his back, he said, a driver punched him from behind. “I was a little shaky,” he recalled. “I told Port Authority. But nothing came out of it.” The Port Authority is responsible for contracts with private security firms that guard JFK. Terminal 3, where McKenzie worked, closed after JFK opened a new terminal. Since then, McKenzie has not had a stable position. His company’s officials said he could be subject to a pay cut, or even lose his job altogether. “The job market is all about who knows who,” he said. “I can’t just go out and get another job.” Shah Rahman, another security guard in SEIU 32BJ, has not received a raise since he started working at the airport. “The wage is quite insufficient,” he said. “It was good 10 years ago. But since that time, living expenses have risen. The minimum wage is not good for now.” Rahman said he cannot afford to pay all of his living expenses. His wife and daughter both work part-time, but it’s still a struggle. His 23-year-old daughter is starting college soon, and the expenses will continue. “Sometimes I have to borrow money from others,” Rahman said. “We have demanded raising our wages and paid sick days, but the company has not yet accepted our demands.” The Port Authority did not return requests for comment as of press time. THE COURIER/Photo by Maggie Hayes Shah Rahman is one of many unionized security workers at JFK Airport that speak of “terrible” working conditions. 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