FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 22, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
‘All Hands on Deck’ to
clean Flushing waters
Flushing Creek and Bay are widely known as
two of the most polluted waterways in the state,
and now local residents will have the opportunity
to help fi nd ways to clean them up.
Councilman Peter Koo, along with environmental
advocacy groups, joined together to
announce “All Hands on Deck,” a “Flushing
Waterways” community visioning workshop.
Th e workshop, which will take place on Friday,
June 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Queens Museum,
is designed to create a cohesive community vision
for the Flushing Creek and Flushing Bay. Th e
long-term goal of this workshop is to fi nd and
implement ways to better manage sewage overfl
ows in the waters.
Participants will help imagine and design a
future Flushing Creek and Bay that provides
greater opportunities for restoration, remediation,
resilience and recreation, according to Koo.
To RSVP to this event at the Queens Museum
in Flushing Meadows Corona Park or fi nd more
information, visit allhandsondeckfl ushingwaterways.
eventbrite.com.
Justin Berglund
Essay competition part
of 9/11 memorial
As part of their commemoration of the 9/11
terror attacks, St. Michael’s Cemetery in East
Elmhurst will be introducing an essay competition
open to all schoolchildren.
Th e theme for the essay will be “What it means
to be an American.”
St. Michaels Cemetery, located on Astoria
Boulevard in East Elmhurst, has memorials dedicated
to the FDNY fi refi ghters and NYPD police
offi cers who died during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror
attacks.
Entrants will be divided into two groups based
on age, elementary school and junior high/intermediate
school students.
Prizes will be awarded for fi rst, second and third
place winners, who will receive $250, $150 and
$100, respectively. Th ere is also a $1,500 grand
prize for the best essay among all age groups,
donated by New York Community Bank.
Contact the cemetery at 718-278-3240 for more
details.
Justin Berglund
Trump’s childhood
home goes for bigly rent
President Donald Trump’s childhood home in
Jamaica Estates was leased out for rent so quickly
that it would even make Th e Donald blush.
Aft er the fi ve-bedroom home located at 85-15
Wareham Pl. was sold for $2.14 million at an auction
in January, the mystery buyer — a holding
company called Trump Birth Home LLC — put
the Tudor-style home up for rent on Th ursday,
June 15, and it was almost immediately leased out,
listing agent Jason Friedman of Coldwell Banker
Residential Brokerage, told DNAinfo.
Mansion Global, who fi rst reported the story,
said the owners were looking to get between
$3,500 and $4,000 a month for the 2,500-squarefoot
presidential abode.
It was not revealed who rented the president’s
childhood home or how much they will be paying
per month to live where the 45th president
grew up.
Anthony Giudice
New soccer fi elds and walking path
unveiled at Bayside’s Little Bay Park
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Just in time for warmer weather, a
$1.6 million improvement project at a
waterfront Bayside park was revealed
to the public this week.
Families and local leaders gathered
at Little Bay Park on June 20 to cut a
ribbon on the newly renovated soccer
fi elds and park space. Kids from local
sports groups offi cially broke in the
fi eld on the sunny aft ernoon with an
inaugural soccer practice.
Th e project also added an accessible
walking path, water fountain, park
benches and trees to the outdoor area,
as well as an improved drainage system.
Th e grade and slope of the soccer
fi eld was raised, allowing water fl ow
from rainfall to be redirected off the
fi elds and into new bioswales, enabling
the fi elds to be used during inclement
weather.
“It’s all for these kids here, and for
the kids in our community,” said Vito
Aleo, CYO Soccer Commissioner for
St. Luke’s. “When we’re here practicing,
and on our Saturday and Sunday
games, it’s just a pleasure to see them
out there enjoying themselves, growing
up and having a good time.”
Th e long-awaited project, which
broke ground last April, was funded
by the City Council and Councilman
Paul Vallone, who had allocated an
additional $750,000 to install pathway
lighting throughout the park.
“When we see projects come to fruition
like this, and see our children
playing on them, it makes us really,
really happy,” Vallone said.
“We know how much the community
uses and treasures these fi elds,” City
Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver
said. “Before construction, the fi elds
were severely compacted and worn, a
testament to how well-loved they were.
We’ve completely revived them and
are thrilled to open them today along
with a brand-new walking path, additional
trees, more benches and better
drainage — improving the experience
of players and spectators alike.”
