4 The Queens Courier • JUly 4, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Assemblymember Ed Braunstein (right) and State Senator Tony Avella joined leaders in Nassau County to push a bill that would require an aircraft noise study. POLS PUSH FOR TWO-STATE STUDY OF AIRPLANE NOISE BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] ‘Beacon’ of hope as programs saved BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] A beloved Bayside Beacon program has survived yet another year of budget cuts. The City Council fully restored next year’s funding to the after-school enrichment program at M.S. 158 Marie Curie. It was slated for closure, just as it was last year when the Department of Youth and Community Development tried to shut down seven Beacons across the city. “Our after-school programs are vital community resources,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, “and now Bayside’s children will be able to continue to utilize these valuable services.” Martenia Miller, site director of the school’s Beacon program, called it a “support system” that has worked for 20 years. She added it is the only such program within Community Board 11. More than 100 students take part in the enrichment program daily. “These cuts would have been detrimental to the safety and well-being of the children in my district,” said Assemblymember Ed Braunstein. Beacon operates after school, on weekends, school holidays and throughout the summer. It provides help on homework along with leadership and skill growth for both youths and adults. “We fought to ensure that our community was not short-changed,” said Assemblymember Nily Rozic. “Together we will work to continue these invaluable services that every family deserves and make sure that our students’ education is always a priority.” The Council maintained funding for the city’s 66 Beacon programs. Airport operators have become the target of the latest localized effort to quiet Queens skies. The state legislature has passed a bill that would require the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to conduct a one-time study to determine the effects of aircraft noise on Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Jersey residents. “With this study on aircraft noise, we can best determine the use of certain runways and flight paths and use federal funding to solve this serious issue,” said Assemblymember Edward Ra, who represents parts of Nassau County. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a new flight pattern last December, much to the dismay of residents who say the procedure causes nonstop noise from low-flying planes. The bill would require the bi-state authority to submit its findings to both state legislatures by next June, depending on when it is enacted. It awaits Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature in New York and ultimately needs Governor Chris Christie’s approval in New Jersey, though it was only introduced in the New Jersey Senate last month. “We’re confident that if we get this study done, it will prove that there is a significant impact on our communities and the FAA and Port Authority will be required to find measures to remediate this problem,” said Assemblymember Ed Braunstein. The legislation would also require the Port Authority — which operates five hubs in New York and New Jersey, including John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports — to hold biennial public hearings. “It is about time that all the communities that are affected stand up and say to the FAA and the Port Authority, ‘We’re not going to take it anymore,’’ said State Senator Tony Avella. “We may live by the airports, but when we all moved here, the air traffic was nothing like it is now.” The FAA has since formed a committee to review its decision-making process, officials announced in May, and has agreed to hear out impacted communities. Riders, biz bemoan G train shutdown BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] It’s a no-go for three G train stops on weekends starting July 6. The MTA is closing the Greenpoint tube, which runs under Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens, for 53 hours over the next 12 weekends in order to make Sandy-related repairs. The stations to be closed are the G train’s three northernmost stops, Court Square and 21st Street in Long Island City and Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn. Trains will not run between those stations from midnight Saturday through 5 a.m. Monday on the following weekends: July 6-8, 13-15 and 20-22; August 3-5, 10-12, 17-19 and 24-26; September 7-9 and 28-30; October 5-7; and December 7-9 and 14-16. There will be an additional five-week-long, 24/7 closure of the tube in summer 2014. During the shutdowns, the MTA will provide two shuttle bus routes that will stop at each of the closed stops and link them with the Nassau Avenue G station and Lorimer L stations. The shuttles will run every 2.5 to 10 minutes, depending on the time and day. But transit advocacy groups, politicians and community members say the bus shuttles are not enough. They believe the shutdowns will not only inconvenience riders, but will also cause crowding on other subway lines. “The residents of western Queens rely on subway service to get them where they are going every single day,” said Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer. “When it is disrupted, we must be able to provide them with sufficient services.” Area businesses are also worried about the shutdown’s effects. “It’s unfortunate because there aren’t many trains that come out here so we won’t get as much traffic,” said Zabi Arifee, owner of Palace Chicken and Grill on 44th Drive in LIC. Last week, the Riders Alliance, Straphangers Campaign and elected officials sent a letter to MTA chair Tom Prendergast and Mayor Michael Bloomberg demanding more be done to accommodate riders during the G train shutdown and a planned 14-month R train closure that is also for Sandy-related repairs. “Shutting down a train tunnel is an extraordinary move, and we want to guarantee the MTA is making extraordinary accommodations to serve riders while the tunnels are under repair,” said John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance. The alliance asked the MTA to evaluate options such as increasing service frequency and adding additional trains and buses on nearby transit lines. “We will look at every idea presented to us in order to make this service disruption as easy on our customers as possible,” said Kevin Ortiz, MTA spokesperson. “Some ideas will be unworkable or unaffordable, but others may be viable options.” The letter also suggested speeding up the expansion of the city’s bike-share program. Citi Bike stations are slated to come to Long Island City within the year. But there has been a push to bring them to the area sooner, and the G train shutdown might help that effort. According to Ortiz, the MTA is currently in talks with the Department of Transportation over expediting the bike share in areas affected by the closure. The bike share could also alleviate an ongoing problem with G train service in the area. Earlier this year, the MTA agreed to undertake a full review of the G train after the Riders Alliance, politicians and residents signed a petition and rallied for better service on the subway line. With additional reporting by Johann Hamilton
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