14 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 8, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
CB 7 votes against proposed plan for Bay Terrace school
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@schnepsmedia.com
@jenna_bagcal
Community Board 7 voted against the
School Construction Authority’s proposal
for a new 572-seat public school in Bay
Terrace on Monday, June 28, despite a
growing need for primary school seats in
School District 25.
Board members voted 23 against and
13 in favor of approving the site on a
44,000-square-foot vacant lot on the
corner of Water’s Edge Drive and 24th
Street. Critics of the plan cited various
issues including lack of community input,
increase in vehicular traffi c and concerns
of building a school in an area with a high
water table.
According to a demographic analysis
done by an SCA-funded consultant
as well as data from the Departments
of City Planning, Building and Housing
Preservation and Development, CEC 25 is
projected to have 22,908 students enrolled
in pre-K through fi ft h grade, which translates
to a potential increase of up to 4,653
students compared to current enrollment.
CB 7 Education Co-Chair Arlene
Fleishman said that seven of the area
schools in CEC 25 are “between 111 and
130 percent over-utilized” including the
Bell Academy and P.S. 169, which are both
undergoing expansion projects to accommodate
more students.
“Th e 150 new seats are being added to
each of those two schools and it will still
be overcrowded. We cannot keep saying
Photo via SCA
Site plan for the proposed
school.
‘not in my backyard,’” Fleishman said in
her opening statement.
In order to alleviate overcrowding
and building over-utilization, the Bay
Terrace site and four others in Flushing,
Whitestone and College Point are under
consideration for the SCA to build schools
for CEC 25.
A common concern amongst CB 7
members and attendees was that the proposed
school would be built on land that
oft en experiences fl ooding due to its proximity
to Little Neck Bay.
“Th is is being built on swamp land,” one
commenter said. “I don’t fi nd this an ideal
location, not because it is in my backyard
but because it truly is not an ideal
location. Th ere are better locations that
would service this need with better transportation.”
Others worried that a new school would
create an infl ux of traffi c on the already
busy Water’s Edge Drive.
“Th e Towers at Water’s Edge use Water’s
Edge Drive to enter and exit their garage;
the traffi c is constant. Again, where are
you going to put the buses and the parents
driving to pick up the kids? It’s a narrow
road. Bad idea,” the commenter said.
Some were also concerned that the
school construction would cause damage
to nearby homes and apartments.
SCA representatives assured the community
that they would take three to six
months to conduct the proper environmental
studies, taking into account the
area’s noise, traffi c, historical impacts and
pollution, before moving forward.
Joseph Di Benedetto, CEC 25 president,
said that he had “complete confi dence in
the SCA” and the work that they’ve done
building other schools across the city.
“Th e community needs to stand up and
defend and fi ght for the rights of students.
I don’t see anyone here talking about what
the children need, what our kids need,” Di
Benedetto said. “Our kids are in desperate
need of seats.”
SCA communications and external
aff airs manager Kevin Ortiz told Patch
that the agency was “disappointed” CB
7 rejected the proposal since CEC 25
schools are overcrowded, especially in the
sub district which includes Whitestone,
College Point and Beechurst.
“We’ll continue to work with stakeholders
and our partners at DOE to provide
the seats and resources our students need
and deserve,” Ortiz wrote in his statement.
Th e June 28 meeting was the fi rst part
of the SCA’s public process in engaging
the community and addressing their
questions and concerns. According to the
agency, they will continue to accept comments
on the proposal until July 20, 2021.
Anyone who wants to submit comments
can do so directly to their offi ce at
30-30 Th omson Ave. to Executive Vice
President Steve Lawitts or emailed to
sites@nycsca.org.
Richards calls for increase in funding to combat hate crimes
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
With the number of hate crimes on the
rise — particularly those against Asian
American Pacifi c Islander, Jewish and
Muslim New Yorkers — Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards sent a letter
to Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson requesting an
increase in funding for initiatives aimed
at combating hate-based violence.
In Queens, the problem is particularly
acute, according to Richards. Th ough the
borough is beginning to emerge from the
COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Queens
has seen an alarming increase in such
attacks.
Th e latest incident involves two couples
targeted in an anti-Muslim assault spree
in Richmond Hill. According to reports,
a man attacked both couples in an hourspan
on June 20. One woman ended up
with a fractured nose.
Meanwhile, police recently arrested and
charged a suspect in connection to a random
attack on a 75-year-old Chinese
woman in May. Th e NYPD Hate Crimes
Task Force is also investigating another
incident against a man of Asian descent
aft er he was pushed onto the subway
tracks in Long Island City.
In his letter sent to the mayor on June
16, Richards applauded the steps the de
Blasio administration and council have
taken to combat hate violence, but more
work needs to be done, he said.
“In order to stop such violence before
it occurs, the city must allocate
additional funding to the New
York Commission on Human
Rights (CCHR), the Mayor’s
Offi ce for the Prevention of
Hate Crimes (OPHC) and
other relevant agencies
that take a proactive
approach to dispelling
hate,” Richards
wrote.
Richards’ letter
specifically
calls for the allocation
of additional
fi scal
year 2022
f u n d i n g
to support
the education
and outreach
work of local nonprofi t organizations
with connections to traditionally
marginalized communities.
Th rough its Bias Response Team,
CCHR can respond to discriminatory
harassment — that is, bias acts which
do not rise to the level of a hate
crime, Richards said. With additional
funding, according to Richards,
CCHR can expand their team and
also bolster its education eff orts
on hate violence via workshops,
campaigns and
other programs.
Th e borough president
commended the administration
for committing
$3 million in
Community-
Based Hate
Crime
Prevention
funding,
which was
highlighted in
the mayor’s fi scal
year 2022 executive
budget.
R i c h a r d s
believes the program
will help
bridge the signifi -
cant gap between
the NYPD and
at-risk communities
that are not comfortable reporting
hate crimes to law enforcement. It will
also empower local nonprofi t organizations
with established ties to traditionally
marginalized communities to step
in and respond to hate crimes and bias,
engage in education eff orts and fulfi ll
other needs that law enforcement cannot
meet.
“Th e city must expand this promising
model by committing additional FY22
funding to nonprofi t organizations carrying
out this vital work — particularly
to those in Queens, given the sharp
uptick in hate incidents in this borough,”
Richards said.
Th e letter also calls for a creation of
a central database that would allow for
easy information sharing among the various
city agencies tasked with combating
hate crimes, including the CCHR,
the OPHC and the NYPD. Th e database
would help ensure that policy and other
decision-makers are communicating with
one another, thereby better informing
the city’s ability to address biased crimes,
according to Richards.
Richards is urging the mayor and council
to use the city’s resources to build a
safer community for all New Yorkers.
“While there is no quick fi x to eliminating
hate violence in our city, these
measures will do much to reduce such
violence and will save lives,” Richards
said.
Photo by Gabriele
Holtermann
Queens Borough
President Donovan
Richards addresses
elected offi cials and
community leaders
at a unity rally on
May 26.
Photo via Google Maps
The site of the proposed Bay Terrace school.
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