8 The Queens Courier • JUly 16, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Former Redbird subway car-turned-Queens Tourism Center closing BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz The Queens Tourism Center reached the end of the line. The Kew Gardens facility, created out of a retrofitted Redbird subway car that previously ran on the 7 line, shut its doors on the afternoon of July 10 due to lack of use. Opened in 2005, the Queens Tourism Center was built through $500,000 in funds secured by then- Borough President Helen Marshall as a way of attracting visitors from across the globe to Queens. The center operated four hours a day, five days a week. According to a source, it has drawn more than 15,000 visitors in the past five years, many of whom are Queens residents. One possible reason for the light attendance could be its location, as it is on the eastern side of Borough Hall adjacent to the Queens Criminal Court, a long block away from the entrance to the Union Turnpike subway LAGUARDIA NOW $2 OFF Expires 08/30/15 With coupon only $2 OFF Any Ride To Manhattan/Queens Minimum $20 Not to be combined with any other offer NEWARK NOW $5 OFF Expires 08/30/15 With coupon only KENNEDY NOW $3 OFF Expires 08/30/15 With coupon only 23-03 Astoria Boulevard • Astoria • 718.204.5861 “LI# B01506” station. “The decision” to close the center was “made recently upon review of the limited utility of the Redbird at its current site,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz’s spokesperson said. “In the past, it has had on average 12 visitors a day, the majority of whom were not tourists but rather Queens residents on jury duty.” The Redbird was part of a fleet of R33 and R36 subway cars that first took to the tracks between 1959 and 1964. They were originally painted cream and blue for the 1964-65 World’s Fair and later in silver and blue. During the 1980s, MTA New York City Transit painted the cars red in an effort to keep them graffiti-free. Commuters and train enthusiasts started calling them “Redbirds” for the cars’ bright color. The MTA took the Redbirds permanently out of service in 2003 while modernizing its fleet. The Redbird on display in Kew Gardens is one of the last still above sea level; most of the others were sunk in the Atlantic Ocean for use as reefs to help propagate aquatic life. It was not immediately known what would come of the Kew Gardens Redbird. For now, Katz’s spokesperson said, the Redbird will remain at its present location. Photo via Wikimedia Commons The former Redbird subway car-turned-Queens tourist information center in Kew Gardens closed on July 10. After Queens Library audit findings, Crowley wants new legislation passed BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected]/@A_GiudiceReport On the heels of the first audit of Queens Library executives in almost 20 years by City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley introduced legislation that would require officers of city-funded, nonprofit organizations to disclose any conflicts of interest regarding their income. After the audit revealed that former Queens Library CEO and President Thomas Galante and current interim CEO Bridget Quinn-Carey had amassed over $310,000 in personal expenses over a three-year period, including $115,000 in taxable, undeclared income, Crowley said it was “vital” to get this piece of legislation heard and ultimately passed. The bill would mandate all individuals in leadership positions at charitable, city-funded, nonprofit organizations report sources of outside income to the city annually. “Now that we know more of the discrepancies committed by library executives, it’s important that going forward, we ensure this corruption is stopped before it can begin,” Crowley said. “We the public should be aware of all sources of income and benefits of each executive and close family member. No executive receiving city monies should be immune to these disclosures. In their positions, they should voluntarily assure the city they are acting in accordance with the law.” This legislation is currently in the City Council Contracts Committee awaiting a hearing in the fall. “Last year the City Council learned that Tom Galante, president of the Queens Public Library system, spent public dollars for personal use. He continues to be under investigation for that and other irregularities,” said Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal, chair of the Contracts Committee. “I applaud Council member Elizabeth Crowley for her leadership to shine light on conflicts of interest involving these executive positions. I am eager to hear her legislation in the Contracts Committee later this year.” RIDGEWOOD TIMES/Photo by Anthony Giudice Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley calls for new legislation following the comptroller’s audit of Queens Library executives.
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