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QC07252013

14 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 25, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com CULTURALS GET CASH BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com MoMA PS1 might soon be able to expand into a property right next door after receiving $3 million in city budget funds. As part of the city’s 2014 budget, Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, chair of the Cultural Affairs and Libraries Committee, helped allocate the capital funds allowing the museum at 22-25 Jackson Avenue to purchase the neighboring building in the future. “MoMA PS1 is a real anchor in Long Island City,” said Van Bramer. “It draws hundreds of thousands of people every year to the neighborhood. Anytime a cultural organization sees an opportunity to expand, I think they should grab it and we want to be helpful in the process.” According to Van Bramer, the expansion will give the museum more flexibility and allow resources and offices to shift to the new building. Acquiring the building would allow PS1 to expand its programming and gallery space. However, according to MoMA PS 1, there is still no information on whether, when and where the expansion will occur. “MoMA PS1 hasn’t announced anything at this point, as the City Council has just allocated funding and we are still exploring the possibility of acquiring the property,” said a MoMA PS1 spokesperson. Along with PS1, Van Bramer has also increased funding for art and cultural organizations in the city including some right in his backyard. The Chocolate Factory Theater, located at 5-49 49th Ave in Long Island City, will receive $1.7 million to purchase and expand its property. The Noguchi Museum will get $600,000 to protect its sculpture collections from future flood damage. The SculptureCenter will receive an additional $300,000 for its expansion. Funding has also been provided for groups such as Flux Factory and Socrates Sculpture Park. “They’re economic engines because when people come to see those exhibits, many of them spend money in the neighborhood,” OH, RATS! Residents, pols want traffic safety in Dutch Kills BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO AND BENJAMIN FANG aaltamirano@queenscourier.com As the Dutch Kills neighborhood in Long Island City continues to grow, local politicians and residents are calling on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to improve traffic safety. “The city must ensure that its priority remains the safety of neighborhood residents,” said Senator Michael Gianaris. “We are trying to be proactive on this side of the plaza and make sure that the residents and people who are staying in hotels here are safe as they walk the streets and visit all the new businesses.” According to Gianaris and Dominic Stiller, president of the Dutch Kills Civic Association, there have been six to seven car crashes and accidents over the past several months at intersections in the neighborhood from 38th Avenue and 40th Avenue to 21st Street and 30th Street. Through a petition, residents are asking the DOT for curb extensions, speed bumps, more four-way stop signs, new stop signs and enforcement of existing traffic laws to reduce speeding and unsafe driving as well as enhance pedestrian safety. “This is a topic where lives can be saved,” said Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer. “We don’t want to wait until someone dies here before the Department of Transportation takes all of these really good suggestions.” DOT spokesperson Nicholas Mosquera said safety is the department’s first priority. He added the DOT has met with Gianaris to discuss safety enhancements at 39th Avenue and 29th Street, an area which the agency is reevaluating for extra stop signs and marking upgrades. The DOT is also inspecting the Queensboro Plaza area to figure out if there are any additional methods needed to increase safety. The DOT has also launched an outreach initiative in the area and positioned street safety managers to help pedestrians and bicyclists near Dutch Kills Park. “This initiative is part of a citywide campaign to educate and promote shared responsibility for everyone using the streets,” said Mosquera. THE COURIER/ Photos by Benjamin Fang Local politicians and residents are calling on the Department of Transportation for curb extensions, speed bumps, new stop signs and traffic enforcement at numerous intersections in the Dutch Kills neighborhood. said Van Bramer. “By keeping those organizations strong and well-funded, we are improving the economy of our local neighborhoods.” BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO AND BENJAMIN FANG aaltamirano@queenscourier.com Unwanted visitors are taking a stroll in a Woodside park. Residents and store owners have observed a large number of rats beginning to inhabit John Vincent Daniels Jr. Square, located at Roosevelt Avenue and 43rd Avenue between 50th and 52nd Street, over the past several months. “They’re monsters, they’re huge,” said Jim Gallagher, a resident who lives near the park and who called the Parks Department over a month ago after seeing rats while drinking his coffee at the park. During a campaign stop in Woodside on July 16, mayoral candidate and former Councilmember Sal Albanese also encountered the rats. A local florist told him it has become a tireless problem not being addressed by the city. On July 22, The Courier spotted seven rats on a morning visit to the park. James Jeung of Dr. PC, a computer repair shop, said he has seen the rats for a long time on the lawn or the grass in the park. Xavier Gomes, who works at Patrons Grocery, said he has caught sight of the rodents four to five times a day. However, a spokesperson for the city’s Park Department says the site has been well maintained and measures have been taken to prevent rodent infestation. “The Parks Department cleans John Vincent Daniels Jr. Square daily,” said the spokesperson. “We work with the Health Department to bait the site for rats, and have trimmed the lower portions of the site’s bushes to remove places where rats can hide.” The spokesperson also said Parks Enforcement Patrol officers visit the park to enforce rules against feeding pigeons and illegal dumping, which can attract rats to the area. “Litter does not grow on trees and we encourage all park visitors to take any trash with them or properly dispose of it in an appropriate receptacle,” said the spokesperson. Photo Courtesy of Sal Albanese Residents and store owners have noticed an increase in the rat population at John Vincent Daniels Jr. Square in Woodside


QC07252013
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