14 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 27, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Construction completed on sewers
and storm drains in SE Queens
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
City offi cials are hopeful the completion
of an array of sewer and storm drain
upgrades will bring an end to fl ash fl ooding
in southeast Queens.
Th e Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) announced on July
20 the completion of several construction
projects, including the installation of
new catch basins and sewer extensions,
throughout neighborhoods of southeast
Queens. Th e projects were a part of the
city’s commitment to address the fl ooding
in Queens.
“Th e installation of these catch basins
and sewers in various southeast Queens
neighborhoods will improve drainage
during heavy rainstorms, which will subsequently
reduce localized street fl ooding
and bring some peace of mind to residents,”
said DEP Acting Commissioner
Vincent Sapienza. “Th is work is part of
Mayor de Blasio’s $1.7 billion commitment
to build infrastructure in Southeast
Queens that will improve the quality of
life for residents and businesses.”
Th e projects included the following
work:
Ten new catch basins and more than 800
linear feet of storm sewers were installed
along portions of Nashville Boulevard
and Grayson Street in St. Albans. Two
new catch basins and more than 50 linear
feet of storm sewers were installed along
201st Street, between 115th Avenue and
116th Avenue. Upgrades were made to
the sanitary sewers and water mains and
an existing seepage catch basin was connected
to the storm sewer to allow for
improved drainage.
Th ree new catch basins and 30 linear
feet of storm sewers were installed along
Irwin Place, between Leslie Road and
Troutville Road in Jamaica. Additionally,
upgrades were made to the sanitary sewers
and water mains.
In South Jamaica, seven new catch
basins and over 1,100 linear feet of storm
sewers were installed along portions of
115th Avenue, 157th Street, 177th Street,
112th Avenue, 176th Street and 111th
Avenue. In addition, 18 existing seepage
catch basins were connected to storm
sewers to allow for improved drainage.
Four catch basins at the intersection of
111th Avenue and 155 Street that were
modifi ed and reset lower than street
grade, allowing them to capture more
stormwater. Upgrades were also made to
the sanitary sewers and water mains.
Eight existing catch basins at the intersection
of 224th Street and 145th Road in
Laurelton were modifi ed and reset lower
than street grade, which will allow them
to capture more stormwater.
Finally, eight new catch basins and
nearly 500 linear feet of storm sewers
were installed along North Conduit
Avenue, between Brookville Boulevard
and Francis Lewis Boulevard in Rosedale.
Mayor Bill de Blasio committed $1.7
billion to combat the fl ooding in Queens.
Th e majority of the funding is set to go
towards the construction of large trunk
sewer spines along 150th Street, Guy
Brewer Boulevard, Farmers Boulevard
and Springfi eld Boulevard. Ground is
expected to break on this project later
this year.
Additionally, an estimated 200 curbside
rain gardens will be constructed in
and around Cambria Heights and Queens
Village to help intercept stormwater
before it makes it to the sewer system.
Other projects for the funding include
green infrastructure components at three
City parks, two public schools, and one
NYCHA facility.
Wills expelled from
Council, convicted
of embezzlement
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Former Councilman Ruben Wills
joined the long list of recent elected
offi cials in Queens convicted of violating
the public trust for his own profi t.
On July 20, a jury convicted Wills
of fi ve counts including scheme to
defraud, grand larceny and fi ling a false
instrument for embezzling $30,000
in campaign funds and state grants,
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
announced. Under state law, Wills
— who was seeking re-election this
November — was expelled from offi ce
immediately upon his conviction.
According to the charges, Wills used
$11,500 in campaign funds he received
from the city for his 2009 City Council
run to pay Micro Targeting, a company
which purportedly translated and distributed
campaign material. An investigation
found that Micro Targeting
received no such payment, and that
the funds were instead directed to NY
4 Life, a nonprofi t group that Wills ran.
A review of fi nancial records revealed
that Wills had withdrawn the funds to
make a number of personal purchases,
including a $750 Louis Vuitton handbag
from a Macy’s department store.
Law enforcement agents said that
Wills was also found to have used
nearly two-thirds of a $33,000 state
grant that NY 4 Life received for various
personal expenses and his campaign.
Th at grant had been previously
secured by former state Senator Shirley
Huntley while Wills was her chief of
staff ; Huntley herself would be forced
out of offi ce aft er pleading guilty to her
own embezzlement scheme.
Th ough the grant required that NY
4 Life hold four public service projects,
witnesses at trial testifi ed that the nonprofi
t group held just one such event.
Wills used $21,000 of the grant funding
for personal expenditures.
Th e former lawmaker is scheduled
to be sentenced on Aug. 10; he could
be ordered to serve up to seven years
behind bars.
Wills had been slated to face two
challengers in the Sept. 12 Democratic
primary: community activist Richard
David and attorney Hettie Powell. His
seat is now vacant until a successor is
chosen in the November general election.
Photo courtesy of the Department of Environmental Protection
Former City Councilman Ruben Wills