36 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 6, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com editorial THE QUEENS VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH GRAZIELLA ZERILLI STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JENNIFER DECIO, CHERYL GALLAGHER CRISTABELLE TUMOLA, ANGY ALTAMIRANO, KATRINA MEDOFF ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA, ALINA SURIEL CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI CRISTABELLE TUMOLA DEMETRA PLAGAKIS LOUISE CAVALIERE CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS PUBLISHER & EDITOR CO-PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA ART DIRECTOR ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR ARTISTS STAFF REPORTERS CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS WEB EDITOR EVENTS MANAGER SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.queenscourier.com editorial e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com for advertising e-mail: ads@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2015 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. Do you think the Jets or the Giants are going to make it to the playoffs? “Jets. I think the Giants have a lot of distractions right now. It’s not their year.” Antonio Johnson BY KIRSTEN E. PAULSON “I would say the Giants. The Jets haven’t been doing so well the last couple of years.” Danny Braun “Giants. They’re a better team than the Jets.” Karen Alan “Giants. They’ve been there the past few years. If I had to pick a team I’d pick them.” Jorge Loaiza “I go with whoever’s winning. That way I’m never disappointed.” Sal Gimianti “Jets. I like the underdog teams better.” Robert Allen street talk “I’d say it’s about 50/50, but I’d give a slight edge to the Jets even though their division isn’t that strong.” Hector Medina “Giants. They’re my team. I know they’ll make it to the playoffs.” Luchiana Lombardi SNAPS QUEENS This dog lets it all hang out at LaGuardia Landing Lights Park Park in East Elmhurst Photo via Instagram/ @jacksonheightsny Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us via our Instagram @queenscourier, Facebook page, tweeting @ queenscourier or by emailing editorial@ queenscourier. com (subject: Queens Snaps). Now is the time to #FixWoodhaven It’s no secret to anyone who drives on Woodhaven Boulevard, or uses one of the many bus lines that travel it, that the road is in bad shape and in sore need of improvement from various angles. The city plans to introduce a Select Bus Service (SBS) system along the boulevard, complete with designated travel lanes, retimed traffi c signals and stations at high-traffi c locations where riders can pay before they board. A group of transportation advocates worked to support this mission last week in a social media campaign during which commuters told their Woodhaven Boulevard tales of woe accompanied with the hashtag #FixWoodhaven. While the city and MTA continue to hammer out how to implement SBS on Woodhaven Boulevard, the Department of Transportation is creating bus-only lanes in both directions on a segment of the boulevard between Eliot and Metropolitan avenues. These lanes aim to streamline bus traffi c and help ease congestion. But this is only the tip of the iceberg for Woodhaven Boulevard, a roadway with awkward lane confi gurations and other design fl aws that have helped make it one of the most unsafe streets in Queens. Creating bus lanes and adding SBS will help, but the whole of Woodhaven Boulevard needs a fresh start and a new, safer look. We suggest that the DOT work to adopt recommendations in its Congested Corridors study of Woodhaven Boulevard in 2010 with regard to reducing or realigning traffi c lanes and widening medians to make it safer for drivers, commuters and pedestrians alike. Proper maintenance to prevent outbreak The deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the Bronx — which claimed the lives of seven individuals, as of press time Wednesday afternoon — appears to have been traced to contaminated cooling towers that support central heat and air conditioning systems in the buildings affected. This outbreak could have happened anywhere, and it should serve as the impetus for building managers across the city to have their cooling towers and central ventiliation systems regularly cleaned and inspected. The city must back this up by making inspections of such devices mandatory. Legionnaires’ disease is more a product of neglect than an act of God; the bacteria that cause this disease thrive in warm, moist and unkempt environments, often with fatal results. In this case, an ounce of prevention isn’t just worth more than a pound of cure — it could very well save lives. Restored library funds a sign of faith City funding is again fl owing into the Queens Borough Public Library, with Borough President Melinda Katz’s announcement on Aug. 3 that she’s providing $14 million toward capital improvements. Katz cut off library funding last year amid controversy surrounding Queens Library. With the new leadership, Katz’s allocation seems to be a sign that she believes in the library. The library has always been critical to the people of Queens serving as community centers, computer access and lending of books and digital media. It is a world-class institution that should be above politics.
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