FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 24, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Snooping bill gets
governor’s approval
A Bayside-based lawmaker’s push to protect
homeowners from invasive surveillance has been
realized.
Assemblyman Edward Braunstein announced on
Aug. 16 that his unauthorized surveillance bill was
signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Th e
legislation gives New York homeowners the ability
to sue a neighbor for invasion of privacy should he
or she record recreational activities in their backyard
with the intent to harass, annoy, alarm or
threaten their neighbor’s property.
Unlawful surveillance was made a crime in 2003,
according to Braunstein. However, the protections
only establish criminal penalties when the recording
occurs in a setting such as a bathroom or changing
room.
“Since I introduced this legislation in the
Assembly, I have heard from people around the
state who have been victimized by this practice,”
Braunstein said. “Th is law will provide families with
legal recourse in the event that someone tries to
invade the privacy they deserve in their backyards.”
Suzanne Monteverdi
Crowley pushes rent
relief for tenants
Low- and middle-income renters in Queens and
cities across the country deserve a tax break, according
to Congressman Joe Crowley.
During a press conference on Monday, Aug. 21,
outside the Woodside Houses, Crowley announced
the Rent Relief Act, a bill that would provide two
new refundable tax credits to Americans who live in
rental housing that are considered “rent-burdened.”
Under the new legislation, qualifi ed individuals
who live in rental housing as their primary
residence and pay more than 30 percent of their
income in rent would be eligible for a refundable
tax credit. Th e amount will be determined by the
household’s annual income, the total amount spent
annually on rent, and a stimulated rate of the federal
government’s established fair market annual
rent caps.
Emily Davenport
Flushing Meadows board
will be reshaped
Th e city has settled a lawsuit between Mayor Bill
de Blasio and Queens Councilman Rory Lancman
over membership of an organization dedicated to
improving Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Lancman, who represents an area including the
southern section of the park, announced on Aug. 18
that the settlement will result in the the restructuring
of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Alliance,
a group whose mission is to “preserve, maintain,
and improve Flushing Meadows Corona Park for
the benefi t and use of the surrounding communities
and all New Yorkers,” as noted on its website.
Th e court decision will now grant all legislators
whose districts overlap or touch the park representation
on the Alliance’s board. Th is includes
Lancman and fellow City Council members Julissa
Ferreras-Copeland, Karen Koslowitz, Peter Koo
and Paul Vallone.
Th e Alliance’s board of directors was previously
comprised of 15 government, community and
business leaders. Lancman’s lawsuit alleged that
both the entity’s membership and funding scheme
violated both the City Charter and Administrative
Code.
Suzanne Monteverdi
Photos courtesy of Councilman Paul Vallone’s offi ce
Bayside intersection is fi nally
getting a left-turn signal
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Aft er year of lobbying, Bayside
residents will fi nally see a special
left -hand turn signal installed at a
high-traffi c intersection.
Th e new left -hand turn signal will
be established at 26th Avenue and
Corporal Kennedy Street, according
to Councilman Paul Vallone.
Th e installation, led by the NYC
Department of Transportation
(DOT), is expected to be done by
mid-September.
Th e new traffi c signal will be an
actuated sensor-activated left turn
signal, meaning there will be sensors
and other technologies embedded
into the left turning lane to determine
when there is a car trying to
turn. Th e turn signal will only be
activated when these sensors indicate
there is a car present.
According to Vallone, DOT
Queens Borough Commissioner
Nicole Garcia said the testing for
the new wireless technology has
returned positive results.
Th e local community has long
pushed for the traffi c signal. Located
in the Bay Terrace section of the
neighborhood, the busy intersection
is near to community fi xtures,
including the Clearview Selfh elp
Senior Center, the Bay Terrace
Shopping Center and a number of
co-op buildings.
Complaints have been received
of traffi c at the intersection backing
up all the way to the Clearview
Expressway service road due to
congestion in the left turning lane,
Vallone said. Concerns about the
intersection were also raised at a
town hall with Mayor Bill de Blasio
last year, which took place at the
senior center.
“If you heard a unifi ed cheer from
the seniors of Bayside, it was a cry of
victory,” Vallone said. “Th is was really
the number one light request we’ve
gotten since we entered offi ce. For
over 20 years, repeated requests have
been denied, but just this week, we
confi rmed with DOT Commissioner
Trottenberg that this left turn signal
will fi nally become a reality. It may
not seem big in the grand scheme of
things, but this was a huge, long overdue
victory for the neighborhood.”
In March, Community Board 7
also gave the green light to a DOT
proposal to bring a number of safety
improvements to the area, including
concrete curb extensions and crosswalk
upgrades.
State Senator Tony Avella also
spoke out in favor of the long-awaited
announcement.
“Aft er working for almost 20 years
on this — well before I was in elected
offi ce —along with the Bay Terrace
Community Alliance, I am very
happy to know that this heavily traffi
cked and very busy intersection will
fi nally get the traffi c controls that so
many people have asked for,” he said.
The intersection of 26th Avenue and Corporal Kennedy Street.
