4 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 24, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
City to fi x Flushing sinkhole
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Aft er months of complaints, a sinkhole
in the heart of an active Flushing
intersection will fi nally be remedied, a
lawmaker announced on Aug. 18.
State Senator Tony Avella said the
city Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) will soon address the
sinkhole at the intersection of Union
Street and 32nd Avenue. Th e decision
to repair the sinkhole, which fi rst
appeared years ago, comes aft er an
inspection begun by DEP in May.
Th e city agency said that it has “identifi
ed the defi ciencies in the underground
sewer infrastructure that may
have contributed to the roadway
defects,” according to the state senator.
“I am happy that this busy intersection
will be repaired prior to a major
collapse,” Avella said. “Buses, trucks,
cars and pedestrians cross this busy
intersection at a high frequency and if
this condition continued to be ignored,
we could have had a real tragedy on
our hands. I hope that the city completely
repairs the issue so residents
can go about their day without worrying
that this intersection could open at
any minute.”
Th e lawmaker fi rst held a press conference
on May 11 to draw attention to
the problem. Onsite, he told reporters
that he reached out to the DEP multiple
times about the situation dating
back to last August, but did not receive
a response.
“I’m really worried there’s gonna
be a serious collapse here,” Avella
said during the press conference.
“Th e ground underneath is eroded, so
there’s very little holding the road up,”
the lawmaker said. “Th e sewer must be
broken underneath and leaking and
the water just erodes the ground.”
In a letter addressed to DEP Acting
Commissioner Vincent Sapienza and
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Avella pointed
out that the location is a major thoroughfare,
with buses, cars and pedestrians
passing through on a constant
basis. Th e intersection is also near to
a school, park and pool club, the lawmaker
pointed out.
“Th e sewer in the vicinity of Union
Street and 32nd Avenue is being
inspected using a remotely operated
television camera and, once that work
is complete, any necessary repairs will
be made,” a DEP spokesperson told
QNS on May 15.
Queens Museum
reverses Israel
exhibit decision
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Offi cials at the Queens Museum are moving
forward with plans to hold a celebration of the
State of Israel’s 70th anniversary aft er facing a
backlash from local elected offi cials for initially
canceling it.
Executive members of the Queens Museum
met on Aug. 16 with Israel’s Ambassador to
the United Nations Danny Danon aft er facing
strong criticism earlier in the day for canceling
the rental booking. Th e event — which
will reenact the U.N. vote that partitioned
Palestine, allowing for the creation of Israel —
was booked in June and is slated to take place
on Nov. 29. It will happen in the main gallery
of the museum, which hosted the U.N. General
Assembly at the time of the 1947 decision.
“We are deeply committed to all the communities
we serve through our meaningful arts programming
and we are looking forward to making
this a successful event,” Queens Museum
Board of Trustees Chair Mark Coleman said in
a statement.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Danon welcomed
the institution’s reversal.
“We welcome this step by the Queens
Museum to rectify their earlier unfortunate
decision,” he wrote. “Any attempt to discriminate
against Israel is completely unacceptable
and we will continue to fi ght against such injustices.
We look forward to proudly celebrating
this historic U.N. decision. Th ank you to all our
friends in the pro-Israel community for standing
by our side.”
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz also
spoke out in support of the Israeli independence
celebration.
“Pleased that the Permanent Mission of Israel
to the United Nations 70th anniversary commemoration
will now rightfully proceed at
Queens Museum, in the very halls that hosted
the historic 1947 vote and creation of the state
of Israel,” she said in a Facebook post.
Th e Queens Museum’s original decision
faced sharp criticism from Queens lawmakers
on Aug. 16. In a joint statement, Councilman
Rory Lancman and Assemblyman Michael
Simanowitz slammed the cancellation as “a
clear example of anti-Semitism” and “a disgrace
and a violation of law.” Th ey also called for
the immediate removal of Executive Director
Laura Raicovich, who was reported to have
canceled the rental booking on the grounds
that it was a “political event,” from her position.
Congresswoman Grace Meng and City
Comptroller Scott M. Stringer also criticized
the initial cancellation.
Busy Flushing intersection
to get safety improvements
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A Flushing intersection will soon
become safer for pedestrians.
A crosswalk will be installed at the
intersection of Blossom Avenue and
Main Street, Assemblywoman Nily
Rozic announced on Aug. 21. Th e new
crosswalk is expected to be painted
before the end of the year and Rozic
will continue monitoring the intersection
to see if additional safety measures
are necessary.
Th e news comes aft er the city
Department of Transportation (DOT)
conducted a traffi c study of the area
at the lawmaker’s request. In October
2015, Rozic wrote to DOT Queens
Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia
to request some form of traffi c calming
measures at the site. Th e intersection,
located nearby multiple public schools,
residential buildings and community
hubs, including a senior center, currently
has none, leaving pedestrians at
risk, Rozic said.
In her letter, the legislator also cited
a pedestrian fatality that occurred that
some month at the location, in which a
young couple was stuck while attempting
to cross the street.
Amy and Hsi-Pei Liao, founding
members of the advocacy group
Families for Safe Streets, welcomed
news of the coming crosswalk.
“It’s sad that it took a life in 2015
and fi ve known injuries from 2015
till now to install a crosswalk here,”
they said. “Th e family of the victims
and lives of those injured are forever
changed. Anybody who has been
to this area knows it’s packed with
families with strollers, older adults
and everybody in between walking to
the many grocery stores and medical
facilities nearby.”
Rozic worked with Senator Charles
Schumer to secure the traffi c study.
“I am proud of the eff orts that went
into securing the traffi c study and
thank Senator Schumer and our community
partners for their work in prioritizing
the safety of everyone traveling
through the area,” said Rozic.
Photo via Shutterstock
Photo via Google Maps
The intersection of Blossom Avenue and Main Street.
Photos by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
State Senator Tony Avella stands at the site of the sinkhole at 32nd Avenue and Union Street.
