FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 • The Queens Courier 3 Flushing Y getting $230K for new lobby The Flushing YMCA is getting nearly a quarter of a million dollars in state funding toward an overhaul of its lobby, lawmakers announced on Aug. 30. State Senatory Toby Ann Stavisky is kicking in $105,000 toward the renovations, while Assemblyman Ron Kim is providing another $125,000. The lobby will be completely redesigned to improve foot traffic and provide more open space. “The YMCA is a family staple in the Flushing community where dozens of people of all ages come for a variety of activities, such as swimming lessons, after-school programs and exercise classes. I am happy to contribute to the building of a new lobby that will provide a warmer and more efficient welcome for visitors,” Stavisky said. “Flushing’s YMCA has always been a pillar of our community, and it also happens to be a kind of second home for me,” Kim added. “I grew up in this district, and have many fond memories of coming here after school or on the weekends to stay active, meet friends, play sports and generally stay out of trouble. As it did for me in the past, the YMCA continues to have a vital role in fostering youth development and bringing the residents of our neighborhoods together.” Flushing Y Executive Director Jen Silvers expressed her gratitude to both lawmakers for the allocation, noting that it will help “create a much more inviting and welcoming space for members and participants to access our facility and get the great services that we the YMCA provides to the community.” Robert Pozarycki Sketch of witness in Karina Vetrano case The NYPD released on Wednesday morning a sketch of an individual sought for questioning in connection with the murder of Howard Beach resident Karina Vetrano. Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce held up the sketch at a press conference in Brooklyn and pointed out that the mystery man was not a suspect. According to Boyce, a utility worker had spotted the man in the area near Spring Creek Park where the 30-year-old Vetrano was last seen alive on the afternoon of Aug. 2. It is believed that this man may have seen the suspect(s) responsible for raping and fatally strangling Vetrano, whose body was found in the park close to the intersection of 161st Avenue and 78th Street in Howard Beach. “We have to speak to this person,” Boyce said, as quoted in a WNBC-TV report. “That’s the only reason we’re putting this out.” On Tuesday, police announced it had been able to create a DNA profile of Vetrano’s unidentified killer from genetic material recovered from the crime scene. Boyce indicated that this profile did not match any others currently listed in the state or national DNA criminal databanks. Detectives had also ruled out a male runner known to frequent the same area where Vetrano jogged whom the victim’s father, Phil Vetrano, identified as a possible suspect in an interview on Monday with radio host Curtis Sliwa of WABC-AM. Following the radio interview, the runner went to police, submitted to questioning and said he had stopped running in the area due to a bad knee. Friday, Sept. 2, will mark the one-month anniversary of Karina Vetrano’s murder, a crime that shook the entire community. She left her 84th Street home at about 5 p.m. on Aug. 2 to go for a run, but never returned. Her father reported her missing, and hours later, Karina’s body was discovered during a search of the park. Anyone with information about the murder of Karina Vetrano is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS; all calls will be kept confidential. Robert Pozarycki Photo: Suzanne Monteverdi/THE COURIER Senator Avella discussing findings from the data provided by the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration. Report finds ‘significant’ levels of aircraft noise in northeast Queens By Suzanne Monteverdi smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 Northeast Queens residents have long claimed that noisy airplane traffic has increased in their neighborhoods, and now they have the data to back it. Earlier this year, Queens Quiet Skies, a group formed to study and combat the increase in disruptive air traffic, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Federal Aviation Administration to release data detailing the history of LaGuardia Airport flight patterns and runway usage. Brian Will, vice president of Queens Quiet Skies, has analyzed the data from the FOIA request, and revealed his findings in a press conference at state Senator Tony Avella‘s Bayside office on Tuesday, Aug. 30. “Northeast Queens, in 2002, had 57,000 departures over it,” Will said. “By 2016, we are on pace for over 100,000 departures.” Findings also revealed that northeast Queens is not the only section of the borough that has seen an increase in flight traffic over recent years. “Jackson Heights has had a seven-fold increase in departures — mostly on weekends,” Will added. “This is just staggering. And we’re getting it straight from the Port Authority.” Will clarified that the Port Authority does own the airport and maintain the runways, but they are not in charge of directing the flight plans. That responsibility belongs to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “When we talk to the FAA, they say that this because of wind and weather,” Will said. “No. This is an operational change. Prevailing winds have not changed in the last 14 years.” Alternatively, Will attributed the growth in airplane traffic over the area to an increased use of Runway 13, which runs two primary departure routes: the Whitestone Climb and the Tennis Climb, which was originally created to divert air traffic away from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing during the U.S. Open. “They say nothing has changed, but it has changed, and their own data says it,” Will continued. “I won’t say that they’re lying, but they’re not being quite honest.” One local civic leader agreed that something had to be done to finally address aircraft noise over local skies. “This is such a serious problem in our community, with the noise and the pollution from the airplanes,” said Henry Euler, first vice president of the Auburndale Improvement Association and a Bayside resident. Closing the conference, Avella urged the community to continue voicing their concerns about the increased air traffic and the effects it may be having on their quality of life. “We all felt we were getting more airplane noise over this community. Now the records show it,” Avella said. “Whether it’s northeast Queens — my district — southeast Queens, Nassau, Brooklyn, the Bronx: we’re all getting this problem. … And it’s only gonna get worse if we don’t finally stamp our feet and say, ‘Hey, wait a second. You’re gonna have to deal with us.’”
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