4 The QUEE NS Courier • SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Photo courtesy of the Department of Environmental Protection Rendering of a bioswale Two controversial races headline Sept. 13 Democratic primary BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@qns.com/@robbpoz Democrats will settle a pair of hotly contested races for legislative seats in this Tuesday’s statewide legislative primary. Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 13; only voters who are registered with the Democratic Primary will be eligible to participate. One of the two local contests is the 16th State Senate District contest between incumbent state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and challenger S.J. Jung. Stavisky and her colleagues in government blasted Jung following statements he made in an August debate in Flushing in which he opposed same sex marriage and most forms of abortion. The 16th Senate District straddles much of central and northeast Queens and includes parts of Bayside, Corona, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Middle Village, Rego Park and Woodside. Another hot race has heated up along with the ongoing battle in Maspeth over a proposed homeless shelter at the Holiday Inn Express on 55th Road. Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, who represents Maspeth as well as areas of Astoria, Long Island City, Middle Village, Sunnyside and Woodside, is facing a challenge from Woodside attorney Brian Barnwell. Markey has come under fire in recent weeks from Maspeth residents who believe she is not being vocal enough in opposing the proposed homeless shelter. During a Community Board 5 public hearing on the project on Aug. 31, she cut her speech short after being roundly jeered by the audience. Both Markey and Barnwell have said publicly that they oppose the shelter. For more information, call 212-VOTE-NYC or visit www.vote. nyc.ny.us. NORTHEAST QUEENS HIT HARDEST IN BOROUGH FOR OPIOID ADDICTION By Suzanne Monteverdi smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 A counseling professional shared some troubling news regarding drug addiction within northeast Queens at a community meeting this week. “We, as professionals, are in the scariest times of our careers,” said Beth Covelli, guest speaker at the Sept. 6 111th Precinct Community Council meeting in Bayside. “Ladies and g e n t l emen, n o r t h e a s t Queens is the hardest hit area in Queens for opiate addiction.” A Hollis Hills native and senior m a n a g e r for NYC O u t p a t i e n t Services at O u t r e a c h — a nonprofit organization that helps people address issues s t e m m i n g from drug and alcohol use — Covelli was present to discuss a concerning local trend. “It’s nice to come back home,” Covelli continued. “But it’s sad that we’re faced with a national epidemic and the hardest hit is where I call home. So I’m coming to talk to you from a place of heart, and a place of fear, for a place I called home for half of my life.” Despite the need for services, northeast Queens doesn’t have any local addiction treatment centers or offices. Covelli pointed out that Outreach, with their office in Richmond Hill, is one of the closest locations offering substance abuse services for northeast Queens residents. Reports recently released by the NYC Department of Health (DOH) and the NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli confirm the concerns about rising drug abuse within the community. According to an EpiData brief released in August 2016 by the DOH, the rate of unintentional drug overdose death in New York City increased for the fifth consecutive year. Accompanying data maps also revealed a concentration of unintentional drug overdoses involving heroin between 2014 and 2015 in the areas of Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck. In a June 2016 press release, D i N a p o l i stated that while drug abuse is not a new p r o b l e m , “with both heroin and other opioids, developments in recent years are cause for special concern.” “Overdose deaths in New York related to heroin use r e a c h e d a record high of 825 in 2014, a jump of more than 23 percent from the previous year and nearly 25 times the number of a decade earlier,” DiNapoli noted. “Deaths in which prescription opioids were a contributing factor also reached a new peak in 2014, nearly four times the level in 2005.” Covelli urged the community to speak up and spread the word about the increase in local drug abuse — especially concerning opioids — and the need to inform those struggling about services that are available to them. “If you know somebody that is affected, please take the flyer; please spread the information,” Covelli concluded. “You can’t change the world unless you’re a part of it.” Founded in 1980, Outreach offers outpatient treatment, services for women, DUI/ DWI services, residential treatment for adolescents, and a variety of specialized services. Visit opiny.org for more information. Lawmaker says Bayside bioswale project can cause parking issues By Suzanne Monteverdi smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 A local lawmaker is continuing his fight against the installation of watertrapping bioswales in Bayside over concerns among residents that the curbside devices will inhibit their ability to park on the streets. Last month, state Senator Tony Avella wrote to city Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenburg stating some Bayside residents would like the option to opt out of having the units installed in front of their homes due to parking concerns, one of a number of worries voiced at a rally in July. The commissioner responded with her own letter, claiming that the bioswales are built completely within the sidewalk and will not impact the parking situation. The bioswales feature plants, soil, rocks and two small curb cuts designed to guide rainwater into them rather than into nearby sewers. On Aug. 31, Avella responded to Trottenburg’s claims with a follow-up letter. “Thank you for your Aug. 19 letter stating that bioswales are built completely within the sidewalk area and do not affect parking spaces,” began Avella. “With all due respect — that’s simply not true!” Avella continued by claiming he has visited bioswales which have already been installed in Maspeth, and wrote that it is “very difficult for a vehicle passenger to exit a vehicle when parked next to a bioswale.” The bioswales were proposed by the city as part of the Green Infrastructure Program, an initiative by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). They are large planted areas installed by a street curb designed to trap and absorb rainwater. Avella closed the letter with a dig at Mayor Bill de Blasio while hinting that the senator believes the bioswale installations are a foregone conclusion. “Ordinarily, I would ask that you revisit this matter, but it seems to be a futile exercise with this mayor,” Avella said. Photo: Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS Beth Covelli of Outreach discussing the opioid addiction trend in the Northeast Queens area.
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