20 The QUEE NS Courier • OCTOBER 20, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com New computer labs unveiled at college in Bayside BY SUZANE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 Present and future students within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program at Queensborough Community College (QCC) in Bayside will be able to conduct their research in brand-new, state-of-theart laboratories. Using $250,000 in funding allocated by state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and the New York State Economic Development Assistance Program, three chemistry learning laboratories within the QCC campus science building underwent complete renovations. “This $250,000 grant is an investment in your future,” Stavisky said to present STEM students. “I think the future is yours if you want to take advantage of it.” “We have over 1,000 students enrolled in chemistry classes,” QCC President Diane Call said. “So this is obviously a great way to enhance the experience in the laboratory.” Upgrades include new countertops and features, updated plumbing and gas lines, improved hood ventilation and more spacious and accessible cabinet space. “Our curriculum here rivals any curriculum at any university in chemistry — and all of the sciences — and I think that’s because our programs really are meant to prepare students to continue with their university studies and beyond,” Call said. Photo courtesy of Queensborough Community College State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky tours one of the newly renovated laboratories at QCC. Photo via YouTube/roadwaywiz The Manhattan-bound entrance to the Queens Midtown Tunnel Weekend tube closures at Midtown Tunnel to speed up post-Sandy repairs BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@qns.com @robbpoz Nearly four years since Hurricane Sandy‘s storm surge flooded the Queens Midtown Tunnel, the MTA is still working hard to permanently repair the damage and fortify it against the threat of future coastal storms. But with the work being far from completion, the MTA announced on Oct. 13 it would close one of the tunnel’s two tubes every weekend until further notice in order to expedite the project. Tube closures will continue at the same hours — 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. the following Monday — every weekend until the work is completed, an MTA spokesperson told The Courier. One lane of traffic will be maintained, at reduced speeds, in each direction. Working with Judlau Contracting of Queens, the MTA is in the midst of a $236.5 million renovation of the Queens Midtown Tunnel; the twin tubes were flooded with salt water from the storm surge that Hurricane Sandy brought into New York City in October 2012. The MTA made quick, temporary repairs to the electrical and drainage systems in order to reopen the tunnel to traffic within days of the storm. At the start of the project, the MTA estimated the work would be completed by 2019; the weekend tube closures will allow crews to work on a more accelerated schedule. This could cut the project’s duration by as much as a full calendar year, according to the MTA spokesperson. The closures will alternate the between the Manhattanbound and Queens-bound tubes depending on the nature of the work to be completed on a given weekend. The Manhattan-bound tube is closed on Monday through Thursday nights from 9:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m., and that closure will remain in effect. The MTA advises Queens and Long Island residents heading to Midtown Manhattan to use the Long Island Rail Road on weekends to avoid traffic. If you must drive, consider other East River crossings. Once completed, the revamped Queens Midtown Tunnel will feature new wall tiles, ceiling finishes, curbs, catwalks, duct banks, LED lighting and a repaved roadbed. Call 511 or visit mta.info for more details. Help the city figure out where to install Citi Bike in Astoria BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com/@AngelaMatua Astoria residents will have access to the Citi Bike sharing system by the end of next year and the city is asking for the community’s input to help plan the installation. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is asking residents to come to one of two planning meetings to discuss implem en t a t i o n . A c c o r d i n g to a DOT spokesperson, C o m m u n i t y Board 1 (CB 1), will receive between 50 and 60 stations. CB 1 also covers parts of Long Island City and Woodside. The first meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Bohemian Hall, located at 29-19 24th Ave. Next month, the DOT will host a meeting on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. at PS 166 (the Henry Gradstein School), located at 30-09 35th Ave. Members of Community Board 1 will attend as well as Councilmen Costa C o n s t a n t i n i d e s and Jimmy Van Bramer, state Sen. Michael Gianaris, Steinway Astoria P a r t n e r s h i p , Central Astoria LDC and Long Island City Partnership. The bike sharing program rolled into Long Island City last August with 12 stations including one by the Vernon Boulevard- Jackson Avenue subway station, another in front of MoMa PS1, one next to the LIC Flea & Food and another near Queensboro Plaza.
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