FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com NOVEMBER 17, 2016 • The Queens Courier 17 CUTLER’S LIGHTING Over 50 Years Experience REPAIRS • REWIRING • RE-FINISHING • LAMP SHADES FALL SAVINGS TAKE 20-50% OFF on yellow and red tagged items LAMP SHADE SALE 10% OFF ANY PURCHASE With Coupon. Not combinable – New Orders Only. Limit 1 per customer. $150.00 max for discount. Excludes Repairs, Refi nishing, Rewiring. Exp. 11/30/16 CUTLER’S LIGHTING CUTLER’S LIGHTING LYNBROOK 817 Sunrise Hwy (2 Blocks west of Peninsula Blvd.) 516-887-1300 GREAT NECK 120 Northern Blvd. 516-482-1919 12 years from now, this LED bulb will still be saving you money. OFF Freight rail operator involved in Maspeth crash shouldn’t get new lease: CB 5 BY ANTHON Y GIU DICE [email protected]/@A_GiudiceReport As the MTA looks into expanding their lease with the Glendalebased railroad company New York and Atlantic Railway (NYA), civic groups and community leaders are telling the Transportation Authority to think again. The NYA has been under fire from the environmental group Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES) for unsafe policies, and was the focus of a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety review following a crash involving one of their trains at a Maspeth crossing in 2015 — the results of which showed a lack of safety regulations. In June, NYA added an additional 10 years onto the 20-year lease it signed with the MTA in 1997 to continue operating on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) tracks of the former Lower Montauk Line, which runs through Glendale, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth and other local communities. The extension was able to be automatically renewed without a vote from the MTA board if NYA met certain safety standards. According to the FRA safety review of the freight operators, they have not met many safety standards. Members of Community Board 5’s (CB 5) Transportation and Public Transit committees drafted a letter to opposing the MTA deny NYA’s lease renewal. “Assembly members Cathy Nolan and Mike Miller have written to the MTA questioning the renewal of this lease agreement,” said Toby Sheppard Bloch, cochair of the CB 5 Transportation Committee. “There are numerous safety problems with New York and Atlantic with some pretty scary accidents and collisions. And neighbors who live along the rail line have long suffered qualityof life problems from uncovered municipal waste, odor and other quality-of-life problems.” The resolution was put to a vote to the full board during CB 5’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at Christ the King High School in Middle Village. Thirtytwo members approved the resolution, while one voted against it. John Casellini, spokesperson for NYA, said that they are working with the FRA’s safety requests to improve their operations. “We assure local elected officials and the neighboring communities they represent that NYA has addressed all recommendations contained within the FRA’s Focused Safety Report,” Casellini told QNS. “In addition, in our quest for continual safety improvement, we are working in close coordination with our partners at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to implement further safety protocols and have proactively adopted additional safety measures that go above and beyond those recommended by the FRA. We have provided all FRA-required training and testing for our crews, along with LIRR Rules Compliance, a standard that exceeds those of other short line operations.” File photo/QNS Community Board 5 came out against the MTA’s renewal of New York and Atlantic Railway’s lease. Martin A. Funeral Home L.L.C. – Call for a FREE Planning Guide – • Our Services are available in all areas • Large Parking Facilities at all Locations • Personal Service, 24 Hours a Day • Burial and Cremation Services Available • Family Owned and Operated • FDIC Insured Pre-Plan Accounts • Pre-Arrangements Available • Out of Town Service, Call Us First • Shipping Specialists We Speak Spanish John A. Golden: Member of K. of C. and C*KHS; Thomas A. Golden III: Member AOH, KHS (Owner, Operators) 149-20 Northern Boulevard • Flushing • 718-359-6300 10-25 150th Street • Whitestone • 718-359-1122 36-46 Bell Boulevard • Bayside • 718-428-2210 Please Visit Our Website @ www.gleasonsfuneral.com Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home L.L.C.: The Preferred Choice
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