FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Bill to permit Pre-K near NYSCI sent to guv
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
Plans to construct a pre-K center at the
New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) parking
lot in Corona were thwarted last year
due to a doctrine that barred public park
land from being utilized for non-park use.
But a bill introduced by state Senator
Jose Peralta and Assemblyman Jeff rion
Aubry would allow the center to be
constructed if it is signed by Governor
Andrew Cuomo.
The center would accommodate
306 students and the Department of
Education (DOE) would partner with the
NYSCI and the Department of Cultural
Aff airs to create curriculum focusing on
science, technology, engineering, art and
math education.
Th e DOE announced the plan last
August in conjunction with NYSCI. If
signed by Cuomo, the bill would authorize
the city to “discontinue the use of
certain parkland” for the construction of
the center.
Aft er plans were announced, Queens
Borough President Melinda Katz
expressed concerns in a letter to Mayor
Bill de Blasio about the city’s procedure.
Th e letter stated that while she is
not against a preschool at this site, she
“requests that proper procedure be followed
to utilize public parkland in this
Photo courtesy of Flickr/Erwin Bernal
A new pre-K school focusing on STEAM education is slated to open near
the New York Hall of Science in Corona.
In her letter, Katz mentioned the Public
Park Doctrine, which requires that the
State Legislature grant permission to use
parkland for non-park use.
Th e Hall of Science was allowed to be
built due to New York City Code 18-120,
which stated that the nonprofi t could
enter into an agreement with the city
for “the adequate keeping, maintenance,
extension, preservation, management and
operation of such hall of science and scientifi
c exhibits for aff ording instruction
in the same and for the exhibition of scientifi
c matters and
objects for the entertainment,
recreation
and instruction of
people.”
She argued that the
code does not apply
to the school, even if
the Hall of Science
said they would hire
a permanent coordinator
to oversee
the school’s curriculum.
A spokesperson
for Katz did not
respond to a request
for comment as of
press time.
At a Community
Board 4 (CB 4)
meeting in Corona
in May 2016, board
member Judy D’Andrea echoed the borough
president’s concerns and requested
that the board send a letter to the city stating
that they support the conservation of
parkland and would like to see the center
built somewhere else.
CB 4 District Manager Christan
Cassagnol could not be reached for comment
as of press time.
Freddi Goldstein, a spokesperson for
the mayor, said the city “sought legislation
to alienate the parkland” for the construction
of the pre-K center “at the urging”
of Katz.
Additionally, the city will allocate $20
million for park-related improvements
in the area.
Th e bill must be signed or vetoed by the
governor by next Wednesday, Nov. 29.
Goldstein said the DOE plans to begin
construction immediately if the bill is
signed “and is working to get the doors
open as quickly as possible.”
School District 24, which encompasses
Corona, Glendale, Ridgewood, Elmhurst,
Long Island City, Maspeth and Middle
Village, has notoriously been one of the
most overcrowded school districts in the
city. Th e DOE last year said it has begun
to take some steps to alleviate this problem
and will implement some short-term
solutions.
For the 2016-17 through 2018-19 school
years, DOE will add 17 pre-K sections
with 312 seats in Corona and Elmhurst.
Plans include three sections at P.S. 7
in Elmhurst and seven Transportable
Classroom Units (TCU) – three at the
Pre-K Center at P.S. 28 in Corona, two
at the Pre-K Center at P.S. 16 in Corona,
and two at the Pre-K Center at P.S. 7 in
Corona.
In 2012, Queens residents rallied
against a plan that would use some of the
parkland to build a mall, parking and tennis
and Major League Soccer (MLS) stadiums.
MLS has since dropped plans to
build a facility in Queens.
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