4 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 25, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
New LIRR station opens near Belmont Park
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Southeast Queens leaders applauded
Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement
Tuesday, Nov. 16, that the new Long
Island Rail Road station near Belmont
Park will be open in time for the New
York Islanders’ fi rst home game at UBS
Arena.
Th e fi rst new LIRR station sits between
Bellerose and Queens Village at the
Queens and Nassau border.
State Senator Leroy Comrie, chair
of the Corporations, Authorities and
Commissions Committee, said he’s continuously
challenged the MTA and its
affi liates to reimagine transportation
across the state.
“I am proud to see the MTA/LIRR is
receptive to that vision while remaining
committed to direct community input
throughout the entirety of the process,”
Comrie said. “Protecting our environment,
the integrity and quality of life of local
neighborhoods; relieving congestion; providing
full ADA accessibility; and encouraging
people to use mass transit are all benchmarks
of the new Elmont Station that will
allow us to hit squarely on the bull’s-eye.”
Th e station will initially off er eastbound
service to the new home of the New York
Islanders and service will increase next
summer when the westbound platform
opens.
Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin and Acting MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber hosted a ceremonial
first train ride and ribbon-cutting at the LIRR Elmont station, the first new Long Island Rail
Road station in nearly 50 years.
At this time, the station will begin fulltime,
year-round service to the local community
and will begin to provide westbound
service to and from events at UBS
Arena and Belmont Park.
“Th is is a great example of when government
and private partnerships work,”
Assemblyman Clyde Vanel said. “We are
excited about all the economic opportunities
we are having in Nassau County and
Photo credit: Marc A. Hermann/MTA
in Queens. It’s great to have such partners
going forward and we cannot wait until
Saturday. I’m a season ticket holder, so I’m
excited.”
Th e $1.1 billion multi-purpose, stateof
the-art UBS Arena located at Belmont
Park, will host more than 150 major events
annually and is designed to hold up to
19,000 people for concerts and audiences
up to 17,250 for NHL games.
Th e LIRR station will help reduce travel
times and is expected to increase the
number of event attendees who use public
transportation, helping to alleviate
traffi c congestion in the surrounding
ommunities.
“Modern, reliable transportation is the
linchpin of New York’s future economic
growth,” Empire State Development Acting
Commissioner Hope Knight said. “From
traveling to and from work to exploring the
region to attending an event at UBS Arena
at Belmont Park, the new Elmont LIRR station
will go a long way towards ensuring
New Yorkers’ commutes are safe and swift .”
Knight was the president and CEO of the
Greater Jamaica Development Corporation
for nearly a decade until last month when
the governor appointed her as the commissioner
of the Department of Economic
Development and as the president and
CEO of Empire State Development.
“Nothing says New York is back like
building bigger and better transportation
infrastructure,” Hochul said.
MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno
Lieber said the new station will provide
customers with the fastest, safest and
greenest way to get to the state-of-the-art
UBS Arena.
“Th is station delivers amenities and conveniences
that gives customers the ability
to enjoy New York Islanders games, concerts
and all of the fantastic events that will
happen here, further incentivizing them
to return to mass transit,” Lieber said.
Queens DA launches youth crime prevention initiative
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
In her ongoing campaign to keep youth
out of the criminal justice system,
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz
announced grant funding to 28 community
based organizations across the
borough for the implementation of her
Community Youth Development and
Crime Prevention Project (CYDCPP).
Th e new initiative aims to provide youth
activities and wraparound services to help
prevent crime and keep young people out
of the system.
According to the DA’s offi ce, the goals
of CYDCPP are to facilitate a collaborative
and community-driven approach that
will foster positive relationships between
the community and law enforcement,
reduce youth crime, improve self-confi
dence among young people, increase
exposure to positive adult role models, as
well as improve academic performance
and school attendance.
“Providing meaningful opportunities
for our youth is a keen investment in
public safety and the future of Queens
County,” Katz said. “We have to do all
we can to make sure that our kids are
equipped to make good choices and
empowered to steer clear of gangs, guns
and crime.”
Th e project will operate under the general
guidance of the Youth Empowerment
Unit within the Community Partnerships
Division at the Queens District Attorney’s
Offi ce. Th e total funding for CYDCPP is
anticipated to total $2,750,000 over two years.
Th e 28 recipients who will receive funding
are as follows:
• Queens Public Library (Service area: Far
Rockaway)
• Queens Community House (Service
area: Pomonok Houses)
• Th e Child Center of New York (Service
areas: Elmhurst and South Ozone Park)
• Variety Boys and Girls Club (Service
area: Astoria)
• Queens Defenders (Service area: Far
Rockaway)
• Jamaica Y- YMCA of Greater NY
(Service area: Jamaica)
• Greater Ridgewood Youth Council
(Service area: 104th Precinct)
• Sunnyside Community Services (Service
area: Woodside)
• Queens Center for Court Innovation
— Queens Community Justice Center
(Service areas: Jamaica, Cambria
Heights, Rosedale, Hollis, Springfi eld
Gardens, Ozone Park)
• Catholic Charities (Service area: 101st
Precinct)
• Community Mediation Services (Service
areas: Jamaica and Far Rockaway)
• Queens Center for Court Innovation
— Th e Rockaways (Service areas: 100th
and 101st Precincts)
• Martin de Porres Youth & Family
Services (Service areas: 103rd, 105th
and 113th Precincts)
• Garden of Hope (Service area: Flushing)
• Korean American Family Service
Center (Service area: Flushing)
• Th e Fresh Air Fund (Service areas:
Jackson Heights and Corona)
• SAYA (Service area: South Ozone Park)
• Rosedale Jets Football Association
(Service areas: Rosedale, Laurelton,
Springfi eld Gardens, Cambria Heights,
Jamaica)
• 4Ward Inclusion Consulting (Service
areas: 103rd, 105th and 113th Precincts)
• Rabenstein Learning Center (Service
area: Far Rockaway)
• Global Kids (Service area: 106th
Precinct)
• Urban Upbound (Service areas:
Queensbridge, Astoria, Ravenswood,
and Woodside Houses)
• Share 4 Life (Service areas: Astoria
and Ravenswood Houses)
• Greater Springfi eld Community
Church (Service area: 11433 Zip
Code)
• Rochdale Village Social Services
(Service area: Rochdale)
• Community Center of the Rockaway
Peninsula (Service area: Far Rockaway)
“My offi ce is committed to working with
the community to develop mentorship,
recreational, academic and career development
activities in our borough,” Katz
said. “Th e Queens Community Youth
Development and Crime Prevention
Program will help empower our youth
while increasing
public safety.”
QNS fi le photo
Queens District Attorney Melinda
Katz launched a new youth development
and crime prevention initiative
with grant funding to 28 community
organizations.
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