FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com DECEMBER 1, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3 WHAT A WASTE! BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected] @smont76 A $19.7 million upgrade to the sewer, trunk and water delivery systems in Bayside has been in limbo for months, and residents are still looking for answers. Ali Mallick, deputy assistant commissioner of the city’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC), attended the Nov. 29 Bayside Hills Civic Association (BHCA) meeting to update residents on the ongoing situation. “I feel ashamed coming down here and talking to you because this is not what DDC does,” Mallick said. “Our housekeeping is much, much better than what I see over here,” referring to the construction equipment left strewn around the streets in areas of the Bayside Hills neighborhood. The construction project encompasses areas between Springfield Boulevard and Bell Boulevard in the Bayside Hills neighborhood. The project began in 2014 but was stalled the following year after the original bidder for the project, Trocom Construction Corp., fi led for bankruptcy. In the interim, the DCC was unable to remove the construction company’s equipment from the area, leaving the streets in disarray, and the agency was left to begin looking for a new contractor for the job. “We have a new contractor that’s coming on board,” Mallick said. “We have good experience with that contractor and he’s ready to start work.” Mallick explained that “95 percent of the negotiating has been done” and that the DDC is “confi - dent” that the company will accept the terms. Should the new company accept, they would begin the project at the beginning of the new year on a larger budget than the original company. Mallick projected construction will fi nally be completed in the summer of 2018. Residents, clearly frustrated with the ongoing situation, groaned and began speaking with each other when Mallick announced the project’s far-off completion date. Residents’ biggest concern was the large pieces of equipment that the bankrupt construction company left behind in the streets. “It takes time to make sure this gets done,” Mallick said. “We will make sure the pipes are ready before we start excavation.” “This community has been putting up with a lot,” Councilman Barry Grodenchik said. “There’s nobody here that would say that we don’t want new water mains; we need new infrastructure. These mains are almost a century old and they are not big enough to serve our community … So this is a top concern with me.” “We are going to be keeping tabs and making sure that when 2018 rolls around, we really are sealing the deal on the project and moving on,” Assemblywoman Nily Rozic added. Still, residents were not wholly convinced. “The word that is missing is relief,” said one resident. “And I’m not impressed with what I hear in terms of what has been done to provide relief to my neighbors … This neighborhood is going through a very diffi cult time.” With many residents still uneasy, civic members requested a more exact timeline from DDC at the group’s next meeting in January. Mallick agreed to do so. “Our job now is to get this done with,” said Michael Feiner, president of BHCA. A HEAP of help to pay winter bills Winter is coming, and it comes with the ever-increasing cost of heating your home. Fortunately, for those Queens residents struggling to make ends meet, there’s help available to keep them warm all season long. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that helps low-income homeowners and renters afford heating fuel. Those eligible can receive up to several hundred dollars per year to defray heating costs.Borough President Melinda Katz encourages interested parties to visit her office at Queens Borough Hall (Room 225) on Mondays or Wednesdays (excluding holidays) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Applicants must bring a copy of a recent utility bill, documentation verifying their income and rent and the date of birth and social security number of each household member.For more information about the program, contact the borough president’s office at 718-286-2899 or the city’s HEAP hotline at 800-692-0557. -Suzanne Monteverdi Vintage subway trains roll through LIC The MTA is celebrating the holidays by allowing riders to take trips on vintage trains that were in service from the 1930s to 1970s. Every Sunday from Dec. 4 through Dec. 18, this “city car” will take riders between Lower Manhattan and Long Island City for the price of a standard one-way MetroCard. The first trains ran this past Sunday, Nov. 28.The eight-train subway car is usually displayed in the Transit Museum but every year, it is brought out for a Sunday ride. It consists of R1/9 subway cars, which ran on lettered lines A, B, E and H from 1932 through 1977. They have rattan seats, ceiling fans, incandescent bulb lighting, drop-sash style windows and roll signs. Check the full story at QNS.com for full details. -Angela Matua Queens task force to help ex-felons rebuild lives Hoping to prevent those who broke the law from returning to crime, the state will establish a special task force in Queens designed to provide support services to formerly incarcerated individuals. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Nov. 22 the creation of a state-supported County Re-Entry Task Force for Queens County, the 20th organization of its kind in the Empire State, which will assist prisoners re-entering society after serving their sentences. Each County Re-Entry Task Force is cochaired by local officials and representatives of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Victim advocates, substance abuse treatment providers and professionals from the law enforcement, social services and mental health communities are also part of the task force. -Robert Pozarycki Bayside sewer project stalled because of bankrupt contractor, city says We are going to be keeping tabs and making sure that when 2018 rolls around, we really are sealing the deal on the project and moving on,” -Assemblywoman Nily Rozic NEWS BRIEFS
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