30 The Queens Courier • DECEMBER 5, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Push to bring ‘Queensboro Bridge’ back BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] One local politician is taking the next step in bringing the Queensboro Bridge back to the borough. Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. introduced legislation on November 26 to reestablish the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge as the Queensboro Bridge. The city renamed the bridge in 2011 after former Mayor Ed Koch, who passed away on February 1. Vallone led the opposition against the renaming of the bridge at the time, along with 12 other councilmembers. Vallone’s bill instead calls to rename the Manhattan Municipal Building, located at 1 Centre Street in Manhattan, as the Ed Koch Manhattan Municipal Building. “While I realize this bill will not pass before the end of my term, I wanted to start the process so that Queens elected officials who come after me can restore the Queensboro Bridge to its rightful owners, while simultaneously providing an appropriate honor for the late Mayor Koch,” said Vallone. Photo Courtesy NYC Mayor’s Office Flickr/Edward Reed The city renamed the Queensboro bridge in 2011 after former Mayor Ed Koch, who passed away on February 1 this year. Now one councilmember has introduced legislation to reestablish the crossing as the Queensboro Bridge. CORONA PLAZA GETS GIFT BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] Public plazas around the city, including Corona Plaza, have received a helping hand to become cleaner, greener and a bigger part of the communities they serve. Councilmember Julissa Ferreras gathered with local representatives, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik- Khan and residents on November 26 to announce an $800,000 leadership gift from J.P. Morgan Chase to the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP). The gift allows the DOT’s community partners in underserved neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs to have the support needed in order to maintain public plazas. “Because our community deserves the same kind of public amenity as any other, we have rallied around the Plaza Program and this site Corona Plaza for more than five years,” said Ferreras. “The Queens Economic Development Corporation has forged a wonderful partnership with the Queens Museum of Art to provide countless free programs and events year-round to hundreds of local residents. Their donated time and energy has truly made Corona Plaza one of the best public spaces anywhere in New York City. We are delighted that, thanks to Chase, the excellent service NPP provides here will expand to our sister plazas in other parts of Queens and across the city.” The NPP gives the community partners affordable, highquality plaza maintenance and horticulture care through The Horticultural Society (The Hort) and The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless (ACE NY). Together with Chase, the NPP helps create jobs and will work to make sure the DOT Plaza Program grows in all five boroughs. The Tuesday morning announcement was accompanied by music from La Cumbiamba and activities from the Uni Pop-Up Library. Students from P.S. 16 in Corona spent the morning gardening and released ladybugs to show the “transformative power of neighborhood plazas.” Ferreras also presented Edgar Gutierrez, store manager of the local Walgreens, with the “Daily Point of Light” award from the Points of Light Foundation for his volunteering and efforts to promote Corona Plaza. “Corona Plaza is the perfect place to announce this visionary philanthropic gift from Chase, and to bestow a national award for volunteerism on Mr. Edgar Gutierrez - one of our many unsung heroes,” said Ferreras. Rendering Courtesy of Jamestown Food Box opens in LIC building BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] Long Island City residents can now think “outside the box” when it comes to dining. Inside the Falchi Building is a brand new 2,000-square-foot pop-up artisanal food fair, known as The Food Box. It is located on the ground floor of the five-story, 657,660-square-foot, multi-tenant, mixed-use building, located at 31-00 47th Avenue. “The Food Box at Falchi features a curated collection of artisanal foods that caters to the needs of tenants who want a highly amenitized ground floor and creates a place that serves the surrounding community of Long Island City,” said Michael Phillips, COO of real estate investment and management company Jamestown Properties. There are currently four vendors participating in The Food Box and Jamestown is looking for a fifth. A rotating trial will also be offered to vendors who would like to see what The Food Box has to offer. One of the vendors includes the 2013 Vendy Awards’ Best Market Vendor, Khao Man Gai NY. This vendor specializes in a Thai chicken and rice dish, with an emphasis on high-quality ingredients. The other three vendors include ReCaFo, Real Caribbean Food, offering traditional Jamaican cuisine; Jessy’s Pastries selling Peruvian empanadas and sweets, and The Kolache Co., who will offer a modern take on a Czech pastry. ReCaFo, Jessy’s Pastries and Khao Man Gai participated in the outdoor LIC Flea & Food market this past summer. Khao Man Gai NY and Jessy’s Pastries can also be found this month on the weekends at the LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market,located in a warehouse next to the former outdoor LIC Flea market at the corner of 5th Street and 46th Avenue. In October, Jamestown announced the multimillion dollar repositioning and capital improvement program at the Falchi Building, built in 1920 as a warehouse and distribution facility. This program includes façade and lobby renovations, furniture upgrades, art installations and the introduction of food purveyors, L’Arte Del Gelato and Artisanal Cheese. Other Falchi Building tenants include jewelry manufacturers, government and medical offices, and media, technology and engineering companies. Jamestown announced the debut of The Food Box on the ground floor of the Falchi Building, offering artisanal food and serving as an amenity to tenants and the overall Long Island City community.
QC12052013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above