12 THE QUEENS COURIER • 2022 PREVIEW • JANUARY 6, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Photo by NYC Parks/Daniel Avila
Top stories to watch for in northeast Queens in 2022
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@schnepsmedia.com
@jenna_bagcal
Several projects began in 2021 and are
set to debut within the next few months,
including the Bayside Historical Society’s
21st Annual Winter Art Show coming to
Queens in February 2022.
Keep reading to see what else is in store
for the new year in northeast Queens.
Bayside Historical Society
21st Annual Winter Art Show
From now until Jan. 12, 2022, the
Bayside Historical Society is holding an
open call for creators to feature at its
21st Annual Winter Art Show. Organizers
made a decision to hold a virtual event for
the second year in a row due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic.
Th e organization said that it is looking
for artists ages 18 and older who
live, work or attend school in Queens
and work in a variety of media including
painting, drawing and sculpting.
Th ose who are chosen will submit photos
of their artwork to be exhibited in
virtual “galleries” on the BHS website
to be on display for the entire month of
February 2022. Selections from the show
will also be displayed at the Bay Terrace
Shopping Center on a voluntary basis.
Last year, BHS’ 20th annual art show
went virtual due to the pandemic and
artists also had the opportunity to show
their work in storefronts at the shopping
center.
Funding for the show is made possible,
in part, by public funds from the New
York City Department of Cultural Aff airs
in partnership with the City Council.
Open call for the art show is ongoing
until Jan. 12. Visit baysidehistorical.org/
bhs-winter-art-show to fi nd out how to
submit artwork.
Renovations on Bay
Terrace Library begin
Th e Queens Public Library held a
groundbreaking for its Bay Terrace branch
on Dec. 14 in preparation for a $5.7 million
overhaul in 2022.
Th e two-year project is set to begin as
early as March 2022 and will include an
expansion of the main entrance, improvements
to the exterior garden area and a
full interior renovation.
“With these renovations, the Bay Terrace
branch will be more welcoming, inspiring
and technologically effi cient, and will
reinforce its role as the center of community
life,” Queens Public Library President
and CEO Dennis Walcott said. “I want to
thank Council member Paul Vallone for
his advocacy and fi nancial support for
libraries in his district and beyond, and
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards and state
Senator John Liu for securing the funds to
modernize the Bay Terrace branch, helping
ensure Queens Public Library can
continue to provide free access to information,
knowledge and opportunity for
all.” According to QPL, the Bay Terrace
library will undergo a full interior renovation
that will feature updated furniture
and technology; a new designated teen
area; a new, state-of-the-art multipurpose
community room with audiovisual equipment;
and a new ADA-compliant ramp
that gives access from the 23rd Avenue
side entrance.
Other features of the overhaul include
a new HVAC stem and an energy-effi -
cient roof.
Challenge Playground
comes to Little Neck
In summer 2021, NYC Parks and elected
offi cials broke ground at the site of the
upcoming Challenge Playground in Little
Neck. According to the Parks Department,
the $3,075,000 redesign includes new sensory
play equipment, fencing and a modernized
spray shower to replace an old
cement wading pool.
Councilman Barry Grodenchik and former
Queens Borough President Melinda
Katz visited the site a 251st Street and
61st Avenue back in January 2019, which
led to plans to build a new playground in
the area.
According to Parks, the playground will
feature auditory and visual elements that
off er playful shadows eff ects, sounds and
touchable features. It will also include new
seating and picnic areas, plantings and
repaved pedestrian pathways.
Funding for the project was made
possible by a $75,000 allocation from
Grodenchik, $3 million from Katz
and continued support from Borough
President Richards.
“Playgrounds are critical to the health of
a community, so the redesign and reconstruction
of Challenge Playground will
provide tremendous benefi t to the communities
of Little Neck and Douglaston,”
Grodenchik said.
Construction on the project is set to
fi nish in May 2022.
To track the project’s progress, visit
nycgovparks.org.
Construction of the redesign of Challenge Playground in Little Neck is slated to be completed by May 2022.
Photo courtesy of Queens Public Library
Offi cials announced that Queens Public Library’s renovation of its Bay Terrace branch is scheduled to begin as early as March 2022.
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