6
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 15, 2020
St. Mary Gate of Heaven Catholic Academy at 103-12 101 Ave. in Ozone Park. Photo via Google Earth
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
St. Mary Gate of Heaven
Catholic Academy in Ozone
Park is closing its doors in
June.
The Board of Members
and Board of Directors of
the school, located at 103-12
101 Ave., voted to close the
school due to declining enrollment,
which resulted in
severe budget deficits.
“As you can imagine,
this is an emotional time
for this school community
because closing a school
greatly impacts the lives of
students, parents, and faculty,”
said Thomas Chadzutko,
Ed.D., superintendent
of schools.
Enrollment at the school
has fallen nearly 51 percent
since 2015, according to the
Diocese of Brooklyn. The
budget for this school year
fell short by an approximate
$300,000, with the total fund
balance projected to be a
deficit of $750,000 by the end
of the school year.
Collectively, the Catholic
Foundation and Futures
in Education, through the
disbursement of financial
assistance to families in
need, have invested more
than $500,000. The parish of
St. Mary Gate of Heaven has
also subsidized the operational
expenses and building
repairs of the Academy,
in excess of $1.5 million.
“I respect the boards’
decisions on these matters,”
Chadzutko said. “When resources
are constrained,
it affects all aspects of the
learning environment,
which eventually impacts
students and their needs.”
According to Chadzutko,
the Diocese of Brooklyn is
committed to making sure
that each child enrolled in
St. Mary Gate of Heaven
Catholic Academy will be
able to continue receiving a
Catholic education.
The affected students
will be accommodated at
nearby Catholic academies.
They will automatically
receive a $500 tuition assistance
grant if they attend
an academy or parish
school within the Diocese
of Brooklyn, as long as they
have met all of their financial
obligations. The onetime
grant is made possible
by the St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton Trust.
A parent meeting was
held on March 5 at St. Mary
Gate of Heaven Catholic
Academy. An information
and registration fair, featuring
seven area Catholic
schools, is planned for next
week.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
GCP intersection in
Glen Oaks to get new
traffi c light in June
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A dangerous intersection
in Glen Oaks will get a muchneeded
traffic light this summer,
according to the Department
of Transportation.
An agency spokesperson
confirmed that DOT would
install the traffic calming
device at the Grand Central
Parkway and 267th Street.
Patch reported that the intersection
is a notorious “blind
spot” and that drivers often
ignore a posted sign that prohibits
left turns from 267th
Street onto the parkway.
“Following requests from
community residents, DOT
studied this intersection
and found that it qualified
for a traffic signal,” a DOT
spokesperson said.
According to city data,
a crash in 2017 resulted in
one motorist death and two
injuries. There is an existing
stop sign at this intersection,
which is down the road from
North Shore Towers.
DOT conducts an intersection
control study in order
to determine if a location
is eligible for a traffic light
or a multi-way stop sign. The
multi-step process involves
the following:
• DOT checks agency records
on the location to look
for things like sign orders,
pavement marking orders
and school maps.
•An inspector conducts a
field investigation to create
a Conditioned Diagram of
the location, which includes
street and sidewalk widths,
street directions and distance
to the nearest traffic
control device.
• DOT puts together a
Field Observation Report that
records drivers’ compliance
with existing traffic controls
and speed limit violations.
• Manual counts of the
numbers of vehicles and pedestrians
during morning
and evening rush hours.
• The agency may install
Automatic Traffic Recorders
(ATRs) that collect hourly
vehicle volumes over several
weekdays or weekends.
• At school crossings,
DOT determines the number
of safe crossing opportunities
for children.
• Sometimes, DOT conducts
spot speed studies to
find the speed at which 85
percent of vehicles are traveling
at or below when they
approach the location.
• A review of the NYPD
Accident Index System and
individual accident reports
for the location.
Once the agency has collected
the appropriate data,
they must determine if it
fits the federal standards or
“warrants” to determine if
a traffic signal or multi-way
stop is appropriate. If data
does not meet the standards,
DOT will not install these
traffic calming measures
and will instead find other
ways to improve traffic
conditions.
St. Mary Gate of Heaven Catholic Academy
in Ozone Park will close its doors in June
ASTORIA TIMES ■ BAYSIDE TIMES
FLUSHING TIMES ■ FOREST HILLS LEDGER
FRESH MEADOWS TIMES
JACKSON HEIGHTS TIMES ■ JAMAICA TIMES
LAURELTON TIMES ■ LITTLE NECK LEDGER
QUEENS VILLAGE TIMES ■ RIDGEWOOD LEDGER
WHITESTONE TIMES
38-15 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, New York 11361
Advertising: (718) 260-4537
Classifieds: (718) 260-4590
Editorial: (718) 260-4539
www.QNS.com
PROUD MEMBER OF NEW YORK PRESS ASSOCIATION
BRIAN RICE
Publisher
ZACH GEWELB
Editor
RALPH D’ONOFRIO
V.P. of Advertising
ADVERTISING
Senior Account Executive:
Kathy Wenk
Account Executives:
David Strauss
Sherri Rossi
OFFICE MANAGER
Linda Lindenauer
CIRCULATION
Roberto Palacios
CLASSIFIED
Classified Director:
Amanda Tarley
Classified Sales
Manager:
Eugena Pechenaya
EDITORIAL STAFF
Reporters: Bill Parry,
Mark Hallum, Carlotta Mohamed,
Naeisha Rose, Jenna Bagcal,
Emily Davenport, Alejandra
O’Connell-Domenech
Photographers: Nat Valentine,
Ellis Kaplan, Robert Cole
Copy Editors: Stephen Lepore,
Katrina Medoff
Contributing Writers/Columnists:
Bob Friedrich, Bob Harris,
Ronald B. Hellman, William Lewis,
Calvin Prashad
ART & PRODUCTION
Art Director: Leah Mitch
Designer: Connie Sulsenti
Layout: Rod Ivey
Cartoonist: Tip Sempliner
/www.QNS.com
link
link
/schnepsmedia.com
/www.QNS.com
