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QUEENS WEEKLY, APRIL 7, 2019
An abandoned boat on the Jamaica Bay shore. Courtesy of Councilman Constantinides via Flickr.
City Council bill looks to
clean up Jamaica Bay
BY MARK HALLUM
A bill in City Council
aims to establish an
office that will take up
the mantle of clearing
trash and abandoned
boats from the city’s
coastlines, specifically
Jamaica Bay.
Councilmen Costa
Constantinides and Eric
Ulrich gathered in Broad
Channel on March 29 for
a press conference urging
the passage of legislation
to create the Office of
Marine Debris Disposal,
claiming that unwanted
vessels create an eyesore
with nobody in particular
tasked with removing
them.
“There’s over 200 miles
of shoreline in New York
City, that means an ample
opportunity for garbage,
glass and other harmful
materials to wash up on
shore,” Constantinides
said. “Too often they buy
a boat, it’s exciting. But
when the real work comes
and they get too expensive,
in the middle of the night
they scratch off the vin,
they cut it loose and away
it goes … It then becomes
all of our problem.”
Ulrich noted that he
had allocated $12,000 to
$13,000 from his office to
cleanup initiatives on Jamaica
Bay where nonprofit
organizations struggle
for resources to keep the
waterway clear of debris.
“I should not have to
be using my discretionary
money to clean up
abandoned boats in the
bay. The city and the state
should be doing that on
their own and this bill I
think is definitely a step
in the right direction,”
Ulrich said. “Boats do irreparable
harm to the environment;
it takes years
to undo the damage from
petrochemicals.”
Broad Channel sits
within Gateway National
Recreation Area and Park
Rangers have struggled
with litter in the past surrounding
not only abandoned
watercraft, but
with Hindu religious ceremonies,
as one New York
Times article put it.
QNS encountered people
along the bay making
offerings on Friday who
said they were being made
in prayer for safety. They
used fruit such as bananas
and coconuts, as well as
aluminum containers. A
walk along the beach also
shows clay dishes used
in prayer ceremonies,
as well as empty incense
packages.
Sadhana, a Hindu organization
for social change,
holds regular beach cleanups
to address this issue.
“This bill will have a
huge positive impact on
Jamaica Bay as for years
there was no agency that
was willing to take on the
responsibility for cleaning
up marine debris
that became deposited
throughout the bay,” Dan
Mundy of the Jamaica Bay
Ecowatchers said. “Old
boats, abandoned docks
and large marine timbers
could be found strewn
along the shoreline, on
the islands, and out on the
wetlands. Often times it
would destroy sensitive
environmental areas such
as recently restored wetland
islands.”
Though the city Department
of Environmental
Protection take responsibility
for removing boats,
the bill introduced on
March 28 will only offer
additional support.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com.
NE Queens offi cials
upgrade local transit
Upgrades include 20 percent LIRR pass reduction
A Long Island Rail Road train arriving in Bayside. File photo/THE COURIER.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Transit improvements
will be made in
northeast Queens after
state Assembly members
Edward Braunstein and
Nily Rozic reached an
agreement during this
year’s 2019-2020 state
budget negotiations to
offset the impact of congestion
pricing on outerborough
commuters.
The lawmakers announced
on Wednesday
upcoming transit improvements
including a
20 percent reduction for
a Long Island Rail Road
(LIRR) monthly pass for
commuters in northeast
Queens, $3 million in
funding for increased
express bus service, and
$6 million for first-mile/
last-mile connections.
Rozic said relief in
the outer boroughs is
long overdue for northeast
Queens transit riders
who are far too familiar
with increasing
fares and travel times.
“As part of this year’s
state budget, it was critical
for us to ensure that
the needs of our communities
were not neglected
and that our transit
system is fully funded,”
said Rozic. “I am grateful
for Assemblyman
Braunstein’s partnership
and look forward
to seeing these improvements
through their
implementation.”
The agreement includes
a 20 percent reduction
in the monthly
pass for commuters
traveling to and from
the following stations:
Auburndale, Bayside,
Broadway, Douglaston,
Flushing-Main
Street, Little Neck and
Murray Hill.
A commuter traveling
to and from Penn
Station will save nearly
$50 a month on their
monthly pass. The
funding for this fare
discount was allocated
from the Outer Borough
Transit Fund, which
was created by the state
Legislature last year to
assist those who live in
areas with limited
transit options.
“A significant number
of northeast Queens
LIRR commuters pay
over $200 dollars for
their monthly pass to
travel to Manhattan,”
said Braunstein. “I am
proud to have joined
with Assemblywoman
Rozic to secure a 20 percent
reduction for these
commuters, which will
result in a savings of
over $500 a year.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by email at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or call 718-
260-4526.
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