6
QUEENS WEEKLY, JUNE 16, 2019
Astoria pol plugged in
to ‘Renewable Rikers’
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BY MARK HALLUM
June 10 marked
the groundbreaking
for a newly renovated
playground for the students
at P.S. 58 in Maspeth,
but the organizations
involve said the space
exceeds expectations as a
green project.
Councilman Robert
Holden, the Trust for
Public Land and the city
Department of Education
put their heads together
to fund and design a
playground that would
serve students well for
years to come.
“The Trust for Public
Land worked with the
students and staff at P.S.
58 to design, and with local
elected officials to fund,
this much-needed, stateof
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the-art playground to
Maspeth,” said Carter
Strickland, The Trust
for Public Land’s state
director. “The creation of
this state-of-the-art green
space will not only serve
the needs of the school,
but will create a beautiful
new park for the entire
community to enjoy.”
According to the DOE,
the students helped with
design aspects of the
playground such as a
running track, turf field,
basketball practice hoops,
game tables, trees, ADAaccessible
play equipment
and safety mats.
The DOE said the space
could accommodate the
13,000 residents of the
surrounding communities
within a 10-minute walk.
“I’m thrilled that
the School of Heroes
is receiving this much
needed upgrade to their
playground with so many
unique features that the
local community will
enjoy,” Holden said. “I’m
proud to have contributed
to making this project
a reality, along with
Borough President
Melinda Katz, as it will
further honor the brave
first responders of our
great city.”
With a scheduled
completion date of Sept.
11, 2019, the playground
was designed through a
program that includes
students in the process in
order introduce them to
the science, engineering
and architectural aspects
included in the process of
creating the green space.
BY MAX PARROTT
Following a panel
discussion and petition
that he helmed last
week, Councilman Costa
Constantinides unveiled a
suite of three bills on June
10 that would kickstart the
process of transforming
Rikers Island into a
renewable energy hub.
Constantinides, the
Chair of the Committee on
Environmental Protection,
has responded to Mayor
Bill de Blasio’s 10-year
plan to close Rikers by
pushing to use the 413-
acre tract as site for solar
power and a wastewater
treatment plant as a form
of environmental justice.
And he doesn’t want to
waste any time putting his
plan into action.
“We need to begin the
conversation about what
it can be now. We need to
be planning now. As we’re
getting facilities closed
on Rikers Island, we need
to start to implement
what we’re talking
about. We can begin that
renewable future now,”
said Constantinides at the
Renewable Rikers panel
discussion on June 6.
The centerpiece
Renewable Rikers Act is
a bill that would transfer
control of the island
from the New York City
Department of Correction
to the Department of
Environmental Protection,
setting Constantinides
designs in motion before
the prison population
has been exported from
the island.
A second piece of
legislation would study
the renewable energy
capacity on the island, and
a third bill will assess how
much wastewater can be
diverted to the island, with
the goal of closing several
aging treatment facilities
in northern Queens,
the South Bronx and
Upper Manhattan.
The environment
studies aim at helping
New York City reach its
1,000 megawatt solar
capacity pledge by 2030–
enough energy to power
250,000 homes. It would
also help the city follow
the parameters of the
Climate Mobilization
Act, a carbon reduction
package the city passed
in April.
“These bills are a
downpayment for a brighter
future for this island — one
that actually serves New
York communities instead
of tearing them apart,”
said Constantinides.
Councilman Robert Holden and the Trust for Public Land broke ground on a new playground at
P.S. 58 on Monday. Photo courtesy of Councilman Robert Holden
Costa Constantinides unveils the Renewable Rikers Act
Photo provided by the office of Councilman Costa Constantinides
Green makeover begins
for Maspeth schoolyard
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