6
QUEENS WEEKLY, JUNE 30, 2019
Vallone secures nearly $19
million for district improvements
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
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BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
City Councilman Peter
Koo announced on June
19 $20 million in budget
victories that will be
used to improve libraries,
playgrounds, schools,
cultural institutions
and organizations
in Flushing.
Koo, who represents
Council District 20,
secured the funding from
the Fiscal Year 2020 budget
for new capital and expense
projects in partnership
with City Council Speaker
Corey Johnson, Queens
Borough President
Melinda Katz, the Queens
Council delegation, and
the Black, Latino and
Asian Caucus.
Securing the
critical resources for
the community will
directly improve many
neighborhood amenities
and the overall qualityof
life in the district,
said Koo.
“This year, I fought
for new capital and
programming funding
for our libraries, schools,
parks, and other critical
infrastructure, and I am
especially proud that I
was able to work closely
with the Speaker, the
Borough President and my
colleagues in the Council
to direct this funding to
important improvements
right here in Flushing,”
said Koo.
One of those important
improvements to Koo
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is upgrading multiple
libraries throughout
Flushing, which he
was able to secure
$2.7 million.
“Modern libraries
provide so much more than
simple book borrowing so
that they act as hyperlocal
community centers for each
of our neighborhoods,”
said Koo. “It is important
that we support, maintain
and expand these critical
community institutions.”
Visitors will be able
to relax at a new Cooling
Center at the Main Street
Flushing Library and
Mitchell-Linden Library,
located at 31-32 Union
St., will be expanded
and undergo exterior
upgrades. A new roof will
be installed at McGoldrick
Library, located at 155-06
Roosevelt Ave.
As the newly appointed
Chair of the NYC Council
Committee on Parks
and Recreation, Koo
secured $5.5 million for a
full renovation of Bland
Playground, located in the
heart of downtown Flushing
on 40th Road and Prince
Street. The playground is a
popular location for youth
basketball and handball, but
the playground equipment
is in need of upgrades
to better serve families
with young children in
the community.
Other highlights
from this year’s budget
include new technology
and playground upgrades
coming to area schools,
lighting and security
cameras for NYCHA
residents, restoration of
historical landmarks in
Flushing, and funding
for 87 organizations in
the community.
Read more at QNS.com.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Northeast Queens will
soon see major community
improvements in its schools,
libraries and parks.
Councilman Paul
Vallone secured nearly
$19 million for northeast
Queens improvements
following the $92.8 billion
budget agreement between
Mayor de Blasio and the
City Council on June 14.
“For a sixth straight
year, I am proud to report
record-setting funding for
Northeast Queens,” said
Vallone. “These budget
victories would not have
been possible without close
work and collaboration
with our City Council
Speaker Cory Johnson and
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, and I thank
them for their ongoing
partnership. This year,
our Northeast Queens
communities can continue
standing tall knowing that
their needs and priorities
are finally being met by
the City.”
In his six years in the
City Council, Vallone
secured over $100 million
in funding, eclipsing
two prior decades of city
budgets in District 19.
$6 million of the budget
will go toward District
19 schools, with each
school receiving at least
$35,000 to fund important
technology upgrades.
A portion of the
education funding will
allow for more schools to
receive Cultural After-
School Adventure (CASA)
programming, which
provides students cultural
experiences by partnering
with local nonprofits. 17
schools will collaborate
with organizations like
Inside Broadway, Marquis
Studios and the Queens
Museum of Art.
Vallone also secured $5
million for district parks,
$3 million of which will be
for lighting installations
at College Point Park.
In addition, Vallone and
the Mayor’s office also
previously allocated over
$7 million to construct new
athletic fields at the park.
The councilman will
provide over $1 million
to support nonprofit
organizations in District
19 including Alley Park
Environmental Center,
HANAC, Selfhelp
Community Services
and the New York Junior
Tennis League.
A portion of the funding
will also allow for the
continuation of the Senior
Transportation Program
and Anual Independence
Day Fireworks Show and
allow for the purchase of
tree guards for the district.
Funding for the district
also came from this year’s
participatory budgeting
process in District 19,
which boasted the most
votes of any district in the
city. In addition to the top
three winning projects —
NYPD security cameras, a
gymnasium renovation for
P.S. 129 and a green biome
for Bayside High School —
Vallone announced he
will also fund several of
the other top projects the
community selected.
These projects include
a portable STEM Lab at
M.S. 67 and over $300,000
in technology upgrades at
local libraries.
Read more at QNS.com.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by email at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
224-5863 ext. 214.
City Councilman Peter Koo File photo/TimesLedger
Councilman Vallone secures nearly $19 million for major
improvements in his district Credit: New York City Council
Koo gets $20 million in
funding to boost community
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