TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014 • 34 Pulaski Bridge Bike Lane Renovations Top Agenda At Board 2 Meet from April 2009 to April 2013. Pedestrians walking the bridge have increased significantly as well, jumping 47 percent in the same period. The Pulaski Bridge, designed by Frederick Zarmuhlen, was named after Polish-born American revolutionary fighter Casimir Pulaski. It is a bascule-type drawbridge and was opened in 1954. It currently carries six lanes of traffic over Newtown Creek and the entrance to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. In October 2013, the DOT announced plans to begin the process of designing a dedicated biking lane. Many at the meeting had questions and concerns over the changes, but were reminded by board members that this is only a proposed plan that has not been finalized. The project is estimated to cost $3.46 million. Access-a-ride issues Another major topic at the meeting was problems with the city’s Access-A-Ride paratransit system. To address complaints about long wait-times and indirect routes that, according to many, seem to take winding back ways to destinations, Ken Stuart, MTA director of customer relations for paratransit attended Thursday’s meeting. He was asked to come to the meeting to hear concerns directly from users of the service by several community board members and City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley. Community Board 2 Chairman Joseph Conley said he became concerned “last month when we started to hear the crescendo of complaints.” Inconvenient service and long wait-times were the chief complaints of several residents at the meeting who use the service. A concise comment from one annoyed Access-a-ride user crystalized the criticisms. She asked Stuart why she is forced to endure inconvenient trips towards her destination that make “a trip an hour and a half when it’s 20 minutes away.” This comment was typical of those annoyed by the service which many seniors rely upon to make doctor visits and travel throughout the city. In response, Stuart said, “we don’t try to send vehicles out of the way.” He added, “for any one individual, the trip may not seem optimal.” He then told the group most delays and inconvenient trips are caused by “breakdowns, that’s what causes many of these rides that seem tortuous,” and assured that vehicles are equiped with global positioning systems so they can be tracked throughout the city. “We don’t try to send vehicles out of the way,” Stuart said. Stuart then told the crowd that drivers are trained to follow “established routes and a client manifest,” instead of listening to an individual, back-seat driving instructions which could help them arrive faster at their specific ends. This explanation did not satisfy many however, and Stuart was then peppered by other questions that continued to ask why drivers seem to drive out of the way of a destination, which were followed by suggestions on optimal routes to and from desired destinations. Another resident that attended the meeting, John Meaney of Woodside relayed that several times he waited over an hour for pickup. Ultimately, he claimed, he had to take a bus back to Queens because he was not able to hail a street taxi. He told Stuart, “I’ve been listening since you started and my blood is boiling. He then asked Stuart, “When you’re stranded and you’re as old as I am, what are you supposed to do?” Several residents also complained that many drivers don’t speak perfect English. Stuart told the group he realizes the private taxi drivers are less sensitive to the needs of seniors and are not specialists at dealing with people with disabilities or special needs. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer (at right) introduced City Comptroller Scott Stringer (at left) during Community Board 2’s meeting last Thursday night, Apr. 3, at Sunnyside Community Services. (photo: Noah Zuss) Of the private companies, he said, the drivers “do not receive the same training in that regard, and that has been a problem.” On this issue, Stuart said “we are aware of the problem. It’s been a problem for months, and added, “if it doesn’t change then they will no longer be with us. We hear you and we’re real sensitive to that.” * * * Community Board 2 generally meets on the first Thursday every month (except July and August) at 7 p.m. at Sunnyside Community Services, located at 43-31 39th St. Mayor Lays Groundwork For Pre-K Expansion During Visit To Ridgewood a half-day UPK program with 36 seats, will be one of the public school pre-K programs graduated to full-day this September, according to the mayor. “Right now, this extraordinary school—I’ve seen with my own eyes—only is able to offer half-day seats to the children here. These extraordinary kids that we saw thriving have only had the advantage of a few hours a day in a pre-K setting,” de Blasio said. “Now, every one of the seats will become full-day seats and that’s going to allow so much more for the children of this school.” Additional seats will be added this September to some existing full-day UPK programs in some public schools, while new full-day UPK classes will be introduced at other locations. In all, the 4,268 new full-day seats added to public schools this September will represent a 26 percent increase over the present number of full-day UPK seats in city public schools. By September, the mayor noted, nearly 60 percent of all public elementary schools will offer full-day UPK. Thousands of other full-day seats will be made available in programs offered by community-based organizations, including certain private and parochial schools. “For months, we have been planning every facet of these programs to ensure we were ready to launch the moment funding was secured,” de Blasio added. “Today, the rubber hits the road, and families will have more options for their children.” “Families are eager, teachers are ready and we have an unprecedented commitment that will ensure the highest quality pre-K that every 4- year-old so deeply deserves,” Fariña stated. She added that the program offers a well-rounded educations that enriches both the mind and selfesteem. “I want to be clear to a lot of people who think that pre-K is where you bring your children in the morning so you can go to work and come back and pick them up and they’ve had a great day,” she added. “They are having a great day here, but what they’re learning is unbelievable. Not only what they’re learning, but the self-esteem they’re getting, their need to teach each other.” Among those who joined the mayor and chancellor in Ridgewood last Wednesday included City Council Speaker Melissa Mark- Viverito, State Sen. Michael Gianaris, Assemblyman Mike Miller and City Council Members Antonio Reynoso and Daniel Dromm, the latter of whom chairs the Council’s Education Committee. In the past, de Blasio noted, parents were reluctant to apply with public school UPK programs given the shortage of full-day seats, which are out-numbered nearly 2 to 1 by half-day program. Half-day programs run in either the morning or afternoon for 2 hours, 30 minutes per session; full-day classes run a normal school schedule of about 6 hours, 20 minutes per day. “Now, for the first time, when parents sign up, they’re going to know the likelihood is a full-day seat,” he added. Locally, public schools offering new or expanded full-day UPK programs include the following: • P.S. 123, 100 Irving Ave., Bushwick, 18 additional seats; • P.S. 145, 100 Nolls St., Bushwick, 18 additional seats; • P.S. 88, 60-85 Catalpa Ave., Ridgewood, 30 converted half-day seats; • P.S. 91, 68-10 Central Ave., Glendale, 18 additional seats; • P.S. 229, 67-25 51st Rd., Woodside, 36 converted half-day seats; • A.C.E. Academy for Scholars at the Geraldine Ferraro Campus, 70-02 54th Ave., Maspeth, new program with 36 seats; • The Children’s Lab School, 45- 46 42nd St., Sunnyside, new program with 36 seats; • P.S. 63, 90-15 Sutter Ave., Ozone Park, new program with 18 seats; • Queens Explorer’s Elementary School, 90-07 101st Ave., Ozone Park, new program with 36 seats; and • P.S. 175, 64-35 102nd St., Rego Park, new program with 46 seats. Parents of children born in 2010 interested in enrolling must download an application online at schools.nyc.gov/prek, complete it and remit the form by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Apr. 23, through the website or by visiting one of many enrollment offices in the five boroughs. Enrollment offices are located in Brooklyn at 1780 Ocean Ave., 415 89th St., 29 Fort Greene Pl., 1665 St. Mark’s Ave. and 131 Livingston St. The Queens enrollment offices are located at 28-11 Queens Plaza North in Long Island City; 30-48 Linden Pl. in Flushing; and 90-27 Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica. The city Department of Education (DOE) will notify parents in June as to which school their child will be placed. Enrollment in UPK programs offered by community-based organizations will occur later this spring. For more information, visit schools.nyc.gov/upk or text “PREK” to 877877. Piquing president’s interest As the number of UPK programs grows citywide, so has the interest of early childhood teachers looking for a job. De Blasio announced last Tuesday that the city received nearly 700 applications from certified teachers a week after launching a recruitment website, www.teachnycprek.org. It is believed the city will exceed the projected 2,500 applications received through the website in the weeks ahead. The UPK expansion also garnered the attention and praise of the White House. The Mayor’s office publicized a statement it received from Press Secretary Jay Carney, who expressed President Barack Obama’s praise at the “remarkable work” accomplished by Cuomo and de Blasio in agreeing on an expanded UPK program. “New York’s commitment to invest $1.5 billion over five years to begin to phase in publicly-funded preschool across the state will provide opportunity for thousands of children,” according to Carney’s statement. “President Obama will continue to call on Congress to enact his plan to partner with states and cities to provide high-quality preschool for every child and encourage states and cities to take action so children have the chance to enter kindergarten ready for success.” -CONTINUED FROM PG. 1- The Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times Wishes All Of Our Readers A Joyous Passover
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