2 times • APRIL 28, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Voters choose to fund school, library upgrades BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport The community has spoken and the results are in. More than 2,400 votes were cast and the final tallies have been counted in Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s District 30 participatory budgeting cycle where community members were able to vote on how they would like to see $1 million spent, and the big winners are the schools and libraries in Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village, as they were the top vote-getting projects. The number one project, with 1,546 votes is to bring laptop carts to P.S./ I.S. 49 and P.S./I.S. 87 in Middle Village; P.S./I.S. 119 in Glendale; and P.S. 153 in Maspeth. This will make the latest technology more accessible for students in the classrooms. The project cost is $280,000. Ridgewood and Maspeth public libraries were second in voting, receiving 1,381 total votes to bring in more desktop computers, equipment and furniture to accommodate the many daily visitors who depend on the libraries’ resources. This project cost is $36,000. The third project, with 1,223 votes, is Operation Restroom Renovation, which will restore and renovate the bathrooms at P.S./I.S. 49 in Middle Village, P.S. 9 in Maspeth and P.S. 88 in Ridgewood, and will cost $420,000. Coming in fourth place with a total of 1,146 votes is to introduce 15 smart boards, which will be distributed between Grover Cleveland High School and P.S./I.S. 87, which will allow for the integration of various technologies within the classroom to improve students’ learning experiences. This project costs $250,000. “I am thrilled by the feedback we received during participatory budgeting and the final projects the community decided on. Schools and libraries are the lifeblood of our communities and these improvements will benefit people of all ages,” Crowley said. “Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered and helped see this process through until the very end. It’s the residents who know their neighborhoods the best, and together, we can build a stronger community.” Crowley will announce the winning projects during a thank-you party on Tuesday, April 26, at Julia’s, located at 818 Woodward Ave. in Ridgewood, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Out of 28 Council members who took part in this year’s participatory budgeting process, Crowley’s office placed ninth for highest vote total, Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association JOIN US Thursday May 5th, 2016 at 7:00 PM Ridgewood Presbyterian Church Please use Ridgewood Older Adult Center entrance 59-14 70th Street between Forest & 60th Ave Agenda Queens Borough Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski will address the present conditions of all seven of Ridgewood’s parks and playgrounds and discuss what plans, if any, are underway or proposed for Evergreen Park, Rosemary’s Playground, Upper Highland Park, Starr Playground, Grover Cleveland Playground, Joseph F. Mafera Park and Benninger Playground. Sandwiches, salads coffee & tea will be served Donated by KERZNER REALTY, INC New Members are always Welcome with 2,486 votes collected via paper and online ballots. Meetings with the respective city agencies to discuss implementation is expected to be before the end of this fiscal year, June 30. Photo via Twitter/@ElizCrowleyNYC The community voted to bring new equipment and upgrades to schools and libraries throughout District 30 through participatory budgeting. Maspeth drug bust takes 130 decks of heroin off the streets BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport A massive haul of heroin was taken off the streets of Maspeth on April 21, police said. Members of the 104th Precinct Anti-Crime team arrested two individuals — a 37-year-old male and a 27-year-old female — who were delivering heroin into the Maspeth/ Middle Village area. Captain Mark Wachter, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, announced the bust in a message to the Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) civic association. According to police the arrest was made at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, at the northeast corner of 54th Street and Grand Avenue in Maspeth. The cops removed 130 decks of heroin and an unknown amount of cash. Photos via Twitter/@NYPD104Pct In publicizing the arrest on Twitter, the officers of the 104th Precinct had a special message for kids.
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