6 times • AUGUST 4, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com City may transform a Maspeth hotel into a homeless shelter for adults BY ANTHONY GIUDICE & ROBERT POZARYCKI agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport The latest homeless shelter in Queens may be coming to Maspeth. Officials with the Mayor’s Office met with representatives of Community Board 5 (CB 5) and elected officials at the Maspeth public library on the morning of Aug. 3 to discuss a plan to convert the Holiday Inn Express at 59-40 55th Rd. into a homeless shelter for adults within the next 60 days, according to CB 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri. Lauren Gray, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeless Services, confirmed both the meeting and the proposal in an email to The Courier on the afternoon of Aug. 3. “Today, we met with members of the Maspeth community to listen to community concerns and share plans for a proposed shelter,” Gray said. “We are committed to participating in future forums to discuss this issue, in advance of the proposed shelter opening. The administration believes that homelessness is a citywide challenge that requires a citywide response. Currently, there are approximately 250 people in shelter who listed their most recent address as Community District Five in Queens.” Acacia Network, which operates homeless shelters in Corona and the Bronx, wants to house 110 families at the Holiday Inn, Arcuri told The Courier in a phone interview. The city defines these families as single adults or married couples; no persons under the age of 18 will be permitted at this shelter if it is opened. The shelter would have a maximum capacity of 220 people. It was also noted that Acacia Network is committed to a robust security plan at the proposed shelter by providing full-time, on-site security staff, and would work closely with the 104th Precinct on matters off-site. The city’s Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services would pay Acacia $60 per room daily to house homeless individuals at the Holiday Inn, said Arcuri, who attended the meeting. Over the last three years, 10 new homeless shelters have opened across Queens, with many of them located at former hotels such as the Pan American on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst and The Verve in Long Island City. The city has also proposed creating a new shelter out of a former factory on the Glendale/ Middle Village border, a plan that local residents are continuing to fight. “I strongly oppose the Mayor’s office’s proposal to convert the Maspeth Holiday Inn into a homeless shelter,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. “The community of Maspeth is already impacted by two existing homeless shelters along Queens Boulevard. Also, the most recent City Budget has allocated hundreds of millions for homelessness prevention, and while we have seen a decrease in New York City’s shelter population since December 2014, the administration continues to open up shelter after shelter throughout Queens. I will be working with community leaders and residents to stop this.” Word about the Aug. 3 meeting apparently was circulated the night before at the 104th Precinct’s National Night Out Against Crime at Middle Village’s Juniper Valley Park and later disseminated on social media, according to Arcuri. As a result, a number of residents showed up at the meeting uninvited but looking for answers to their concerns about the proposal. “Why continue this ridiculous shelter program and not support people financially through other means to keep them in their homes?” Arcuri said. He described the meeting — which included state Senator Joe Addabbo, Assemblywoman Margaret Markey and Councilwoman Crowley — as “a little contentious.” A representative from the Holiday Inn Express in question said that no one at the hotel knows of the proposal to bring a homeless shelter to the site. Photo courtesy of Holiday Inn Express The Holiday Inn Express in Maspeth may become a homeless shelter for adults in 60 days, according to the city. The Mayor’s Office is giving the community 30 days to come up with an alternative to the Holiday Inn Express site, and Arcuri said CB 5 will work to arrange for a formal presentation on the proposal at the board’s September meeting. No one at Acacia Network responded to a call from The Courier for comment on the situation as of press time. Fare hike projected in MTA’s preliminary 2017 budget BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport Bus and train service across New York City is going to get better for customers as fares rise next year, according to the MTA. Late last month, the MTA released its preliminary 2017 budget and four-year financial plan, which includes millions in funding, allowing the MTA to create an improved customer experience, increase services and service support, enhance safety and security features, and perform necessary maintenance and operations. Queens residents will see a $36 million investment earmarked for new bus service, including four new Select Bus Service routes: the Q25, Q52/Q53, Q70 and Q113. New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company will also provide up to $21 million for additional enhancements to the base level of service on subways and buses. The MTA’s four-year financial plan provides $195 million from 2017 to 2020 make the ride a little better for commuters. This year 200, buses and 200 subway cars will have Wi-Fi capabilities, USB charging ports and digital screens. In 2017, 400 additional subway cars will have these amenities. The MTA will also make renovations at 31 subway stations throughout New York City, introduce Wi-Fi to all 278 underground stations by December 2016, and introduce a new “contactless” fare payment technology to subways and buses by 2018. An additional $46 million is earmarked for increases in safety and security initiatives over the four-year span, which will enhance existing measures designed to ensure the safety of pedestrians, customers and employees. Upgraded railroad crossings, additional onboard vehicle cameras, “Help Point” intercoms and security operations are all part of the plan. The budget also includes $145 million for improving the reliability, efficiency and performance of its infrastructure, facilities and fleet. In what some would call good news, the MTA expects to be able to limit the previously announced 2017 and 2019 fare and toll increases to no more than 4 percent. The fare hike is projected to give the MTA an additional $308 million in annual operating revenue, allowing for projected balanced budgets through 2019; however, there is still a $371 million deficit projected for the 2020 budget. The public is able to review and comment on the MTA’s preliminary budget until it is adopted by the MTA Board, then the final proposed budget will be presented to the board in November and adopted in December. In the fall, the MTA will present specific proposals for the 2017 all-agency fare and toll increases and will hold a series of public hearings to seek public reactions to the proposals.
RT08042016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above