27 • TIMES, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014 Fresh Pond Road Gets Freshened Up The renovated site of a former newsstand at the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road. City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley funded the newsstand’s demolition earlier this year. Trash problems have plagued Fresh Pond Road in recent years. The Department of Sanitation removed public waste baskets along the strip last year after local residents and business owners were caught illegally dumping their personal garbage in the receptacles, which are intended only for small litter. Even though the Sanitation Department maintains the removal has proven effective in reducing illegal dumping, some individuals have been spotted leaving bags of garbage and smaller items such as used coffee cups lying against lampposts, on newspaper bins or in tree pits. “After the great success we have had with the Doe Fund on Myrtle and Grand avenues so far, I’m glad to be able to extend their cleaning services to Fresh Pond Road,” Crowley said in a statement to the Times Newsweekly on Tuesday, Sept. 30. “Ridgewood residents should expect to see a big difference almost immediately.” Doe Fund members have also been contracted to shovel snow from crosswalks and the newly extended sidewalk on the southeast corner of Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan Avenue, the former site of a long-vacant and dilapidated newsstand demolished earlier this year. Approximately $100,000 in funds that Crowley previously secured paid for the structure’s demolition. Last month, the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Long Island Rail Road expanded the sidewalk on the newsstand’s former footprint and an adjacent, gravel-covered area. Metal bollards painted in yellow were also installed every six feet to prevent drivers from illegally parking their vehicles at the spot. Crowley indicated she would reach out to the DOT to bring street furniture to the site. Additionally, the DOT’s Art Program and the Queens Council of the Arts installed a mural from a local artist on the exterior fencing surrounding a longdefunct gas station across the street from the former newsstand on Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road. Created by Ridgewood’s Andrea Bergart, “Swish Swash” features visual traditions and geometric abstractions on a 144’- long, 6’-wide banner. Bergart’s work has previously been exhibited in galleries across the United States and in the African nation of Ghana. “Quality of life in our district remains one of my top priorities,” Crowley added. “I’m thrilled that the aggressive and proactive steps my office has taken to improve conditions on Fresh Pond Road are delivering real results for the community.” -CONTINUED FROM PG. 6- (photo courtesy of City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley’s office) Corona Biker Dies In Crash Elmhurst LIRR Stop In Capital Plan -CONTINUED FROM PG. 9- remains a top priority and look forward to the day when Elmhurst will be the next stop for millions of New Yorkers. More ‘station renewal’ coming The MTA’s capital plan also includes proposed “station renewals” along three subway lines in Queens. During each station renewal project, the MTA fixes pressing infrastructure problems while improving each station’s overall appearance. In 2016, according to the plan, the MTA will focus on renewing all stations on the N line north of Queensboro Plaza in Astoria: 39th Avenue, 36th Avenue, Broadway, 30th Avenue, Astoria Boulevard and Ditmars Boulevard. The following year, eight stations on two lines are slated for renewals. They include the 82nd Street, 103rd Street, 111th Street and Mets-Willets Point stops on the 7 line in Elmhurst, Corona and Flushing; and the Cypress Hills, 75th Street-Elderts Lane, 85th Street-Forest Parkway and Woodhaven Boulevard stations on the J/Z line in Cypress Hills and Woodhaven. The third round of Queens station renewal is planned for 2019, during which the MTA will spruce up the 52nd Street, Woodside-61st Street and 69th Street stations in Woodside. Continuing with subway improvements, the MTA also aims to install Communications- Based Train Control (CBTC) along the E, F, M and R lines in Queens. The digital system allows not only the MTA to keep better track of its trains and potential problems, but also gives commuters the ability to find their trains through the Subway Time phone app and website. The CBTC is already in place on the L line and the MTA is presently installing it on the 7 line. Also on the list Other proposed improvements in the capital plan include the following: • The Ditmars Boulevard N train station and the Greenpoint Avenue G train stop will receive upgrades to make both locations ADA-complaint. • The MTA plans to invest $250 million in developing new fare collection technology, including a “tap and go” system that will allow riders to pay their fare without having to use a MetroCard. • A mobility needs study and corridor analysis of the Queens Boulevard Line—which carries the E, F, M and R trains through western Queens—will also be launched to identify congestion woes and provide potential solutions. • Both the Hugh Carey (Brooklyn Battery) and Queens- Midtown tunnels, damaged during flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, will receive long-term improvements. At the Midtown Tunnel, the MTA plans to fix the tunnel control and monitoring systems, modernize the control room and install new wall tiles and lighting. The entire capital plan, the MTA noted, is contingent upon securing proper funding from government sources. The agency reportedly identified ways to raise $16.9 billion in federal funding, public bonds and other sources, but acknowledged it must work with elected officials and other agencies to secure the remaining amount. “The MTA Capital Program is our single most important effort to ensure we can keep the New York metropolitan region moving, so people can get where they need to go, businesses can thrive and the quality of life here can continue to improve,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “The MTA network is a $1 trillion asset, and it needs constant investment so it can serve everyone who relies on it now and can grow to serve more people in the future.” Since 1982, it was noted, the MTA Capital Program brought more than $100 billion in improvements to its transportation system. Police said the operator of the other motorcycle, a 43-year-old male, was taken into custody at the scene. Following questioning, he was released without charges, sources stated. An inquiry by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad is ongoing, authorities noted. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 10- Halfway Home On Ozone Park Station Renewal for the Manhattan-bound side are similar to the work the MTA just completed on the Ozone Parkbound side, which included repairs to staircases, mezzanine floors, doors, windows and both interior and exterior walls. Additionally, crews also replaced canopies, windscreens and railings, repaired steel support beams, renovated mezzanine lighting and installed tactile yellow warning strips along the platform edges. As part of the renewal program, the MTA—through its Arts for Transit & Urban Design initiative—commissioned a number of artists to “create durable, vibrant metal artworks” for the platform windscreens. Beatrice Coron created for the 104th Street station “On the Right Track,” described as a “sculpted steel artwork” that includes “imagery similar to a giant deck of cards” representing passenger moods. At the 88th Street station, artist Haresh Lalvani installed “MORPHING88,” a series of laser-cut stainless steel panels “depicting patterns with morphed shapes.” For more information on station renewal program and service disruptions, visit www.mta.info. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 8-
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