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TIMES, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 • 54 Transit News And Changes Cops Seek Man In Elm. Shooting -CONTINUED FROM PG. 17- Looking For Rockaway Line Revival -CONTINUED FROM PG. 17- calling the RBL, “The New Queens Crosstown,” he also wants the Rockaway Ferry to be fully funded, and for the only within county toll in the state at the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge which connects Rockaway with mainland Queens to be dropped. McManus said he believes the survey was ignored by many because people are disengaged from civic and political processes. “Sadly, I’m disappointed that more people didn’t get involved in the process,” he said. “I’m not sure about the survey, there wasn’t enough people,” McManus stated. “I think there are some anomalies.” He also believes that people are overwhelmed by the issues in Rockaway and have to begun to only focus on a few options, like the ferry. “There are so many issues in Rockaway, I think some people just said ‘I’ll support the ferry,’” he added. “I think it has a lot to do with confusion,” he said. “They may have gone against it because they supported the ferry. I think there is a lot of confusion there, disunity.” Though the survey was muddled and inconclusive, and the battle between the different options is likely to go on for quite a while, McManus said the group will continue to advocate for batter transportation options for the borough, including the reactivation of the RBL. “We are going to rally, meet, write, call and speak up constantly for the new Queens Crosstown,” he wrote. “One of the things that I learned from the Queens College study is we need to get the word out,” McManus said. “That’s what the rallies are for. Little by little it gets bigger and bigger.” “This is not going to be one rally, once in a while,” he said. 11:45 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, until 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 17. For service to this station, take the Q112 bus along Liberty Avenue (days and evenings only) or the A train to Rockaway Boulevard, then transfer to an Ozone Parkbound A train. For service from this station, take the A train to Lefferts Boulevard, then transfer to a Manhattan-bound A train. * * * For a complete list of service changes and last-minute updates, visit the MTA’s website at www.mta.info or call 511. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 18- Police said 20-year-old Tamar Sermons of Edgewood Avenue was shot in the neck and leg; she later died of her injuries at Elmhurst Hospital Center. Two other individuals—a 21- year-old woman shot in the buttocks and leg, and a 31-yearold man whose head was grazed by a bullet—were treated for their injuries at Elmhurst Hospital. The 110th Precinct Detective Squad’s investigation is ongoing, police said. Anyone with information regarding the shooting or the whereabouts of the person of interest that could prove helpful is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-577- TIPS; by text message to 274637 (enter information, then the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com. All calls and messages will be kept confidential. Queens Bldg. Owners Pay For Underpaying Workers Also Includes Rent Regulation Enforcement by Noah Zuss The state attorney general announced more than $460,000 in agreements with a landlord and three developers––reached last Wednesday, Nov. 19––in unpaid wages and for violating the rent-stabilization requirements of property tax incentives deals meant to encourage development. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stated in a release that the developer of 63-36 99th St. in Rego Park, has agreed to pay $10,000 in wages to three building service employees, and will fork over another $90,000 for failing to offer rent-regulated leases required under the state’s 421-A program. The developer, Tushur Development, LLC, of Queens, received tax breaks under the program to encourage building. Additionally, the landlord of two buildings at 138-06 35th Ave. in Flushing has been ordered to pay $10,000 for not offering rentregulated leases to eight families, Schneiderman stated. Payments will go to the city’s Affordable Housing Fund, and will used by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to fund housing construction for low-income families, it was noted. Of the total settlement, $454,082 will go to workers to cover wage underpayments to about a dozen workers, it was noted. These employees were paid $8.50 to $11 an hour, well below the applicable prevailing wage beginning at $16 an hour, and did not receive benefits, vacation or sick time as required under the law, Schneiderman stated. “Tax breaks offered to developers and landlords are not freebies. They come with legal obligations to New York taxpayers––ones that developers and landlords agree to abide by when they accept the tax incentives,” Schneiderman said. “My office is dedicated to ensuring that everyone plays by the rules. In this case that means holding accountable those who accept lucrative tax exemptions and then ignore their responsibilities, including paying required wages to building service employees and providing rent-stabilized leases to New York families.” The agreements come during an ongoing investigation from the attorney general’s office into property developers and landlords who accept the incentive deals but fail to fulfill the requirements mandated by the program, Schneiderman stated. The settlements also require that almost two dozen apartments in four NYC buildings be added to the state’s rent regulation rolls, it was noted. “We need to get the most out of every dollar we spend, and it is vital that the people with whom we do business treat their workers fairly and deliver the affordable housing they promise,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “We won’t stand for anything less. We are deeply grateful to Attorney General Schneiderman for recouping back wages and protecting the affordability of dozens of apartments.” “We look forward to working together to build and preserve more affordable housing in every community,” he added. Buildings that received tax incentives from the state program with more than 50 units are required to pay a prevailing wage rate to employees, or rent at leat half of the building’s units at affordable rents, it was noted in the release. Jose Casillas, a 46-year-old Queens father of three and concierge at a Brooklyn apartment building who is among the workers that will be receiving back wages said: “Getting this back pay will make a big difference for me and my family, especially paying for my daughter’s college tuition. The situation in our building has gotten much better in the last few months since we got our union contract and saw our pay go up to prevailing wage.” The investigation is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Kevin Lynch, Section Chief Seth Kupferberg, Bureau Chief Terri Gerstein, all of the Attorney General’s Labor Bureau, and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice, Alvin Bragg. The investigation is also being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Elissa Rossi and Nicholas J. Minella, Special Counsel Jeffrey R. Rendin, Deputy Bureau Chief Andrew Meier, Bureau Chief Erica F. Buckley, of the Attorney General’s Real Estate Finance Bureau, and Executive Deputy Attorney for Economic Justice General Karla G. Sanchez. Up to 40% of businesses never recover after experiencing a major disaster. Do you have a plan to keep your business running if disaster strikes? For a free online tool that helps you develop an emergency plan, visit Ready.gov/business.


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