12 DECEMBER 15, 2016 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM EDITORIAL Small industries can produce big returns for Queens Travel throughout Queens today THE HOT TOPIC STORY: Hit show ‘Homeland’ will fi lm in Bayside on Thursday SUMMARY: The Showtime series ‘Homeland’ is set to fi lm in the Oakland Gardens section of Bayside on Dec. 8. REACH: 17,039 (as of 12/12/16) COMMENTS: ESTABLISHED 1908 Co-Publishers VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS Editor-in-Chief ROBERT POZARYCKI Classifi ed Manager DEBORAH CUSICK Assistant Classifi ed Manager MARLENE RUIZ Reporter ANTHONY GIUDICE © 2016 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC. General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503 FAX: 1-718-224-5441 E-MAIL: info@timesnewsweekly.com WEB SITE: www.timesnewsweekly.com ON TWITTER @timesnewsweekly PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY FOR 108 YEARS COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement.TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association SNAPS LAST LEAVES OF AUTUMN PHOTO BY KATRINA MEDOFF Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @QNS or by emailing editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps). and you’ll fi nd reminders that this borough was once a major part of the city’s industrial sector that slowly evaporated over the last few decades. Areas of Ridgewood south of Myrtle Avenue have blocks of empty warehouses and factories that some property owners hope to redevelop for other purposes. A former door factory in Maspeth was transformed into an arts and entertainment venue. The auto body shops and junkyards that occupied Willets Point are slowly disappearing as plans for the area’s redevelopment take shape. Warehouses also line much of the area adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line in Jamaica and Hollis. The textile mills and part manufacturers have long gone, but that doesn’t mean Queens industry has gone by the wayside. What is past isn’t prologue; there’s plenty of room for industrial growth in Queens, but it won’t be with the grimy, sweaty jobs usually associated with the word industry. Take, for instance, the announcement last week of a new modern industrial center to be developed in Ozone Park. This center will not house one company or employ hundreds of lunch pail-toting workers. Instead, it will off er workspaces to 24 small businesses employing as many as 80 people with annual wages averaging at more than $50,000. That may not sound like a lot, but like a stone cast into a pond, the creation of such a center can cause a ripple eff ect of growth for the surrounding area. Giving good-paying jobs to Queens residents pumps money into the local economy. They will not only pay local taxes, but they’ll also shop locally, supporting area supermarkets, restaurants, clothing stores and other retail facilities. The vitality of an industrial work center may spur other industries to the area, leading to further job creation and economic growth. The city is, of course, investing quite a bit into this venture. The Economic Development Corporation is providing the Ozone Park industrial center’s developer with a $10 million grant on top of a loan to move the project forward. Let’s hope this money does what is promised and gives Queens industry a much-needed boost, and reinforces our borough’s strong economy. We may not get back the industrial giants we have lost over the decades, but we can prosper nonetheless by piecing together a bunch of small businesses to build a large and powerful economic engine that’ll keep us running for years to come.
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