18 THE QUEENS COURIER • 2020 PREVIEW • JANUARY 2, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
2020 preview
The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation joined by Empire State Development, Lt. Gov. Kathy
Hochul and local elected offi cials at The Moda Building, located at 89-14 Parsons Blvd., which will be
transformed into a 12,000-square-foot work space and will provide up to 255 jobs in the community.
Queens Success Academy Charter School students protest at St. Alban’s Roy Wilkins Park calling for
Mayor Bill de Blasio to build a new middle school.
The top stories to watch out for in southeast Queens
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Cleanup continues for families
aff ected by sewage backup
in South Ozone Park
South Ozone Park residents aff ected
by the major sewage backup that fl ooded
about 80 homes during the Th anksgiving
holiday weekend are continuing to pick
up the pieces following the disaster.
On Dec. 16, the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) submitted
a report to the Comptroller’s Offi ce
with the results of the investigation into
the incident, which concluded that a portion
of the 42-inch sewer that runs under
the Belt Parkway and the Conduit had
collapsed, causing the sewage backup into
the south Ozone Park neighborhood.
Meanwhile, though Comptroller Scott
Stringer granted an emergency procurement
of funds in order to clean residents’
basements of sewage and replace damaged
boilers, residents have had to fi le
additional claims for other resulting personal
expenses.
Th e DEP/OEM/Comptroller have had
staff on the ground to help residents fi ll
out the claim forms. Residents have 90
days from the date of the incident to
fi le a property damage claim with the
Comptroller.
“Th ere have been no sewer backups
since a robust, and with redundancy, pump
around system was put in place in the days
aft er the initial blockage,” a DEP spokesman
said. “Th is system will remain in place
until the new sewer is constructed.”
Success Academy Parents
and educators continue to
rally for new Middle School
Southeast Queens parents of Success
Academy scholars are continuing the fi ght
against Mayor Bill de Blasio demanding
a proposed location for a new middle
school.
Success Academy had rejected the
mayor and the Department of Education’s
proposed location for a middle school in
South Jamaica at 125-18 Rockaway Blvd.,
aft er touring what they called a “small”
and “aging” building.
Th e 70-year-old building used to house
Our Lady’s Catholic Academy students
until 2016, and it would require a complete
renovation in order to fi x electrical
and water damage that would cost several
millions of dollars, according to Success
Academy.
Although Mayor de Blasio had
announced at a Nov. 13 town hall meeting
that the location would be permanent
and can house up to 500 students,
Success Academy said the building can
only accommodate 330 students, according
to building capacity guidelines of New
York State Education Department.
Success Academy offi cials also said there
is no multipurpose room, gym or auditorium,
and transportation to and from the
school doesn’t serve most families.
Success Academy has asked for the mayor’s
help in fi nding a permanent home for
their middle school in southeast Queens
for more than two years now. Students,
their parents and educators have held protests
on the steps of City Hall and at Roy
Wilkins Park in recent months to ask the
mayor to keep his promise.
Jamaica Co-working and Training
Facility breaks ground
A new development in the heart of
downtown Jamaica is currently in the
works that is expected to support 255 jobs
in the local community.
Th e Greater Jamaica Development
Corporation’s Downtown Jamaica
Co-Working and Training Facility at Th e
Moda Building, located at 89-14 Parsons
Blvd., will provide room for up to 80 local
entrepreneurs and independent professionals.
Th e project is supported by a $1.65
million performance-based grant from
Empire State Development, which was
awarded as part of Jamaica’s selection as a
Downtown Revitalization Initiative winner
in 2016. By providing New Yorkers
with access to aff ordable fl exible workspaces
and business equipment, the project
will support Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s
eff orts to further build Jamaica into a
major economic hub.
In the coming months, GJDC will invest
$5.1 million towards the development.
Th e shared workspace will provide fl exible
workspaces and other business equipment
to entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers
and others at aff ordable rates — helping
foster a community of ingenuity and
business growth in Jamaica.
JFK Redevelopment Project
to bring jobs, business, and
resources to the community
Th ousands of jobs will be coming to
southeast Queens as part of the $13 billion
JFK International Airport redevelopment
among a series of initiatives targeting
employment opportunities, business
opportunities, and training and education
resources that will benefi t local neighborhoods.
Th e JFK Redevelopment Community
Advisory Council, co-chaired by
Congressman Gregory Meeks and Queens
Borough President Melinda Katz, will
launch a major job recruiting program
for the 15,000 jobs at the airport and the
4,000 construction jobs that will be created
by the fi ve-year construction program
which is scheduled to begin next year.
Th e JFK jobs program will enhance outreach
to underserved neighborhoods in
Jamaica, Far Rockaway and the surrounding
communities.
Additionally, a new Far Rockaway
offi ce at the Rockaway Development and
Revitalization Corporation will open in
the spring and will have four dedicated
staff members focused on connecting
local residents to new employment
opportunities. Additional outreach and
recruiting support staff will be based at
the Council for Airport Opportunity’s
main Jamaica offi ce.
Other programs will include a second
chance employment initiative will be targeted
toward formerly incarcerated people,
a new science and technology program
for 300 local students to steer them
toward careers in aviation, and concession
opportunities for local retailers and
restaurants. Plus, the Port Authority and
JFK Airport will roll out extensive training
programs to enable small businesses
to qualify and compete for other future
concession opportunities.
Photo: Carlotta Mohamed/QNS
City Comptroller Scott Stringer (l.) and Senator James Sanders Jr. visit the southeast Queens neighborhood
aff ected by the sewer back-up that severely damaged 80 homes.
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