18 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 7, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
From mean to green? Constantinides sees eco-friendly future for Rikers
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
With an eye on enhanced resiliency
and sustainability, Councilman
Costa Constantinides, the chair of the
Environmental Protection Committee,
put forth his bold vision for the future of
Rikers Island, and eventually the north
end of Astoria.
During his “State of the District”
address at P.S. 2 in East Elmhurst last
week, Constantinides shared his plan for
a greener Queens — and it had nothing to
do with developers or an extra runway for
LaGuardia Airport.
“With the prison on Rikers Island closing
in the next fi ve to 10 years, the city will
soon have 400 acres of space open for redevelopment,”
Constantinides said. “We will
have a unique opportunity to solve several
diff erent environmental problems that
have bedeviled us for decades.”
Namely, the section of western Queens
known as “Asthma Alley” which is home
to almost half of the city’s power plants.
Constantinides said his offi ce had begun a
collaboration with the CUNY Law School
Center for Urban Environmental Reform
to “determine the best use of space” from
an environmental perspective.
“Astoria resident and professor
Rebecca Bratspies demonstrated that,
based off projections from the Lippman
Commission’s report on Rikers Island,
renewables installed on the island could
be used to replace most, if not all, of the
plants that have been built in this city
in the last two decades,” Constantinides
said. “What’s more, this should also eave
us plenty of space to build a new, state-ofthe
art wastewater treatment facility that
would allow us to potentially retire several
older sewage treatment plants in north
Queens and the Bronx.”
Constantinides said his plan would
establish solar or wind fi elds tied to largescale
batteries large enough to store
enough energy to potentially power more
than 2 million homes.
“Th is is not some far-fl ung dream of
a distant future,” he said. “Th is is within
our grasp now, and we need to begin the
transition away from these plants now.
Too much is at stake to wait around any
longer.”
Constantinides also called on the city’s
Department of Transportation to conduct
a comprehensive review of the 4.5-
mile Astoria Boulevard, which runs
from the RFK-Triborough Bridge to Citi
Field. Despite eff orts to keep large trucks
merging onto the Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway, the roadway has still seen
signifi cant backups and accidents in the
past year.
Th e councilman also proposed a new
station house with a parking garage to
replace the 50-year-old home of the 114th
Precinct, recognizing the current layout
leads to blocked intersections, sidewalks
and overpasses.
“Th is has created a traffi c nightmare
around Astoria Boulevard and 35th
Street,” Constantinides said. “My offi ce
has fi elded complaints about this for
years, and trust me, we hear you.”
Photo by Jenna Bagcal/THE COURIER
Joe Femenia, center, at a College Point shelter
rally in December 2018
College Point mourns
leader Joe Femenia
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
The College Point community
mourned the sudden passing of
beloved civic leader Joe Femenia on
Wednesday.
According to an offi cer in the College
Point Civic and Taxpayers Association
of which Femenia was president, the
62-year-old had a heart attack and died
in his home on Jan. 30. He is survived
by his wife Laura Femenia.
Members of the CPCTA were
informed of Femenia’s death at the
Jan. 30 monthly meeting. Femenia had
been the organization’s president since
2008. Elected offi cials and community
members shared the sad news on
social media.
“It fi lls me with incredible sadness to
learn about the tragic and unexpected
passing of Joseph Femenia,” City
Councilman Paul Vallone wrote on
Facebook. “Joe has been a stalwart fi xture
in the fabric of College Point and
his loss will be felt in the entire community.
I will forever cherish Joe’s
friendship, vision and the leadership
he displayed as we worked together on
many issues. My thoughts and prayers
are with his wife Laura and his entire
family in this diffi cult time. Th e victories
and ongoing battles to preserve
and protect College Point will always
be part of Joe’s great legacy. May he
rest in peace.”
“Very sad news about the sudden
passing of Joe Feminia, our friend and
President of the College Point Civic
and Taxpayers Association,” wrote one
Facebook user. “He was truly devoted
and cared very much about College
Point and all of the residents living
here.”
During his life, Femenia was dedicated
to his community, serving as
the CPCTA president from 2008 to
2012 and again from 2014 to the present.
Th e civic leader was also a board
member for Community Board 7 as
well as a Transportation Committee
Chairperson from 2006 to 2016.
Th e wake was held at Frederick
Funeral Home (192-15 Northern
Blvd.) on Sunday, Feb. 3. Femenia’s
funeral mass was at St. Fidelis Church
on Monday, Feb. 4.
SE Queens pols partner with city for fi re safety forum in St. Albans
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Two southeast Queens lawmakers partnered
with city agencies Jan. 29 to host a
fi re safety forum in St. Albans in response
to several deadly residential fi res in the
community.
Council members Daneek Miller and
Adrienne Adams co-hosted the event
at the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life
Center — located at 172-17 Linden Blvd.
— aft er 10 residents between the ages of
6 and 84 have lost their lives in fi re incidents
in the past fi ve years.
“It takes a community to keep the community
safe,” said Miller. “My district
has suff ered two fi re-related deaths over
the last month, and 10 over the last four
years, but a single life lost is simply one
too many. We’ve demonstrated our commitment
to keeping each other safe by
organizing fi re safety events in the past,
but we as a community can always do better,
and sought to take a holistic approach
on this particular occasion.”
In attendance were members of the
New York City Fire Department, New
York City Emergency Management, the
Department of Buildings, the Human
resources Administration, American
Red Cross Greater New York region and
Allstate Insurance.
Chief Edward Baggott, FDNY Queens
Borough Commander, shared tips regarding
the placement of space heaters, installation
of smoke and carbon monoxide
alarms, cooking safety and escape planning.
Other participants provided complimentary
information on how to avoid
hazardous building modifi cations, preserve
important personal documents and
apply for social safety net supports, emergency
planning, and ensuring homeowners
are insured for fi re damage.
“Th e importance of having a working
smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, creating
an escape plan, and knowing how
to prevent a fi re are lifesaving lessons that
FDNY members teach to New Yorkers
throughout the city every single day,” said
Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. “Fire
safety education saves lives, and we’re
grateful to Council members Miller and
Adams, and Senator Comrie for hosting
this important forum to help deliver these
critical messages directly to the residents
of southeast Queens.”
“Fire prevention is more than smoke
alarms and fi re escape plans,” said Adams.
“True fi re prevention means assessing the
cause of fi res and taking proactive steps
to minimize the potential for these tragedies
in homes. We have suff ered a series
of unfortunate residential fi res in southeast
Queens recently, and I am happy to
partner with my colleagues to co-host this
valuable program for our community.”
Senator Leroy Comrie commended
Miller for bringing together the FDNY,
NYCEM and the Red Cross to host
the critical forum for the community.
“Recent tragedies in our community have
reminded us of the importance of being
fully educated on the dangers of fi re
and carbon monoxide in the home,” said
Comrie.
According to the lawmakers, 10 lives
have been lost to fi re emergencies in
Council District 27 in nearly fi ve years:
Jan. 2019 – Ruth Andrade, 84
Dec. 2018 – Lamonies Smith, 16
April 2017 – Chayce Lipford, 2;
Rayshawn Matthews, 10; Jada Foxworth,
16; Melody Edwards, 17; and Destiny
Dones, 20.
April 2016 – Andre Reid, 69
Oct. 2014 – John and Andrew
Kavanaugh, ages 11 and 6
To learn how to become #FDNYSmart
and keep your family safe, visit www.
fdnysmart.org.
Photo courtesy of City Councilman Costa Constantinides
Photo courtesy of City Councilman I. Daneek Miller
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