FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Bankruptcy auction
for Bay Terrace club
Real estate brokers announced that the
1.5-acre Bay Terrace Country Club will be
auctioned off next week as part of a bankruptcy
fi ling.
International Properties Group (IPG)
will hold the March 5 sale for the site
overlooking Little Neck Bay 217-14 24th
Ave. in Bayside. News of the impending
auction shocked many local residents and
civic leaders.
“As President of the Bay Terrace
Community Alliance, I was surprised
and saddened to hear the closing the Bay
Terrace Country Club,” said Matthew
Silverstein, president of the Bay Terrace
Civic Association. “I am very concerned
about the future of this site and the
impact the upcoming auction will have
on our community. We will be keeping a
close eye on this auction.”
Th e Bay Terrace Country Club is a private
swim club that provides members
and guests a large assortment of fun and
healthy activities for both children and
adults with activities including water aerobics,
an interactive kiddie pool, live
entertainment and card games.
Th ough the auction could mean potential
redevelopment of the property, a country
club representative indicated that the
club isn’t going anywhere for a while.
“We have a lease/contract that legally
grants us operating the pool under our
management for this season and seasons
aft er this. Th is auction is for the
benefi t of the shareholders of the Bay
Terrace Country Club,” said Maureen
Hilsdorf, president of the Board of
Governors.
Th ere will be open houses for membership
at the club in April and May, according
to Hilsdorf.
Carlotta Mohamed
Vallone seeks street
name for Femenia
Weeks aft er the sudden death of College
Point civic leader Joe Femenia, the area’s
City Council representative is seeking to
have a street ceremonially named in his
memory.
Councilman Paul Vallone announced
plans to co-name of the intersection
of 23rd Avenue and 130th Street aft er
the College Point Civic and Taxpayers
Association (CPCTA) president, who
died suddenly of a heart attack in January.
“Th e tragic and unexpected passing of
Joseph Femenia was a great loss for all of
College Point,” said Vallone. “Th e victories
and ongoing battles to preserve and
protect College Point will always be part
of Joe’s great legacy. He will now be forever
remembered for generations as they
look to the street sign recognizing his
great legacy. I will forever cherish Joe’s
friendship, vision and the leadership he
displayed as we worked together.”
Vallone plans to introduce the bill to
co-name the intersection aft er Femenia,
which will be passed later this year. A
co-naming ceremony will also likely be
set for late this summer.
Jenna Bagcal
Photo by Bruce Adler
Jennifer Shannon addresses the crowd at the Feb. 24 rally outside a proposed College Point homeless shelter site.
College Point residents resolve to keep up shelter fi ght
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
College Point residents continued
their relentless fi ght on Sunday against
the city’s planned 200-bed men’s shelter
as the deadline for its September
opening looms near.
On Feb. 24, A Better College Point
and the CP Residents’ Coalition (CPRC)
gathered with hundreds of community
members and northeast Queens lawmakers
at a pop-up rally outside of the
shelter site, at 127-03 20th Ave.
Th is latest rally comes fresh off the
heels of the College Point Civic and
Taxpayers Association rally on Feb.
16 and, two days prior to that aff air, a
press conference organized by longtime
shelter opponents state Senator John
Liu, Assemblyman Dan Rosenthal and
Councilman Paul Vallone.
“We need to stay organized. Don’t
listen to the people who keep telling
you, ‘Oh, it’s a done deal.’ Ignore them.
Educate them,” CPRC spokesperson
Jennifer Shannon said at the Feb. 24
rally.
“Under the dark of night, the city, the
de Blasio administration have put this
institution … without letting anybody
in the community know about it, and
making us believe that it’s a done deal.
Jennifer is absolutely right: nothing is a
done deal,” added Liu.
Shannon encouraged the crowd to
continue writing letters to Governor
Cuomo despite a lack of support from
the state offi cial.
“Th is is going up to our governor,
who is ignoring us. Many of you have
written the governor and you get back
a nice little letter that says, ‘Sorry, can’t
help you, talk to the city.’ Last time I
checked, I lived in New York and he
represents me,” Shannon said.
At the beginning of February, concerned
residents from all across
New York City formed the “5 Boro
Coalition” to fi ght the 90 homeless
shelters the city plans to create over the
next fi ve years.
State Senator John Liu and
Assemblyman Dan Rosenthal were
among speakers at Sunday’s rally
According to Shannon, who serves as
the Queens coalition chair, the board
members are trying to get legislation
passed that will help keep people in
need in their homes.
“You cannot fi ght this in College
Point. We can’t fi ght it in Ozone Park.
We can’t fi ght it in Queens. No one’s listening,”
said Ozone Park resident and 5
Boro Coalition President Sam Esposito.
“But if we fi ght it collectively as the fi ve
boroughs … they’re gonna hear us loud
and clear and they’re gonna come to
us and they’re gonna work with us on
solutions to the problem.”
Also at Sunday’s rally was public
advocate candidate Manny Alicandro,
who just recently became vocal about
his opposition to the shelter.
“It’s very, very important that we
keep up the pressure. We can’t stop the
pressure,” Alicandro said. “We have to
be concerned about the safety of our
communities. We have to be concerned
about the safety of our children.”
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