18 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 5, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Parks Department breaks ground on
$6.25M Queensbridge Park upgrade
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
A 77-year-old field house in
Queensbridge Park will be demolished
to make way for a new energy-efficient
building and comfort station.
On March 29, the Parks Department,
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and
Long Island City residents broke ground
on the $6.25 million building at a spot
below the Queensboro Bridge. The old
field house, which was constructed in
1941, will be demolished to make way for
the new 1,500-square-foot facility.
The new, LEED-certified field house
will include a community room, an office
area for Parks staff, a public restroom and
storage space for the park’s maintenance
equipment. In addition, an outdoor plaza
with seating, bike racks and water fountains
Photo by Emil Cohen / New York City Council
Qns. pols: FAA will fix airplane noise measures
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
The Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) is being directed to take an updated
look at the way it measures aircraft
noise and its effects on surrounding communities
in Queens and other parts of the
country.
The FAA will evaluate alternative metrics
to the current Day-Night Average
Sound Level (DNL) method of studying
the airplane noise. The measure was
introduced as a provision in the newly
enacted omnibus appropriations bill.
Queens Congressmembers Grace Meng,
Tom Suozzi, Joe Crowley, Greg Meeks and
Hakeem Jeffries, who are each members of
the Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus,
announced the provision on April 2.
Under the DNL method, aircraft noise
is measured on a scale that averages all
community noise during a 24-hour period,
with a tenfold penalty on noise that
occurs during nighttime and early morning
hours.
The system was the result of a transportation
noise survey conducted in the
1970s. In 1981, the FAA established “DNL
65 decibels” as the guideline at which federal
funding is available for soundproofing
or other noise mitigation.
Instead of producing recommendations
based on actual noise levels, lawmakers
said, the current measuring method relies
on modeling and simulations to determine
“annoyance” levels. This system is
antiquated, according to Meng, who represents
areas including Bayside, Flushing
and Elmhurst.
“The metric of 65 DNL has long been
outdated and does not adequately measure
the true impact of aircraft noise,”
said Meng, founding member of the caucus.
“That is why it’s time to for the FAA
re-evaluate it.”
Suozzi, who represents a portion of
northeast Queens and Long Island and
serves as co-chair of the Quiet Skies
Caucus, also backed the provision.
“Queens and Long Island residents
deserve to live in peace and quiet,” he
said. “This provision will require the
FAA to take important steps in addressing
noise reduction so people are not
bombarded at all hours of the day and
night.”
Queens residents, especially those in
northeast communities like Bayside,
Flushing and Whitestone, have fought
an uphill battle against aircraft noise
in recent years. Data released from a
sound monitor installed in Flushing
in August 2016 revealed noise jumped
beyond 65 DNL about a third of the
time measured.
In 2017, Suozzi announced the FAA
would take a series of steps to study and
work to alleviate constituents’ distress
after hearing concerns voiced at a town
hall meeting in Whitestone.
Queens is home to LaGuardia and JFK
International Airports, two of the busiest
in the country. In 2015, the FAA
announced a multi-year effort to update
scientific evidence on the relationship
between aircraft noise exposure and its
effects on communities around airports.
will be constructed around the field
house.
“This new Park House will bring
great new amenities to all who use
Queensbridge Park,” said Van Bramer,
who allocated $2.5 million for the project.
“Ensuring that this park has all of
the features and amenities needed to
serve the seniors, families and children
of Queensbridge and western Queens has
always been a priority for me. I am so
happy to be here today breaking ground
at the site as we mark the next step in
making this Park House a reality.”
Green design features include plumbing
fixtures that reduce water use, an
energy efficient heating and cooling system,
energy-efficient lighting, increased
ventilation and light-colored paving to
keep temperatures down in the park.
The park, which was acquired by the
city in 1939, is home to a soccer-football
field, baseball fields, basketball, volleyball
and handball courts, a playground with
see-saws, swings and jungle gym, a wading
pool and picnic areas.
The new design was presented to the
community in April 2017 and the new
field house will be opened in summer
2019.
Rendering courtesy of Parks Department
Image via Creative Commons
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