20 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 10, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Shopkeepers: Roosevelt Ave. traffi c plan costs us a fortune
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/jenna_bagcal
Several Roosevelt Avenue businesses
in conjunction with the 82nd Street
Partnership, held a rally Wednesday,
May 9 in Jackson Heights to voice
their disapproval of the Department
of Transportation’s Clear Curbs initiative.
Since March 9 of this year, owners
said that their businesses have taken a
big hit due to new parking restrictions
on Roosevelt Avenue that, they claim,
make it more diffi cult for their customers
to fi nd spots in the area.
Leslie Ramos, the executive director
of the 82nd Street Partnership, compared
Clear Curbs to a “six-month
pay cut” for businesses on Roosevelt
Avenue. Over the past two months,
businesses that are part of the 82nd
Street Partnership formed the
Roosevelt Avenue Business Coalition
in order to combat issues like the
DOT program.
“We are here to say ‘no’ to Clear Curbs,
we need our parking back. We need Clear
Curbs to end today. Not in six months,
not down the road,” said Ramos.
Clear Curbs is a six-month pilot program
Leslie Ramos of the 82nd Street Partnership gathers with business owners to protest the “Clear Curbs” program
which bans cars, trucks and other
vehicles from standing or parking
between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7
p.m. It’s designed to improve traffi c fl ow
during peak travel periods. Th e program
has been aff ecting Roosevelt Avenue businesses
located between 90th Street and
Broadway.
Business owners said they have noticed
a lull in customers at that time, when usually
their stores would be busier. Some
have also said that truck deliveries to
their stores have been diffi cult. Th ey have
oft en had to reschedule times for trucks
to make their deliveries to work around
the new rules.
One of these owners is King Hui, who
has owned Roosevelt City Pharmacy on
79-18 Roosevelt Avenue for about one
year. Hui said that business had been
trending upward until Clear Curbs was
instated back in March.
He added that the pharmacy sells other
products in addition to medicine, which
before March, would generate foot traffi c
Photo by Jenna Bagcal/QNS
to the business aft er 4 p.m.
“During the fi rst two weeks of the
program, I noticed a 20 percent drop
in revenue. Other businesses I’ve talked
to have had a 30 percent or 40 percent
drop. Everything’s a big screw up,”
said Hui.
Hugo Calle, who owns Angelo’s
Jewelry on 80-10 Roosevelt Avenue, said
that though parking has not been a
problem for him, his customers have
been complaining about fi nding parking
around his store. He added that he
also notices a big diff erence in business
between 4 to 7 p.m. and said since the
store closes at 8, it has been
negatively aff ected.
“I have a small garage to
park in at the back of my
store, but customers call me
about parking; there’s not
enough. All businesses on
Roosevelt Avenue are quiet
aft er 4,” said Calle.
Other Jackson Heights residents
said that the negative
eff ects of the program
have reached beyond business
owners. Phil Wong who
lives in the area, said that
when he takes his mother to
the orthopedic doctor, there
is nowhere for him to park
outside the offi ce. Because of
this, Wong said he oft en had
to double park or circle the
block to fi nd parking while
his elderly mother went to her
appointments alone.
Because of the large population
of elderly residents in the
area, taking public transportation is oft en
not a viable option, especially since there
are no elevators at the 83rd and 90th
Street train stations and buses sometimes
require many transfers. Ramos also said
that people frequent Roosevelt Avenue
from Long Island and across the Tri-State
area, making cars a necessity for those
individuals.
Ramos and several business owners
emphasized that they want the DOT and
Mayor Bill de Blasio to have meetings
with those aff ected in order to gain feedback
about their opinions and specific
needs.
Bayside gym plans fundraiser to help local girl ‘knock out’ leukemia
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
When 3-year-old Olivia Grace was
no longer acting like her high-energy
self, Fresh Meadows mom Jen Rader-
Tarazona knew something was not right.
Doctors, however, initially disagreed.
“Because I knew that she wasn’t herself,
I was pushing for blood work,” Rader-
Tarazona told Th e Courier. “Doctors
are not conditioned to look for pediatric
cancer … But being her parent, I
was Googling, reaching out to parents,
the school nurse. It was really on me. I
pushed and pushed.”
Finally, Rader-Tarazona got an answer:
Olivia was diagnosed with leukemia on
Nov. 30, 2017. She began what will be a
26-month journey through chemotherapy
and other treatments.
Olivia, who lives with her mom, dad
and older brother, can be “very feisty,”
according to Rader-Tarazona, but also
“gentle and kind.”
“Olivia loves to play on the iPad and
with Play-Doh. She loves dancing, and
singing with her brother,” she said. “She’s
not outgoing but is a sweetheart when
you get to know her. She’s a lot of fun to
be around.”
Around the time of Olivia’s diagnosis,
Rader-Tarazona took to a “Bayside
Moms” Facebook group looking for toy
donations to cheer up her two young
children.
Queens natives Butch and Amanda
Rinaldi, who own and operate Butch’s
Boxing and MMA on 35th Avenue, took
note of the concerned mom’s request.
“We’re looking at it thinking, ‘What
could we do?’” Amanda Rinaldi said.
“Having a 3-year-old myself, it kind of hit
home a little bit.”
Th e cause also registered
with Butch Rinaldi,
who has two children
with developmental disabilities.
Th e married duo decided
on a fundraising event
for Olivia. On Saturday,
May 12 from 4 to 6
p.m., gym members
from all age groups
will put on an athletic
showcase for attendees
who can watch sparring
and fi ghters training.
Participants can also
purchase raffle tickets
to win a number of
prizes donated by local
businesses.
Th e cost of admission is a new,
unwrapped toy, or a monetary donation
to Olivia’s family.
“It should be a good show,” Amanda
Rinaldi said. “We’ve done fundraisers
before and it’s always a lot of fun.”
When the Rinaldis approached gym
members about participating in the
fundraiser, the response was immediate.
“I started mentioning the fundraiser
to the classes here, and everybody was
like, ‘Yes, yes, yes,’” Butch Rinaldi said.
For Butch, a former Marine, the training
and fi tness center “is not your typical
tough guy gym.” Th e center is open
to people from all age groups and welcomes
members who have social, developmental
or physical disabilities.
“Being Bayside residents and being
small business owners in Bayside, we
really do care about the community we
live in,” said Amanda Rinaldi, a Golden
Gloves boxing champion. “You won’t
go to many boxing gyms and see people
on the spectrum or people with physical
disabilities … Boxing is not just about
hitting a bag and puffi ng your chest out.
It’s so much more than that. We’ve seen
so much growth in here.”
Rader-Tarazona said she and her
family would be thrilled “if even a dollar
is raised” at Saturday’s event. For the
mom, the event is more about creating
awareness for pediatric cancer.
“Amanda and Butch have been
absolutely amazing,” she said. “We’re
just happy the word is getting out there.
I want to create an awareness and tell
mothers not to second guess their intuition.”
Butch’s Boxing and MMA is located
at 203-18 35th Ave. Inquires about the
event can be directed to 646-421-9749.
Photo courtesy of the Tarazona family
A photo of 3-year-old Olivia Grace
/jenna_bagcal
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