16 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 17, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Register now to pick up your free
rain barrel in Flushing next month
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Flushing residents can reserve their
own rain barrel at this giveaway event
next month.
Councilman Peter Koo is teaming
up with the Queens Botanical Garden
and Department of Environmental
Protection to host a rain barrel giveaway
for residents in Council District 20.
Th e giveaway will be handing out
250 rain barrels by reservation only. To
reserve a barrel, call Koo’s offi ce at 718-
888-8747.
Residents who reserve a barrel will
receive a confi rmation letter in the mail
that they must bring with them to the
giveaway. Barrels will be handed out
on June 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the
Queens Botanical Garden.
“Rain barrels are a great way for homeowners
to help reduce the burdens on
our infrastructure by minimizing the
water that fl ows into our storm drains,
sewer systems and local waterways,” Koo
said. “Homeowners who recycle rainwater
will also realize savings on their water
bills and ultimately help create a more
environmentally friendly city.”
New south Queens
tower will deliver 82
aff ordable housing
units
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A south Queens neighborhood will soon
see a building with more 80 new units of
aff ordable housing rise in the area.
Th e Meridian housing development will
bring 82 mixed-income units to Locust
Manor, a small neighborhood situated
between Rochdale Village and Laurelton.
Th e governor’s offi ce announced the
$9.7 million project as part of a $200 million
long-term plan to build or preserve
more than 2,800 aff ordable apartments
across New York state.
Located at 127-10 Locust Manor Lane,
Th e Meridian will be constructed on formerly
vacant land in a largely residential
neighborhood by D & F Development
Group LLC. Th e site is located near the
Locust Manor station on the Long Island
Rail Road, located at Farmers Boulevard
and Bedell Street, and commercial and
retail establishments.
Th e gross rents (rent plus utilities) for
each unit will range from $835 a month
and higher based on income eligibility and
household size, according to a NYS Homes
and Community Renewal (HCR) agency
spokesperson. Th e building will stand 14
stories tall and is designed by Briarwoodbased
Gerald J. Caliendo Architect, P.C.
An application to construct the residential
building was fi rst fi led with the city’s
Department of Buildings in August 2016.
A new application was fi led on May 14.
“Th e May 10 announcement is another
concrete example of Governor Cuomo’s
commitment to investing in aff ordable
housing that not only provides quality
homes to people who need them, but
also addresses the crisis of homelessness,
makes downtowns come alive with
opportunity, and improves quality of life
throughout the state,” HCR commissioner
RuthAnne Visnauskas said. “By delivering
aff ordable homes to New York City,
we continue to fi ght homelessness and
deepen the city’s economic diversity.”
Th e funds were allocated through New
York State HCR’s 2017 Unifi ed Funding
Application, which awards developers
low-income housing tax credits and
low-interest loans for aff ordable, multifamily
developments.
Queens author and political organization
will teach Astoria kids the value of activism
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/@jenna_bagcal
On May 19, the author of “Women
Who March” in partnership with the
Sister District Project is hosting an
aft ernoon of activism for “young children
and their grown-ups” in Astoria.
Th e event begins at 1:30 p.m. at
Q.E.D. Astoria, a performance and creative
learning space located at 27-16
23rd Ave. Local author Adena Raub
Dershowitz will launch her children’s
book “Women Who March,” an illustrated
story that details her participation
in the 2017 Women’s March and
the equal rights activism that fueled the
marches around the world.
According to Dershowitz, the purpose
of the book is to spark conversations
between children and parents.
All royalties from sales of the book,
both from this event and throughout
the month of May, will go toward the
Sister District Project. In subsequent
months, the royalties from book sales
will go toward diff erent organizations
or candidates committed to advancing
equal rights.
Joining Dershowitz at the event are
representatives from Sister District NY
12-13-14, a local off shoot of the Sister
District Project. Th e group is a national
grassroots organization whose goal is
to ensure that all Americans have equal
representation in the country, and that
the government works for all people.
According to the Sister District Project
website, volunteers are organized into
teams based on where they live, and
this energy is “sistered” (paired) with
swing districts across the country to
support strategic state races that matter.
Th eir goals are to fl ip Republican-held
state chambers, hold fragile Democratic
majorities in state chambers and to
make blue inroads in badly gerrymandered
states.
The representatives from Sister
District NY 12-13-14 will be publicizing
their important work of grassroots
support for Democratic candidates
across the country. Th e group is one of
three teams in New York, which covers
Queens, parts of the Bronx and much of
Manhattan. Th eir work includes postcarding,
phone- and text-banking, canvassing
and fundraising.
Aft er an author-lead book reading,
attendees will be able to participate
in activism-themed children activities.
Admission to the event is free, but food,
beverages and copies of “Women Who
March” will be on sale.
For more information on the event,
visit https://qedastoria.com/collections/
events/products/little-activists-makea
big-difference-women-who-marchwith
sister-district.
Photo courtesy of Gerald J. Caliendo Architect, P.C.
A rendering of The Meridian at Locust Manor
Photo courtesy of Gerald J. Caliendo Architect, P.C.
A rendering of The Meridian at Locust Manor
Photo courtesy of Adena Dershowitz
Illustration of marchers in the street from Women Who March
/@jenna_bagcal
link
link
/
