10 The Courier sun • JULY 3, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com ROCKAWAY BEACHES BACK ON TRACK BY SALVATORE LICATA Finding a beach with a lifeguard in Rockaway should be a breeze for beachgoers — finally. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finished its sand replenishment from Beach 60 to Beach 149 and the beaches will resume normal operation, according to Zachary Feder, a Parks Department spokesman. The replenishment finished in time for the July 4 holiday, the busiest time on the Rockaway beachfront. The Parks Department said it expected to have its peak complement of lifeguards on duty for the holiday weekend. Many beachgoers were upset last weekend when they were told over 30 beaches were closed due to sand replenishment and were not given any advanced notice. But the Parks Department did say on its website there would be rolling closures, happening daily, until the project was finished. “There were some closures while the Army Corps was working,” Feder said. Now with the replenishment finally over, the beaches of Rockaway, which make up about half of the Parks Department beach property throughout the city, should have access similar to that of Coney Island and Orchard Beach. However, 30 blocks of Rockaway beaches are still closed because of the nesting season of the piping plover, a federally protected bird species. Briarwood’s P.S. 117 hosts flawless graduation following fears BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com @liamlaguerre P.S. 117’s graduation ceremony on June 25 made the grade. Nearly 170 graduating fifth-graders were in danger of losing caps and gowns, yearbooks and a senior prom, which are usually sponsored by the Briarwood school’s PTA, because the Department of Education is investigating $30,000 missing from the accounts of the school’s Parent Teacher Association. While the investigation is ongoing, the organization is not allowed to fundraise and is barred from all financial dealings. But after The Courier reported the situation, the Queens Chamber of Commerce and the Briarwood Latchkey Generation Facebook group combined to contribute $7,000 to save the school’s end-of-year ceremony and give the students the graduation experience they were expecting. Students enjoyed the senior prom on June 19 and they will receive glossy yearbooks. Rendering Courtesy of SLCE Architects Rockrose Development Corporation has released renderings for the 50-story development at 43-25 Hunter St. RENDERINGS RELEASED FOR 50-STORY LIC BUILDING BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano28 The sky’s the limit for real estate in Long Island City. Rockrose Development Corporation has released renderings for its newest 50-story development coming to the western Queens neighborhood at 43-25 Hunter St. Permits for the project were partially approved on June 27, according to records from the Department of Buildings. As of yet, no start date has been released. The 970,000-square-foot tower will be made up of 19,000 square feet of ground floor retail space and 974 apartments, of which 20 percent will be affordable units. According to published reports, the development will also include a 14-story building adjacent to the 50-story tower. There will be 18,000 square feet of interior amenity space and three large rooftop terraces. Amenities include a fitness center, basketball court, billiard room, rooftop solarium and great lawn, yoga studio, zen garden, screening room, library, children’s playroom, and a 38th floor rooftop terrace and lounge. The building, designed by SLCE Architects, will be one of the tallest in Long Island City, according to published reports. Nearby in Astoria, 42-12 28th St. by developer Heatherwood Communities beats 43-25 Hunter St. with a total of 58 stories in height.
SC07032014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above