FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JULY 4, 2013 • THE COURIER SUN 13 THE COURIER/Photo by Mike DiBartolomeo Frank Fazio representing State Senator Joseph Addabbo; Peter De Lucia, Marketing Manager at the Shops at Atlas Park; Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley; Liza Diaz, Property Manager at the Shops at Atlas Park; Congressmember Grace Meng; Councilmember Mike Miller; Melva Miller representing BP Helen Marshall’s offi ce; Frank Lucia, Sr. Property Manager for The Macerich Company. GREEN IS THE ‘HEART’ OF ATLAS PARK On Tuesday, July 2, the Shops at Atlas Park offi cially opened the Center Green, a 10,000-square-foot area especially designed for events. The Center Green is the heart of the overall redesign planned by Macerich, which is bringing new retail power to the property with the new additions of Charlotte Russe, Forever 21 and Boom Zone. “Summer on the Green,” the season-long events series, kicked off July 4. For a full list, visit www.shopsatatlaspark.com. Promenade Night in Great Neck Plaza Middle Neck Road between North Station & Grace Ave Thursday, July 11 • 6:30-10:30 pm Call 516-829-1301 or visit ShopGreatNeck.com for information Glendale, Middle Village residents dealing with years of . . . TRAIN TROUBLES BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected] After years of drawing attention to the issue, Glendale and Middle Village residents say they are still waiting on promises from public offi cials to fi x trains that disturb and pollute their neighborhoods. Residents say the trains loaded with garbage and construction debris wake people up on their way through Queens to a town upstate. They add that the railroad cars make screeching sounds and idle behind houses while the engines emit harmful gases from diesel fuels. The MTA-owned trains are leased to companies including CSX and New York and Atlantic Railway. At the end of March, Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi was able to allocate $3 million from the state budget towards updating the engines. Retrofi tting the trains in question, which were designed in accordance with 1970s standards, will signifi cantly reduce the impact of gases in the community. “We are still in the process of working with the MTA and we’ll see how that is going play out,” said Alex Schnell, chief of staff to the assemblymember. Congressmember Grace Meng, who toured the Fresh Pond Rail Yard in Glendale in April to learn about the problem, wrote a letter to the Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies concerning the federal budget. She asked for $30 million from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) to retrofi t old trains with the new engines. “This level of funding would help alleviate the signifi cant unmet demand and would assist in upgrading ineffi - ciencies,” Meng said in the letter. As of press time, Meng had not received a response. For residents like Anthony Pedalino, elected offi cials’ actions to date have not been fast enough. With the open car locomotives running below ground level, Pedalino and others suggested that a tunnel be built or adequate covers set up for the cars to stop the leak of foul smells. “That protection is the least they can do,” Pedalino said. He sends out emails to a number of public offi cials almost daily to remind them about the issue. “I think locomotives with new engines are a big plus and will cut down on a signifi cant amount of pollution. This is a wonderful start,” said Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5. “I can understand people being upset, even though that’s some good news.”
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