FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 12, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Look who’s back: Liu eyes
state senate seat again
Former City Comptroller and Queens City
Councilman John Liu will run against state Senator
Tony Avella for the District 11 seat, which covers areas
including Bayside, College Point, Douglaston, Flushing
and Whitestone.
Liu will seek the Democratic nomination in the Sept.
13 primary election.
In 2014, Avella joined the New York state Senate
Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a breakaway
faction of eight Senate Democrats working in a
coalition with Senate Republicans, in a move that drew
some criticism from those within the party. Earlier this
year, the group struck a reunifi cation deal and dissolved.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson threw his support
behind the challenger over the weekend when he
joined volunteers seeking petition signatures in Queens.
Queens City Councilman Rory Lancman also voiced
his support for Liu on Twitter, stating he “couldn’t be
happier to sign @LiuNewYork petition to be my (real)
#Democratic state senator.”
Liu previously challenged Avella for the seat in 2014,
but lost by less than 1,000 votes. Th e previous year, Liu’s
bid to become mayor failed amid questions over fundraising
from a previous campaign.
Suzanne Monteverdi
Baby boy dies in College
Point home
A 3-month-old infant died in his College Point home
early on Wednesday morning morning aft er being discovered
unconscious with no obvious signs of trauma,
according to police.
On July 11 at around 12:51 a.m., offi cers from the
109th Precinct responded to a 911 call regarding an
unconscious 3-month-old male at a residence on Dalian
Court, law enforcement sources said.
Police were informed that the infant, identifi ed as little
Osbert Shi, was removed from the location by EMS
to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital, where he
was pronounced dead.
Th ere were no obvious signs of trauma, authorities
noted.
Th e medical examiner will determine the cause of
death. Th e investigation is ongoing.
Suzanne Monteverdi
Honors for Glen Oaks
library design
A uniquely-designed community center in Glen Oaks
should be used as template for accessible public spaces
throughout the country, according to a new report.
Th e Glen Oaks Branch Library was deemed a model
example of a public space designed to “foster healthy
and engaged communities” by the Center for Active
Design in its recently released report, Assembly: Civic
Design Guidelines. In 2013, the library underwent a
massive $17.1 million renovation which doubled the
space of the previous building.
Th e community center on Union Turnpike and 256th
Street meets a number of guidelines for a space “that
lays the foundation for a robust civic life,” including
outdoor seating options, a welcoming entrance and the
incorporation of nature elements. Th e structure’s clear
panels fl ood the space with natural light, while outside
a public plaza gives the library a “front porch” that
encourages people to gather and explore.
“Pedestrian-scale lighting; attractive, well-maintained
greenery; and simple, modern wooden benches provide
a safe and welcoming spot for library visitors to rest,
connect with nature, read a book, or watch city life go
by,” the report says.
Suzanne Monteverdi
Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/The Courier
New $2M indoor sports complex
slated to rise in Bayside
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A new 40,000-square-foot, climate
controlled sports complex in
Bayside will ensure local residents
can stay active year-round.
Local lawmakers and kids met
at the Bay Terrace Center of the
Samuel Field Y on July 10 to
announce a permanent indoor
sports space set to rise on the premises.
Th e project at 212th Street
and 23rd Avenue was funded with
allocations from Councilman Paul
Vallone, Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz and City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson, totaling
$2.1 million.
Th e space, which will be built
at the site of the temporary tennis
bubble at the community center,
will be climate-controlled and
feature turf fi elds for soccer, football,
lacrosse and baseball, basketball
courts, a tennis court and a fi tness
and wellness space. Kids at the
announcement who attend the center’s
day program also voiced an
interest in spaces to play golf, rugby
and wiffl e ball.
“Th e beauty of it is, we can design
it together,” Vallone said.
Th e project creates a year-round
space for the center’s pre-K for all
participants, as well as the special
needs community and area sports
organizations. It will also serve as
an indoor recreation space for the
area’s senior population.
“We want to make sure that
Queens remains the place where
families come to raise their kids,”
Katz said. “To all the kids that are
behind us: we hope you know how
lucky you truly are to have a community
who cares so deeply about
the future generation.”
Lawrence Gottlieb, chairman of
the board of Samuel Field Y, called
the project “transformational.”
“We have dreamed about this for
a long time but it would not have
been possible without the unbelievable
support of Council member
Paul Vallone, Queens Borough
President Melinda Katz and City
Council Speaker Corey Johnson,”
Gottlieb said. “We are forever
grateful to them for their support
and commitment.”
Samuel Field Y provides social
services and programs to 35,000
people annually at over 50 sites
throughout Queens. Th e Samuel
Field Y’s Bay Terrace Pool and
Tennis Center currently off ers early
childhood and aft er-school programs,
summer camps and social
services to individuals with disabilities,
older adults and victims of
family violence.
Local kids play basketball at the Samuel Field Y in Bay Terrace
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