FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com JULY 14, 2016 • THE COURIER SUN 11 Rockaway Boardwalk gets cleanup, but New lobbies and landscaping Renovated units Great new shops and nearby restaurants LEFRAKCITY.COM (888) 960-3365 All pricing and availability is subject to change without notice. STUDIOS STARTING AT $1,450 NO FEE RENTALS community calls for more By Charlie Per y cperry@qns.com/@QNS The Department of Sanitation is breaking out their brooms and sweeping away community concerns in addressing debris problems along the Rockaway Boardwalk in Far Rockaway, but there is still work to be done in regards to construction cleanup. Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder led the charge to bring in additional street sweepers between Beach 86th Street and Beach 102nd Street. The Department of Sanitation agreed to the request and vowed that extra attention would be given to the Rockaway Beach Boulevard during the summer. “I’m glad that the Department of Sanitation has stepped up to ensure our community is kept clean during our busiest season,” Goldfeder said in press release issued Monday. “Rockaway Beach Boulevard between Beach 86th Street and Beach 102nd Street has become one of our most popular and growing corridors, used by visitors and families alike.” After a request from the Rockaway Beach Civic Association, and concerns from local business owners, Goldfeder reached out to the local sanitation garage to request that additional street sweeping be preformed. The Department of Sanitation agreed to conduct street sweeping on Rockaway Beach Boulevard twice a day and to also ramp up enforcement. The Rockaway Beach community is also calling for the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to nail down a plan to clean up a mess left after Rockaway Boardwalk construction. The Rockaway Beach Civic Association partnered with the assemblyman to call for the EDC to do a construction cleanup. In a letter to President Maria Torres-Springer of the Economic Development Corporation, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder requested that EDC increases the number of crews they were sending out to clean the beach, and ensure that the sand is property sifted to remove all smaller pieces of debris. Goldfeder also suggested that EDC and SKANSKA develop a plan, so that a similar problem does not occur following the final phase of boardwalk construction. According to residents of Rockaway Beach, there are shavings of Recycled Plastic Lumber that was used on ramps, buried in the sand where the boardwalk construction took place. Community members also reported finding pieces of rusted wire, scraps of wood, and metal from chain-link fences in and around the beach. According to Goldfeder all this inorganic material, particularly the rusted wire, poses environmental and safety concerns to families who use the beach. “The improper disposal of debris is a hazard,” John Cori, president of the Rockaway Beach Civic Association, said in the press release. “There was a lot of money allocated to this job, and some of that should be used to effectively clean up all the plastic, rusted nails and construction materials that have been left behind on the beach.” The final stage of construction is set to begin on the boardwalk between Beach 19th Street and Beach 39th Street in fall 2016. It will continue through the winter. Photo courtesy of Bella Pori
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