10 The Courier sun • AUGUST 8, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com PHOTO COURTESY OF THE QUEENS LIBRARY The Far Rockaway branch of the Queens Library will be closed for three weeks for upgrades Far Rockaway Library to receive upgrades BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The Far Rockaway branch of the Queens Library will close for three weeks and reopen with new services and a new look. After the library’s doors shut on Saturday, August 10, the adult reading area will receive a complete “cosmetic refurbishment,” a spokesperson for the library said. Additionally, officials are adding job placement skills on site. Previously, residents were given job search access and resume review at the library, but the services could not connect job hopefuls to employers. After the revamping, partnering with city agencies will afford Rockaway residents that option. “People need help looking for work and the library is where they can start to connect,” said Joanne King, the library’s communications director. “For a lot of the city-run services for job connection, people have to travel to Jamaica or further. They wanted to have something closer, a little more convenient, for the people on the peninsula.” Part of the space will also be reconfigured to include privacy cubicles. The library plans to reopen in late August. While the site is closed, residents can receive limited library service in the front lobby of the Queens Library for Teens, located at 2002 Cornago Avenue at Beach 20th Street on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All Teen Library services will remain in place on weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. TRACKING SANDY Stringer proposes bureau to follow the recovery $ BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com Manhattan Borough President and City Comptroller candidate Scott Stringer announced a plan to create a Sandy Audit Bureau within the Comptroller’s office if elected. The Sandy unit, a team of “professionals and experts,” would track the incoming $15 billion in federal aid and ensure the poststorm recovery money is spent “wisely and efficiently.” Stringer said when that amount of money comes in, there must be a “laser focus on every single dollar.” “Nine months after Sandy, the winds have subsided but we still have to confront the challenge of protecting our shoreline communities from the next great storm,” Stringer said. “The Comptroller’s office is uniquely positioned to serve as the city’s watchdog over all Sandy-related funds.” Furthermore, Stringer plans to provide an online resource, The Sandy Tracker, that will allow residents to follow how the city is spending storm-related dollars. In the event of fraud or abuse, there will be an established 24-hour hotline for taxpayers to report any instances of the sort. “Since Sandy, the Rockaways has seen an increased flow of resources dedicated to addressing post-storm issues,” said State Senator James Sanders. “Merely having these resources, however, is not enough. There needs to be a system of accountability.” Sanders, Councilmember Donovan Richards and Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder joined Stringer during his announcement on Tuesday, August 6 and reiterated their endorsements for Stringer’s candidacy. “Every penny that was raised for Sandy victims and every government dollar that was spent during the relief and recovery effort must be accounted for,” Goldfeder said. Richards said his constituents simply want “a hand up, not a hand out.” “This is a common sense bureau,” he said. “During our recovery, accountability and transparency are extremely important.” Give new life to old plastic. Recycle everything. Call 311 or visit nyc.gov to learn more B:8.75” B:5.65”
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