8 The Courier sun • AUGUST 14, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Rockaway Rail Line gaining support By Salvatore Licata slicata@queenscourier.com/@sal_licata1 Commuting to Manhattan from South Queens can be a miserable experience, but growing support for additional transportation options may alleviate these headaches. “In addition to improving the terrible service on the A train, the MTA must increase bus service and restore the Rockaway Beach Rail Line,” Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder said, at the oversight hearing of the MTA capital budget plan from 2015 to 2019. “In the immediate Restoration of the abandoned Rockaway Beach Rail Line is in the MTA capital budget plan. family should get the transit resources they deserve. In today’s difficult economy, we need more affordable and 1-800-382-HOME(4663) aftermath of Sandy, we experienced firsthand the detrimental impact that the lack of public transit has on our families — in order to plan for our future growth, we must invest in vital transit infrastructure now.” The MTA included the restoration of the Rockaway Beach Rail Line as part of their 20-year capital budget plan, which they outlined at the meeting on Aug. 7. Rail line restoration would mean quicker commute time to Manhattan for residents as well as economic growth for the area — and even supply a one-seat ride from midtown Manhattan to JFK airport, Goldfeder said. Advocates for more efficient South Queens transportation also advised the MTA to fix some ongoing issues in the neighborhood, including the possibility of toll rebates for cars from Howard Beach and Ozone Park that traverse the Cross Bay Bridge to and from Rockaway, Goldfeder said. “There is no debate, improving current subway lines, increasing service and investing in projects like the Rockaway Beach Rail Line will benefit every resident of New York City,” he added. “No more excuses, every for Housing www.sonyma.org Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder reliable transportation that will allow our city to grow and prepare for the future.” Historic Woodhaven cemetery gets new life By Salvatore Licata slicata@queenscourier.com @sal_licata1 Only one month ago, the historic Wyckoff-Snedicker family cemetery in Woodhaven was completely covered in foliage and debris. Now, after several cleanup sessions, volunteers have reclaimed a large portion of the land, located at 85-45 96th St. on the grounds of All Saints Episcopal Church. “The cemetery clean-up has turned into a nice combination of neighborhood beautification and education for young students,” said Ed Wendell, organizer of the clean-up and president of the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society. “Still a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re making solid progress.” About two dozen volunteers came out on Aug. 9 for the clean-up and gathered close to 70 bags of garbage and cut down half a dozen dead and rotted trees to uncover historic tombstones in the cemetery. Their efforts have cleared nearly 50 percent of the cemetery already and Wendell hopes to keep this going until it is completely reclaimed. Once the tombstones are cleared and legible, Wendell encourages the student volunteers do genealogy research and find some of the rich history that is present in the cemetery. He said having the students do the genealogy research is a great learning experience but doing this works goes a step further than technical education. “Not only are students learning how to do genealogy and research,” he said, “they are learning about using tools. When it came to cutting down the trees, the experienced hands we had on site explained how to properly tie down a tree so it could be taken down safely.” The clean-up project is sponsored by both the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society and the St. Thomas the Apostle Woodhaven History Club. It takes place every second Saturday of the month and the society welcomes students from all over to participate. To find out more on the clean-up go to projectwoodhaven.com. Photo courtesy Ed Wendell Volunteers set to clean up the historic Wyckoff-Snedicker cemetery in Woodhaven
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