4 The Courier sun • AUGUST 15, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Jamaica Bay ecosystem to be studied BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] A top-tier research center promoting resilience in urban ecosystems is coming to Jamaica Bay. On Monday, August 12, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced CUNY will house the new Science and Resilience Institute. The leaders also laid out progress on the cooperative management of Jamaica Bay parkland and waters. “The new consortium is an all-star team of research institution and nonprofits who will do important work to protect and preserve urban ecosystems from development and from the effects of climate change,” Bloomberg said. “Jamaica Bay is one of the greatest natural treasures any city has within its borders.” The Science and Resilience Institute will integrate research efforts from across the natural and social sciences, host visiting scientists and provide lab facilities for students and researchers. The site will be formally established by fall of this year, with a temporary space on Brooklyn College’s campus. “Working together, we will develop and coordinate approaches to coastal resiliency for Jamaica Bay that can serve as a model for communities around the world,” Jewell said. “In CUNY and their academic partners, we have a consortium of world-class institutions to advance our understanding of climate change and its impact on our natural systems.” Bloomberg and Jewell also announced progress on several other park initiatives. Those include the formation of a Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, chaired by longtime National Park Service philanthropist Tom Secunda. KEY FOOD COMING TO CROSS BAY BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] After sustaining the flood waters of Sandy, one Cross Bay Boulevard store is fixing up and changing its colors. The former Duane Reade, located at 163-20 Cross Bay Boulevard, is on the way to becoming a new Key Food. “It’ll be good to have another supermarket around here,” said Wendy Maldonado, a nearby resident. “I’ve heard good things about Key Food. I know it’ll be great.” There are already Key Foods in both Rockaway Park and Rockaway Beach. A Waldbaum’s grocery store is just down the road on the corner of 156th Avenue, but residents and employees down the street think the addition of another supermarket will only be convenient. “Geographically, it’s a great location,” said Betty Braton, chair of Community Board 10. “This will give people more choice, and choices are always good.” Marian Genao works close to the new Key Food site and said the supermarket will help working people in the area. “Buying meat and bread at the supermarket will be so much easier than buying lunch every day,” she said. “Other places around here are expensive.” Genao added that a sandwich at a nearby, independent deli can reach up to $10 and said paying for that every day “really adds up, especially for working people.” Key Food did not return requests for comment as of press time. A TRAIN RUNS THRU IT Resorts World subway station gets $15M makeover BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] This “one-of-a-kind destination” now has one-of-akind ease of access. Resorts World Casino celebrated the grand opening of the $15 million subway station at the Aqueduct Racetrack, complete with a walkway to the casino. “By plane, train or automobile, the excitement of Resorts World Casino is now accessible to all,” said Edward Farrell, president of Resorts World. “We built the station because we want it to be more convenient and we expect it to grow.” The racetrack subway stop will allow the A train to pass through 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the Rockaways up to Inwood. Now nearly all Manhattan residents will be able to use the train to get to and from Resorts World in less than an hour. A SkyBridge walkway connects the stop to the casino through an enclosed, temperature-controlled path. Prior to the renovations, the subway stop was an antiquated facility that only operated on race days. After its multi-million dollar makeover, the stop now meets all city safety codes and has elevator and stair access on both sides. Calling Resorts World Casino “a great neighbor,” State Senator Joseph Addabbo said the subway stop’s new addition continues the gambling center’s positive relationship with the community. “Resorts World is a world-class partner in this community,” said Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder. “They made an investment for the benefit of the entire community.” Transportation to and from the casino also includes the Q37 bus and a shuttle between the facility and Jamaica Station. Later this year, there will be shuttle buses from Manhattan as well. “I’m very proud and thankful we were able to pull this off,” Farrell said. “This is a very local, homegrown place.” THE COURIER/Photo by Maggie Hayes THE COURIER/Photo by Maggie Hayes Resorts World Casino officially opened its new subway stop along the A line.
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