4 The Courier sun • AUGUST 22, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Fed $ to help biz bounce back BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] Small businesses in the borough will get nearly $200,000 in federal aid to bounce back after Sandy. The two-year grant will be given to the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC), representatives from the borough announced late last week. The package is part of the more than $6 million the Small Business Administration (SBA) gave to the state to support its local business recovery efforts after the superstorm. “Small businesses are what drive the economy in Queens, New York City and the entire nation,” said Congressmember Grace Meng, who sits on the House’s Small Business Committee. “These critical funds will go a long way towards helping those impacted by Sandy get back on their feet.” The funds will be used for counseling and training programs for business owners, especially in the Rockaways, who lost customers or who suffered damages to their stores from the storm, said QEDC executive director Seth Bornstein. The nonprofit also plans to offer disaster relief assistance to “women-owned and disadvantaged small businesses in Queens,” and conduct home improvement contractor training workshops. “Queens was hit so hard by Sandy, and we lost so many businesses and jobs,” Bornstein said. “We especially look forward to working in the Rockaways, as we see the potential to have a really positive impact there.” RUSSO’S RELIEF DEP FIXING PIPE THAT LED TO FLOODING BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] A flood-prone intersection in Howard Beach will finally see relief. Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue was long the site of collected storm water, creating a potentially dangerous situation for patrons at nearby Russo’s on the Bay. “It wasn’t safe,” said Frank Russo, the catering hall’s owner. “In the winter time, that section would ice over. Other times, it was a puddle of water. It actually went over the sidewalk.” Crews from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) were performing regular cleaning of the neighborhood sewer system when they found the pipe that connects the intersection’s catch basin to the sewer line was broken, according to a spokesperson. They could not determine for how long the pipe had been broken. Repairs are currently underway and will be completed this week. “There definitely was an issue there,” Russo said, adding that local elected officials helped push the project. “But they’re fixing the problem.” PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK The DEP worked to fix a broken catch basin on Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue, which, once fixed, will alleviate flooding at the intersection. Fears of a flatlining St. John’s Hospital BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] The Peninsula’s lone hospital is in critical condition. Rockaway residents fear financial problems at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital will close the last safety net hospital in their community. “Queens is a healthy borough, but we can’t continue to grow if we continue to lose hospitals,” said Peter Vallone, Jr., city councilmember and borough president candidate. If St. John’s Episcopal were to close its doors, the nearest hospital, Jamaica Hospital, is more than a 20-minute drive away. Changes, however, have already been made at St. John’s, which declined to disclose its financial situation to The Courier. The detox unit has closed and several clinics and nursing homes are being outsourced, according to hospital officials. Richard Brown, the hospital’s Interim Chief Operating Officer, said the unit’s closure will allow space for “much-needed” medical and surgical beds in the 257-bed building. Additionally, St. John’s Family Practice, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinics have begun collaborative initiatives with the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Centers. However, St. John’s is “considering all necessary action, including possible layoffs” to maintain the hospital’s stability. “We cannot let community healthcare disappear from the Rockaways,” said Bill de Blasio, public advocate, mayoral candidate and a staunch supporter of outer borough hospitals. “We have to stop these free-fall closures that hollow out neighborhood healthcare.” The hospital board is also exploring merger options with other health systems. The community hopes for a merger with major hospital chain North Shore LIJ, but Brown said no overtures between the two have been made. SANDY SITUATION AT ROCKAWAY BEACH BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] Rockaway Beach is coming back, potentially better than before. Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined the Army Corps of Engineers, city agency officials and various elected officials on Thursday, August 15 to detail the sand restoration plan for Rockaway Beach. The plan’s first phase will replenish 600,000 cubic yards of sand, while the second phase restores 3.5 million cubic yards to the beach that Sandy washed away. “Beaches are a crucial defense against flooding and coastal storms,” Bloomberg said. “Now we’re working hard to strengthen those defenses.” The 600,000 cubic yards is being pumped from Beach 149th Street down to Beach 89th Street. Dredging material in the water, located at the Rockaway Inlet, will clear a navigation channel that “hasn’t been cleared in a long time” while also bringing in “good quality sand” for the beach, said Colonel Paul Owen of the Army Corps of Engineers. The 3.5 million cubic yards will stretch down the peninsula to Beach 19th Street. “There’s a lot to be done and there’s great work going on — and we have a lot more to do,” Owen said. However, residents say the project is a long time coming. For years, groups such as the Friends of Rockaway Beach and various civic associations have advocated for beach protection. “It’s unfortunate it took a natural disaster for so many people to wake up to the problems that we’ve been facing in Rockaway for so, so long,” said Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder. When the project is complete, estimated to be by next Memorial Day, Owen said the total will be more sand than the Rockaways has seen since about 1970. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR Mayor Michael Bloomberg detailed sand replenishment plans in Rockaway Beach on Thursday, August 15. A series of protective walls will also be installed from Beach 126th Street to Beach 149th Street, Bloomberg said. “Together, these measures will not only reverse damage to the beach done by Sandy, they will make the beach stronger than it was before the storm,” he said. The roughly $300 million project is funded by federal Sandy relief funds. Community plans are also helping to rebuild the damaged boardwalk. The Parks Department has hosted several meetings in various parts of the peninsula to discuss what is needed going forward. Boardwalk designs will be presented to the community in September, with construction starting potentially by the end of the year, said Parks Commissioner Veronica White. “When we open the beach next year, Rockaway will be better than ever and that is a day that I am truly looking forward to,” said Councilmember Eric Ulrich.
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