16 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 30, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Bus countdown clocks are coming to four
western Queens neighborhoods, says DOT
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Five bus stops along the Q20 and
Q60 bus routes in Astoria, Sunnyside,
Woodside and Long Island City, will
soon have countdown clocks installed
over the next few weeks.
Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer
held a press conference in Sunnyside
with the Queens DOT, Community
Board 2 Chair Denise Keehan-Smith
and seniors from Sunnyside Community
Center.
Over the past two years, the councilman
Best of the Boro voting ends Aug. 31
Th ere’s still time to cast your vote
for the annual “Bethpage Best of the
Boro” competition!
Now in its seventh year, the Bethpage
Best of the Boro program has grown to
be a coveted award for Queens’ best
businesses. Hundreds of businesses
are nominated and thousands of the
public vote each year. Th ere will only
be one fi rst place winner in each category
crowned “Best of the Boro.”
In addition to earning the bragging
rights as the “Best” business in Queens,
each business that wins gets the right
to utilize the “Best Of” logo/mark that
is promoted in a tremendous amount
of marketing. Some of the materials
businesses will get include plaques,
banners, print advertisements, digital
marketing, social media marketing,
outdoor advertising, email signatures,
business cards and so much more.
Th e impact of winning the Bethpage
Best of the Boro title brings a great
deal of recognition and pride to the
winners. Th e competition touches
hearts and changes lives with these
unique and distinguished marks of
excellence.
Cast your votes online by heading
over to bestof.qns.com. Th e voting
period will end on Friday, Aug.
31. You are allowed one vote per IP
address per day for each category.
For more information about the
Bethpage Best of the Boro competition,
visit bestof.qns.com, email
bestof@schnepscommunications.com
or call 718-224-5863 ext. 244.
secured $500,000 in his participatory
budget for countdown clocks —
$200,000 from 2016-2017 and an additional
$300,000 from 2017-2018.
Th e Department of Transportation
(DOT) installed the fi rst of the fi ve
countdown clocks at 39th Place and
Queens Boulevard and another at the
Roosevelt Avenue and 61st Street bus
stop. Over the next few weeks, the
DOT said that they will install the three
remaining clocks at Woodside Avenue
and 61st Street, Broadway and Steinway
Street in Astoria, and Vernon Boulevard
and 50th Avenue in LIC.
“I am pleased to see the bus countdown
clocks we funded through participatory
budgeting get installed. Th ese
fi rst fi ve clocks are part of the initial
$200,000 allocation and I am excited
that more are on the way,” Van Bramer
said. “Th e new countdown clocks will
surely make life and commuting easier
for local residents who rely on the bus,
especially seniors. Now that we see how
convenient the clocks are, I am determined
to get more installed throughout
our district.”
Barbara Lee, a participatory budgeting
transportation budget committee
member, praised the eff orts of all who
were involved in the process to get the
countdown clocks installed. Lee said
that the process began in the assembly
when someone highlighted the need for
countdown clocks at bus stops.
“Now, thanks to all of the hard
work from the budget delegates on the
Transportation Committee and all of
the community members who voted for
the countdown clocks, riders on the Q32
and Q60 bus lines will know when the
next bus will arrive,” Lee said.
Jackson Heights street renamed
for beloved LGBT advocate
Hundreds gathered at the corner of
34th Avenue and 91st Street in Jackson
Heights on Aug. 25 for a street renaming
ceremony honoring the life of a local
LGBT advocate and mother of current
Councilman Daniel Dromm.
Th e block of 91st Street between 34th
Avenue and Northern Boulevard was
renamed Mary Audrey Gallagher Way,
in recognition of the Jackson Heights resident
who died earlier this year. A native
of Ireland, Gallagher was a public school
teacher and mother of fi ve children. She
went on to become the director of multiple
day care centers and was an active
member of Parents, Families and Friends
of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).
“My mother was really all about family,”
said Councilman Dromm. “Th at’s
why she stood up for me when I told her
I was gay in 1973 – a time when homosexuality
was still on a list of mental disorders.
She said she was most fearful that
I would be discriminated against in life.
She fought hard not only for me but for
all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) youth because she understood
what family support means to all
young people. Over the years, my mother
became a mother to many other LGBT
folks whose families had rejected them.
Her presence at all the LGBT events in
Queens and her LGBT activism touched
many lives and gave hope to thousands of
LGBT people.”
Dromm and members of his family were
joined at the ceremony by City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson, Queens Borough
President Melinda Katz, Congressman
Joe Crowley, City Comptroller Scott
Stringer, state Senators Jose Peralta
and Toby Ann Stavisky, Assemblyman
Michael DenDekker and City Council
members Barry Grodenchik, Peter
Koo, Karen Koslowitz, Rory Lancman,
Francisco Moya and Donovan Richards.
Photo courtesy of Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer
Bus countdown clocks are coming to fi ve bus stops.
Photos by John McCarten
/
link
