FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 • THE COURIER SUN 3 Two parks in south Queens to get big improvements By Angela Matua amatua@qns.com @AngelaMatua Councilman Donovan Richards announced on Friday that two parks in his district would be significantly Grease is the word to keep southeast Queens sewer clog-free BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@qns.com/@robbpoz Hoping to take the pressure on local sewer lines and throw it away, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has visited 50,000 homes across southeast Queens urging homeowners to stop dumping grease down their kitchen drains. The DEP began their door-to-door campaign nearly a year ago in the neighborhoods served by community boards 12 and 13 in an effort to reduce reported sewer backups in the region. According to the agency, more than 4,800 backups were reported over the past five years. In inspecting the local infrastructure, the DEP found that many of the backups were caused by grease buildups. “When grease is improperly poured down the drain, it can block sewer lines and threaten public health and the environment,” Acting DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said. “By working with our community partners to ensure that grease is properly disposed of, we can help to prevent costly problems for homeowners and businesses. In the “Cease the Grease” campaign, DEP workers and interns with the Summer Youth Employment Program visited 50,000 households and more than 1,000 restaurants in the area. They provided grease education kits and information on how to properly dispose of items such as bacon fat and cooking oil. To that end, state Senator James Sanders noted, workers provided residents with specially lined garbage bags to ensure proper disposal. Grease can also be discarded in sealed, nonrecyclable containers and thrown out with regular garbage. Restaurants and other food-serving establishments can also sign up to have their cooking oil recycled through a private operator. “We have all been guilty at one time or another of pouring kitchen grease down the sink drain, but doing so can clog pipes and sewers,” Sanders said. “Every single person can make a difference when it comes to taking care of our environment and it can begin with something as small as disposing of your kitchen grease in a proper way.” improved with funding from the City Council and Parks Department. Laurelton Playground and Bayswater Park in Far Rockaway will both have new skate parks and upgraded entrances with construction beginning in the summer of 2017. “Residents of our community deserve to have quality green spaces in their neighborhood and the improvements at Laurelton Playground and Bayswater Park will create just that,” Richards said. Laurelton Playground will have a more inviting facade along Brookville Boulevard, where a 16-foot chain-link fence will be removed. The entrance makeover will include added seating, planting, pavement and drinking fountains along with a walking circuit around the perimeter of the park. Richards allocated $1.19 million for improvements and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz allocated $600,000. Bayswater Park will also be getting a street skate park with accessible routes to seating, as well as restored concrete stepped seating. Beach 32nd Street will receive a more inviting facade and the steel guardrail along Bay 32nd Street will be replaced with a timber barrier rail. The Parks Department will improve the entrance access, pavement and plaza areas adjacent to the skate area and install including game tables, seating and planting near the entrance. Richards provided $682,000 in funding for the project and Parks Without Borders funded the remaining $350,000. “The upcoming projects at Laurelton Playground and Bayswater Park were designed to increase recreational amenities for community members in southeast Queens, and enhance circulation throughout these popular neighborhood parks,” Commissioner Lewandowski said. “We are grateful to Council member Richards and Borough President Katz for their continued investment in our borough parks.” Photo courtesy of Councilman Donovan Richards
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