FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Waterfront Esplanade opens at Flushing Creek
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Aft er almost 18 months of construction,
the Waterfront Esplanade at Skyview
Center on Flushing Creek was offi cially
opened Th ursday with a ribbon-cutting
ceremony by community advocates and
city/state offi cials.
Councilman Peter Koo and state Senator
John Liu were joined by General Property
Manager of the Shops at Skyview Darin
Grigg, Managing Director at ONEX Real
Estate David Brickman, former Queens
Borough President Claire Shulman and
other local community leaders by the
Flushing Creek Esplanade, opposite 131-
04 40th Rd.
“For too long, our community has been
completely cut off from the Flushing
Creek. With the opening of this public
waterfront esplanade, we are getting
a glimpse of what the waterfront of
the Flushing Creek from 40th Road to
Northern Boulevard will look like in the
future,” Koo said. “Many thanks to the
Shops and Skyview Center, ONEX Real
Estate, Senator Liu, Riverkeeper and all
our community partners who have long
advocated for a shared public space that
connects the Flushing community to its
waterfront.”
Th is will be the fi rst public access to
the Flushing Creek waterfront, featuring
beautiful plantings and hardscape/landscape
elements and benches, in decades
and the fi rst piece of the larger revitalization
plan for Flushing Creek and Bay. Th e
Shops at Skyview and ONEX Real Estate
will gather key community stakeholders
and interested parties to encourage and
facilitate community buy-in, volunteerism
and partnership.
A focused strategic plan will foster a
cooperative and collaborative atmosphere
and relationship with concerned environmental
The Shops at Skyview Center, ONEX Real Estate and greater Flushing community leaders celebrate the opening of the esplanade of Flushing Creek
Waterfront Park.
groups, gardening clubs and
schools toward maximum use for positive,
recreational and educational programs.
In 2017, the Department of City
Planning (DCP) had launched the
Flushing Creek Plan to explore opportunities
to support the ecological health
of Flushing Creek. Th e plan will identify
the barriers to improving the health
of the creek, outline the steps to remove
such barriers, and examine where funds
for future ecological restoration projects
could be directed.
Th e Flushing Creek Plan is made possible
by a grant from the New York State
Department of State under Title 11 of the
Environmental Protection Fund.
Th e energy behind the organizations
driving the Flushing Waterways 2018
Vision Plan also include Riverkeeper,
Guardians of Flushing Bay, Friends
of Flushing Creek and Community
Board 7. According to Councilman
Constantinides, the overarching goal to
clean up the creek and bay through long
term and sustainable strategies designed
with stakeholders and community
involvement will take at least 10 or more
years to accomplish.
“Generations of kids grew up thinking
that the Flushing River only existed
in fantasy, since none of us could ever
get near or even see it. Today’s opening is
a huge step towards achieving a lifelong
dream of having community access to our
Flushing waterfront. People kayak and
swim in the Hudson River off Manhattan;
Photo courtesy of City Councilman Peter Koo’s offi ce
no reason why we can’t do the same in
the Flushing River — someday soon,”
Liu said.
Shulman, of the Flushing Willets
Point-Corona Development, added, “It’s
an absolutely marvelous project and I
walked the whole length of the promenade
and it’s very beautifully done.”
According to Shulman, the Flushing
Willets Point-Corona Local Development
Corporation is working on a project to
construct a promenade from Roosevelt
Avenue to Northern Boulevard that
will eventually connect to the Skyview
Flushing Creek promenade.
“Th e 40 acres will be developed and
we’re doing a lot of things to clean up the
water so we can have modest maritime
use off the promenade,” Shulman said.
‘Stuff the Bus’ drive in southeast Queens helps victims of Hurricane Dorian
BY BILL PARRY
to pack the supplies in one of his 40-foot
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
buses and drove in to the Consulate
@QNS
General of the Bahamas.
Pastor Sonia Chambers of Standard
Southeast Queens residents remember
Bearer Ministries, Shawn Slevin of
the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy
Swim Strong Foundation, Randy Hall of
in 2012, so when they saw the Bahamas
Infl uence Active wear and community
ravaged by Hurricane Dorian earlier this
leader Judy Rivera and Verdell Broncoeur
month they wanted to do something to
from Federated Blocks of Laurelton
help the survivors.
helped gather supplies and load the bus.
Councilman Donovan Richards’
“Th is tragedy is personal because
offi ce partnered with state Senator
we’ve been here before and we know
Leroy Comrie, Assemblywoman Alicia
what it feels like to be impacted by a
Hyndman and Councilwoman Adrienne
storm,” Richards said. “Not too long ago,
Adams to organize the “Stuff the Bus”
I witnessed my constituents literally lose
drive to provide supplies to the residents
everything in Hurricane Sandy, which is
of the island chain aft er the Category 5
why we’re asking everyone to get involved
storm became the country’s worst-ever
and donate because everything adds up
natural disaster.
during this time of crisis. Let’s treat the
Th e donation drive collected dozens
families that were impacted with respect
of boxes of hygiene products, sanitary
by sending them things of value that are
napkins, Pampers, wipes, cases of water,
new and clean that will help them recover
boxes of food, garbage bags, disposable
and rebuild.”
cutlery and fl eece blankets. On Monday,
Richards’ offi ce is accepting donations
Sept. 16, elected offi cials were joined by
until Sept. 24 at his Laurelton offi ce located
Corey Muirhead of Logan Bus Company
at 234-26A Merrick Blvd.
Photo by Bruce Adler
City Councilman Donovan Richards (c.) and Southeast Queens leaders organize a sullpy drive for
survivors of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.
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