FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 11, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
Billions allocated to upgrade and repair JFK Airport
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
From upgrade terminals to more manageable
First annual Jamaica read-a-thon
to be held later this month
BY EMMA MILLER
editorial@qns.com / @QNS
A Better Jamaica plans to hold the fi rst
Jamaica Read-A-Th on on Monday, Oct.
15 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Jamaica
Center/Parsons Archer subway station.
Th e read-a-thon will feature 12 hours
of local celebrities reading their favorite
children’s books. Forty-eight diff erent
people will read for 15 minutes each.
Th e read-a-thon is to raise awareness
of low literacy rates in the area as
well as raise money for expansion of the
Jamaica Reads program. Of the 43 elementary
schools in Community Boards
12 and 13, only nine have English
Language Arts pass rates greater than
50 percent.
Jamaica Reads is a program run by
A Better Jamaica where senior citizens
tutor fi rst-graders who are struggling to
learn to read. Th e program has provided
one and a half hours of weekly tutoring
to the bottom third of fi rst-graders
at P.S. 36 since 2010 thanks to funding
from Councilman I. Daneek Miller.
Th is year the program is expanding
to a second school with the help of
Councilwoman Adrienne Adams.
“We’re thrilled to be able to expand
Jamaica Reads to a second school, but
we need additional funding to guarantee
the success of the program’s expansion,”
said Greg Mays, executive director of A
Better Jamaica.
More readers are still needed for the
event. Call Greg Mays at 718-657-2605
or email greg.mays@abetterjamaica.org
if you are interested. Readers need to
bring in at least $250 each.
If you would like to support the reada
thon or see an updated list of readers,
go to thejamaicareadathon.com.
roadways, John F. Kennedy
Airport will see an huge number of
improvements thanks to a new multibillion
dollar plan.
Governor Cuomo announced a $13
billion plan to transform the terminals
at JFK Airport. Th e improvements will
come with state-of-the-art technology
upgrades, security enhancements and
streamlined road access.
“While leaders in Washington talk
about investing in infrastructure, we’re
actually doing it at historic levels and
the transformation of JFK Airport into
a 21st-century transportation hub will
ensure New York remains the nation’s
front door to the world,” Governor
Cuomo said. “Th is historic investment
to modernize JFK Airport and the surrounding
transportation network will not
only ease travel through this major hub,
but it will ensure JFK joins the ranks as
one of the fi nest airports in the world.”
Th e south terminal will replace JFK’s
Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the area left
vacant when Terminal 3 was demolished
in 2014. Th e new terminal will provide 23
international gates, 24 security screening
lanes, over 230,000 square feet of retail,
dining and other concessions, 116,000
square feet of airline lounges, and 55,000
square feet of interior green space, children’s
play areas and cultural exhibits.
Th e north terminal, which will be built
in place of Terminal 7 and the demolished
Terminal 6, will have 12 international
gates, 74,000 square feet of retail, 30,000
square feet of airline lounges, and 15,000
square feet of recreational space.
Construction on the north and south
terminals, which has been allocated $3
billion and $7.9 billion, respectively, is
expected to begin in 2020 with the fi rst
new gates opening in 2023 and substantial
completion expected in 2025.
“World-class terminals and best-inclass
customer service will go hand-inhand
at John F. Kennedy International
Airport under Gov. Cuomo’s leadership,”
said Port Authority Executive Director
Rick Cotton. “Th e reimagined, modernized
JFK Airport will be the gateway that
New Yorkers deserve, enabling continued
passenger growth in the decades to come.”
In addition to the enhancements to the
terminals, the state DOT will implement
plans to improve the “spaghetti-like roadway
system” and provide easier access to
terminals. Plans include linking the terminal
areas by two “ring roads” — a
north loop and a south loop — which will
make it easier to enter and exit the airport
while providing signifi cantly easier
access to the terminal areas on both sides
of the airports.
Th e State DOT is also allocating $1.5
billion toward highway improvements
designed to ease bottlenecks, particularly
at the Kew Gardens Interchange with
the Van Wyck Expressway. Construction
on the interchange is expected to be completed
by the end of 2022.
On the Van Wyck Expressway, the
DOT is planning to build a fourth lane in
both directions, which would be restricted
to passenger vehicles with three or
more people and for-hire-vehicles with at
least one passenger. Th e environmental
approval process is currently underway
and expected to conclude in early 2019.
Construction is slated to begin in late
2019 and fi nished by end of 2024.
To keep up the rising demand of public
transit, Port Authority will be adding
50 percent capacity to the AirTrain
JFK system as well as increasing frequency
of service.
“Th e $13 billion overhaul of John F.
Kennedy will be instrumental in assuring
continued economic growth and development
across Queens,” said Queens
Borough President Melinda Katz. “A
project of this magnitude will bring many
opportunities to the community of southeast
Queens, as well as encouraging additional
investment from the state.”
Photo via Facebook/Robert Stridiron
Police investigate a shooting outside the Tavern Lounge in Woodhaven on Oct. 7.
Cops still looking for rapper’s killer
in Woodhaven drive-by shooting
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
Detectives continue to seek the suspect
who shot and killed a local rap artist as
he left a Woodhaven bar early on Sunday
morning, it was reported.
Law enforcement sources said 35-yearold
Frank Synder of Brooklyn exited
from the Tavern Lounge located at 97-07
Jamaica Ave. just aft er 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 7
when gunshots rang out.
According to sources familiar with the
investigation, an unidentifi ed shooter
opened fi re from inside of a black, fourdoor
sedan nearby. Snyder suff ered gunshot
wounds to his leg and neck. Seconds
later, the vehicle fl ed the scene in an
unknown direction.
Offi cers from the 102nd Precinct
and EMS units responded to the scene.
Paramedics transported Snyder to
Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced
dead a short time later.
According to WABC-TV, Snyder —
who went by Frankie Lewis and the
stage name Hollywood Play — regularly
staged events at the Tavern Lounge
and was well known in the community.
His sister told NBC New York that she
feared he had been specifi cally targeted
by the suspect.
Police have not yet disclosed a description
of the shooter, or a possible motive.
Th e investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the
shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-
577-TIPS; all calls are kept confi dential.
Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock
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