New Whitestone
all-way stop sign
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A busy Whitestone intersection just got a lot safer.
Councilman Paul Vallone announced that the Department
of Transportation installed a new stop sign at the intersection
of 163rd Street and 24th Road in the northeast Queens
neighborhood. Residents Cyrille Kousiaris and Salvatore
Cippo began advocating for increased safety measures at this
intersection in 2008.
Prior to the stop sign installation, there was a six-block
stretch along 163rd Street without a stop sign where cars
would constantly speed.
“This long-awaited traffic control is a win for Whitestone
and the residents of 163rd Street who have been petitioning
for safety measures for over a decade,” said Councilman Paul
Vallone. “I thank Cyrille Kousiaris and Salvatore Cippo for
their advocacy and Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole
Garcia for working closely with my office on this issue.”
In 2013, Kousaris and Cippo circulated and submitted a
petition to DOT asking the agency to implement much-needed
safety measures on 163rd Street to reduce the speeding. In
December 2018, Cippo contacted Vallone to report a series of
car collisions at the intersection.
Following the crashes, Vallone penned a letter to DOT
Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia asking
the agency to conduct a traffic study at the location. The
councilman first reached out to DOT concerning this issue
in 2014.
“Finally, after 11 years and innumerable car accidents,
the four-way stop signs were installed on July 15, 2019,” said
Kousiaris. “Without the help of Councilman Paul Vallone, I
am sure this would not have been done. He took the lead and
made the impossible happen, proving to my neighbors and me
that some officials do listen to the people and are there for
their community. On behalf of my neighbors on 163rd Street,
I would like to thank Councilman Vallone and the DOT for
making this happen.”
In the past, Vallone has advocated for other all-way stop
signs in Whitestone, including one at 17th Road and Murray
Street. The intersection was the site of a hit-and-run that left
a 71-year-old critically injured back in 2017.
“In 2007, I moved to a corner house in Whitestone, and soon
after I started to see accidents due to speeding on 163rd Street
and poor visibility on the adjacent road,” said Cippo. “In the
last 12 years, Cyrille has lost two new cars to accidents and
my house was hit by a car. I contacted Paul Vallone’s office
and I was instructed to inform them of any new accident. A
new stop sign was installed on July 15, saving someone from
injury or possible death.”
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 224-5863 ext. 214.
Queens trains in tech
Several orgs. involved in city’s workforce training program
BY BILL PARRY
Proving once again that
the Queens tech community
is at the forefront of the city’s
fastest growing sector, the de
Blasio administration awarded
micro-grants to seven joint
ventures that all specialize in
workforce development.
One of the joint ventures
includes LaGuardia
Community College and
another brings together
Queens Public Library,
Urban Upbound and Pursuit,
formerly known as Coalition
for Queens, which will develop
plans for the city to amplify
the training and hiring
of underrepresented New
Yorkers in tech and other indemand
sectors.
“New York City is a
technological hub that has
quickly become home base to
many fast-growing, innovative
sectors of business and finance.
Many New Yorkers, however,
are unable to access or grow
within the tech industry or
other in-demand sectors,”
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney said. “I applaud the
de Blasio administration
and NYCEDC for their work
to improve the training and
hiring of underrepresented
New Yorkers through this
grant program and their
dedication to strengthening
to diversity of our financial
industries.”
The grants, which total
$550,000, were awarded to
the joint venture which are
expected to deliver a mix
of actionable blueprints
for employers and training
providers, focused on
recommendations to
policymakers and funders,
and specific programming
ideas.
“With the continued
historical loss of industrial
jobs, we need these
important services,” said
Assemblywoman Catherine
Nolan. “Western Queens
cannot just be a residential
community, we need workforce
development.”
Initiatives like the
Department of Small Business
Services’ Tech Talent Pipeline
Web Development Fellowship,
a free program that prepares
New Yorkers to launch new
careers in web development,
and CUNY 2x Tech, a publicprivate
partnership that
seeks to double the number of
tech bachelor’s degrees from
CUNY colleges between 2017
and 2022 are emblematic of
the city’s efforts to ensure
New Yorkers from a diversity
of backgrounds are wellequipped
for roles in the tech
sector.
“We applaud NYCEDC for
leading this bold initiative
to ensure that 21st-century
jobs in the fast-growing tech
sector are accessible and
inclusive to all New Yorkers,”
said Gail O. Mellow, president
of LaGuardia Community
College. “We’re eager to get
to work with our partners,
HR&R Advisors and JFF,
bringing best practices from
our college’s years of working
in lockstep with employers
to create pathways for our
students, many of whom
come from traditionally
marginalized communities, to
develop their personal agency
and move up the socioeconomic
ladder.”
Mellow is stepping down
as president next month after
nearly 20 years at LaGuardia’s
Long Island City campus.
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
TIMESLEDGER,4 JULY 26-AUG. 1, 2019 TIMESLEDGER.COM
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