GET THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY AT QNS.COM
• ASTORIA TIMES
• FOREST HILLS LEDGER
• LAURELTON TIMES
• QUEENS VILLAGE TIMES
• RIDGEWOOD LEDGER
• HOWARD BEACH TIMES
• RICHMOND HILL TIMES
Offi cials call on NYCHA to restore Astoria Houses’
cooking gas, fi nd long-term solution before holidaysElliot explained that while
community members and organizations
have stepped up
to donate hot food and groceries,
the gas outage has caused
her and her neighbors added
stress.
“I’m 50 years old. I’ve had
no medical conditions. With
all that’s going, my doctor said
my blood pressure is high, he
said ‘What are you doing?’ and
I said, ‘I can’t cook. I got no
gas,'” she said.
In his letter, Constantinides
wrote that he’s aware of how
long gas restorations can take,
and how costly repairing gas
cooking lines can be, as NYCHA
projects spending $145
million on gas riser replacement
projects by 2023.
Constantinides added
that the situation at Astoria
Houses gives NYCHA the opportunity
to begin phasing
out the gas stoves entirely and
replace them with induction
ranges, agreeing with Elliot’s
Photo by Dean Moses
suggestion.
as you want.”
Maloney said she’s open to
Elliot suggested they use
any and all suggestion to mitigate
money from the rent tenants
the issue.
pay to purchase the electric
A NYCHA spokesperson
stoves, then take them back
told QNS the agency is “making
once they’re done. That way
every effort to ensure our
NYCHA would have the stoves
residents’ safety as we work to
in their inventory in case the
restore service as quickly as
same issue arises at other complexes,
possible.”
she said.
Read more on QNS.com.
VOTING ENDS MONDAY
NOVEMBER 2nd!
2021
SUPPORT YOUR BELOVED QUEENS BUSINESSES!
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | OCT. 30-NOV. 5, 2020 1
Your Neighborhood — Your News®
Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2020
ALSO COVERING ELMHURST, JACKSON HEIGHTS, LONG ISLAND CITY, MASPETH, MIDDLE VILLAGE, REGO PARK, SUNNYSIDE
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
An entire Astoria Houses
building has been without
cooking gas for a month — and
NYCHA expects it to be out for
another two and a half months,
according to Councilman Costa
Constantinides.
In separate letters to NYCHA
Chair Greg Russ, Constantinides
and Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney implored
the agency to restore the cooking
gas at 1-04 Astoria Blvd. before
Thanksgiving.
“Indeed, this virus calls for
bold action whenever an issue
arises. I find it troubling that
NYCHA expects the cooking
gas to be out for up to 78 days
from the outage,” Constantinides
wrote in his letter.
“Holidays are supposed to be a
time of joy, when we celebrate
the good and move past the bad
of another year... Even though
we cannot have large family
gatherings, Astoria Houses
residents deserve to prepare
their home-cooked traditions.
To sacrifice that is to let this
virus win.”
The month-long outage has
caused local elected officials,
including State Senate Deputy
Leader Michael Gianaris, as
well as Queens residents to
put pressure on NYCHA to
not only restore the utility, but
also to provide clear communication
for tenants.
“During a time that is already
rife with uncertainty,
it is deeply concerning that
NYCHA cannot provide more
clarity for its residents,” Maloney
wrote in her letter.
Kimberly Elliot, a tenant of
Astoria Houses’ 1-04 building,
told QNS a better solution to
the problem might be to provide
the 48 households in the
building with an electric stove
while NYCHA repairs the gas.
“Electric stove would be
long-term alternative — a longterm
solution to a major problem,”
said Elliot. “This way we
can cook. You can take as long
Vol. 8 No. 44 48 total pages
BESTOF.QNS.COM
/QNS.com
/QNS.COM
/QNS.COM
/BESTOF.QNS.COM
