Press Epaper 050815 - Queens Press | Southeast Queens News

Transcription

Vol. 16, Issue No. 19 • May 8-14, 2015
INSIDE:
Queens Real Estate
Marketplace
Special Pull Out
Section
HERO
HONORED
NYPD, community mourn Police
Officer Brian Moore, who died
Monday two days after being shot
while on duty in Queens Village.
By Jordan Gibbons... Page 3
ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSPRESS.COM
Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 8-14, 2015
News Briefs
Scarborough Pleads Guilty
To All Charges
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On Thursday, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian, New York Attorney
General Eric Schneiderman, State
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced that former Assemblyman
William Scarborough entered guilty
pleas on Federal and State public
charges stemming from public corruption investigations.
Scarborough pled guilty to wire
fraud and theft concerning a program
receiving federal funds. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September
14 in Albany. He faces up to 20 years
in prison on the wire fraud count, 10
years in prison on the count charging theft of federal funds and fines of
up to $250,000 on each count. Scarborough also agreed to pay $54,355
in restitution to New York State and
forfeit that amount to the U.S, as
part of the plea agreement.
Scarborough also pled guilty to
a public corruption charge related
to the misuse of over $40,000 from
his Friends of Bill Scarborough campaign account. As part of the plea
agreement, he pled guilty to grand
larceny in the fourth degree and is
expected to be sentenced to one year
of jail time and will donate all funds
remaining in his campaign account
to charity.
Special Agent in Charge Andrew
Vale said that American taxpayers
deserve honesty from public officials.
“Those involved in acts of corruption and blatant greed will be held
accountable for their actions and we
will continue to pursue those like Mr.
Scarborough who sell their integrity
at the public’s expense,” Vale said.
Hartunian said his office is committed to rooting out corruption in
the State legislature regardless of the
perpetrators’ party, position, power
or popularity.
“There is no delight in the downfall of a duly elected representative,
but Mr. Scarborough chose personal
gain over the public trust,” he said.
“Complaints of financial distress
-- something many people experience -- provide a poor excuse for Mr.
Scarborough’s misconduct, which involved a four year scheme to defraud
by abusing the New York State Assembly’s travel voucher system.”
Schneiderman said that he hopes
the public will cry for changes in the
State legislature.
“While he will pay the price for
his individual crimes, we need to
channel public outrage at the ongoing corruption scandals into a movement for comprehensive reform,”
Schneiderman said. “We have done
this before in New York, and we can
do it again.”
Queens Chamber Launches
Search to Replace Friedman
The Queens Chamber of Commerce has officially launched the
search for its new executive director.
The Chamber posted a job advertisement last week asking people to
apply to its vacant executive director
position, a few weeks following the
death of Jack Friedman, who held
the position for seven years.
The ad, posted on the job site indeed.com, states that the candidate
must have a strong background in
seven areas including economic development, securing and managing
grants, navigating the New York
State & City political landscapes and
membership services growth and development.
The description also states that the
job requires a “total business commitment” from the future executive director and outside employment is not allowed unless they get written consent
from the executive committee.
“Examples of approved appointments would include speaking engagements or professional activities
which have been determined not to
be in conflict with the objectives of
the Queens Chamber of Commerce
or any of its published positions,”
the ad states.
A spokesperson for the Chamber
initially declined to discuss the ad
when asked by a reporter, but later
e-mailed a statement attributed to its
president, Albert Pennisi.
“As we continue to mourn the
untimely loss of Jack Friedman, the
Executive Board of the Chamber is
preparing a search committee to find
a new Executive Director. As the
search progresses we will keep our
members informed and announce the
decision, which must be approved by
the Chamber’s board, once it is complete,” Pennisi said in the statement.
Friedman passed away April 9 after a long illness.
The Chamber’s Board of Directors includes several prominent
business leaders in Queens, including Pennisi, Carol Conslato, who is
a spokesperson for Con Edison and
a former president of the Chamber,
Charles Callahan III, the provost of
the Forest Hills-based Plaza College
and Terri Thomson, from Thomson
Strategies LLC, who is also the First
Vice President of the Chamber.
Board of Directors members contacted for this story either did not
respond to a request for comment by
press time or referred to the aforementioned statement.
May 8-14, 2015 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3
Presstime
NYPD Officer Brian Moore Dies; Killer In Custody
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
On Monday afternoon, two days
after being shot in Queens Village,
NYPD Officer Brian Moore died after he was taken off life support at
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
Moore, 25, was an officer in the
105th Precinct and served on the force
since 2010. Moore was a resident of
Massapequa, his father and uncle are
both retired NYPD sergeants.
At about 6:15 p.m. on Saturday,
Moore was driving in an unmarked
car with his partner Erik Jansen when
they noticed a man walking and adjusting an object in his waistband
around 212th Street and 104th Road.
The two officers questioned the
man who then removed a firearm
from his waistband and fired several
times into the vehicle, striking Moore
in the head. Jansen was not harmed
in the shooting and radioed for assistance. Both officers were still sitting
in the vehicle and did not have an
opportunity to get out or return fire,
according to Bratton’s statement during a press conference on Saturday.
Officers on the scene searched for
the suspect for about 90 minutes before arresting him. He was identified
as Demetrius Blackwell, an ex-con with
an arrest record that includes criminal
possession of a weapon and robbery.
Blackwell was charged Sunday
morning, while Moore was still fighting for his life, with two counts of
first-degree attempted murder on
a police officer, one count of aggravated assault on a police officer,
two counts of second-degree crimi-
NYPD Officers line up to salute Officer Brian Moore as an NYPD ambulance
carries his body from Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he died Monday.
nal possession of a weapon and one
count of first-degree assault.
The NYPD reported that they
found the weapon allegedly used
in the crime in a backyard near the
scene of the shooting. They traced the
gun back to a Bait and Tackle Shop
in Perry, Ga. The police say the gun
was one of nearly two dozen – including nine others later found in the city
- stolen from the shop in 2011.
The charges against Blackwell
were upgraded to include a charge of
murder in the first-degree, which carries a penalty of life in prison without
the possibility of parole, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said
Monday afternoon.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out
to Officer Moore’s family and his fellow officers,” Brown said. “Officer
Moore’s death is a stark reminder of
the dangers that our police officers
face each day and the risks that they
take as they carry out their sworn
duty to keep our streets safe.”
Local elected officials released an
outpour of support for the fallen officer:
“Our hearts are heavy today as
we mourn the loss of Police Officer
Brian Moore. For five years, Brian
served with distinction and he put his
life on the line each day to keep us all
safe,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “On
Saturday, he made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the people of New
York City. During this tragic time,
New Yorkers must come together to
support the Moore family in any way
we can, and on behalf of a grateful
city, Chirlane and I extend our deepest sympathies to the Moore family
and to the entire NYPD family.”
“This was an unprovoked attack
and cold-blooded murder of Police Officer Brian Moore, one of our City’s
Finest, in the line of duty,” Borough
President Melinda Katz said. “It is to
be condemned in every sense of the
word, and the person responsible must
be held fully accountable. Our officers
deserve the utmost respect for their devotion and the very real dangers they
face day-in and day-out in the selfless
mission to protect our city.”
“As a community, we mourn the
passing of Officer Brian Moore and
are appalled by the act of violence that
led to it,” said Councilman I. Daneek
Miller, who represents District 27
where the officer was shot. “Our community looks forward to working with
law enforcement to combat violence
against our officers and ensure that
our streets are safe for all.”
At the 105th Precinct, mourners
and several area residents placed
flowers and lit candles in honor of
Moore. The black and purple bunting
hung over the precinct’s entrance, a
somber tradition done at precinct
houses where an officer is killed in
the line of duty.
Brown announced on Wednesday
that Blackwell is waiving his right to
a speedy grand jury presentation.
Moore’s wake is scheduled to be
held Thursday, 2 to 4:30 p.m.. and 7
to 9:30 p.m. at Chapey & Sons Funeral Home, 20 Hicksville Rd. Bethpage and the funeral will be Friday
at 11 a.m. at St. James Roman Catholic Church, 80 Hicksville Rd. in Seaford. Moore will be laid to rest at St.
Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale,
Suffolk County.
Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at
(718) 357-7400, Ext. 123, jgibbons@
queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
Last week, Partnership for Parks
worked local volunteer groups to
scrape and repaint the fence around
the perimeter at Rufus King Park for
“It’s My Park Day.”
On Friday, Community Mediation
Services and the Justice Community
Program at LaGuardia Community
College sent about 30 young volunteers from programs focused on helping court involved youth in Queens
to scrape away the old paint on the
fence.
On Saturday, Y Roads, Girl Scouts
and New York University’s Humanity Club came out to paint over the
fence.
Partnership for Parks is the public-private program through the CityParks Foundations, that supports a
network of leaders caring and advo-
cating for neighborhood parks and
green spaces.
Delicia Davis, a community liaison for the Partnership, directed the
volunteers and pitched in with the
work.
“We work directly with the community to improve the parks,” Davis said. “We offer the tools and the
training to the community to help
them sustain their parks.”
Greg Mays, chair of Community Board 12’s Parks Committee,
helped coordinate the event for
“It’s My Park Day,” which is an annual event throughout the City that
brings residents together to celebrate
their neighborhood parks and public
spaces.
“I love the fact that we used volunteer opportunities to reconnect
kids to the community,” Mays said.
“So much of community is volun-
Photo by Jordan Gibbons
Local Volunteer Groups Repaint King Manor Fence
Volunteers scraped and painted the King Manor fence last week.
teering. It’s tremendously valuable
because they get a sense of ownership.”
(718) 357-7400, Ext. 123, jgibbons@
Towery Hands Jamaica’s Future To Hope Knight
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
Carlisle Towery, left, introduced new GJDC President Hope Knight on May
1.
good to get the whole wave started
because they’re lower capital investment and sort of lower risk,” she
said. “But bringing something that
the community is really seeking creates an environment for other restaurants to come, while rents are still
relatively inexpensive.”
Knight said that even in her off
time, she dedicates her time to building up underserved communities
through organization such as Green
America.
“That’s really my passion, figuring
out how to get access to capital,” she
said. “And growing communities to
be strong and durable.”
While her experience has shown
she is successful at revitalizing areas, she said she is looking forward
to getting input from members of
the community on what they want
and need.
“There’s been so much tremendous work that’s been done and I
look forward to building upon that,”
Knight said. “I look forward to getting to meet all of you, hearing what
you have to say and understanding
what your priorities are for the community.”
(718) 357-7400, Ext. 123, jgibbons@
PHOTO BY JASON BELL
and what we want to support her
in doing,” Towery said. “We have a
With the Jamaica Now Neighbor- bunch of new opportunities to bring
hood Action Plan in its early stages, this community to the forefront.”
the 40-year institution of Greater
Knight is bringing her extensive
Jamaica Development Corporation planning experience to Jamaica after
is undergoing its first change in lead- being the CEO of the Upper Manhatership, as Carlisle Towery passes his tan Empowerment Zone since 2003.
role as the guiding force to Hope
She helped build up the Harlem
Knight.
community with small businesses
Knight was introduced to the and sit down restaurants and she said
community on May 1 at CityRib in she plans to use those same tactics
Downtown Jamaica
on Jamaica Avenue.
in front of a room
“There is a signififilled with the neighcant unmet retail de“There’s been so
borhood’s civic and
mand and those were
elected leaders.
the first initiatives
much tremendous
Towery
credited
that we undertook in
work that’s been
GJDC’s search comUpper Manhattan to
done and I look
mittee with choosing
try to bring some large
his successor due to
retail to the commuforward to building
her familiar geographnity as well as helping
upon that.”
ic lineage to his own.
to build some small
“Her father is from
– Hope Knight businesses,” Knight
Alabama and superior
said. “You have to get
people are from Alasome folks who will
bama,” Towery joked
be early pioneers to
with the nod to his home state.
invest and the others will come.”
On a more serious note, Towery
She added that the smaller retail
welcomed her into the community spaces in Jamaica Avenue provide
and spoke about the bright future good opportunities for those early
planned for Jamaica.
pioneers, because it gets the ball roll“This special place called Jamaica ing with lower risk for potential propis ripe to be taken to the next level erty owners.
and that’s what Hope aspires to do
“I think the small restaurants are
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State Senate Democrats Walk Out Of Session
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
that Wednesday incident was an
embarrassment, but that it was
On Wednesday, the State Sencaused by the Democrats.
ate Democrats staged a walkout
Avella told the Press of Southto protest the Republican Majoreast Queens that there were peoity for refusing to vote on removple being honored on the Senate
ing Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Nassau
floor who had to witness everyCounty) as the Majority Leader
thing and there were other issues
due to his recent indictment.
on the agenda that needed to be
Skelos was arrested on Monaddressed.
day, along with his son Adam,
“You try and make your point
by federal authorities on extorand you sit down,” Avella said. “I
tion, fraud and bribe solicitation
think it is an embarrassment to
charges.
the entire chamber.”
State Sen. James Sanders
Avella said that it is ultimately
(D-South Ozone Park) said the
up to the Republicans to decide
refusal to vote demonstrates divihow to handle Skelos, not the
sions within the Republican ConDemocrats.
ference, since they won’t publicly
“This is a matter that has to be
vote to support Skelos or call The State Senate Democrats refused to participate in the agenda and staged a walkout done within the Republican Conupon him to step down.
ference,” he said. “They stopped
after the Republican Majority refused to vote on replacing Sen. Dean Skelos.
“We can not continue as
the work of the Senate and we
though this is business as usual,” ecute his duties as leader, and defend accountability and transparency have a lot of work to do before the
from those electing us, the Majority session ends.”
Sanders told the Press of Southeast himself against the legal charges.
Queens. “We’re not going to pretend
Sanders anticipates a similar cir“He should step down, and the Conference instead opted to use an
there’s nothing wrong in Albany. Just Senate should be given the opportu- illegal tactic to block due process to cumstance on Monday, when the
give us somebody who is not under nity to elect a new leader,” he said. a vote that could have removed Sena- Senate returns to the floor if nothing
indictment.”
“One who is not under a cloud of tor Skelos from his position,” Com- is decided about Skelos.
He added that when a person is suspicion and can govern effective- rie said. “After today’s debacle, the
“Come Monday, we will absolutely
need for reform is more clear than not participate and pretend nothing
under indictment, “the odious cloud ly.”
he has over him is too strong and will
is wrong,” he said. “It has insulted
State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-Hol- ever before.”
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bay- the people of New York State.”
prevent him from leading the State lis) called the behavior of the Senate
of New York.”
Majority an “embarrassment to all side), a member of the Independent
Democratic Conference, which did (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123, jgibbons@
Sanders said that the leader of legislators across New York State.”
the Senate cannot simultaneously ex“Despite the demand for increased not walk out of the session, agreed queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.
Letters
Editorial
OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS
150-50 14th Road
Whitestone, NY 11357
(voice) (718) 357-7400
fax (718) 357-9417
email [email protected]
The PRESS of Southeast Queens
Editor-in-Chief:
Domenick Rafter
Contributing Editor:
Marcia Moxam
Comrie
Production Manager:
Shiek Mohamed
Reporters:
Jordan Gibbons
Luis Gronda
Jackie Strawbridge
Daniel Offner
Intern:
Steven Rodriguez
Art Dept:
Daniel Galando
Lianne Procanyn
Karissa Tirbeni
Maureen Coppola
Advertising Director
Howard Swengler
Major Accounts Manager
Shanie Persaud
Director Corporate
Accounts/Events
Advertising Executives
Shari Strongin
Karyn Budhai
A Queens Tribune
Publication
© Copyright 2015
Tribco, LLC
Michael Nussbaum
Publisher
Ria MacPherson
Comptroller
Honoring P.O.
Brian Moore
The relationship between some communities and the police, who serve and protect
them, has been tumultuous. In the midst of
the debate over policing, what is not up for
debate are the risks our men and woman in
Blue face every day.
There is no more heartbreaking proof
than the tragic death of Police Officer Brian
Moore, an officer at the 105th Precinct.
There are more than 34,000 officers in
the NYPD. The vast majority of them are
good people, Folks who work hard to keep
the citizens of this city safe from people like
Moore’s alleged killer Demetrius Blackwell.
Moore and his fellow officers are there to
serve the people of New York.
It was gratifying to see the Queens Village community come together and show
support for the officers who put themselves
in the line of fire each and every day. We
hope everyone will take this as an opportunity to say thanks when we see our police
and realize, they are between us and evil
lurking on our streets.
We mourn the loss of Brian Moore and
send our condolences to his family and to
the family in Blue!
Mayor Right
On Housing
To The Editor:
Mayor de Blasio has issued a 10-year
affordable housing plan to combat the
exclusionary zoning issues that many
low-income families face. More specifically, De Blasio plans to modify the
Inclusionary Housing Program, requiring developers to set aside a portion of
their developments for low-income and
moderate-income families in exchange
for tax subsidies and other incentives.
Exclusionary zoning is a severe problem
in the United States. Through this process
of institutional segregation, the disparity between the life quality of the upper
class and the working class continues to
increase. The practice prevents class diversity within a community because of the
intertwining of social mobility with spatial mobility. Exclusionary zoning leads
to low-income areas being overlooked for
housing development and the allocation
of resources. High poverty concentrated
neighborhoods do not have luxuries such
as access to well-funded education systems, varied businesses and community
centers, advanced health care institutions, or expansive job opportunities.
These luxuries come out of tax money.
And in an entire community of low-wage
jobs, these poor neighborhoods do not
have the appropriate funds or government
backing to afford such benefits.
Exclusionary zoning works to exclude
low-income minorities from enjoying a
quality of life that everyone deserves. We
need to de-concentrate poverty and increase life chances for people from different backgrounds. Mayor de Blasio’s plan
for economic integration is an effective
way to fight racial and class inequalities.
De Blasio’s plan creates incentive for
developers to create more housing and
generate revenue, (while making luxury
housing and resources more affordable
for low-income families), who otherwise would never have access to such
advantages. Although many argue that
20 percent is an inadequate percentage
when one takes into account how many
people are struggling with housing, it is
still a modest start. Economic integration
is an achievable goal and de Blasio’s plan
is a step in the right direction.
Ishrath Ahmed,
Jamaica
WRITE ON:
The PRESS of Southeast Queens,
150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, NY 11357
email: [email protected]
fax: (718) 357-9417
A Depraved Act Shocks And Devastates
A Personal Perspective
BY MARCIA MOXAM
COMRIE
A profoundly sad and
tragic thing happened in our
area last weekend. There is
always something sad and
tragic going on somewhere;
but this one happened about
a 10-minute walk from my
home, so the proximity makes
it feel even more tangible
than when it happens much
further away.
Officer Brian Moore and
his partner, Erik Jansen,
from the 105th Precinct
were working undercover in
their unmarked car in the
Queens Village/Hollis area
when they saw a pedestrian
looking like he had a firearm
in his waist.
The detectives started to
get out of their vehicle to
speak to him and before they
could do that he had shot into
the car, hitting the 25 year-old
Officer Moore in the head.
He was rushed to Jamaica
Hospital for emergency care,
but died a day or two later.
This tragedy happened in
a beautiful, quiet neighbor-
hood filled with hardworking
people, and they were not
having it. Within 90 minutes
of the shooting, residents
had helped police figure out
where the suspect was hiding.
He was arrested and taken off
the streets to the joy of every
decent citizen in this city.
The officers were doing
their job of trying to keep
murderers and would-be murderers off our streets, and one
ended up giving his life in that
mission. Our hearts bleed for
Officer Moore, his partner
and precinct colleagues, his
family and friends. Police
work is hard and thankless,
but it is necessary.
There are many times when
the police mess up and kill our
young men unnecessarily. It
causes pain and it incites anger
and despair. In recent years,
this seems to be happening
more frequently. Perhaps the
numbers were always this high,
but with the advent of the video
camera and social media we are
seeing it in living color.
Let it be clear, however,
that just because we protest
and condemn those officers
who commit these atrocities
against our citizens, doesn’t
mean that we all hate all cops.
In fact, some of us hate none.
We just hate the misconduct. It
is not our job to retaliate and it
should not take a community
going nuts for there to be an
arrest in those cases.
We can’t say for sure that
Officer Moore’s killing was in
retaliation for anything. It is a
safe bet he was killed because
a gun-toting criminal felt cornered. The 35 year-old career
criminal living in the area
killed Officer Moore before
he and his partner could pull
their weapons. The alleged
killer, Demetrius Blackwell,
clearly has problems. But it’s
more than that.
The gun used to so viciously
end Moore’s young life was
stolen from a Georgia gun shop
in 2011, then made its way into
our neighborhood. We continue
to sound the alarm that illegal
guns on our streets are destroying our communities.
But for anyone who may
not feel sympathy about Officer Moore’s murder because
of anger about the black lives
unnecessarily lost to police
misconduct, not only do two
wrongs not make a right, but
if Blackwell was bold enough
to be walking the streets of our
neighborhoods with a pistol in
his waist, he was bold enough
to have used it on any one of us
at the slightest provocation.
I am certainly thankful not
to have encountered him.
Any criminal walking the
streets with a gun does not
belong on the streets. Officers
Moore and Jansen were doing
what we, as tax payers, pay them
to do. They were trying to keep
our neighborhoods safe. Our
manicured lawns mean nothing
if our kids are not safe to play in
the backyard, walk to the corner
store and play in the parks.
There is too much damage
in our city and nation caused
by gun violence. The lives lost
and tears shed on both sides of
shooting cannot be ignored.
As Officer Moore is laid
to rest this week we can only
pray that his ultimate sacrifice
will not be for naught. May
Officer Moore rest in peace
and may those who loved him
take comfort in the knowledge
that he died trying to keep New
York a safer place to live, work
and play.
Little Green Thumbs:
Students Learn About Sustainability And Ownership
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
Students at IS 59 began working
on their own garden this week as part
of the school’s sustainability program
with help from GrowNYC.
GrowNYC is the sustainability
resource for New Yorkers that provides free tools and services anyone
can use in order to improve our City
and environment to produce more
gardens, greenmarkets, recycling and
education.
About 80 sixth graders participated during two sessions of cleaning up
the lot on the side of the school by
raking up leaves, putting down top
soil, planting flowers and watering
the gardens.
Marcia Young, the school’s sustainability coordinator, said that the
students will maintain the area and
prevent other children from damaging their hard work.
“We’ve wanted this for awhile and
we finally got the funding,” Young
said. ‘This is the first year we have
these kids, so we have them for two
more years. By then, we should be
perfect.”
Last year, the City Council provided $335,000 in initiative funding
to GrowNYC, which provided the
top soil, flowers and herbs for the
gardens.
Mike
Zamm,
director
of
GrowNYC’s environmental education program, said that the students
have been working on model watershed projects for improving sustainability and resilience on the Jamaica
Bay Watershed.
The students were bouncing
around enjoying the nice weather on
Tuesday as they got dirty in the gardens.
“I like that it’s hands-on,” Aidan
Brendel said. “It’s better to do this
because you’re giving back to the
community.”
Justin Covington said that it was
fun to get out of the classroom and
learn in a new way.
“We used to talk about it in class
and it was very easy, but it feels really different in person,” Covington
said. “And we worked together like a
family.”
Kymani Philoxi said she enjoyed
helping the environment as well as
the neighborhood.
“We can help the plants grow to
have a better environments and have
clean water,” she said. “We can breathe
better and have a better community.”
Brianna Poorman appreciated
that she was able to learn everything
from the start so she can apply it in
her own home.
“In my ELA class, she told us
about the flowers, but I thought they
were going to be made already,” Poorman said. “We actually got to do it all
ourselves, so when we go home we
can make this in our own garden.”
Rasson Johnson realized he may
have worn the wrong clothes, but
he was happy that he was able to do
something good for the school.
“I didn’t expect for me to get this
dirty,” he said. “It’s nice experience
being out here though. It’s representing us as good people.”
(718)357-7400, Ext. 123, jgibbons@
Sixth graders at IS 59
worked together to build
gardens at their school
this week. Councilman I.
Daneek Miller (left) even
stopping by to roll up his
sleeves and get dirty.
It’s a
new
day for
rehab.
Peninsula Nursing and
Rehabilitation is proud
to announce the grand
reopening of its updated,
state-of-the-art facilities.
Now under new ownership,
we’re ready to go above
and beyond.
State
of the Art
Rehabilitation
Center
24-Hour Skilled Nursing Care
Short Term and Long Term Rehab
Comprehensive Therapies
Pre and Post Operative Care
Sub-Acute Care
On-Site Amenities
Coming Soon: On Site Dialysis
Renew.
Restore.
Rehabilitate.
Peninsula
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MOTHER
of the Year
WINNER: Age 8 and Under
Shaelin Howley, 7
Mom: Marian,
Maspeth
Magnificent marvelous mom
Yours and mine
Magnificent intelligence
One in a million
The best mom in the whole world
Her eyes sparkle like gems
Excellent
Rough but kind
Red lipstick-no way!
One in a million
Caring and happy
Kind and bright
Super-duper mom
MARIAN RECEIVES:
Austin’s Ale House, 82-70 Austin St., Kew
Gardens, (718) 849-3939 $50 gift certificate
Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th
Ave., Long Island City, (718) 777-6800
(4) passes
Lifestyle Awards/Promotional,
9040 160th St., Jamaica,
(718) 396-9842 1 luggage tag, 1 pedicure set
Buddy’s, 215-01 73rd Ave., Bayside,
(718) 631-2100 $25 gift certificate
Edible Arrangements, 69-21 164th St., Fresh
Meadows, (718) 380-2300 Mom’s Sweet Retreat ($43)
Long Island Aquarium, 431 E. Main St.,
Riverhead, (631) 208-9200 (4) passes
Big Apple Circus - Cunningham Park (4) tickets
Fitness Belle, 14-08 Clintonville St.,
Whitestone, (718) 704-8099 (3) free classes
Kaufman Astoria Studios, 34-12 36th Ave.,
Astoria, (718) 392-5600 (4) passes
Papazzio, 39-38 Bell Blvd., Bayside,
Georgia Diner, 86-55 Queens Blvd.,
Elmhurst, (718) 651-9000 $30 gift certificate
New York Black Belt, 216-03 Horace
Harding Expwy., Bayside, (718) 224-0855 (1) week free kicking boxing classes
WINNER: Age 13 AND UP
Veronica Gutierrez-Tizol, 30
Mom: Maria Elena Santana, Forest Hills
Ever wonder how you became the
person you are today? How did you
make the best decisions in life? What
made you stay away from danger or
harmful risks? For me, my mother is
the answer to all those life questions.
My mother has always been the inside voice in my mind that guided
me and gave me strength to become
who I am today. It is no surprise that
I chose to be a teacher. A career that
is focused on making the world a better place by influencing young minds
to become the person they dream to
be. My mother made all my dreams
come true. As I reflect on the last 30
years, all my proud moments were
made possible because of her. She
dedicated her life to my education
and never allowed obstacles get in
the way of my academic milestones.
She has always been my social role
model by showing me examples of
how to be a true friend. Most of all,
she is the glue in our family. Without my mother our values and pride
WINNER: Age 9 to 12
Sofia Miceli, 9
Mom: Phyllis, Middle Village
I 100% love my mom! She’s the
best. You might be saying, “Well, my
mom’s the best too.” And I bet you
she is, but I have a story. In 2002,
a boy was born. In 2003, another
boy was born. My mom, Phyllis,
was hoping for a girl so bad. 2005
came around and, well, here I am,
Momma’s girl!
In 2011, my brother, Petey, got
cancer, this means grandpapicks
my olderbrother, Gio and I up from
school. Also, mom and dad and
Petey are not home. At the time,
I’m only in kindergarten. I remember one night, around midnight; my
mom was talking to my grandpa in
the living room. Gio heard them talking and woke me up. We both ran
down the stairs. My mom ran to us
and said, “I miss you two.” Before
this happened I knew she missed
me without her saying a word. That
night I went back to bed and had a
good rest knowing that she misses
me truly. Now in 2015, I know she
loves me SO much. We say it to
each other every day.
Everyday she is doing something
hardworking and kind. Whenever I
want something, she gets it for me.
“Mom, can I have some chicken nuggets?” Since she has THREE kids,
she might be a bit busy but, she will
do it anyway because she loves me!
Do you love your mom? You
should because they work so hard to
make you smile! And when you smile,
they smile! Every mom has their own
story what’s your mom’s story?
PHYLLIS RECEIVES:
Just Peachie Boutique, 20-13 Utopia Pkwy.,
Whitestone, (718) 279-4400 $50 gift certificate
Mediterranean Grill, 160-24 Willets Pt. Blvd.,
Whitestone, (718) 281-4210 $20 gift certificate
Museum of the Moving Image,
36-01 35th Ave., Long Island City,
(718) 777-6800
(4) passes
Astoria, (718) 392-5600 (4) passes
King Yum Restaurant, 181-08 Union Tpke.,
Flushing, (718) 380-1918 (1) dinner for two
Nevada Diner, 80-26 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst,
Due Ponti, 154-11 Powells Cove Blvd.,
Whitestone, (718) 767-3100
New York Black Belt, 216-03 Horace Harding
Expwy., Bayside, (718) 224-0855 (1) week free kicking boxing classes
MARIA ELENA RECEIVES:
would be lost.
However, because of all she has
done, our values and pride will always be remembered. Currently, my
mother is not just my mother but also
my daughter’s grandmother, and in
my “almost” 2-year-old daughter’s
words she is her “mom.” My heart
melts to witness their connection
because once again my mother is
devoting herself as (grand) mother.
There is nothing (not her age, not her
health) that stands in her way of giving my daughter and myself her all.
Bourbon Street Café, 40-12 Bell Blvd.,
Bayside, (718) 224-2200 $50 gift certificate
Bowne Chemists, 161-03 29th Ave., Flushing,
(718) 767-2400
$20 gift certificate
Cleopatra, Sheba, Nefertiti, 159-15 Jamaica
Ave., Jamaica, (718) 526-0470 (1) spa basket
Ben’s Best, 96-40 Queens Blvd.,
Rego Park, (718) 897-1700 $25 gift certificate
Astoria, (718) 392-5600 (4) passes
Four Seasons Florist, 192-06 Northern Blvd.,
Flushing, (718) 423-9500 $50 gift certificate
Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th
Ave., Long Island City, (718) 777-6800
(4) passes
New York Black Belt, 216-03 Horace Harding
Expwy., Bayside, (718) 224-0855 (1) week free kicking boxing classes
RENTING • OWNING • DEVELOPING • INVESTMENT • FINANCE
Real Estate
MARKETPLACE
VOL. 2 NO. 5 APRIL 8-14, 2015
JAMAICA’S
MOMENT
City Hall-backed proposal seeks
to breathe new life into longneglected neighborhood.
Page 4
Inside The
LIC Boom
PAGE 3
In Queens,
Quantity is
the Problem
PAGE 6
Muni Lot 3:
Harmonizing
and Affordable
PAGE 8
Page 2 May 8-14, 2015
Tribune/Press Real estate MaRketplace
May 8-14, 2015 Page 3
In Long Island City:
Boom, Potential And Challenges
BY JACKIE
STRAWBRIDGE
hen David
Brause, president
of Brause Realty,
began his career in Long
Island City two decades ago,
space was cheap.
W
“We were very happy in the mid
90s to get about $4 per foot in rent,”
he remembered.
As is evident to developers – as
well as anyone living or trying to
live in Long Island City – the environment today is drastically different. According to data from the
Long Island City Partnership, commercial rental rates per square foot
have jumped tenfold and residential rates run roughly $50 on average, depending on size. Meanwhile,
more than 8,600 new residential
units have been built over the past
decade with more than 22,500 now
in the works. Twenty hotels have
opened since 2008 and that number
looks to double from current construction.
At its annual Real Estate Breakfast on April 22, the Long Island City
Partnership hosted a panel discussion on how to harness this growth,
identify the challenges it poses and
ultimately make the most of the
Borough’s shifting waterfront.
“We are literally hitting on all cylinders. There is an incredible explosion of new property,” Brause, who
moderated the panel, said to kick
off discussion. “No matter where
you look, you’re seeing cranes. No
matter where you look, you’re seeing new restaurants opening on Vernon [Boulevard], on Court Square
and Queens Plaza – places where
you wouldn’t see a lot of people five
years ago.”
Brause was joined in conversation by Matthew Baron, president
of Simon Baron Development, Jon
Caplan, vice chairman of the New
York capital markets group at Jones
Lang LaSalle, David Dishy, president of development and acquisition at L+M Development Partners
and Seble Tareke-Williams, director
of the NYC Interborough Fund at
Emmes Asset Management.
The panelists discussed Long
Island City’s appeal for both residential and commercial developers,
often in comparison to Brooklyn.
While Baron deemed the Queens
Plaza area “not nearly as sexy as
Williamsburg,” he said accessibility
by multiple train lines “absolutely
blows it out of the water.”
Long Island City has seen development on nearly every block recently, according to this map from the LIC Partnership.
Dishy also compared Long Island
City to Williamsburg, where his
firm is active.
“I love Williamsburg, it’s great, we
have projects there, [and] they’ve
done incredibly well,” Dishy said.
However, he added, “it’s not nearly
as interesting in many ways as Long
Island City.”
For Dishy and others, Long Island
City is exciting in its mixed-use character, where commercial, cultural
and residential spaces mingle and
sometimes intertwine, and where
longtime neighbors and business
owners are actively engaged in continued economic growth.
Williams added that her firm
specifically looks for “institutional
anchors” in its work, making Long
Island City – which teems with cultural hotspots from MoMA PS1 to
the Museum of the Moving Image
to the Noguchi Museum and many
others – particularly compelling.
Based on the Partnership’s research, the panelists are not alone
among developers in this excitement. A list of recent major transactions indicates that giant spaces
are being nabbed for twice as much
as they would have even three years
ago, and includes sites such as the
Falchi Building, where art galleries,
concessions, nonprofits and collaborative work spaces coexist.
Developers did, however, urge
some caution in their optimism for
the area and awareness for some of
the challenges it poses to developers.
Baron noted that even while Long
Island City is enjoying success on
the market, many retailers who
could be lured to the area still need
more familiarity with it.
“While there’s a lot of density
coming in, and I think retailers are
definitely starting to take notice…
there is still some buy in for certain
people that needs to happen,” he
said, adding that potential commercial tenants might also be put off by
a lack of very large spaces.
Baron also said that the quickly
rising price of land – which he called
“sort of insane” – as well as construction costs, could be challenging for
newcomers in the market.
Dishy joked that Long Island City
is “the perpetual next hot neighborhood.” However, he said he believes
a tipping point may finally have
been reached.
“In some ways, a lot of the residential activity is well on its way,
and we can sort of let the world play
out,” he said. “This is now a desire
play, hopefully on both commercial
and residential.”
The panel also narrowed in on
Sunnyside Yards, a roughly 180-acre
open rail yard network owned mostly
by Amtrak, which has garnered significant attention since Mayor Bill
de Blasio announced plans to build
11,000 affordable housing units over
the site. Panelists spoke of the space
as both exciting and overwhelming
in its potential.
“I would love to say that something would happen in my lifetime,”
Williams said to laughter from the
audience. “I think it’s extremely
complex.”
“I think that the dialogue by itself is exciting,” she continued. “I
think it’s one of the largest unused
land parcels in the city – it can’t be
ignored. So it’s exciting that there’s
real conversations happening, and
it takes time.”
Dishy warned, “one thing is to not
let the grandiosity of the Sunnyside
vision get in the way of incremental progress that could be made on
some of the sites around Sunnyside
[Yards].”
With connections to Queens Boulevard and the 7 train, Dishy said the
experience of walking around Sunnyside Yards “wants to be better.”
“You make those connections
strong, walkable in a pleasant way…
that stuff can go a long way before you
platform the entire thing,” he said.
Developers’ excitement about
Sunnyside Yards is tempered by local reactions to the Mayor’s plan.
Pat O’Brien, who chairs Community Board 2 – the district where
the Yards sits – told the Queens Tribune in February, “the goal is admirable, it really is. But the complexity
of what’s being proposed is really
daunting.”
“This initiative requires some
really careful planning, because it
will have the effect of exponentially
increasing the population that’s already been increased enormously,
and the infrastructure and the systems there, they’re not sufficient,”
O’Brien added.
Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Sunnyside) has been critical of the Mayor’s plan since he announced it.
“I remain concerned that any attempt by Mayor de Blasio’s administration to develop Sunnyside Yards
faces environmental, developmental and density issues that has the
potential to tremendously damage
the middle class quality of life of
our western Queens communities,”
Nolan said in a statement.
One Court
Square May
Sell For
$500M+
Queens’ tallest office tower
could sell for a record price
thanks to Long Island City’s recent building boom.
One Court Square, also
known as the Citibank Building, sold for $481 million in 2012
and real estate firm Savanna
took a majority stake. Now, according to the New York Daily
News, Savanna has tapped
Cushman & Wakefield to market the property to potential
buyers, and sources say it could
sell for more than $500 million
thanks to LIC’s recent commercial boom, which has included
new offices for the New York
City Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene and JetBlue
Airways in Queens Plaza.
One Court Square, built in
1989, is Queens’ tallest building, though it is likely to be
dethroned from that title by
Queens Plaza Park, a planned
915-foot-tall residential building that will rise just a few
blocks away at the foot of the
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.
Page 4 May 8-14, 2015
PHOTO BY BRUCE ADLER
Drew Greenwald, from Grid
Properties Inc., was the keynote speaker at the Jamaica
Revealed event last month.
Jamaica Revealed:
Bright Future for
SEQ Nabe
By Luis Gronda
Staff Writer
T
he Jamaica
Revealed event
last month
detailed the potential for the future of
Southeast Queens.
Hundreds of business
and real estate head honchos gathered at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center
on April 23, to discuss the
many real estate opportunities that are available in
Jamaica and what the needs
for the area are.
The event, which was organized by the Jamaica Business Improvement District,
Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement District
and the 165th Street Mall
Improvement Association,
featured keynote speaker
Drew Greenwald, the principal architect at Grid Properties Inc., a Harlem-based
real estate company that is
known for redeveloping the
upper Manhattan neighborhood.
When discussing the real
estate potential of Jamaica,
Greenwald often compared
it to 125th Street in Harlem,
saying that the community
reminded him of how it
looked like a decade ago.
“Where you have a lot of
businesses that were serving the bottom 30 to 35 to 40
percent of the income levels,
the other 60 percent were
actually leaving to go to other places to shop,” he said.
“If we use Jamaica Avenue
as the example, we still have
a lot of people that decide
I’m going to go to Queens
Center [Mall], Green Acres
or Roosevelt Field because
they have a better overall selection, more food choices
and I, simply, find it easier
to get to also.”
Greenwald said the potential for development in
Jamaica is on the upswing,
but the issue becomes how
to build up the area so that
people who live and work
there will spend their money there.
“The numbers look great,
the income density in the
area looks good. Numerically, Jamaica looks great.
The challenge becomes how
to get from what everyone
knows here, that this is an
exciting market with exciting opportunities, to the
next level,” he said.
One theme from the con-
ference is the need for sitdown restaurants and highend clothing stores to open
on the Jamaica Avenue business corridor.
Several real estate experts, including Greenwald,
at the event said Jamaica is
in need of those businesses
and there is potential for
that in the area.
The event included a bus
tour of the available real
estate properties in and
around Jamaica Avenue.
According to a listing of all
available properties handed
out at the conference, there
are 33 available properties
in the area, with the majority of them on Jamaica
Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard.
The biggest of the available spaces is a 40,000square-foot property located at 90-02/10 Sutphin
Blvd.
Daniel DePasquale, a broker at Winick Realty Group,
is representing two available
properties on the Southeast Queens thoroughfare,
a three-story building at
165-02 Jamaica Ave. and the
other at 166-36 Jamaica Ave,
which is on the corner of Jamaica Avenue and Merrick
Boulevard.
DePasquale said both
The Hilton Garden Inn (top) and Jamaica Crossing
(bottom) are among the developments planned for
Downtown Jamaica.
properties are well-located
for potential businesses as
they are on corners, which is
good for retailers because it
captures both sides of traffic.
He said they are looking
for an apparel tenant, like
a clothing store, and a “destination tenant” such as a
restaurant or a lounge to fill
those spaces.
For the three-story building, DePasquale said they
would prefer to have the tenant take up all three floors
but they are wiling to work
with the company if they are
not interested in that.
“Since we are trying to
paint the landscape of the
City, we would like someone
to put a flag there, to put a
real location, to make this
their flagship or make it a
very important location for
them and we have the opportunity to give them three
floors,” he said.
The City has also committed to developing Jamaica.
They launched the Jamaica
Now Neighborhood Action
Plan last month, which features more than 21 actions to
revitalize a community that
has been put on City Hall’s
back burner for decades.
Reach Luis Gronda at (718)
357-7400, Ext. 127, lgronda@
queenstribune.com, or @luisgronda.
May 8-14, 2015 Page 5
Sunnyside:
Shining in the Shadows of the Skylines
By Michael Stahl
H
idden in the shadows behind the
glistening, glassy
residential towers of Long
Island City, the Queens
quarter of Sunnyside is
poised to shine under a
real estate spotlight sure to
brighten over the next few
years.
The broiling battle over how to develop the Sunnyside Yards—or why
not build there at all—has seen shots
fired from both the Mayor and Governor’s offices in recent months. As
housing prices continue a pituitary
defying growth spurt in the far western portions of the Borough, an inevitable spillover effect into the new
next-best neighborhood is bound to
come about soon—if it hasn’t already
begun to curdle. The area off the 7
train that can be reached from Times
Square in less than 20 minutes has already witnessed a mild housing cost
upswing. There is certainly a sense of
resistance to that trend emanating
from Sunnyside residents though,
and despite the promise of matured
property equity, it even comes from
their real estate agents.
“I’d like to see the neighborhood
continue to be a place where residents
will prop themselves and stay for a
long time, like in the ’40s, ’50s, and
’60s, as opposed to having prices go
up sharply and having people priced
out of the area,” said Amy Fitzgerald, a
16-year resident and current owner of
Welcome Home Real Estate on Skillman Avenue and 46th Street. “There’s
just a good community feeling here.
That’s one of Sunnyside’s major draws,
along with the proximity to the city.
I’m proud to call it my home.”
Fitzgerald reports that Sunnyside
attracts more than its fair share of
young professionals who can’t afford to live in Manhattan or Western
Brooklyn. The majority of that demographic—singles and young couples—seek rentals in the area. Statistics from Fitzgerald’s office indicate
one-bedroom apartments range
from $1,700 to $2,000 per month;
while two-bedroom units might see
prices approach $2,800 a month.
“One thing this neighborhood
lacks is large apartments,” she said.
If a three-bedroom is found on the
Sunnyside rental market, it will cost
Sunnyside Gardens, where homes can top $1 million, has a suburban
feel, but is walking distance to three subway lines and within view of
the Manhattan skyline
upwards of $3,000 a month.
Those looking to invest in ZIP code
11104 will find co-ops and condominiums occupying a great portion of the
market. Many of those units are located in the numerous six-story residential buildings that dot the urbanesque areas on either immediate side
of Queens Boulevard. According to
Fitzgerald, a studio co-op commands
about $180,000, while its condo counterpart seeks $325,000 on average.
Prices predictably increase by increments of about $75,000 to $100,000 in
both co-ops and condos as individual
bedrooms are added to a listing.
“But there’s a wide variety of residents in Sunnyside,” Fitzgerald added. “Because we also service retirees
who want to downsize from a house
and are willing to conveniently rent
while staying close to Manhattan.”
Located in the more suburban part
of the neighborhood, the Sunnyside
Gardens Historic District—where
classic pre-war brick constructs inContinued on page 11
This is what happens when the 25,000 landlords of 1 million rent-stabilized apartments have the financial resources to make
repairs and improvements. They re-invest the rent in their buildings and our neighborhoods. They provide work to small
businesses and jobs to local residents – and, most importantly, they preserve existing affordable housing.
But some Albany and City Hall politicians, like Mayor Bill de Blasio, want to turn back the clock to old policies that failed in
the past. They want stricter rent laws, and they want to freeze rents while raising property taxes and water and sewer rates.
That would push affordable housing right back into the 1970’s and 80’s. We need to move forward, not backwards.
IT’S TIME FOR NEW
SOLUTIONS TO AN
OLD PROBLEM.
Page 6 May 8-14, 2015
Queens’ First Quarter:
Plenty of Quality, But Little Quantity
By Michael Stahl
“
We have nothing to
sell,” declares Robert
Glessman, with a slight
degree of hyperbole. “We’re
shaking the tree and hoping
some people who want to
sell will fall out of it.”
In the wake of scanning Douglas Elliman’s first quarter Queens
residential sales market report, the
executive manager of sales at the
company’s Long Island City office
says he was not at all surprised with
their findings particularly the numbers outlining the fact that sales
volume was down 18.7 percent when
compared to last year’s inaugural
three months.
“It just verified what all my agents
were yelling at me,” Glessman said.
“It’s 100 percent accurate.”
With interest rates microscopically low, the economy scaling a new
phase of recovery and the presence
of outlandish prices in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, the other Borough on the other island is suddenly
home to the hottest real estate mar-
ket perhaps in the entire
country. One could even
say it’s too hot, as inventory across Queens has been
staggeringly truncated.
The average number of
Queens residential sales in
each month according to
the report hovered around
800, which is roughly half
of what was being sold in
the first quarters of 2006
and 2007, just prior to the
infamous housing bubble
burst. But more recently, in quarters
towards the end of 2013 and at the
beginning of 2014, sales volume was
30 percent higher than it was this
past quarter. The good news—depending on whom you ask—is there’s
almost an exact negative correlation
between inventory dearth and price
maturation. Median sales prices
in Queens jumped 20.7 percent to
$446,434 from the same period last
year, the ninth increase in the past
11 quarters. Still, the average home
spent just 85 days on the market,
representing another sharp change
from last year’s first quarter, which
posted an already tidy 97 days.
“We put something on the market
last week and it already received an
offer,” Glessman said, crediting the
hyperactivity to more market-savvy
agents and less greedy sellers that all
know how to fairly price a property
these days. So, even when there’s a
shimmer of inventory, it’s gone in a
blink.
Glessman is certainly looking forward to the opening of more luxury
residential condominiums in Long
Island City in the coming months,
but those few developments alone
won’t solve the inventory problem as
they too are expected to sell quickly.
In his mind, only the resale market
will provide consistent opportunities for buyers. His hope is that over
the course of the next year or two,
homeowners will see the prices of
these new units and feel compelled
to take a fresh look at the equity
they’ve built up in their
own property. Should
that happen and resales
begin popping up, the
market would likely be
even more active, and
prices will moderately
stabilize.
One type of property
has been immune to the
price hikes in Queens,
regardless of the inventory lag. Over the past
four years, condominium costs have virtually flat lined,
save for a swift rise and fall in the
summer of 2013. A typical Queens
condo commands slightly more than
$450,000, the same as it was in 2011,
and not much less than it’s peak
median price of about $500,000 in
early 2009. On the other hand, coops—those units trapped somewhere between the rental realm and
the land of outright ownership—
have seen a surge in sales prices the
past two years. In the first quarter of
2013, a Queens co-op cost roughly
$180,000. Today, the average price is
$40,000 higher.
“Co-ops are attractive especially
in Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson
Continued on page 10
May 8-14, 2015 Page 7
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Page 8 May 8-14, 2015
One Flushing:
Affordable and Harmonizing Housing on the Horizon
Guided by the principles of Feng
Shui, architects with the firm Bernheimer Architecture, PLLC, have
drafted up preliminary designs for
the One Flushing project, which
will include vertical windows that
are designed to reduce noise from
the LIRR train passing-by while
maximizing daylight in the apartment units. The project also features several amenities including a
gym, a community room for each
building, common laundry rooms
and a more than 15,000 sq. ft. second floor terrace and green roof for
all residents.
One Flushing will also include
commercial and community
facilities on the first two floors.
The ground floor will contain a
combination of large and small
retail space that will provide a
mix of square-footage and affordability for local businesses
and entrepreneurs. The development will also provide the
Flushing community to access a
variety of spaces and services.
Community spaces at One
Flushing will be programmed
by both AAFE and HANAC,
which will provide a range of
services for seniors and the local
communities. HANAC has also
partnered with the Parker Jewish Institute for Healthcare and Rehabilitation to provide health screening,
medial referrals and specialized care
services for the elderly.
“This dynamic project embodies all
of the qualities to add to the vibrancy
of the Downtown Flushing community while offering safe haven to
benefit the physical health, comfort
and overall well-being of those who
reside, work and visit this new mixeduse building,” John Kaiteris, executive
director of HANAC, Inc., said.
Reach Daniel Offner at (718) 3577400, Ext. 125, [email protected], or @DanielOffner.
C
LO
SE
D
Local Lending... Endless Possibilities...
Harlem, Manhattan
Multifamily Building
D
C
C
LO
LO
SE
SE
D
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$4,750,000
SE
After a competitive bidding process – which began last year, when
HPD released a Request for Proposals for the approximately 43,200square-foot parking lot – a joint venture between Asian Americans For
Equality, HANAC Inc. and Monadnock Development was selected as
the development team.
The project known as One Flushing, will include 208 residential
units – 60 of which will be reserved
for seniors, while the remaining 147
are slated for individuals earning
between $24,200 and $72,600 annually and families with an income of
A rendering of One Flushing.
LO
P
lans for the longanticipated
development of
208 affordable apartment
units at Municipal Lot 3
in Flushing, are starting to
come together, according
to the City Department of
Housing Preservation and
Development.
$34,520 to $103,560 a year. The
development will also include
a newly constructed energy
efficient facility with a mix of
residential, commercial and
community resources including supportive care services
for seniors, a rooftop farm and
weatherization services for lowincome Queens residents.
The development of the 156space parking lot into affordable
housing will be financed under
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “Housing
New York: A Five-Borough, 10Year Housing Plan.”
Christopher Kui, executive director of AAFE, said the One
Flushing project will not only offer
critically-needed senior, low and
moderate-income housing, but also
service amenities and resources for a
multi-generational population.
“We will provide economic development opportunities through commercial retail opportunities for local small
businesses and entrepreneurs, and of
course, job creation,” he said. “Furthermore AAFE’s community development fund institution/lending arm,
Renaissance Economic Development
corporation, will establish a $2 million
low-interest loan fund to lend to the
small businesses in the project.”
C
By Daniel Offner
Staff Writer
Jamaica, Queens
Retail Strip Center
Midtown West, Manhattan
$5,750,000
$ 2,3 00,000
Bronx, NY
$3,800,000
Commercial Real Estate... Financing Built on Trust
"DRVJTJUJPOBOE3FĕOBODFt.VMUJGBNJMZ.JYFE6TF0ďDFBOE3FUBJM1SPQFSUJFTt6QUP'JOBODJOH"WBJMBCMF
Contact our real estate professionals:
Lon King
Victor Padilla
Bryan Lutz
George O’Connor
(718) 240-4931
(718) 240-4773
(718) 240-4734
(718) 240-4948
www.ridgewoodbank.com
Member FDIC
EQUAL HOUSING
LENDER
Chinese Investors
Invade New York City
May 8-14, 2015 Page 9
A Mortgage for
Your Community.
By Michael Stoler
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Call (866) 789-7878 DQGJHWSUHTXDOLÀHG
or visit www.NYCBMortgageDirect.com
to get started online!
F
oreign investors, especially from China, are
interested in owning
commercial real estate in New
York City. Last year, Chinese
investors spent more than $3
billion in real estate assets in
New York City, reaching record levels, nearly 43 percent
more than they invested in
2013. Robert Knakal, chairman of New York Investment
Sales, Cushman & Wakefield
stated “over the next several
years, we’ll see potentially,
over $50 billion injected into
the market from China.”
The Chinese are seeking
real estate in all asset classes
including office, hospitality
and land for residential and
commercial development.
Last year, China’s Anbang Insurance Group, ranked as China’s second largest insurer with assets of $114
billion, set a record for the largest acquisition of a U.S. real estate asset by
a Chinese buyer, with the purchase
of the New York Waldorf Astoria
for $1.95 billion. Another Chinese
insurance company, the Sunshine
Insurance Group Co. announced in
February that it agreed to pay more
than $230 million or more than $2
million per room, for Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ new Baccarat Hotel
in Midtown Manhattan.
Chinese investors have been
very active in acquiring property in
Brooklyn. Construction is underway
for the Oosten, a 216-unit residential
condominium development located
at 429 Kent Ave., between South 8th
and South 9th Street in Williamsburg. The project is Xin Development International Group debut
transaction in the U.S.
In July of 2014, Forest City Enterprises and Greenland USA, a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Greenland Group closed on a joint venture
to develop Atlantic Yards (renamed
Pacific Park ) a 22-acre residential
and commercial real estate project
in Downtown Brooklyn. Under the
joint venture, Greenland USA paid
approximately $547 million to acquire 70 percent of the project,
not including the Barclays Center
and 461 Dean Street, and will codevelop with Forest City Ratner
Companies, the construction of
14 residential buildings with both
organizations sharing in all project
costs going forward in their ownership interests.
Late last year, the Bank of China,
who has been very active in providing financing for large commercial
real estate transactions agreed to
pay $600 million to acquire the office building under construction at 7
Bryant Park. This transaction is the
second major office acquisition by
the Chinese investors when Fosun
International agreed to pay $725 million in December 2014 for One Chase
Manhattan Plaza, now known as 28
Liberty in Lower Manhattan.
In February 2014, China Vanke,
China’s biggest publicly-traded developer, and the largest residential
developer in the People’s Republic
of China, in joint venture with RFF
Holding and Hines broke ground on
the 61 story residential condominium
at 610 Lexington Avenue, adjacent to
the Seagram Building between East
52nd and East 53rd Street.
All loans are subject to credit approval. Product availability and offers are subject to
change. Not all products are available in all states. Mortgages are originated
through New York Community Bank (NMLS #249276, MD #21548), an
DIÀOLDWHRI1HZ<RUN&RPPHUFLDO%DQN
The bank is not responsible for typographical errors. Offer may be withdrawn at the
discretion of the bank at any time.
Page 10 May 8-14, 2015
ADveRtoRiAL
Find Potential Property Sellers Using
PropertyShark’s Mailing & Data Lists
By Roxana Baiceanu
Y
ou may not know this,
but there are many
property owners in NYC
who may be contemplating the
idea of selling, but just haven’t
gotten around to listing their
house yet. So, if you’re in the
market as a seller’s agent who
is trying to attract new prospects or as a buyer who has a
hard time finding properties
for sale in areas with low inventory, these would-be sellers
form one category you should
seriously consider.
How to reach potential property sellers and outsmart the competition:
Real estate data provider PropertyShark has created an online tool
named Mailing/Data Lists which
helps real estate professionals and
buyers alike generate property and
owner-mailing lists for any targeted
area in NYC and other states. Based
on these lists, you can mail potential property sellers directly before
others do and inform them of your
interest in their house.
This tool is particularly useful
in competitive real estate markets
where it’s essential to be on top of
the game if you want to get good results.
Mailing/Data Lists of Commercial and Residential Properties
This is one of the best lead generating tools for agents, developers,
and investors but it can be successfully used by buyers, too. If you’re
house hunting but you simply cannot find anything for sale in an area
you are interested in, the Mailing/
Data Lists service can help out as
well.
Build Data Lists in 3 steps
Let’s say you’d like to see how
many condos between 600 and
1,200 square feet in Glendale have
not changed hands in the past 5
years (hint: usually, many property
owners might already be considering selling). All you need to do, after
you clicked the Build Property Data
List button, is to:
• Select the targeted
region;
• Select the building
class;
• Select other advanced criteria that will
help you narrow your
search.
The final list will display a series of valuable
information such as:
• How many properties of the type you selected exist;
• How many properties are owner occupied
and how many are not;
• The names of the
owners of the properties and their addresses;
• The properties’ assessed values
and addresses.
You may also choose one of the
many Predefined Lists, which are
ready-to-use property lists based on
popular criteria, created in order to
ease your work.
Agents, Boost Your Direct Mailing Efforts with Mailing Lists
PropertyShark’s
ready-to-mail
lists of property owners are particularly useful to brokers as they help
them conduct targeted marketing
campaigns. So if your goal is to have
turnkey lists and Avery labels showing the properties’ addresses and
owner names, simply choose the
Mailing Lists option and you’ll have
them ready within minutes.
Roxana Baiceanu is an associate
editor with Point2Homes.
Supply Is Not Meeting Buyer’s Demand
Continued from page 6
Heights, and Long Island City,”
Glessman points out. Those Western Queens neighborhoods attract
young, emerging professionals who
can’t quite meet Manhattan prices
and appreciate the quick city commute.
“With co-ops, it’s definitely the
affordability factor,” Glessman adds.
“A one-bedroom condo is selling for
$900,000 in Long Island City right
now, but you can get a beautiful coop for $400,000. They’re a great way
for first-time buyers to get their feet
wet.”
The only real blemish for the Borough on the market report—there’s
not much anyone can do about the
undersized inventory caché, and
certainly the high demand is more
than welcome—is that the Northeastern area of Queens, which includes the neighborhoods Bayside,
Whitestone, Douglaston, Flushing,
and others, saw a continuation of
decreased sales. In last year’s first
quarter, 908 units were sold. In
2015’s first quarter, just 700 were
purchased—a slip of 22.9 percent.
More poignantly, in each of the last
four quarters, regional sales figures
have gone down.
Glessman attributes this lone unfortunate trend to the attitudes of
buyers now entering the Queens
market. Part of the reason Western
Queens is seeing so much action, he
says, is due to its proximity to Manhattan, which, obviously, Northeastern
Queens can’t match. But those buyers
in Western Queens are also looking
to purchase either condos or co-ops
in amenity-laced buildings, similar to
what can be found in the city, just, of
course, at a cheaper price. “It’s more
like suburbia out in Whitestone and
Bayside,” Glessman said. “There are
people who need to be near the city,
but they’re going to pay more. There
are also people who need a bargain,
and they will look east.”
Given that observation, Glessman
advises people to buy into neighborhoods like Long Island City, Astoria,
Sunnyside, Woodside and Jackson
Heights because that is where they
will gain the most equity on their
property. “Maspeth is a lovely area
in Queens,” Glessman said. “But I
don’t think you’re going to get much
of a return in, say, five years.” As
one example, he says apartments
in Long Island City’s L Haus building that sold for $800,000 four years
ago, are asking $1.3 million today.
“I doubt that if you bought a
house for $400,000 in Maspeth at
that time that you’d get anywhere
near $700,000 for it now,” Glessman
said.
Still, there are buyers looking to
invest and others hoping to plant
their roots in a classic, Queens residential neighborhood, landing a
dream home at a great price with a
low interest rate. Clearly the eastern portion of the Borough is where
to look for those deals, but if one
is eager to buy, either on the riverside, the bayside, or somewhere
in between, Glessman, like every
other real estate pundit in the city,
instructs prospective homeowners
to “get into the market now, and get
aggressive.” He says: “The average
finance rate over the past twenty
years is 6 percent. We’re somewhere
between three and four percent
right now. It can’t get any better
than that, and we might never see
this again.”
To view the full report on Queens’
first quarter residential sales, visit
their official website at elliman.com.
May 8-14, 2015 Page 11
AdvertoriAl
Know Your Neighborhood
T
oday, potential homebuyers continue to read
about the tightening
of credit standards by lenders
and that foreclosed properties
are still on the rise.
Even with the economy’s current
obstacles, there is still a desire to
purchase a home. The reasons vary
from a growing family, the need for
independence, moving to a new
neighborhood, a new job or promotion, or just because they came across
a home that they fell in love with.
Ridgewood Savings Bank understands the anxieties that come along
with the purchase of a new home,
and for the past 94 years has helped
individuals through the mortgage
process and identify solutions that
work best to suit their needs.
Ridgewood believes that direct
personal service can go a long way
for homebuyers, especially if this
is their first home buying experience. Many homebuyers may need
answers or assistance after business
hours, which are why Ridgewood
Mortgage Consultants are not only
available at our branch locations, but
will also meet at a person’s home or
place of business.
Having the expertise of a Mortgage
Consultant can be important because many consumers read ads that
very often persuade them to go with
a bank that “seems” to offer the lowest rates. Unfortunately, many of the
ads are confusing and do not take the
individual borrower’s needs into consideration. We encourage our homebuyers to ask about lender fees, thirdparty fees, when the rate locks and
for what period of time, and what the
overall process is. Our Mortgage Consultants want potential homebuyers
to feel like they have reached a source
that will take the mystery out of the
mortgage process and offer solutions
for their specific needs.
To help potential homebuyers,
Ridgewood hosts Homebuyer Seminars throughout the year featuring a
Mortgage Consultant, a home engineer/architect and an attorney to explain the various aspects of the home
buying process. The dates of these
Seminars are located on our website
www.ridgewoodbank.com.
Ridgewood also launched an interactive site, for those individuals
that prefer to research the process
on their own or can’t make it to a
Seminar. The interactive website,
joyofhomeownership.com features
videos that answer some of the most
frequently asked home buying questions. Joyofhomeownership.com can
be accessed on mobile phones and
other devices as well.
Ridgewood is passionate about
home buying and community pride.
We want people to realize their borrowing potential and to educate consumers on the overall home buying
process. We strive to help our customers make the best possible financial choices when they buy the home
of their dreams. Ridgewood wants to
see our neighborhoods continue to
prosper and exhibit the same community pride that we all share. We
will continue to work with homebuyers and offer an array of loans that suit
each homeowner’s needs, allowing
individuals to plan out their futures
in the communities that they love.
Equal Housing Lender. Member
FDIC.
Sunnyside Shining In Shadow of Skylines
Continued from page 5
spired by English townhouses dominate tree-lined streets—was one of
the first planned communities in the
entire United States. A couple avenues north of Queens Boulevard between 44th and 48th Streets, Sunnyside Gardens has an exclusive park all
to itself, and homes range from oneto three-family options, selling in the
range of $800,000 to $1.3 million, according to Welcome Home Real Estate’s recent sales figures. One- and
two-family homes in the area, but
outside the Sunnyside Gardens section, go for $700,000 to $975,000.
“The homes exist on the market,”
Fitzgerald said. “But there are usually very few available, and they don’t
stay that way for very long.” According to StreetEasy.com, the average
Sunnyside home sold thus far in 2015
stayed on the market for half as long
as they did just two years ago.
There are several reasons as to why
Sunnyside properties are snatched up
so quickly. Like much of the Borough,
the area is suffering from a dearth of
inventory. StreetEasy.com indicates
that Sunnyside residential sales volume was down 3 percent last year when
compared to 2013—though that figure
emerged after a tremendous 44 percent increase between 2012 and 2013 as
the post-housing-collapse economy finally began to stabilize. Of course, the
neighborhood’s proximity to Manhattan helps, but arguably it’s the current
prices that make Sunnyside so attractive to buyers. Statistics on StreetEasy.
com and Trulia both say that Sunnyside housing costs are about average
when compared to the rest of the Borough, with some sections remaining
slightly below average.
So it seems there’s a little bit of everything in Sunnyside, and, in spite
of what does or doesn’t happen at the
rail yards site, it might very well stay
that way.
realtor
realtor
realtor
Page 12 May 8-14, 2015
MOTHER
of the Year
Honorable Mentions
Caroline Cilenta, 13, Dimitra, How Bch
Arnesa Banovic, 12, Sabriya, How Bch
Ashley Kern, 13, Joan Gonzalez, Oz Pk
Andrew Viscanti, 12, Janine, How Bch
Emily Solorzano, 12, Patricia, Oz Pk
Jordany Cruz, 13, Yaniris Dela Rosa, Lindnwd
Xiarra Scalogna, 14, Michele, How Bch
Duniya Hassen, 12, Amika, How Bch
Taylor Rosenblatt, 12, Denise, How Bch
Isabel Suazo, 12, Nyree, Queens
Wesley Camacho, 12, Kelly, Queens
Dana Prokofyeva, 12, Regina, How Bch
Cheryl Rizzo, 31, Mary Kinkopf, How Bch
Nicolas De Vita, 12, Aura, How Bch
Anthony Caputo, 12, Kellie, How Bch
Taylor Kitzkavetch, 12, Laurie, How Bch
Kristina Lulgjuraj, 12, Liza, How Bch
Hajrah Ahmed, 12, Sumera, How Bch
Jowhara Alhomaidi, 13, Fatima Albaadani,
How Bch
Mike Hassen, 13, Zainab Sheerif, Queens
Aaron Lew, 13, Michele, How Bch
Angela Vitalino, 12, Margaret, Rich Hill
Neil Tangal, 11, Hetal, How Bch
Neeraj Tangal, 11, Hetal, How Bch
Iveliz Hernandez, 11, Irma H. Velez, Rich Hill
Lance Casanova, 11, Merryl, How Bch
Dyana Mosquera, 11, Samia, How Bch
Michelle Rendon-Gil, 8, Ricarda, Jamaica
Shakor Glover, 12, Shakiya Peters, Jamaica
Tyuana Hill, 9, Tawana Morel, Jamaica
Naomi Patrick, 9, Barbara, Jamaica
Taylia Reed, 9, Wyahta Brown, Jamaica
Taylor Marie Francis, 10, Tamara Francis, Jam
Noelle Leland, 10, Charmaine, Spr Gdns
Anyah Harrison, 10, Theodora, St. Alb
Deiondre Smith, 7, Lauren, St Alb
Jeremiah Brown, 8, Lisa, St Alb
Jaleel Francis, Phiona Adamson, St. Alb
Madison Allen, Christina, St. Alb
Aavaugh Johnson, 8, Josel, St. Alb
Madison Barnett, 7, Avia, St. Alb
Giovanni Melville, 8, Cindy, St. Alb
Naccari Amin, 8, Nadia, St. Alb
Anthony Chicazca, 8, Eulalia, St. Alb
Nyala Chalas, 8, Keleashea, St. Alb
Azorie Varrichio, 8, Amanda, St. Alb
Brendan Starkes, 8, Jasmine Rivera, St Alb
Jill Bates, 8, Janet, St. Alb
Tatiana Mack, 8, Cheryl Miles, St Alb
Madison Scott, 8, Stacey, St Alb
Andre Cadet, 8, Grandma, St Alb
Judah Price, 8, Kizzy, St. Alb
Jaedon Vaughn, 8, Danielle, St. Alb
Justin Riggins, 8, Joi Harrigan, St. Alb
Ana Howard, 8, Melissa Batravil, St. Alb
Ashlynn Conway, 8, Eshana, St. Alb
Hezekiah Johnson, 8, Serena Lightfoots, St. Alb
Christian Jean-Mary, 8, Luashy, St. Alb
Sean Theivin, 8, Fatima, St. Alb
Ethan Odei, 8, Sandra, St. Alb
Cameron Davidson, 8, Sharee Jordan, St. Alb
Ladre Morrison, 8, Laurie, St. Alb
Essence Cypress, 8, Roxanne Gaskins, St. Alb
Crystal Nunez, 13, Cristina Matos, How Bch
Shaniya Kanhai, 8, Jasmattie, Qns
Benita Muller, 54, Muriel Stemmann, Br Chan
Jahanvi Basantani, Mrs. Basantani, Qns
Alexis Bond, 9, Adrienne, St. Alb
Kadiri Olanipekun, Beverley, St. Alb
Shennie Shaw, Chitra Dhanpal, S. Oz Pk
Mairead Harkins, 8, Anne, Rock Bch
Nicole Villasana, 12, Maria Alexopoulos, Belle
Kalei Wade, 9, Colleen Wade, Rkwy Bch
Olivia Mascia, 5, Gina, Hwd Bch
Laura Congemi, Marie Cronin, Wdhv
Kaylee Santiago, 8, Laura, Qns
Jasmine Harris, 10, Yolanda, St. Alb
Demani Clarke, 10, Dellorse Walton, St. Alb
Angel Benvenutty, 10, Luisa De Suz, St. Alb
Athina Belgrave, 11, Shanika Mandiville, Jamaica
Cadejha Griffiths, 10, Valrielin Evans, St. Alb
Maria Florie Joseph, 13, Maria Maniet J., St. Alb
Jada Ducran, 10, Andrea, St. Alb
Nia Washington, 11, Monica Carroll, Cambria Hts
Jaiahna Gadsen, 10, Diahann, St. Alb
Heaven Peoples, 10, Maureen, St. Alb
Shinelle Perez, 12, Josefine Tensley, St. Alb
Kailana Bonne, 10, Racheal, Queens Vill
Jimmle Cassamalar, 11, Dovely Thelusma, Jam
Ayanna Pace, 11, Kristal Williams, St. Alb
Joshua Simhoief, 9, Veronika Davydov, Rego Pk
Anyah Luke, 9, Aatika Pristell, Jamaica
Cianna Williams, 9, Beverley Salmon, Jamaica
Sean Rocke, 9, Marie, St. Alb
Shennie Shaw, Chitra Dhanpal, South Ozone Pk
Ze (Jenny) Dhong, Yibing Zhao, Corona
Aleah Goodman, Melody, New York
Mairead Catherine Harkins, 8, Qns
Michelle Buitrago, 9, Esther Espinoza, Arvne
Justin Lau, 13, Fiona Sze, Fsh Mdws
Olivia Li, 12, Yemg Fong-Pong, Bysde
Celina Lau, 12, Fiona Sze, Fsh Mdws
Nathaniel James, 10, Ava, Hollis
Elizabeth Montanez, Tatiana Ochoa, Flush
Brian Bedosky, Mrs. Bedosky, Whitestone
Veronica Gutierrez-Tizol, 30, Maria Elena Santana,
Rego Pk
Stuart Friedenthal, 49, Jackie, Flush
Angel Arroyo, 6, Lesly Lemus, Flush
Ronald Izzo, 54, Constance, Flush
Frank Michal Chiodi, 7, Marianna, Whtstn
Margaret Castiglia, 5, Emily, For Hills
Julia Miranda, 7, Stacey, For Hills
Emily Miranda, 5, Stacey, For Hills
Mike Neiss, 55, Margie, Gdale
Hannah Evans, 8, Flo, Arverne
Marcus Woodson, 9, Joan, Wdsd
Melisa Li, 9, Teresa Han, Wdsd
Kelly Mo, 10, Panna Peng, Wdsd
Aoife Bell, 9, Carolina O’Connell, Wdsd
Kobe Chen, 9, Lui Mei Xian, Masp
Jocelyn Pacheco, 9, Tracy, Mid Vill
Sanjida Ahmed, 9, Mst.Sayema Khatan, Wdsd
Julianne Esmenda, 9, Maria, Wdsd
Sukanta Singha, 9, Suchrita, Wdsd
Wishe Taiba, 9, Reshma Chowdhury, Wdsd
Sabrina Ke, 9, Chen Yi Zhu, Wdsd
Ryan Ortiz, 9, Janit, Masp
Mathew Castillo, 10, Hermelinda, Wdsd
Roxana Esparza, 9, Vilma Coreas, Wdsd
Fabian Rendon, 10, Jennifer Monsalve, Masp
Raisin Herlihy, 9, Maggie, Masp
Amber Zou, 10, Rui Zhen Lin, Wdsd
Kelly Chen, 9, Yang Fang, Wdsd
Sinead Dobey, Amanda, Wdsd
Farheen Zaman, 10, Kohinoor Begum, Wdsd
Sanya Afsar, 9, Raana, Wdsd
Sukhman Jaswal, 10, Kulieet, Wdsd
Ronit Malhotra, 9, Madhu Rima, Masp
Hadi Nasrallah, 9, Samer Choughari, Masp
Korrace Chen, 10, Dana Hui Qu, Wdsd
Fiona Kernaghan, 9, Jill Kraft, Wdsd
Stephen Alcasid, 10, Audrey, Wdsd
Arthur Rosenberg, 9, Jenifer, Wdsd
Alexander Ponce, 9, Lissett, Masp
Police Blotter
102nd Precinct
Burglary
The NYPD is asking the public’s
assistance identifying the suspect
wanted for a burglary in Ozone Park.
On Wednesday, April 29 at approximately 4:30 a.m., an unidentified male entered The AK Family
Deli/Grocery located at 97-19 101st
Ave., and removed approximately $4,500 in
cash and a total
value of $3,000
in lotto scratch
off cards. The
suspect
then
Police are search- fled to parts uning for this man in known.
The suspect
connection with a
burglary of a store is described as
in Ozone Park on a male Black
wearing a black
april 29.
baseball cap, red
sneakers, blue jacket and blue jeans.
Anyone with information in regards to any of these incidents is
asked to call the NYPD’s Crime
Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or
text tips to 274637(CRIMES) then
enter TIP577.
105th Precinct
Baby Death
On Thursday, April 25 at 7:25
p.m., police were notified of a 22month-old child removed to Nassau
County Medical Center for treatment of burns sustained while taking
a bath. The incident took place in
the child’s residence, 225-26 Memphis Ave. in Rosedale. On Monday,
April 27, the child, identified as
Naomi Mondesire, was pronounced
deceased at NCMC. It was determined that the victim sustained 2nd
and 3rd degree burns to her legs and
left arm as a result of the bath.
Police arrested Oluyemisi Adebayo, 54, of St. Albans, whom they
identified as the child’s home health
aide, and charged her with murder in
the second degree.
106th Precinct
fatal accident
On Monday. April 20 at 7:40 p.m.,
police responded to a 911 call of a
single vehicle accident on the north
bound Cross Bay Boulevard at Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park. Upon
arrival, responding officers observed
a 2000 Hyundai that had struck a pillar at the location. The driver, Carmela Ruotolo, 88, of Howard Beach,
was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she succumbed to
her injuries on Friday, April 24. The
investigation is ongoing by the Highway District’s Collision Investigation
Squad.
fatal accident ii
On Thursday, April 16 at approximately 12:58 p.m., police responded
to a report of a vehicle collision in
the vicinity of 131st Street and Rockaway Boulevard in South Ozone Park.
Upon arrival, officers discovered Mohamed Ali, 88, of South Jamaica, who
was unconscious and unresponsive
with trauma to the head. EMS transported the male to Jamaica Hospital
where he succumbed to his injuries.
An investigation revealed that the 88year-old male was riding on a bicycle
southbound on 131st Street, on the
sidewalk, when he entered onto the
roadway and was struck by a blue sedan. After striking the bicyclist, the
vehicle fled the scene. There are no
arrests at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
114th Precinct
forcible Touching
The NYPD is seeking the public’s
assistance in locating and identifying the following individual wanted
in connection to a forcible touching
incident on a subway in Long Island
City.
On Thursday, April 23 at approximately 1550 hours, the suspect approached the 12-year-old male victim while traveling on a northbound
“N” train and proceeded to grab
his genital area. The suspect then
exited the train at the 36th Avenue
subway station. The victim was not
injured.
The suspect is described as a white
man with a full beard. He was last
seen wearing black sunglasses, a red
hooded sweatshirt, a Mets baseball
hat, gray jeans and black boots.
The suspect also has a spider tattoo on his left hand and a silver stud
piercing by his right eye.
Anyone with information in regards to any of these incidents is
asked to call the NYPD’s Crime
Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or
text tips to 274637(CRIMES) then
enter TIP577.
Borough Beat
Pavilion Will Get fresh Coat Of Paint
By Daniel Offner
It has been 50 long years since
Queens, the aptly-dubbed “World’s
Borough,” played host to the 1964-65
World’s Fair at Flushing MeadowsCorona Park.
Now, five decades later, New York
City Parks Commissioner Mitchell
Silver joined local elected officials
and community leaders, on Wednesday, to announce plans to repaint
and restore the “Tent of Tomorrow,”
a one-of-a-kind structure that is emblematic of the Borough.
“The Tent of Tomorrow is an
iconic symbol of Queens,” Silver
said. “It’s a highly visible structure
that you can see on both sides of the
Grand Central Parkway and Long
Island Expressway, but we haven’t
been able to give it the treatment it
deserves until now.”
Through an in-kind donation from
the New York Structural Steel Painting Contractors Association and the
International Union of Painting and
Allied Trades Local 806, District
Council No. 9, the $3 million project will be completed on a pro-bono
basis, coming at no cost to the Bor-
ough, Silver said. In turn,
to its former glory – how it
the work will be completed
looked back in the 60s – or
through an apprenticeship
$72.6 million if they were to
training program for new
try and modernize it.
painters.
“With 130 languages spo“Four years we’ve been
ken in the New York City
trying to get this project
public school system, hailunderway,” Joe Ramaglia,
ing from 120 countries,”
business manager for the InKatz said, “We live the
ternational Painters Union,
World’s Fair every single
said. “We’re very excited to
day here in Queens and this
finally get to this point. It
is an iconic structure that
has been an eyesore for a
represents that.”
long time.”
Earlier this year, Katz alDesigned by architect Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, joined by elected located $5.8 million in City
Philip Johnson, the “Tent of officials including Queens Borough President Melinda funding to work on restorTomorrow” was constructed Katz, Councilwoman elizabeth Crowley and rep. Grace ing the Pavilion – a priority
as a symbol of the 1964 Meng, and representatives from new york Structural for her administration. As
World’s Fair. But, after being Steel Painting Contractors association and the interna- part of the project, the park
left abandoned and neglect- tional Union of Painting and allied Trades local 806, performed two test runs of
ed for decades, the structure District Council no. 9,Wednesday to announce the paint- the LED display lights, earhas been in a continued state ing of the “Tent of Tomorrow.”
lier this year, which briefly
of disrepair, which led some
illuminated the towers and
to consider demolition.
their observation decks.
day we saved the Pavilion.”
“When I came into office, they
Parks officials said the beautifiDespite being the cheapest of
were talking about spending $15 mil- three options for the decaying struc- cation of the Tent of Tomorrow will
lion to knock down the New York ture, Katz had no intention of tearing begin immediately and is expected to
State Pavilion,” Queens Borough it down. According to the Parks De- be complete this fall.
President Melinda Katz said. “With- partment, it would cost the Borough
Reach Reporter Daniel Offner at
in two weeks we had hundreds of approximately $52.1 million if they (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, doffner@
people here in the park, and on that were to try and restore the Pavilion queenstribune.com, or @DanielOffner.
A&E
Looking For Good Jazz? Queens Has it
By Kourtney WeBB
Queens has a rich history of jazz
music and musicians whose memories of the soulful music are enough
to want to keep it around and thriving. Many musicians are taking up
the fight to bring jazz out from hiding and to the ears of the people of
Queens.
“Jazz keeps to itself. Those of us
who love and dare I say need it, know
where to go,” Dr. Tom Zlabinger, an
assistant professor of music at York
College and the director of the York
College Big Band and the York College Summer Jazz Program, said. He
also adds “but like the Speakeasies of
the past, you need to know a guy who
knows a guy to get on the scene.”
The Creative Jazz Organization
is one of those hidden gems that few
people know about.
For the musicians that play at the
American Legion Benjamin Moore
Post 1946 hall, Wednesday signifies
“Jazz night,” a tradition the Creative
Jazz Organization has been keeping
alive for over 35 years.
CJO’s Jazz nights originated at
Carmichael’s diner on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard before it closed down,
as a cheaper alternative to Manhattan’s Jazz clubs.
“This isn’t any half rate show,
these are professionals, you get the
feel of paying $100, to see a show
without having to pay $100,” said
Peter Dunn,32, a computer programmer from Richmond Hill.
Many Queens residents don’t
stick around the Borough, because
they are not aware of the great mu-
sicians located in their own
The Landmarks Preservabackyard.
tion Commission grant“Most people go to The
ed landmark status to
Village Underground or
Queens’s neighborhood
Blue Note in Manhattan to
of Addisleigh Park where
listen to jazz,” said Bernice
all these greats lived.
Watkins who is a guest singThere are few but preer with the bands in the orcious memorials in St.
ganization. She is also workAlbans. The mural on the
ing on a solo jazz album.
northern side of Linden
The musicians begin to
Boulevard as it passes unplay at 8p.m. sharp, fillder the Long Island Railing the room with smooth
road that pay homage to
tempos and jumping beats.
these greats.
A crowd of listeners nod
Wilhelmina Johnson,
along, enchanted by a time
56, a retired music teachwhen music was good and Jazz mural under an Lirr overpass in st. albans. the er from St. Albans said,
simple, where the instru- neighborhood was once home to several jazz greats.
“where is jazz going to go
ments in a song were actuwhen all these Hip Hop
ally played by real live musicians and worker from Cambria Heights.
kids grow up? I pray it doesn’t disapnot by a producer pressing a button
According to the latest Nielsen pear but I don’t think young folks apon a keyboard.
Music U.S. Report, jazz music equals preciate Jazz like they should.”
“There is nothing like a live perfor- just 1.4 percent of total sales of muThe CJO is also promoting jazz
mance. Jazz thrives on the moment. sic consumed in the U.S. Jazz music in the community and getting young
And though recordings are great to equaled 3.0 percent of total sales in people involved with jazz music
document the music, nothing is like 1999, dropped to 1.8 in 2005, and in by offering “the Gwen Cleveland
that moment when things just lock, 2008 registered a mere 1.1 percent. Scholarship Fund” to provide money
or explode, or melt,” Dr. Zlabinger In almost every year jazz sales are grants to students interested in jazz
said.
musical education from various New
weakening.
On this night Jazz comes alive
Although Jazz music is declining York communities. The organization
at the American Legion Benjamin in album sales music downloads and also runs music education events at
Moore Post 1946, at 204-03 Linden streams are making it easier to reach Count Basie Middle School in JaBlvd., St. Albans.
maica.
audiences.
Jazz sales are continuing to fall
For the members of the CJO and
“I think streaming and downloads
and has tied with classical music are supporting jazz! More people others who look to not just preserve,
as the least-consumed music in the have access to it,” Zlabinger said.
but keep jazz thriving and present,
U.S., after children’s music.
When you think of jazz, you think this is but a small step on a long soul“I grew up listening to Jazz, I make of New Orleans, Chicago or Har- ful road.
sure my son gets his full dose of jazz lem. But Queens, has long been a
Valerie Coleman, a member of
when he rides in the car with me. He hometown for great Jazz Musicians the group for six years said “I think
hates it, which is sad, he doesn’t even and big band names. Ella Fitzgerald, organizations like this is what helps
know his music stems from Jazz,” Louis Armstrong and the big band keep Jazz going and reachable to the
said Michael Smith, 50, an MTA leader Count Basie all lived here. Queens community.”
Big apple Big top returning to Queens
By BarBara arnstein
This year’s Big Apple Circus
Show “Metamorphosis,” is returning
in mid-May to Cunningham Park and
features all kinds of transformations.
Francesco the Clown turns metal
pans into musical instruments, Olga
and Vladimir Smirnov’s quick change
act features instant changes from
costume to costume and according
to animal trainer Jenny Vidbel, her
camels and horses are “magically
transformed before your eyes into a
living carousel.”
Ms. Vidbel’s animal acts in “Metamorphosis” also include leaping
dogs, parading ponies, doves, donkeys, llamas, goats, rabbits, ferrets, a
porcupine and a pot-bellied pig who
rolls out a carpet for the performing
dogs. Like her parents and grandparents before her, she trains all types of
animals with love and respect. When
the circus tour is over, they all relax
at her 56-acre place in upstate New
York. “They have lots of time to get
close to one another,” she said. “My
goal is for them to all be happy and
show the audience they’re happy.
Dogs get used to audiences by sitting on a bench in the tent during the
shows, and quickly become comfortable because they see their friends are
comfortable.” The dogs in her acts
include terrier mixes and poodle mixes she rescued from pounds or found
as strays. Her identical twin sister, an
aerialist, has a daughter Jenny who is
teaching about animals, with an eye
towards extending the family’s circus
heritage into a fourth generation.
Olga and Vladimir’s act is truly astounding because it seems impossibly
swift. As Olga dances through various
fabrics that conceal her for no more
than a moment at a time, one outfit is
immediately replaced by another of a
different shape and size.
Francesco the Clown won the
prize for “Most Outstanding Clown”
three separate times at the International Circus Festival of Monte
Carlo. His hilarious talent for playing tunes on pans with ping-pong
balls and the way he involves the
audience in his act has made him a
favorite around the world. Some of
the other amazing acts feature juggling and aerialist artistry, and include the Quinterion Troupe, which
features Hungarian folk dance and
acrobatics, the Seyranyan Family’s
contortionist act, and two separate
acts starring members of the Anastasini family, whose circus roots reach
back eight generations.
Anchoring the show with his
commanding voice, ringmaster John
Kennedy Kane is living his childhood
dream. A born talker-(his father was
a politician and his brother is a used
car salesman, the New York native
performed early in his career as a
fire-eater under the name of “Kanen
the Human Volcano.”
The Big Apple Circus will perform at Cunningham Park from May
17th through June 14th. Wednesdays
(May 20th and 27th, June 3rd and
10th) the tickets are buy one, get
one free. For more information, call
(888) 541-3750 or go to bigapplecircus.org.
Profile
Healing Southeast Queens Residents Since 1987
BY STEVEN RODRIGUEZ
The Joseph Addabbo Family
Health Center first opened in 1987.
Named for the former Congressman
who represented much of Southeast
Queens from the 1960s through the
1980s, the center has many of its offices located in the area.
“We’re a federally qualified health
center and we get most of our funding from the federal government and
because of that we have to have a
higher standard of service,” JAFHC
Marketing Outreach Manager Rachel
Williams said.
The Health Center is licensed by
the State of New York as a Diagnostic and Treatment Center. Since the
JAFHC is funded by the federal government, they have four medical services that they are required to offer
to the community.
“We offer medical, dental, OBGYN
and pediatrics to the community and
all of our doctors and nurses are required to have the correction certification in order to work,” Williams said.
Patients are given perks, such as
their own personal physician, annual physicals and immunizations
for infants, free pregnancy testing
and even free dental screenings. Additionally, they also offer free clinical breast exams and HIV testing and
counseling.
According to the JAFHC website,
addabbo.org, Joseph P. Addabbo
Family Health Center is among the
top five percent of nationally ranked
providers.
“Our mission is to serve the uninsured and the underinsured. The
JAFHC has been working wonderfully. We’ve developed from one little
building on 67th street and now we
have expanded to six different sites
and we have a brand new state of the
art building on 6200 Beach Channel
Drive,” Williams added.
The JAFHC was established
to provide healthcare services to
those who were not financially
capable of doing so, more specifically for residents who live on or
around the Rockaway Peninsula.
The Joseph Addabbo Family Health Center just opened a new state-of-the-art
building on 6200 Beach Channel Drive in the Rockaways.
According to Williams, the six
sites in Queens serve about 1,000
patients a day.
According to JAFHC website,
their mission is to be the leading preventive and comprehensive primary
health care center in New York and
they are committed to customer satisfaction.
JAFHC locations can be found on
their website, along with their schedule and payment options for anyone
curious to find out more about the
health center.
People
Park Annual Brooklyn Community
Services FunWalk. He also works
with elementary schools in Brooklyn
and Queens.
He participates in the Annual Career Fair for P.S. 268 in Brooklyn,
Shaun Smith, a resident of Rock- and helps with the “Change for Kids
Program” for P.S. 160
away Beach and a
in Jamaica, Queens.
section manager for
He also gives back to
Con Edison, has won
his high school, Calathe company’s highbar High, in the island
est honor, the “Living
of Jamaica by being
Our Values” award.
the benefactor of a
Smith, who joined
scholarship aimed to
the company in 2003,
help promising young
was chosen for exemmen from the inner
plifying Con Edison’s
city communities.
values of service, teamSmith was born
work, excellence and
and raised in the iscommunity service.
land of Jamaica, and
Smith is part of a
won several national
Shaun Smith
team that is responspeech awards from a
sible for all residential
and commercial electrical services in young age. He migrated to New York
Queens and has focused on enhanc- to attend The City College of New
ing the customer experience. He York to pursue a degree in electrical
manages a department of 85 employ- engineering. He earned magna cum
laude honors, as well as several other
ees, both union and management.
Smith received this honor because accolades and distinctions, includof his commitment to work and coming Engineering Honor Societies and
munity. He has participated in several National Honors.
He also earned an MBA in Fivolunteer activities, including raising
funds and walking in the Prospect nance from NYU Stern School of
Latina Khalil of Far Rockaway,
a student at the State University of
New York at New Paltz, was awarded
the Ronald F. and Flona J. Henriques
Memorial Scholarship.
Business and a Master’s in electrical
engineering from Manhattan College. His hobbies include playing
soccer and working out.
U.S. Army Pvt. Damira Hawkins has graduated from basic combat
training at Fort Jackson, Columbia,
S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army
mission, history, tradition and core
values, physical fitness, and received
instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training,
drill and ceremony, marching, rifle
marksmanship, armed and unarmed
combat, map reading, field tactics,
military courtesy, military justice
system, basic first aid, foot marches,
and field training exercises.
Hawkins is the daughter of Dale
Wise of Corona and granddaughter of Cora Wise of Far Rockaway.
She is a 2014 graduate of Brooklyn
School for Music and Theatre.
Christian
Robert-Toledo
of
Rosedale earned a Bronze medal in
Hot Food and Cold Food at the Second Annual ACF Spring Culinary
Classic at Schenectady County Com-
munity College on April 17-18.
Robert-Toledo is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts at
SUNY Delhi. Robert-Toledo was
one of many SUNY Delhi students
awarded honors at the professional
competition.
U.S. Army Spc. Omololu Adeyemi
has graduated from basic combat
training at Fort Jackson, Columbia,
S.C. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army
mission, history, tradition and core
values, physical fitness, and received
instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training,
drill and ceremony, marching, rifle
marksmanship, armed and unarmed
combat, map reading, field tactics,
military courtesy, military justice
system, basic first aid, foot marches,
and field training exercises. Adeyemi
is the son of Elizabeth O. Adeyemi of
Cambria Heights.
Send notices of graduation, awards,
anniversaries, etc., to:
PRESS of Southeast Queens
150-50 14th Rd.,
Whitestone, NY 11357
Faith
A Special Mother’s Day Healing Breakfast
BY STEVEN RODRIGUEZ
participate in this breakchurches to do things
fast,” Edness said. “I’ve
together.
been doing this for 10
“They do a lot, they
years and this for people
go to foster care sheldealing with grief and
ters, painting and cleanneed encouragement,”
ing up. They serve the
The Healing Love
City and also have their
Breakfast will also infestivals,” she added.
clude music and internaThe Healing Love
tional speakers Andrew
breakfast is a opportuniand Wendy Palau, who
ty for the body of Christ
will provide words of
to come into a place of
encouragement to those
need and bring comattending the breakfast;
fort, healing and hope
they are from the Luis
for those grieving on
Palau Ministry. They
Mother’s Day weekend,
are also part of what Greater Allen AME is hosting its 10th annual Healing Love Edness said.
is called the New York Breakfast this weekend.
The hosting pastors
City Serve/New York
for the event are ReverCity Fest.
and a smaller festival on June 5 at end Floyd Flake and Reverend Elaine
“We’re joining with New York Flushing Meadows Corona Park,”
Flake. Tickets for the event are only
City Fest in doing this, they are the
According to Edness, New York $10 and they are sold in the church ofones that came up with the idea of City Fest is doing a lot of great fice on the second floor as well as the
collaboration with the other church- things throughout New York City. bookstore. The Greater Allen A.M.E
es,” Edness said. “They are having a This breakfast is one event out of 100 Cathedral of New York is located at
big festival on July 11 at Central Park that they are doing, which gathers 110-31 Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica.
The Greater Allen A.M.E Cathedral of New York will be hosting a
Healing Love Mother’s Day Breakfast on Saturday on May 9, from 9
a.m to noon for those whose mothers
cannot be here to celebrate Mother’s
Day this weekend.
“This is a breakfast for those who
are grieving the loss of their mother or
a loved one and Mother’s Day can be
a very hard day for them,” Reverend
Nichole Edness said. “We have this
breakfast every year to let those people going through grief know that they
aren’t forgotten on Mother’s Day.”
Edness said the church has held
these Healing Love breakfasts for the
past 10 years, but this year they’re
inviting more churches to come out
and take part in the event.
“This is the first time where
we have just opened it up to other
churches. We have about 14 churches
that are coming on board this year to
Notebook
Adult Learners Program
Queens Library Celebrates 140 GED Graduates
Billie Williams has been looking to
get her General Education Development diploma since 1997, but her fulltime job with the Parks Department
and taking care of her three boys delayed the process.
After dedicating the last four
months at the Queens Library, she
earned her diploma and said she was
going to have a graduation drink with
her sister, LaToya, after the graduation ceremony at the Queens Library
Central Branch in Jamaica on Tuesday.
“I’m motivated more now to continue my education,” Williams said.
“I plan on working towards an associate’s degree in business management.”
The library celebrated the graduations of 140 adults who prepared
for and successfully earned their
high school diplomas using the free
resources of Queens Library’s Adult
Learners Program.
The graduates participated in a
processional dressed in full academic
regalia.
Photo by Jordan GIbbons
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
The Queens Library Central branch held a ceremony for GED graduates this
week to celebrate their achievements.
The library also provided special
tutoring, peer support and the computer skills they needed to take this
step and achieve their goal.
Interim President and CEO Bridget
Quinn-Carey addressed the graduates
before they received their diploma.
“I hope this is one step on a long
road of moving forward,” she said. “I
promise that wherever you choose to
go next, Queens Library will be here
to help you.”
Jerome Simmons of Long Island
City said he fell short of his high
school diploma because he had to
help his family with some medical
issues, and each time he tried to go
back something came up.
Simmons eventually took the test
in 2014 and found out he passed.
“I’m glad to be here,” he said. “It
was a great experience. I’m looking towards going to school for psychology
or to be a medical technician.”
Simmons is about to start a job
with HeartShare Human Service of
New York, a nonprofit agency dedicated to improving the lives of people
in need of special services and support.
He said he will be working with
people dealing with both medical and
mental health issues.
Queens Library offers English for
Speakers of Other Languages, Adult
Basic Education, pre-high school
equivalency preparation, the high
school equivalency exam online and
a spectrum of free programs to help
learners enrich their lives at all stages
of their learning careers.
(718) 357-7400, Ext. 123, jgibbons@
What’s Up
MaY 8
King Manor Music
Presented in partnership with the
Five Boroughs Music Festival, the
San Francisco-based trio Ostraka
presents Le Parnasse Francais: Virtuosic Music for Voice, Viola, and
Lutes with works by Rameau, Guedron, Lully, Marais and Boismortier
at King Manor Museum, located at
150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica. This
event is free and begins at 6 p.m. For
information, visit www.kingmanor.org.
MaY 9
Spring Fling
State Sen. Leroy Comrie and
Councilman I. Daneek Miller are
sponsoring the 14th annual Spring
Fling at St. Alban’s Park from noon
to 5 p.m. In honor of Mother’s Day,
the first 300 mothers will receive a
special gift. There will be rides, carnival games, arts and crafts, face
painting, photo stations, music and
live entertainment. The health pavilion will also have Zumba, health
screenings, healthy cooking demonstrations and health tips. The park
is located at Merrick Boulevard and
Sayers Avenue. Affinity Health Plan
is also sponsoring the event and providing the screenings.
Breast Cancer Screening
The American-Italian Cancer
Foundation mobile, No-Cost Breast
Cancer Screening Program, which
provides mammograms and clinical
breast exams to uninsured and medically underserved City women is
having a screening at the Collaborative Arts Middle School located at
145-00 Springfield Blvd., Springfield
Gardens. To schedule an appointment, call (877) 628-9090.
Dance Showcase
On Saturday, the Vissi Dance Theater will showcase a series of pieces
dedicated to the beauty and strength
of women. State Senator James Sanders has a limited amount of complimentary tickets to the event available
through his office. During the event,
Vissi will present special Extraordinary Women awards to women who
have earned accomplishments and
achievements in the community. Call
(718) 523-3069 or stop by his office
located at 142-01 Rockaway Blvd.,
South Ozone Park.
MaY 13
Breast Cancer Screening
The No-Cost Breast Cancer
Screening Program, which provides
mammograms and clinical breast
exams to uninsured and medically
underserved City women is also having a screening at the Queens Health
Center located at 97-04 Sutphin
Blvd., Jamaica. To schedule an appointment, call (877) 628-9090.
MaY 14
Computer Lab open house
The Jamaica Service Program
for Older Adults is hosting an open
house to introduce its Jackson Center Computer Lab from 10 a.m. to 1
p.m. JSPOA has a computer literacy
program to teach adults 55 years and
older how to use a computer. Learn
basic computer usage from skilled
and patient instructors. The curriculum includes Microsoft Word, email
password protection and Facebook.
The Theodora G. Jackson Adult
Center is located at 92-47 165th St.,
Jamaica.
oNgoiNg
Women artists gallery
The Jamaica Center for Arts and
Learning is having its opening reception for In Situ: Women Artists in Place
at the Miller Gallery from 6 to 8 p.m.
The exhibit features 10 female artists,
curated by Margaret Rose Vendryes,
Ph. D, who represent the breadth and
depth of diversity in the visual field.
The exhibit will be open from March
6 to May 28. JCAL is located at 161-04
Jamaica Ave., Jamaica.
Exercise Classes
Every Tuesday and Friday at Theodora G. Jackson Adult Center offer
exercise classes. Seniors are invited
to get in shape, stay in shape and be
in shape with “The Tommy Experience” starting at 10:15 a.m. The center is located at 92-47 165th St., Jamaica. For more information call the
program office at (718) 657-6500,
Ext. 1581.
Flea Market
Go down to the Rockaway Blvd.
Senior Center to discover “Rockaway’s Closet Treasures” at a flea
market with Rockaway’s Treasure
Finders. The flea market is every
first and third week of the month on
Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10
a.m. to noon. The center is located
123-10 143rd St., Jamaica. For more
information, call (718) 657-6752.
Send your community events to the PRESS
for a free listing at 150-50 14th Rd.,
Whitestone, NY 11357. Call (718) 357-7400
or email [email protected].
pix
Rosedale Little League
Opening Day
Councilman Donovan Richards was on hand to throw out the first
pitch.
Little League players ready to hit the field.
The weather was delightful for the Rosedale Little League held its opening day ceremonies on Saturday. Celebrating 60 years, the little league
began with a parade through the community, featuring local marching
bands and this season’s little league stars.
SportS
Press of southeast Queens
olympian, sJu alumnus honored at annual track Meet
By RoBeRt elkin
The second annual Tom Farrell
Track & Field Classic was hosted by
his alma mater St. John’s University
on Saturday, and for six field events,
cross-borough rivals Queens College
had tremendous success in all aspects
of the meet.
A former track athlete at Archbishop Molloy High School and St.
John’s Farrell won a bronze medal at
the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in
Mexico City.
A member of the St. John’s Athletic Hall of Fame, Farrell turned in
some incredible performances, record times and even ran in the Millrose Games. He set a time of 1:49.8 in
the indoor 880 yard run which at that
time was a new world record. Farrell
certainly was delighted to return to
his alma mater. Some of the athletes
today look to him as a tremendous
runner and would like to pass his previous performances.
The Classic also drew past performers from many years ago, Jim
Sullivan, Jay Baxter and John McCree, who recently returned to St.
John’s as a coach, and Walter Kueffner, an official at many meets. Head
Women’s Varsity Coach Jim Hurt
along with his staff, were the directors of the classic.
“We honored Tommy Farrell, one
of the old time great [runners],” Hurt
said during the competition. “He’s
been an outstanding runner and has
been volunteering for us. We also
honored our graduating Seniors.”
Farrell was honored as someone
who went to St. John’s University and
performed at a high level and who
gave back. He has been volunteering
at St. John’s for 16 years.
“We had a great meet,” Farrell
added. “Our [girls’ varsity team] is
getting ready for [future] meets. We
wanted an easy meet.”
Sullivan, a former sprinter at St.
Johns, attended the Classic because
he and Farrell are friends.
Farrell was honored at DaSilva
Memorial Field during the course of
the meet, a newer facility than the one
Sullivan and Farrell competed on.
“I ran on the original track in
1959,” Sullivan said. “But this track
is very good.”
“It’s a great meet and it was a wonderful chance for our girls to compete
on campus,” added McCree. “The
meet was very well organized and I’m
Christine oguledo competes during
the tom Farrell track and Field Classic at St. John’s University last Saturday.
happy to be part of it. We did the meet
for Tommy Farrell. He is the most accomplished alums and one of the nicest
runners you’ll ever meet. We’re happy
to be here and support the team.”
Meanwhile, the student athletes
from the men’s side are happy to be
part of the college’s Club team that is
running in meets and training all on
their own. They coach themselves.
Some of the athletes performed
very well in the all-day meet that attracted about 25 colleges and clubs
from the tri-state area. For example,
Isobel Batt-Doyle posted a double
for St. John’s winning the 1500 meter run in 4:34 and 3000 meter run
in 9:58.
“Having a club team for our second year is great,” said John Kuehn,
president of the club. “This year we
are looking really good. “
There are 50 competitors on the
St. John’s club team. Twenty of them
competed in the Tom Farrell Classic.
Kuehn said that competing in
meets and training are on their own
and is fun to do. Hurt, female head varsity coach, helps out when he can and
when time permits with the club team.
Now the women’s team will be
preparing for championship meets
and for some lucky ones for the
NCAA Division I meet. The season is almost over for the men’s club
team. Some of these athletes will stay
in shape for cross country by competing on their own or in road races during their off season.
PsaL standings
BOYS BASEBALL VARSITY (As of May 7)
Queens A Central
School
W L
Pct.
Forest Hills
10 0
1.000
Richmond Hill
8
0
1.000
Robert Goddard HS of Comm Arts and Tech 8
3 0.724
Thomas Edison
4
7
0.364
Hillcrest
4
8
0.333
Robert F. Kennedy
1
10 0.091
Queens A South
School
Queens High School of Teaching
Martin Van Buren
Jamaica
The Scholars Academy
Far Rockaway Educational Campus
Springfield Gardens
W
11
10
6
4
1
1
L
1
2
7
7
11
12
Pct.
0.917
0.833
0.046
0.364
0.083
0.077
Queens A North
School
Maspeth
Queens Vocational Tech
Information Technology HS
Robert F. Wager Jr
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts
Renaissance
W
8
7
4
4
3
1
L
5
4
4
5
6
9
Pct.
0.615
0.636
0.500
0.444
0.333
0.111
W
10
8
6
6
L
4
2
4
5
Pct.
0.714
0.800
0.600
0.545
School
Bayside
William C. Bryant
Grover Cleveland
Townsend Harris
Queens AA East
HS for Arts and Business
Academy of American Studies
3
2
8
6
0.273
0.250
Queens AA West
School
Beach Channel/Channel View
Franklin K Lane Campus
Bushwick Campus
Transit Tech CTE High School
EBC/Bushwick Leaders
Metropolitan Campus
W
11
9
6
5
3
2
L
3
3
7
8
11
10
Pct.
0.786
0.750
0.462
0.385
0.214
0.167
GIRLS SOFTBALL VARSITY (As of May 6)
Queens A
School
W L
Pct.
HS for Construction
12 2
0.857
Bayside
12 3
0.800
Francis Lewis
11 3
0.786
Frank Sinatra School for the Arts
6
8
0.429
Forest Hills
6
9
0.400
Benjamin Cardozo
5
8
0.385
Willian C. Bryant
1
13 0.071
John Bowne
1
13 0.071
Queens B I
School
Baccalaureate School for Global
Education
Academy for American Studies
Queens High School Complex
Queens Vocational
Long Island City
Information Technology
W
L
Pct.
11
10
8
8
7
4
1
3
5
5
5
7
0.917
0.769
0.615
0.615
0.583
0.364
Academy for Careers in TV and Film
Robert F. Wagner Jr.
2
0
11
13
0.154
0.000
Queens B II
School
Jamaica
Robert F. Kennedy
Thomas Edison
Springfield Gardens
Hillcrest
Queens High School of Teaching
Martin Van Buren
Campus Magnet
W
11
8
8
8
5
4
3
0
L
1
3
3
4
7
7
10
12
Pct.
0.917
0.727
0.727
0.667
0.417
0.364
0.231
0.000
Queens B III
School
Newtown
Townsend Harris
Metropolitan Campus
Grover Cleveland
Maspeth
Franklin K. Lane Campus
Flushing
W
10
10
8
8
5
4
2
L
1
2
5
6
6
9
10
Pct.
0.909
0.833
0.615
0.571
0.455
0.309
0.167
W
10
9
7
L
2
4
5
Pct.
0.833
0.692
0.583
7
5
2
1
6
8
11
13
0.538
0.385
0.154
0.071
Queens B IV
School
The Scholars Academy
Richmond Hill
John Adams
Robert Goddard HS of Comm Arts
and Tech
Beach Channel/Channel View
Far Rockaway Educational Campus
August Martin
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11783a-2/15

Press Epaper 050815 - Queens Press | Southeast Queens News

Transcription

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