Woodside Herald 3 13 15

To Advertise E-mail [email protected] or call 718-729-3772

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 THE WOODSIDE HERALD PAGE 1

VOL. 82, NO. 11 WOODSIDE, L.I.C., N.Y. FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 FREE

SERVING SUNNYSIDE-WOODSIDE AND LONG ISLAND CITY

See Page 3

Enrolled In Medicaid Insurance

Team JVB(continued on page 7)

(continued on page 2)

UNITED FORTIES MEETINGThurs, March 19th @ 7PM

St. Teresa’s Parish Center, WoodsideLast Chance To Donate Socks

44th Street, Off 50th. All Welcome.

Call On MTA To Face The PublicDepartment of TransportationPlanning New Bicycle Lanes

by Crystal Wolfe

According to the website for NYC’s Department of Trans-portation (DOT), commuter cycling in New York City hasincreased by 26% between 2008-2009 and more than doubledsince 2005.

(See Story On Page 5)

On March 11th, New YorkCity Council Majority LeaderJimmy Van Bramer and WesternQueens commuters, businessowners and stake holders held arally to voice their concerns aboutfrequent poor 7 train service. Formonths trains have been breakingdown, bypassing 7 train stations,signals have constantly malfunc-tioned and overcrowded platformscontinue to plague riders alongthe line. At the rally Van Bramercalled on the MTA to release de-tailed data of every train delay,outage, signal malfunctions andout of service along the 7 line overthe last year. The Council Mem-

ber also called on the MTA tohold an emergency town hall meet-ing to reveal their findings andexplain to the public their plan toimprove service for commutersduring rush hours.

“Queens riders are fed up withpoor 7 train service,” said VanBramer. “Day in and day out com-muters are faced with malfunc-tioning signals, trains breakingdown and/or passing their sta-tions and dangerously over-crowded platforms. The MTAmust face the public and give usanswers. They cannot continueto call us “complainers” or saywe are guilty of “wanting it both

ways.” Riders are paying for aservice that is poor, inconsistentand just plain late. I call on theMTA to publicly release detailedinformation about every servicedisruption over the last year dur-ing the rush hours and answer toQueens riders. Rush hour ser-vice has gotten worse. The MTAadmits it. Now we want to knowwhy. And we want good reliable7 train service now!”

On December 12th, 2014 VanBramer’s office sent a letter to theMTA referencing the severe dis-content riders were experiencingwith service along the 7 line.


FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015THE WOODSIDE HERALDPAGE 2

Attorneys-At-LawMARC CRAWFORD LEAVITT

JOSEPH N. YAMANER*IRA R. GREENBERG

PAUL E. KERSON

JOHN F. DUANE

TALI SEHATI

THE BENJAMIN SHAW PROFESSIONAL BUILDING

45-29 47th Street - Woodside, New York 11377718-729-0986

MIDTOWN OFFICE: 228 E. 45TH STREET, 17 FL., NYC 10017

Serving the Community Since 1947*We speak Spanish, Hebrew & Turkish

43-11 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside, NY 11104Telephone (718) 729-3772

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Crystal Wolfe, Mary Caulfield, Peter A. Ross, Rob MacKay

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERSJoe Gurrado, Robert Flanagan

Marlene Sabba ............................................................... Publisher

Sherilyn Jo Sabba ................................................................. Editor

Weekday, Eveningand Saturday

Hours byAppointment

LASER SURGERY

AVAILABLE FOR PAINFUL SOFT TISSUE

CONDITIONS – DECREASED PAIN

& HEALING TIME

E. P. F.PROCEDURE FOR PAINFUL HEEL SPURS

USING A TINY ENDOSCOPE LENS

INSERTED TO CORRECT THE CONDITION.

– MANY INSURANCES ACCEPTED –

MAJOR MEDICAL PLANS:

BLUE SHIELD, BLUE CROSS, EMPIRE PLAN, AMALGAMATED, UNITED HEALTH

CARE, OXFORD FREEDOM PLAN, 32BJ, MDNY, MEDICARE (SURGICAL)

43-15 46TH ST.SUNNYSIDE, N.Y.718-729-2117

NEW

PODIATRY MEDICAL AND SURGICAL SERVICES

DR. DAVID GOLDHABER, DABAFSBOARD CERTIFIED IN FOOT SURGERY

– IN-OFFICE MEDICAL AND SURGICAL TREATMENT –• BUNIONS • HAMMERTOES • CORNS • INGROWN TOE NAILS • WARTS

• ULCERS • HEEL & ARCH PAIN • ANKLE SPRAINS • FRACTURES

• SPORTS INJURIES • CHILDREN’S FEET • DIABETIC FOOT CARE

• GOUT • ARTHRITIS • SECOND OPINIONS • HOUSE CALLS

NEW

(continued from front page)

The New York City Depart-ment of Health estimates that overhalf a million New Yorkers ridebikes. In NYC, 10% of automo-bile trips are under half a mile,22% are under 1 mile and 56% areunder 3 miles which are distancesreadily served by bicycles. In onlythree years, DOT has completedthe City’s goal to build 200 bike-lane miles in all five boroughs,nearly doubling the citywide on-street bike network while reshap-ing the city’s streets to make themsafer for everyone who uses them.For more information, visit thewebsite http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/home/home.shtml.

DOT is working on adding bi-cycle lanes to the community ofSunnyside, Woodside, Long IslandCity and Maspeth. In 2014, thedepartment put down bike lanes onSkillman Avenue, 43rd and 47th

Avenues. There will be shared,striped and buffered bike lanes in-stalled. Reportedly the DOT plansto install 21 miles of bike lanes inthese neighborhoods.

The Greenpoint Avenue bi-cycle lanes may be installed asearly as this summer if the Com-munity Board 2 signs off on them.The Community Board 2 has someconcerns on the locations for thenew bicycle lanes however. Presi-dent of the Community Board 2,Patrick O’Brien stated, “We re-ally want to have more constitu-ents and community involvementand more opportunity for peopleto comment and express any con-cerns about these bike lanes. Wedon’t know how many we want orwhere they should be situated.Some of these areas are heavilytravelled. We need to take intoaccount all considerations. Wewon’t have an official decisionuntil we bring this into the com-munity so the people who will bemost affected by it can offer theiropinion. We want to make it the

best product for everybody.”The next Transportation Meet-

ing is currently scheduled forWednesday, March 25th andPresident O’Brien welcomes thecommunity to attend. For dates,times and locations of meetingswhich are apt to fluctuate pleaserefer to the website for the Com-munity Board 2 at http://www.cb2queens.org/.

Putting The PedalTo The Metal

Current Areas the DOTPlans to Install Bicycle

Lanes:-Greenpoint & Roosevelt

Avenues extending as far

as 58th Street

-Jackson Avenue between

Queens Plaza and 11th

Street

-Honeywell Street Bridge

from Skillman Avenue to

Northern Blvd

-56th Road in Maspeth &

Review Avenue connecting

Sunnyside to Maspeth



This Week’s Spotlight :Sunnyside’s

“Little ChurchOn The Corner”

by Crystal Wolfe

“It seems to me that no single church issuitable for everyone, but that there’s achurch out there that’s a good fit for justabout any kind of person.” Reverend NeilA. Margetson has been a minister at theSunnyside Reformed Church on 48th Streetand Skillman Avenue for six years. “We area church that blends a traditional worshipand theology with a progressive and mis-sion-based perspective.”

Becoming a Pastor was a midlife career change for him. “It was the furthest thing frommy mind. My family did not attend church, so it never became a habit. I had a personal crisisin 1990 and became a 12-Stepper. That saved my life and also led to a renewed spirituallife.” He became interested and engaged in reading the Bible and other spiritual literaturefor the first time. “Then one day I heard a voice that called me to ministry. Most of myfriends and family were surprised but supportive. I had long intended to finish my PhD inAnthropology, but felt compelled to answer this call and ended up at NY TheologicalSeminary part-time while working full-time.”

The pastor has a MA in Anthropology from Columbia University. He specialized inUrban Anthropology and Quantitative Methods, which led to a career as a researcher. He’sworked for The City of NY, Covenant House, The Coalition for the Homeless, and theSloan-Kettering Cancer Center. After he received the calling to become a minister hereceived his Master of Divinity degree in 2005 and began full-time ministry in 2009.

Reverend Margetson finds the most challenging and the most rewarding aspect ofministry is working directly with people. He enjoys his parishioner’s willingness to engagehim in dialog about faith. “I am blessed to be engaged in all aspects of my parishioner’slives. I deal with birth, death, sickness, renewal, tragedy and joyousness. My door is alwaysopen and people come and talk to me all the time.”

The practical aspects of maintaining anold church building and church financeshave also been a challenge. “The WoodsideHerald is an amazing resource. We havebeen advertising in the Herald almost sinceI began here six years ago. Virtually every-one in Sunnyside and Woodside - who canfind it - reads it.” The Little Church on theCorner maintains a standing contract withthe newspaper Reverend Margetson easilyrenews every year. “Advertising with theWoodside Herald has given the churchgreater visibility, good coverage for events,community relations, and community expo-sure. It’s important for us to be visible...notjust literally, but also spiritually. Workingwith the Herald lets us do that.”

Sunnyside reminds of him where grewup, when it was safe to walk to school fromkindergarten up. He appreciates being onthe Skillman Ave commercial strip recog-nizing how it really defines the neighbor-hood. “But I worry about Sunnyside. It’s soclose to Manhattan. I expect it will be getting a lot of pressure in the next few years. Therewill be new tenants with more money to spend, and changing demographics, etc.”

Periodically, the church hosts community events like their annual Thanksgiving dinnerfeeding hundreds in the community. They have a weekly choir led by celebrated concertpianist Magdalena Dushkina, who warmly welcomes everyone at any musical level to jointhem. Once or twice a month the church hosts a music concert, poetry night, a movie night,etc. that is open to the public. “We are working on focusing our attention outward. Ourconcerns are with the whole community and not only our inner circle of the faithful. We arethe church that wants to save the world! We are also the church most dedicated tocommunity building - which we pursue via our Art and Music Programs. It’s a differentapproach and seems to be working!” With their monthly music events and continuousoutreach programs in the community, the Little Church on the Corner is making a differenceand doing their part to bring the light of goodwill and community to the crooks and cranniesof Sunnyside. For more information about the church go to: sunnysidenyc.rcachurches.org/Editor’s Note: Pastor Neil asked that I quote the following, as it was very important tohim…“My wife Gretchen, and daughter, Arlen have been super-supportive andunderstanding of such a huge change in our lives. I could never have done it withoutthat support at home.”

Holy WeekServices:

Palm Sunday 11AM4/2 Maundy 7PM4/3 Good Friday 7PM4/5 Easter Sunday 11AM

Live Shows Saturday’s:3/14 @ 7PM: Jazz Concert feat.David Schmitter & Marti Mabin3/28 @ 8PM: Poetry Slam/Open Mic Night4/11 @ 7PM: Lady Cantrese inConcert - Jazz, R&B, Soul5/9 @ 7PM: Classical Piano Recital,Mike Ranalli6/6 @ 7PM: Astoria Big Bandwith Carol Sudhalter6/27 @ 7PM: The Derelicts-Rock & Roll Blues



Trivia Not So Trivialby Crystal Wolfe

Ty Sullivan hosts the first and only live “Trivia Night” that has videorounds with different themes keeping it fresh, fun and new each week.“One of the things that has made the Trivia Night so successful is keepingit personal with the crowd. I give them a one-on-one experience weeklythat’s infused with comedy, trivia and a Cheers-style atmosphere whereeverybody knows their name.”

Sullivan’s Trivia Night is well into its 4th year and shows no signsof slowing down. Now with newly expanded renovations it’s nolonger standing room only but offers an accommodating atmospherewhere Trivia Teams can relax, drink and think. “So many triviaexperiences are just some person reading off questions. Instead I turneach question into a joke or dialogue with the audience making thempart of the show,” says host Ty Sullivan.

Trivia Night is every Tuesday night from 8 pm to 10 pm at Bar43 at 43-06 43rd Street in Sunnyside. The admissions are FREE,there are FREE prizes for every round won, best team name and theworst score. Plus 25% off the entire nights check for 2nd place and50% off the entire check for 1st place. Next Tuesday Trivia Night isscheduled for March 24th and the theme is “Quentin Tarantino”—celebrating his films in the video, picture and music rounds.

718-729-3772



by Crystal Wolfe

Captain John Travaglia be-came the Captain of the 108thPrecinct in November of 2014and since that time he’s workedmany nights and weekends inhis dedicated pursuit to bringthe overall crime rate in ourcommunity down by 25%.

One Case At A Time

“During this time I have metand worked with approximately250 (sworn, auxiliary and civil-ian) members of the 108th Pre-cinct. Their work is nothingshort of extraordinary and Imarvel at their talents and dedi-cation to serving the commu-nity. What I have seen andobserved in the 108th Precinctin the last 3 months has reaf-firmed why I am in this profes-sion. I call it a professionbecause the police world I workin requires continued trainingand education along with a fa-

vorable attitude towards inno-vation and change. It is a learnedoccupation that is taken veryseriously by my personnel. It isa profession and a calling.”Captain Travaglia and his of-

ficers have some of kind of train-ing every day or every otherday to keep up-to-date on newcrimes, crime tactics, and waysto handle emotionally disturbedindividuals as many criminalsstruggle with that component.

During his tenure at the108th Precinct Captain shared

some very notable police events.On Tuesday, December 16,2014 at approximately 11:55amPolice Officer Caldarera andPolice Officer Sarro observed acrowd gathered around a manwho was on the sidewalk infront of 29-10 Thomson Ave(Laguardia College). The of-ficers identified the man was incardiac arrest and were able toregain a heartbeat after two de-ployments of a defibrillator de-vice. The victim was removedto Elmhurst General Hospitaland has recovered from his ill-

ness. The attending doctor inthe emergency room informedthe officers they had saved theman’s life. “I could not behappier to report that on Febru-ary 24, 2015 at our Community

Council meeting our victim pre-sented the two officers with aplaque for their actions. Theofficers remain in contact withour victim. Police Officer Sarroand Caldarera are just two ofthe many officers that performextraordinary acts every day inNew York City.”

On Saturday, February, 7,2015 at approximately 7:20 ama male was shot twice in thevicinity of 42-56 21 Street. Themale victim was employed as abouncer at the “Show Palace”and was shot after he removed 3males from the nightclub. Po-lice Officer Laclair and PoliceOfficer Irvin of the 108th Pre-cinct were performing admin-istrative duties at the end oftheir shift and heard the ‘call forservice’ come over the radio.They were on the scene almostimmediately and their efforts

led to the arrest of 3 male sub-jects with the firearm recov-ered. Captain Travaglia saidthe victim who was shottwice suffered non-lifethreatening injuries and thatthis arrest was nothing shortof an act of heroism.

Captain Travaglia hasworked in several other pre-cincts in the area. Burglariesare the biggest crime problemfor the 108th precinct but a verysmall percentage of the popula-tion is committing these crimes.Statistically criminals commitat least 20-30 robberies beforethey are ever apprehended.Captain Travaglia is very fo-cused on cutting crime rateshere so he is working as a teamwith the neighboring pre-cincts—namely the 114th,110th, and 115th precincts.“Criminals don’t know wherethe lines end and often a rob-bery from the same criminalcan affect several precincts. Werecently solved a burglary casejust by working together.”

should be kept at home or in asafe place—that doesn’t includeyour vehicle. For credit cardtheft Captain Travaglia suggests1.) Be vigilant checking yourbalance and status that all thepurchases being made are byyou. 2.) Be aware of whereyour cards are at all times. 3.)Make sure you keep your creditcards in a safe place. 4.) Changeyour credit cards frequently.Every few months it’s smart toget issued new numbers by yourbank so that even if somehowsomeone does nab the cards ornumbers off your card, they willno longer be valid. “The com-munity is our eyes and ears,”said Captain Travaglia. “Andthe best part of my job is help-ing people— and to me that

includes preventing crimes asmuch as it does solving them.”

Captain John Travagliawants citizens to be able to cometo him with questions, eyewit-ness accounts, accidents,crimes, and any other concerns.“We at the 108th Precinct needthe community. I welcome thecompliments of the communityand I certainly welcome its com-plaints. There is no one in thisworld who knows their com-munity better then a citizen liv-ing in it. If anyone sees some-thing out of place, somethingsuspicious, I need them to call911 to report it or 311 for lessserious issues such as parkingconditions. Our partnershipwith the community is criticalto our success.”

A good way to cut down oncrime is through preventativemeans. That’s why CaptainTravaglia encourages the com-munity to take good care oftheir possessions. Anything ofvalue—phones, laptops, etc.

Friday NightTeen Program

Hosted by Variety Boys & Girls Club of QueensThe Friday Night Teen Program is designed to provide the middle school and

teen population of the Sunnyside and Woodside areas with the skills and abilitiesthey will need in order to become responsible citizens and leaders. VBGCQhopes to equip our teens with the tools necessary to succeed now and in thefuture by engaging them in 5 core program areas: Academic Enhancement,Visual and Performing Arts, Sports, Fitness and Recreation, Character andLeadership, and Health and Life Skills!

Open to the Sunnyside andWoodside Communities

Maurice A. Fitzgerald, P.S. 199,

39-20 48th Avenue, Sunnyside

6-7PM Middle School Students

(5th through 8th Grade)

7-9PM High School Students

(9th through 12th Grade)

To enroll your children in this amazing opportunity, please visit our website atwww.vbgcq.org. Registration costs $10.00, and is required in order to participate.Any questions, please contact 718-728-0946.



• LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICEPROBATE CITATION FileNo. 2014-3996 SURROGATE’SCOURT – QUEENS COUNTYCITATION THE PEOPLE OFTHE STATE OF NEW YORK,By the Grace of God Free andIndependent To: PublicAdministrator of the County ofQueens; Attorney General of NewYork State; To the heirs at law,next of kin, and distributees ofErna B. Sisco deceased, if living,and if any of them be dead to theirheirs at law, next of kin,distributees, legatees, executors,administrators, assignees andsuccessors in interest whose namesare unknown and cannot beascertained after due diligence.

A petition having been duly filedby Unchu Julie Roh, aka Julie Roh-Son, who is domiciled at 5450Leary Ave NW, unit 550, SeattleWA 98107YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TOSHOW CAUSE before theSurrogate’s Court , QueensCounty, at 88-11 SutphinBoulevard, Jamaica, New York,on 7th day of May, 2015 at 9:30A.M. of that day, why a decreeshould not be made in the estate ofErna B. Sisco, lately domiciled at52-60 65th Place, Apt. 4A, MaspethNY 11378 admitting to probate aWill dated 4/22/1999, (a Codicildated: none), a copy of which isattached, as the Will of Erna B.

Sisco deceased, relating to realand personal property, anddirecting that {x} LettersTestamentary issue to: UnchuJulie Roh. Dated, Attested andSealed March 4 2015 HON.PETER J. KELLY Surrogate;Margaret M. Gribbon Chief Clerk;Pro Se: Unchu Julie Roh 5450Leary Ave NW, unit 550, SeattleWA 98107[Note: This citation is served uponyou as required by law. You arenot required to appear. If you failto appear it will be assumed youdo not object to the reliefrequested. You have a right tohave an attorney appear for you.]3/13/15, 3/20/15, 3/27/15, 4/3/15

Cash Is KingAt Queens Networking Breakfast

Maximizing capital was the main topic at the Women’s Busi-ness Center’s Power Networking Breakfast at Queens BoroughHall on March 5. Robin Wilson-Jayaraman, an expert in entrepre-neurship who directs Urban Upbound’s Financial Fitness Program,discussed various ways new businesses can obtain public andprivate funding. Sponsored by the Queens Economic DevelopmentCorporation and the U.S. Small Business Administration, theWomen’s Business Center holds periodical networking and infor-mation events and provides individual counseling.

Photo Above: Wilson-Jayaraman (in stripes) is sitting in the firstrow, while SBA’s Sylvia Rivera is standing right behind her.

Irish Dance CelebrationMcManus Irish Dance,

founded and taught by Sunnysidelocal, Patricia McManus, hosted alovely St Patrick’s Day celebra-tion last Sunday at Maguire’s pubin Woodside. The afternoon eventfeatured live music by well knowIrish musicians: Matt Mancuso,Peter Maguire-also the pub’sowner and gracious host, PaddyGlynn & Brian Gormley -whowere later joined by many otherlocal Irish musicians & perform-ers throughout the night.

The Irish dance children from

all class levels & ages, includingthe “Jiggy Tots” aged 2-3 and adultstudents & instructors, demon-strated traditional Irish dance steps.These jigs helped warm both thekids and the excited audience, af-ter participating in the neighbor-hood St. Pat’s for All parade onSkillman Ave that day. Two of theyoung students were also celebrat-ing their respective 2nd and 3rdplace wins a day prior, at the MidAtlantic Championships in NJ- aparticularly exciting win, as it wastheir first time ever competing Irish

dance competition!Re-create Queens, a neighbor-

hood group, whom the danceschool is a part of, and workingwith to develop a community spacein our area to house all arts andcommunity programming, werealso there in number to support andenjoy the Irish culture and “craic”-irish for fun!

McManus Irish Dance is aproud member of An Comhdhail,Ireland and have local classes inSunnyside and LIC and also in twoManhattan locations.



The above is a paid advertisement

An error was made in last week’s edition in the article “Say It Ain’tToll” in regards to new rates for tolls. The correct rates are $7.50Cash and $5.33 with an E-ZPass.

Dance InitiativeConnecting Local

Dancemakers WithCUNY Colleges

Monday, March 23rd 6:30p- 8p

The second year of the CUNY Dance Initiative is under way,awarding 26 New York City dance companies/choreographers resi-dencies at 11 CUNY colleges in 2015. Funding from the New YorkCommunity Trust and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation opens the doorsof CUNY campuses to local choreographers and dance companies,simultaneously supporting the growth of professional artists andCUNY students by assisting the host colleges with artist fees, re-hearsal expenses, and marketing efforts. Join Dance/NYC as WendyPerron, author of Through the Eyes of a Dancer and former editor inchief of Dance Magazine, hosts a discussion with five awarded artistsat the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in Long Island City.

FREE Reception to FollowLGA Performing Arts Center, Little

Theater, LaGuardia CommunityCollege, 31-10 Thompson Ave. LIC

(continued from front page)

The MTA responded twomonths later referencing a studythey conducted on service alongthe 7 line. Reviewing a period dat-ing back to January 2013 the MTArevealed, “there were periods wheredelays and incidents have spiked.”

The addition of annual con-struction along the line has alsopersistently disrupted vehiculartraffic on Queens Boulevard aswell as streets adjacent to the el-evated train leaving commuterstrapped in Western Queens overthe weekends.

7 train commuters, communityleaders and business ownerspacked the rally sharing their hor-ror stories about how poor serviceis having negative impacts on theirdaily commutes, careers and per-sonal lives. Queens train riders alsotook to social media to share their#7TrainNightmares with the MTA.

“On the first bitter cold morn-ing of the season, I waited over 45minutes as ten trains came throughthe station, too packed for anyoneelse to board,” said Tara Turtell,Sunnyside resident. “Unfortunatelythat was just one of many times the7 train has made me excessively

late to work. When I complain tothe MTA all I hear are halfheartedapologies and absolutely no desireto improve, which makes the situ-ation that much more frustrating.”

“Many times throughout thiswinter alone, I have been forced towait in excess of 40 minutes toboard a train—packed in tighterthan sardines on both the danger-ous platform edge and the claus-trophobia-inducing train cars,” saidJoshua Plant, Sunnyside resident.“This is unacceptable, and moreimportantly, it is unsafe. At anymoment, any one of us could fallonto the tracks due to overcrowd-ing because of service delays andinterruptions. This is not merely an“inconvenience” as the MTA an-nouncement so gently puts it; thisis a matter of public safety.”

“The state of affairs with the 7train is, and has been for far toolong, a progressively deterioratingspiral causing our residents to travelin conditions that have gone frombarely acceptable to bad to hor-rible,” said Pat O’Brien, Chair ofCommunity Board 2. “Unfortu-nately, that isn’t the worst newseither as the unacceptable state ofthe current overcrowding, delays,and maintenance are likely to fall

even further with no realistic endin sight. “Unacceptable” hardlydescribes what people endure ev-ery day and, while we don’t haveto endure it on weekends becauseof constant service interruptions,that is of no solace and only com-pounds the inconvenience and dep-rivation of essential services. Thisneeds to be fixed, MTA, and now!”

“LIC is a dynamic, mixed usecommunity because it is builtaround transit, particularly the 7train, and without reliable, easy tonavigate, and frequent 7 train ser-vice connecting it both west andeast, LIC can’t function,” saidElizabeth Lusskin, President of theLIC Partnership. “LIC is home tomore than 6,000 businesses em-ploying over 93,000 people, thatnumber again of residents, over adozen major cultural institutions,150+ restaurants and bars, and 24hotels – and all of these depend onthe 7, which, for much of LIC’sworkforce and businesses, is theonly mass transit option. Whilenecessary repairs must be made,we need to have clear information,easy to use alternatives, adequateservice and scheduling that is sen-sitive to the overall impact repeatedand confusing closures and dis-ruptions have.”

“The 7 train is the lifeline thatconnects Sunnyside to the rest ofNew York City, and we need it tobe reliable,” said Rachel Thieme,Executive Director of SunnysideShines Business Improvement Dis-trict. “Our local businesses dependon the 7 train to get their employ-ees to work and customers to theirstores. With frequent track workand increased service disruptions,our neighborhood is being short-changed by the MTA. Sunnyside’slocal businesses deserve better.”

Applications To Serve On CommunityEducation Councils Being Accepted NowBP Melinda Katz is accepting

applications from qualified com-munity- and education-minded in-dividuals to serve as a 2015-2017Borough President Appointee tothe Queens’ Community Educa-tion Councils (CECs).

CECs allow for parent involve-ment at the Community SchoolDistrict level and play an essentialrole in shaping education policiesfor New York City public schools.They are education policy advi-sory bodies that have a number ofimportant responsibilities, includ-ing reviewing and evaluating adistrict’s educational programs,

approving zoning lines and hold-ing public hearings.

Each CEC consists of 12 mem-bers who serve as volunteers andprovide hands-on leadership andsupport for their district’s publicschools. Queens has seven CECs(one for each school district in theborough) and Borough PresidentKatz will appoint two members toeach of those seven councils. Bor-ough President Katz’s appointeeswill serve for a two-year term fromJuly 1, 2015 – June 30, 2017. ABorough President’s appointeemust either live in or own or oper-ate a business in the Community

School District served by the CECthat he or she is appointed to. Theappointee must also have exten-sive business, trade or educationexperience and knowledge.

Anyone interested in apply-ing to be a 2015-2017 BoroughPresident Appointee must sub-mit an application with Bor-ough President Katz’s office byApril 30, 2015. Applications areavailable on the BoroughPresident’s website atwww.queensbp.org/policy/edu-cation and are accepted eithervia e-mail info(at)queensbp.org,in-person or regular mail.

LONG ISLAND CITY/ASTORIA LIONS CLUB

Founded on September 22, 1921 -“Proud to be the longest lasting Lions Club in NYS”

(93 Years of Service)

OPEN HOUSEThursday, March 26th @ 7p – 9p

THE NEW YORK IRISH CENTER, 1040 JACKSON AVENUE, LICLight Snacks and Refreshments Available. Also ‘Then and Now’ Photos of the

Changing Long Island City by Frank Carrado

For Info Contact: John Edebohls (718) 729-6747 John Dallaire (646) 245-3007



Woodside Youth Power Further Winter OperationsExpand Freedom Of Association Completing Multiple Projects

by David Rosasco

Rapidly moving through the ranks ofexperienced youth leaders such as EdisonLovera Sisterna, Junior at Civic Leader-ship Academy High School who continueto serve across the entire Woodside com-munity in many different projects in anyweather condition, assuring the team “Wecan knock out the ice and snow from thebridges and anywhere with the quality andnumber of people available.”

This was no small assertion by Edisonas 36 members of the team were againtasked with such work after the recentsnowstorm, gathering as they do each weekon Saturday March 7, represented by stu-dents from PS 11, St. Sebastian’s, ForestHills High School, Al-Ihsan Academy, aswell as critical assistance from the mis-sionaries from the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints, all engaged in the sortof unison of purpose one normally expects

from large organizations of adults.But these young people have, for many

years, quietly and without fanfare, held theline in the darkest days of winter clearingsnow and ice, while leaving room for theirother work such as graffiti removal andcleanups which also occurred on Saturdaythen again on Sunday, March 8, proving thatthis gathering of Woodside’s youth is moti-vated by more than praise or credit.

Aldair Ozuna, junior at Flushing Interna-

tional High School, like other youth whohave the will to serve, but are rarely providedconsistent opportunities or an environmentwith other like-minded people of any age,stated the obvious “Watching all the youngpeople working together, shoveling snow,removing graffiti, everything, made me wantto be part of something bigger, and thisproject in Woodside is huge and has manyparts, but it’s something with a clear goal,and it’s fun, the way it should be.”

1: Thiara, Evelyn and Ximena, 2: Front: Elder Robinson, Huzagary, John, Tsesing, Back: Elder Mason, Sister Grass, 3:Snow Removal Start, 4: Youth Team Assembled, 5: John(Graffiti Removal), 6: Aldair and John, 7: Snow Removal Center of Mass, 8: Height of Team Shoveling, 9: Miguel, Michael, Jeyson and Jhanna, 10: Full Team at End of Operations

Documents

Woodside Herald 3 13 15