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NYCFC Willets Point Stadium to Revolutionize Soccer in NYC, says C.O.O.

Alicia Venter on March 24, 2023

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Jennifer O’Sullivan grew up in an extensively athletic home, spearheaded by her sports-loving father, and played three sports in her home of Clinton, New Jersey.

Soccer was not one of those sports.

However, O’Sullivan now finds herself sitting in a position that can change Major League Soccer (MLS) at its core — to her, there is no better place to do it than Queens.

“The diversity of Queens as a borough cannot be denied,” O’Sullivan, 48, said over a phone interview. “It’s a true example of how the global game of soccer can really be used as a catalyst to bring people together culturally within the community, but also an economic boom for the borough and the city.”

As the C.O.O/Chief Legal & Administrative Officer at New York City Football Club (NYCFC), O’Sullivan has prioritized helping her club find a permanent place in Queens. The Willets Point Stadium, announced by Mayor Adams on Nov. 16, is a privately financed facility set to offer 2,500 affordable homes, a 25,000 seat stadium and a 250-room hotel. It’s expected to be completed in 2024.

Jen O’Sullivan. Photo: Matthew McDermott

O’Sullivan joined NYCFC in April 2020. Her role broadly encompasses running the operational and administrative areas of the business — human resources, IT infrastructure and facilities, navigating some of the contractual relationships with partners and working closely with NYCFC II, the reserve team and minor league affiliate of NYCFC.

Currently, NYCFC has no permanent place to call home. The team has been bouncing around from venue to venue — including Yankees Stadium — for their matches, but with a permanent stadium for their matches, they will be able to focus on the fan experience, and developing the talent of their organization, which is coming off the heels of a championship.

“I think in New York, you have this melting pot of people, many of whom came from nationalities and other areas of the world where the global game of soccer is just a way of life,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re really trying to identify people who have this strong love and passion for the game and say, ‘It’s okay for you to have your Mexican home team that you follow, but we can be your time here in New York,’”

MLS is a relatively young league in the United States, founded in 1993. NYCFC joined the league eight years ago, and in O’Sullivan’s three years with the organization, she has seen the program grow throughout the five boroughs, with a youth program or organization in approximately 70% of the city. In her time within the industry, she has seen soccer grow in New York City exponentially — instead of wearing NBA jerseys exclusively, her children and her friends are seen boasting soccer jerseys.

The United States hosting the 2024 World Cups, along with the men’s and women’s teams performing well in their performances in the past world cup, will likely add to this excitement around the sport. She hopes that this, plus the hard work of NYCFC to be involved in the community and be a presence beyond on the field, will help turn the occasional fan to an avid one.This involvement includes adding programs to schools and distributing food.

O’Sullivan hopes that the next step for NYCFC will be to add a women’s team and a women’s academy to complement their male teams, as “we see real opportunity in the women’s game as well.”

Despite being so young, she doesn’t want NYCFC to settle in their victory with the stadium — as C.O.O, she expects to continue growing the organization as forward as she can.

“We’re really doing everything we can do to ensure that this stadium journey and the stadium process is successful. Not just for us, but for part of the larger development of Willets Point and the borough of Queens, and growing out what those community initiatives look like,” she said. “If we can be a real catalyst for growth and change on the women’s side of the game, we would welcome that opportunity as well.”

Astoria Electeds advocate for bike infrastructure 1 month after tragic death

Alicia Venter on February 8, 2023

‘Street Safety is Public Safety’

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Last Friday, a month after the tragic death of 62-year-old cyclist Tamara “Tammy” Chuchi Kao in Astoria, the neighborhood’s elected officials gathered at the intersection that she was struck by a cement truck driver to demand the Department of Transportation (DOT) build a north-south bike lane and an east-west bike lane — at the very least.

Assemblyman Zohran K. Mamdani demands it by September, and that the DOT begins commencing workshops immediately to determine where these protective corridors should be built.

“What we need to be clear about is that these are reckless policies that allowed for such deaths to occur,” he said.

In the two and a half years Mamdani has been in office, four cyclists have been killed in the 36th State Assembly District he represents.

According to Crash Mapper, 63 cyclists were injured in collisions from January 2022 to January 2023 in Assembly District 36, with one fatality.

“We see this happening again and again and again,” Mamdani said. “What we are calling for is protected bike lanes in Astoria — not just a north-south [corridor], not just an east-west [corridor], but both.”

He shared that he bikes daily, as do many Astorians, and that greater efforts should be taken by the DOT to ensure that street safety for the neighborhood becomes a priority.

Currently, there is one protected bike lane in Mandani’s district: the north-south corridor on Crescent Street. As for the rest of the neighborhood — more than 98 percent of City Council District 22 according to Spatial Equity NYC — all that counts for a bike lane is paint.

“[These are just] suggestions for where cars should not go. That is where our neighbors are being killed,” Mamdani. “These are preventable deaths, and these are deaths that we must ensure that they stop.”

Councilwoman Tiffany Caban, who represents the 22nd City Council District, denounced the recent proposed budget cuts by the mayor’s office, which would lower the budget over the DOT by over $35 million.

“Street safety is public safety,” Caban said. “We have to do better than these skeleton groups. We need really robust personnel and services.”

The intersection Kao was struck, 29th Street and 24th Avenue, is along the route to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, State Senator Michael Gianaris shared. As such, there are often trucks traveling down the street, which poses a danger to bikers and pedestrians.

”We are here today for something that is a tragedy but is remarkably simple in terms of why it happened and how we can fix it. There is not enough infrastructure to protect cyclists in our city, and in this neighborhood specifically,” Gianaris said.

New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez reinforced that what happened to Kao was not an accident — it was a policy failure. These are preventable crashes, she expressed, and there should be funding to create the infrastructure needed to protect bikers in the community.

Two up-and-coming screenwriters to each receive $20,000

Alicia Venter on January 11, 2023

MoMI announces 2022 Sloan Student Winners

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Two up-and-coming artists got a welcoming reception to the world of screenwriting, each earning $20,000 in an award from the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Samantha Sewell, a native of Manhattan and UCLA student, and Gerard Shaka of Florida State University (FSU) each were awarded under the stewardship of MoMI, as part of the Museum’s wider Sloan Science & Film initiative, which provides opportunities for the creation, distributes, exhibition and discussion of films that amplify understanding of scientific themes.

The recipients each created a work that revolves around science. The money they were awarded is meant to go towards the development of their scripts; each will also receive industry exposure and year-round mentorship.

Sewell, 25, won for the pilot for her limited series “Until Then We Keep Breathing,” which is based on the life of her father who has Cystic Fibrosis. It is a six part limited series that chronicles her father’s life since 1963, when he was born and diagnosed with the congenital illness.

Samantha Sewell won for her original work “Until We Keep Breathing”

“The reason he is alive today is entirely due to science, medicine, technology and advancements in that field,” Sewell said. “The story is about that and also about one man’s will to live a normal life, and how a family pivots around congenital illness.”

She began her process by examining other forms of media that have presented congenital illness to determine how she wouldn’t. 

In beginning with examples of films and television that presented Cystic Fibrosis in a way she didn’t want to portray it, she was able to avoid commercialized, mainstream ways to present these issues. 

“It was a lot of exploration of family members and dispositions, and placing that within the context of illness — all that in relation then to how other films or TV series have presented that sort of thing,” Sewell said. 

Shaka, 29, was born in Florida, but his parents moved to the Bahamas when he was a baby, where he lived until he was 18. His work, “Woodside,” is set in the home of his childhood, where he explores the struggles of coping with abuse.

“I think I wrote it in like six days, and I just vomited it all on the page… that came out, and it was a really nice ode to the women in the community,” Shaka said.

The story follows a queer Bohemian boy as he attempts to navigate a childhood with an abusive father and complacent mother. 

Gerard Shaka

He works with a marine conservationist and while they are replanting the mangroves, the conservationist shows him what love is.

“She really represents all the women that were in my life… the people who made me feel at home when I was not at home,” he said.

Shaka just started a production company last month with fellow FSU graduates. 

Each recipient was selected by a jury that included Dr. Kate Biberdorf (University of Texas); producer Jessica Hargrave; actor/playwright Naomi Lorrain; Dr. Hannah Landecker (UCLA); Dr. Anita Perr (NYU) and writer/producer Franklin Rho.

“This year’s jury represented a diverse set of backgrounds, interests, and perspectives on both science and film, and I am grateful to them for their thoughtful consideration of our 2022 Sloan Student Prize nominees, all of whom wrote compelling stories that highlight the relevancy of science to daily life. There is an increasing need and demand for such stories, and we are looking forward to working with Samantha Sewell and Gerard Shaka to develop their personal, excellently written stories for the screen,” said Sonia Epstein, MoMI Curator of Science and Technology and Executive Editor of Sloan Science & Film in a statement.

Queens Botanical Garden receives historic $8 million donation

Alicia Venter on January 11, 2023

 

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

The Queens Botanical Garden is receiving a historic $8 million donation to fund their programming and outreach efforts in the coming years.

Jamaica-based non-profit Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation donated the $8 million, an amount that Queens Botanical Garden Executive Director Evie Hantzopoulos believes to be one of the largest donations given to any cultural organization in Queens.

With this donation, the Queens Botanical Garden plans to strategize the programming and educational services that will be provided to a variety of different Queens residents.

“One of the things that I’ve observed and I believe in is how much potential this garden has,” Hantzopoulos said. “It’s already considered such an important resource and space for the community here in Flushing and in Queens. Through this very generous gift that we are going to receive, it’s going to open up a bunch of opportunities for us to serve.”

The Queens Botanical Garden is set to receive an upgrade in the next few years, as the city is funding a new educational building to replace its current outdated center. This donation will allow there to be no time wasted once these doors are opened, as the donation will primarily serve to fund this location’s programming.

Though they are currently “at the mercy of the city” for its completion, Hantzopoulos shared that the new education center, which will be named after the Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation, is set to be completed two years after its groundbreaking. The date of the groundbreaking is currently unconfirmed, but construction is anticipated to begin in early 2024.

“We will be able to expand our capacity to serve New York City school children through tours, through workshops and through educational programs. We will be able to do some adult education as well,” Hantzopoulos said. “I think what’s really wonderful is that not only do we have this new building but we will also be able to staff and operate it. From day one that the building opens, we will be able to serve all the guests who come.”

The garden does currently have an education building, though outdated, and they will be developing and piloting new programming with the funding while the construction of the new building is underway.

Hantzopoulos told the Leader-Observer that the funding will directly benefit underrepresented areas in Queens — specifically Jamaica and the Rockaways as requested by the donors.

“The Bluestone family… wanted to give something back to those communities as well. Through this gift, we will be doing some extra special outreach to those communities.”

The Queens Botanical Garden will work with the community within public schools, Hantzopoulos shared, in order to promote sustainability and present the opportunities they provide. They are looking at the engagement of communities who haven’t been coming to the garden as much as others, Hantzopoulos said.

The goal, with this funding, is simple to Hantzopoulos.

“Our hope is that we are going to reach more people,” she said.

The garden, she explained, is on the cutting edge of environmentally sustainable practices. They are completely organic, with strategies to not waste water and composting on site, continually working to manage their resources and reduce their carbon footprint. They were the first publicly funded LEED platinum certified building in New York City in 2007, and had the first publicly accessible green roof in the city, Hantzopoulos explained.

“This is the way our city needs to go in order to become more energy efficient, manage our resources better and mitigate the impacts of climate change,” Hantzopoulos said. “In addition to bringing more people to the garden… we also want to continue leading the way in terms of environmental sustainability as we face the existential crisis of climate change.”

The Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation was formed in 2022 to foster the education of disadvantaged children and young adults in New York City. Joan was a longtime volunteer and donor at the Queens Botanical Garden, serving on its Board of Directors for many years, and she died in 2020.

Norman was a founding member of The Bluestone Organization, a Queens-based real estate company — he died in 2011.

The Queens Botanical Garden is located on 39 acres of city land at the northeast corner of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Six Weekends of 7 Line Closures into Queensboro Plaza

Alicia Venter on January 4, 2023

7 Line Suspended between 34th St.-Hudson Yards and Queensboro Plaza on Select Weekends beginning in February

Queensboro Plaza South Side Rendering. Photo: MTA

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Seven train line service will be suspended between 34th St.-Hudson Yards and Queensboro Plaza for six weeks, with the first of these closures beginning Saturday, Feb. 4. 

During these weekends, the MTA will be constructing two elevators at Queensboro Plaza in an effort to make the station fully accessible.

The service change for the first weekend is scheduled to be in effect from 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 until 5:00 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 6.

The following weekends will have service changes beginning at 3:45 a.m. on Saturday to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday:

  • Feb. 11 – Feb. 12
  • Feb. 25 – Feb. 26
  • Mar. 11 – Mar. 12
  • Mar. 25 – Mar. 26
  • Apr. 22 – Apr. 23

Free shuttle buses will be provided between Queensboro Plaza and Vernon Blvd – Jackson Av, as well as between Times Square and 34 St-Hudson Yards.

Construction at Queensboro Plaza includes an elevator at the southern entrance of the station and an elevator between the mezzanine and the two platforms. 

The mezzanine is expected to receive new lighting and be expanded by approximately 50 square feet. There will also be updates to the pedestrian bridge. 

To make the station fully accessible, the project will consist of new boarding areas compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with new platform edges and upgrades to existing street and station stairs to current ADA standards.

“The improvements coming to Queensboro Plaza will greatly benefit tens of thousands of riders,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey in a statement. “Accessibility is such an integral part of mass transit, especially for a city like New York where mass transit is essential for many. When complete, the project will provide critical accessibility upgrades, security updates, and customer experience improvements throughout the station.” 

The MTA describes the planned work on Queensboro Plaza as a “complex construction project” in a press release due to the rapidly growing, densely populated neighborhood. 

According to the MTA, Queensboro Plaza served approximately 70,000 rides on average every weekday in November 2022, and work will be required over the 11-lane wide approach to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, including two bike lanes. 

“Building in dense urban environments, with infrastructure that dates back more than 100 years, is complex and challenging,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer in the press release. “But making our system accessible is essential and so we are finding creative ways to meet that challenge. Queensboro Plaza is a perfect example, taking advantage of private investment to maximize the benefit for riders while minimizing cost to the MTA.”  

The project for building an accessible entrance on the south side of Queensboro Plaza is expected to be completed by mid-2024, and is budgeted for $74 million. There will also be upgrades made to the fire alarm system, installation of a new security camera system, a new public address system and digital information screens. 

The north side’s entrance is also set to become an accessible entrance, done so through the Zoning for Accessibility (ZFA) program. This entrance is anticipated to be completed by 2025, and will be financed by the developer of 25-01 Queens Plaza North under the ZFA transit improvement bonus program. This is expected to save the MTA millions of dollars in construction and maintenance costs.

ZFA enables developers, in exchange for an increase in their building’s density, to improve access to public transit in the busiest areas of the city.  To learn more about the program, visit https://new.mta.info/accessibility/zoning-for-accessibility. 

The MTA also announced that there will be weekend service changes on the N line in May.

Additional weekend service changes are expected throughout the year and in 2024.

Woodside Local Stars in “The Nutcracker”

Alicia Venter on November 30, 2022

“Dancing as much as I can for as long as I can”

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

Fiara, right, in “The Nutcracker”

 

Giulia Faria began dancing at age 3. Twenty years later, the Woodside local has propelled that passion towards her professional career, and will be starring in the New York Theatre Ballet’s seasonal performance of “The Nutcracker.”

Faria has been performing “The Nutcracker” since she was 10, playing multiple roles in the 1892, two-act ballet performance. This year, she is taking on the soloist roles of Coffee (or the Arabian Princess) the Mouse Queen, Spanish Dance and the Waltz of the Flowers.

“I’ve actually never danced the Arabian Princess before and it’s a very different type of role. It’s very slow and controlled and I’m more of a dynamic dancer,” Faria said. “This year is especially challenging for me because I’m stepping into a role that I’ve never done before and learning how to move in a different quality”

Faria’s dancing began at Callina Moaytis School of Classical Ballet, a since-closed school in Astoria.

Taking ballet classes every Saturday until age 10, she joined the School of New York Theatre Ballet the following year. She was still in high school when she joined the New York Theatre Ballet, a 15 year old apprentice standing among established professionals.

“Overall, it just matured a little quicker than most 15-year-olds because of the environment I was in,” Faria said. “I don’t think I would have changed for anything. I feel like it made me a better dancer and a better professional overall.”

She eventually transitioned to home school in order to balance her responsibilities in the studio and the classroom.

“It was a little tricky, because I didn’t want to go to school — I wanted to dance,” she said with a laugh.”

Faria holds two homes close to her heart: her company and her Queens community. Both she described as intrinsically part of her — with no foreseeable future of leaving either.

One of Faria’s favorite places is Sri Praphai, located at 64-13 39th Ave in Woodside, which she describes as the best Thai restaurant in New York. She regularly attends Yoga Agora in Astoria and studied nutrition at LaGuardia Community College.

“I went to school in Queens. Now, as an adult, I don’t think I would even want to live in another borough,” she said.“It’s so versatile. You can crave whatever kind of food you want at 3:00 a.m. and you’ll definitely find something. There’s a really special place in my heart for Queens.”

The New York Theatre Ballet company has maintained her passion for dance, and it is a group she says “feels like home.” For that, she plans to stay with the company for the foreseeable future, and to keep “dancing as much as I can for as long as I can.”

“I don’t necessarily mind where I am dancing or where the career takes me, as long as I’m dancing. That’s what matters,” Faria said. “As long as I feel really passionate about what I’m doing and what I’m dancing. That’s mainly my goal — to feel fulfilled wherever I am.”

Performances begin Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey Street in Manhattan. For more information or to purchase tickets to see the New York Theatre Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker,” visit https://nytb.org.

MoMi announces 2022 Curators’ Choice Lineup

Alicia Venter on November 28, 2022

Annual series to begin Dec. 9

 

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

Dos Estaciones will be screened on Friday, Dec. 30. Photo: Museum of the Moving Image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is hosting its annual Curator’ Choice series next week, and has announced the recognized films.

28 films have earned a slot in this year’s lineup, and screenings are set to begin Dec. 9. The screening will run through Jan. 21, 2023. Additional titles will be added as they are confirmed.

The Curators’ Choice Series is meant to recognize some of the best works released in 2022, with an emphasis on favorites and under-recognized work.

They were selected by MoMI’s Curator of Film Eric Hynes and their Associate Curator of Film, Edo Choi.

“While journalists, industry insiders, market analysts, and armchair speculators endlessly debated the fate of fickle moviegoing and streaming subscriptions, these selections suggest an alternative narrative for the moving image in 2022, one defined by evolving processes and forms, the instability and anxieties over how we encounter the work perhaps freeing artists to let the work become whatever it may,” said Hynes. “It’s also a year in which numerous filmmakers told their own stories, and in so doing made some of their best work.”

The series includes three films by Hong Sangsoo, a South Korean film director and screenwriter: “Introduction,” “In Front of Your Face” and “The Novelist’s Film.”

Two films by Claire Denis are being recognized: “Both Sides of the Blade” and “Stars at Noon.” Denis is a French film director and writer, and is best known for her 1999 film “Beau Travail,” which won Village Voice‘s Film Critics’ Poll in 2000.

The first screening takes place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9. The film will be “Expedition Content,” which was constructed from audio recorded from a 1964 film, described on MoMI’s website as “a deft critique of the ethnographic endeavor.”

Screenings take place from Friday through Sunday throughout December and January.

The full schedule for this years’ Creators’ Choice Series can be found at movingimage.us/series/curators-choice-2022. Tickets are $15, with discounts available for students, seniors, youth and MoMI members.

 

 

Three Astoria smoke shops robbed on Sunday: NYPD

Alicia Venter on November 21, 2022

Locations all within two miles of each other, no arrests confirmed

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Three smoke shops within two miles of each other were robbed Sunday afternoon, according to a preliminary report from the NYPD.

Despite their proximity, the NYPD has not confirmed or denied whether these robberies are connected as of publication.

The robberies took place at King 1 Smoke Shop (25-28 Broadway) at 1:10 p.m.; Smoke Station Hemp Shop (22-05 35th Street) at 1:48 p.m.; and Nirvana Vape and Convenience (31-92 21st Street) at 9:15 p.m.

All three robberies are within the confines of the 114th Precinct.

According to a preliminary report provided by a DCPI Spokesperson with the NYPD on Monday, Nov. 21, the robbery at King 1 Smoke Shop took place following an argument between a store employee and an unidentified individual who approached the country to purchase CBD products.

The perpetrator displayed a firearm over the counter and threatened the victim, and then fled on foot westbound on Broadway. There are no arrests as of publication and the investigation is ongoing.

Four individuals robbed Cloud Beast CBD Smoke & Vape Shop, according to police. Two of the unidentified individuals asked for help, following which one of the perpetrators displayed a firearm. He grabbed the victim from behind the counter and pushed him to the ground, while other individuals entered the location and grabbed items from the shelves and money from the counter, as well as the victim’s wallet, and fled.

DCPI did not share if there were any arrests made.

At Nirvana Vape and Convenience, an unidentified individual entered the location, displayed a firearm and demanded money from the employee. The suspect fled with approximately $600 in a grey SUV.

There are no arrests as of publication and the investigation is ongoing.

This is an ongoing story, and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Any tips about what’s happening in Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside or Northwest Queens? Email me at aventer@queensledger.com!

 

 

New Green Classroom at Energy Tech HS, Astoria

Alicia Venter on November 21, 2022

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

A new green classroom has opened at Energy Tech High School in Astoria. The classroom will grow herbs and vegetables through the year in a soil-less garden.

The lab is designed to help students learn about urban food production and sustainability; it is a hydroponic system, meaning that the plants will be grown in water containing nutrients instead of soil, with seeding stations, a tower garden, composting station and hanging vines.

Kale and herbs will be grown in the lab, and they will be made available to the AP Environmental Science classes and a Green Team after-school program.

The project is a collaboration between the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Energy Tech. Led by NYPA’s Environmental Justice programming, the green classroom builds on the national Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) program.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Nov. 15 in the 9th grade Living Environment classroom with New York Sun Works — a non-profit organization that built the lab — and elected officials in attendance.

Following the ribbon cutting, a tasting of classroom-grown fresh basil with tomato and mozzarella was held with the Energy Tech High School community.

“Our new hydroponic lab has been welcomed with great enthusiasm by our school community,” said Energy Tech principal Hope Barter. “Through this partnership, students are provided with enriching classroom instruction focused on the science of sustainability, engaging and high interest hands-on learning, and access to the healthy foods that they have helped to cultivate. The program also contributes to students’ knowledge of additional green career pathways and areas of STEM study. We greatly appreciate our partners at New York Power Authority and NY Sun Works for bringing us these valuable opportunities.”

The P-TECH program offers paid internships to high school students to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. Energy Tech has had students in the program for the last two summers. 14 students at Energy Tech have earned scholarships from NYPA.

Energy Tech High School serves grades 9-14; it is an Early College Initiative and Career and Technical Education school catering its education to the growing energy industry.

NYPA has funded 18 green classrooms and two green community laboratories in New York City over the past three years. The average classroom created by New York Sun Works produces more than 500 pounds of vegetables per school year.

“NYPA is pleased to support the Energy Tech High School learning lab that will bring new opportunities to students who want to prepare for skilled in-demand clean energy jobs and go on to personally rewarding careers,” said NYPA Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “NYPA supports New York State’s long-standing commitment to creating a more diversified, highly skilled workforce and these creative STEM and sustainability programs ignite young people’s interest in the energy and environment fields. Students will learn about sustainable food production and environmental science as part of the education they need to become the next generation on the front lines of fighting climate change.”

Any tips about whats happening in Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside or Northwest Queens? Email me at aventer@queensledger.com!

Ravenswood Playground Renovated, $7.1 million in improvements

Alicia Venter on November 21, 2022

Photo: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

The new renovations at Ravenswood Playground are complete, as $7.1 million in amenities bring new play equipment and water play features to the Astoria park.

A ribbon cutting was held for the park on Tuesday, Nov. 15, bringing NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., City Council Member Julie Won and Community Board 1 District Manager Florence Koulouris together in celebration.

“Ravenswood Playground has been completely transformed, and we could not be more excited to cut the ribbon on these new amenities for the community,” said Donoghue. “Thanks to our Mayor, Queens Borough President, and City Council, over $7 million has been invested to transform this vital neighborhood greenspace, with something for everyone in the community to enjoy. I know that Ravenswood Playground will continue to be focal point for fun and relaxation for the Astoria community into the future.”

New seating and picnic areas has also been added to the reconstructed park, and the basketball courts and softball fields underwent renovations.

New equipment will allow all-inclusive, accessible play to visitors, and water spray features were implemented to the children’s play area.

A newly constructed adult fitness area brings accessible units for all users.

Ravenswood Playground sits adjacent to Ravenswood Houses, and serves many of the residents of the NYCHA Housing Complex.

“This $7.1 million investment for Ravenswood Playground ensures that our NYCHA residents can enjoy brand new equipment, renovated sports fields, and much-needed safety improvements,” said Council Member Won. “Our parks are where our kids play, and I am happy that our neighbors at Ravenswood Houses will have an updated space to enjoy the outdoors.”

Funding for the project was provided by allocated funds from the City Council ($4 million), the Office of the Borough President ($2.5 million) and from the Office of the Mayor ($700,000).

Any tips about whats happening in Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside or Northwest Queens? Email me at aventer@queensledger.com!

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