Grodenchik Hosts Street Co-Naming For Bernard M. Aquilino
City Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik (D-Bayside, Queens, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Jamaica Estates, Little Neck Oakland Gardens, Queens Village) tomorrow will join elected officials and community leaders in officially co-naming the southeast corner of Seward Avenue and 235th Street in Bellerose Manor as “Bernard M. Aquilino Place.”
Aquilino provided exceptional community service for more than 50 years in the neighborhood. He fought to have the neighborhood renamed Bellerose Manor and was a tireless advocate for elevating the quality of life in the community. He helped sustain local youth groups, educated homeowners about government services, and personally weeded and cleaned public spaces in his neighborhood.
The co-naming is slated for 9 a.m., tomorrow, Oct. 5 on the Southeast corner of 235th Street and Seward Avenue in Bellerose.
Van Bramer Receives Award From Ecuadorian American Cultural Center
City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside) this week was honored at the Ecuadorian American Cultural Center’s 2019 Recognition Night with the Aya Uma Award for his “exceptional support to the center’s mission,” which is to promote Ecuadorian culture through the arts and education.
At the event, Van Bramer announced that he secured $35,000 for the Ecuadorian American Cultural Center in the City’s FY 2020 budget, including $20,000 through the new Coalition of Theaters of Color initiative and $15,000 through the Cultural Immigrant Initiative. In total, Van Bramer has helped allocate $116,825 to the Ecuadorian American Cultural Center since he took office.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Ecuadorian American Cultural Center, an outstanding Queens-based organization that works hard to preserve Ecuadorian customs and traditions in our borough and our city,” said Van Bramer. “For the last decade, the Ecuadorian American Cultural Center has dedicated itself to supporting Ecuadorian artists and providing audiences with amazing performances that celebrate Ecuadorian heritage.”
Constantinides to Announce Diversity Plan for Borough President’s Office
City Council Member Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria, East Elmhurst, part of Long Island City, Rikers Island, part of Woodside ) today will unveil tomorrow his first major policy platform in his quest to become the next Queens Borough President in an expected special election next year should current Borough President Melinda Katz get elected to become the District Attorney in November.
The five-point policy platform plan seeks to improve outreach, support, and accessibility for the Queens Borough President’s Office. The candidate’s plan includes creating a Department of Diversity and Outreach, which will be anchored by satellite offices throughout the borough. Constantinides said the satellite offices will reach Queens’ newest residents, who need outreach, protections, and partnerships more than ever amid relentless anti-immigrant rhetoric coming out of the White House.
The plan is slated to be unveiled at 10 a.m., today, Oct. 4 at Diversity Plaza, 73-19 37th Road In Jackson Heights.
Velázquez Seek More Fed Funding For NYCHA
U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens, Lower Manhattan) this week announced the introduced of the Public Housing Emergency Response Act, legislation to allocate $70 billion for public housing capital repairs and upgrades nationally.
Under the proposal, $32 billion would flow to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). According to a recent NYCHA report conducted by its newly-appointed monitor, physical infrastructure, such as broken pipes, leaking radiators and toxic liquids, has resulted in unsuitable living conditions for residents.
In response, Velázquez’s legislation would yield a historic infusion of public housing resources necessary to eliminate the repair backlog and remedy living conditions for residents.
Velázquez noted that NYCHA used to serve as a national model for affordable housing.
“Now, it has devolved into a man-made health crisis for working families and our most vulnerable neighbors. Seniors are living without heat, children in public housing suffer from asthma, and families are exposed to toxic lead. We must act boldly to reinvest in the marginalized communities public housing was created to serve,” she said.
