The Friends of the BQX Executive Director, Ya-Ting Liu, stepped down on December 1st.  Ya-Ting stepped down just after unveiling the first-ever life-size prototype of the light rail car of the BQX. Ya-Ting was able to accomplish a lot while being the Executive Director. She was able to build a diverse board of directors and more than 200 organizations to endorse the BQX project, including the Transit Workers Union. And in the last several weeks, hundreds of those supporters turned out at our prototype unveiling and nearly 3,700 NYCHA residents signed petitions in the support of the project. The Deputy Director of the Friends of the BQX, Jessica Schumer, will serve as the interim executive director until the position is filled. The Friends of BQX website states that Schumer had worked at Hillary for America where she served as policy advisor for vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine. Prior to that, she was one of the two drafters of the 2016 Democratic platform. This change of leadership is the latest hiccup in the timeline already behind schedule.  The Old Astoria Neighborhood Association is hoping for a quick resolution to  new management and hopes that the BQX will soon get back on track to see if this vision can become a reality. Photo:Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector

The post Executive Director of BQX Stepped Down appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

Small businesses in New York State will be getting some relief because of three different bills that have been signed into law.  This is all thanks to Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, the assembly member of Astoria, and Governor Andrew Cuomo. Simotas knows how important small businesses are to communities because she is the daughter of a business owner.  Seeing small businesses first hand helped her shape these bills. The first bill will help small businesses comply with regulations by requiring state agencies to create plain language guides. These would include information on the most common regulatory violations that small businesses are cited for. The bill also provides actions small businesses can take to minimize or prevent the occurrence of violations. The second bill extends to a minimum of 60 days the time to review and comment on rules proposed by state agencies, enabling greater participation by businesses and the public. The prior mandate was only 45 days for many state agencies. The third bill will require notices of proposed new rules requested by business owners can be sent via email rather than conventional mail.  Agencies in turn would be required to send rulemaking notices electronically when requested. Local business is the backbone of the Old Astoria neighborhood.  With the help of these new laws, local businesses will be able to thrive in our community.  We want to thank Assemblymember Simotas for supporting bills that make her and our community better! Photo:By Samdarche – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32387048

The post Small Business Owners Are Catching A Break With These New Bills appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

Looking for something fun for your children to do next weekend?  Look no further than the Community Youth Fun Day Hosted by Saint Georges Church at 14-20 27th Avenue (at 14th St) Astoria, NY.  The even will be on Saturday, January 13th from 12:30 to 4 PM and is open to children ages 4 to 14.  The event is free and offers refreshments, arts & crafts, videos, and music! Call and reserve a spot for your child at 718-721-5154 or email stgeorge.astoria@gmail.com.  Hope to see you there!

The post Community Youth Fun Day Hosted by Saint Georges Church appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

The Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX) is a proposed streetcar that would link Brooklyn and Queens along the waterfront of both boroughs.  The public-review process for the BQX was supposed to start by the end of 2017.  However, the start date has extended into this year.  According to The Crain’s report, the reason for the extension is because the city is still trying to study the cost, revenue, and feasibility of the streetcar. The Economic Development Corporation that is supporting the BQX stated that the company is OK with taking the time necessary for a thorough analysis to make sure it gets done right because of the multibillion-dollar investment. This 14 mile line would connect the Astoria, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Sunset Park neighborhoods.  This would make it a lot easier for people outside the community to access Old Astoria.  OANA hopes that as long as community concerns such as routing and speed are properly addressed, BQX will soon become a reality.

The post The BQX Timeline May be Shattered appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

The residents of the Shore Towers condo building are concerned for their safety after discovering that 5 apartments had been converted to 150 storage cages.  This is not only illegal, but it is also threatens the building’s fire safety because there are no smoke detectors or sprinklers within the storage cages. This problem is not new. The New York Fire Department (FDNY) along with the NYC Department of Buildings(DOB) have issued multiple violations and fines to these units since 2007. The owner of the units claims that he is planning on selling them once the DOB issues the proper permits. He plans for the storage cages to be converted back to apartment units after he sells them (in approximately six months). We at OANA ask that a solution be reached as soon as possible. Safety is a top priority for all citizens.

The post Condos In Astoria Mock Storage Units appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

The Long Island City Partnership is calling all businesses and organizations located in Long Island City to tell them what they think about the future of the area by filling out an online survey.  This will help the partnership update LIC’s data and better inform policy decisions that shape our future. The survey is open now until January 31, 2018 and is completely confidential and is imited to businesses and organizations located within one of the following ZIP codes: 11101, 11102, 11103, 11104, 11105, 11106,  11109, and 11120. Still not motivated to do it?  After completing the survey, you will be entered to win a set of two JetBlue tickets!  Thank you for an interest in the future of Long Island City and Old Astoria! Photo:Wikimedia Joe Mabel

The post Take 2017 Survey of LIC Businesses and Organizations appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) has a large presence in the Astoria community.  Founded in 2001, it is APAC’s mission to the gift of high quality theater to Astoria, Queens and support its residents.  That is why they were happy to announce their new Executive Director, Jesse Machesse. Machesse is no stranger to the stage.  He has helped produce multiple productions and has been an Associate Director of Off-Broadway’s award-winning Mint Theater Company.  The list goes on and on.  Along with being a the APAC Executive Director, Machesse is also an Astoria resident! In the mood for some entertainment provided by APAC?  They have many upcoming shows and events for the community with very reasonable ticket prices with adults tickets $18 and students and seniors $12.  Want to get involved with APAC?  They are always looking for volunteers. Congrats Jesse Machesse! Looking forward to a great season! To all followers of OANA and the larger community: get out and support your community theater! APAC Executive Director Jesse Marchese. Photo by Curtis Scott Brown. Warren Nolan, Jr. and the ensemble of APAC’s Raisin. Photo by Michael Dekker

The post A New Director for a Veteran Performing Arts Center appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

A bill mandating NYC parks and playgrounds be wiped down after pesticides are sprayed has passed the City Council.  This bill has been sponsored by Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer of Long Island City/Sunnyside. This bill will require The Department of Parks and Recreation to wipe down the playgrounds 24 hours after parks having been sprayed. Furthermore, the Parks Department and the Department of City Health will set a minimum distance that pesticide spraying can take pace from city parks. To prevent the contamination of neighbors and animals of the park, the Parks department provides on-site notices 24 hours before a herbicide application is completed, and for 72 hours following an application, he said. We support any measures that ensure safe and healthy parks.This bill will indeed help meet the needs of our entire neighborhood. The bill was passed by City Council on December 19th with 50 votes. We appreciate all of Councilman Van Bramer initiatives to enhance our quality of life. Photo: Wiki Commons – CGP Grey

The post Pesticide Bill in Queens appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced on Dec. 4 a $50 million investment in Cornell Tech. The development and investment is to encourage more technology-based learning for students K-12 in New York City.  This will be an amazing opportunity for the companies, students, and Cornell student groups that will be collaborating because of this donation. Cornell completed the development located on Roosevelt Island earlier this fall.  The project consists of a 700,000 square feet development along with residential tower.  These are just the first few moves made by the university to get the satellite school up to date since its opening in 2012.  The campus is also going to be getting a student center and hotel to be completed in 2019. Although there is a lot of positive feedback arising from the New Cornell Tech development there is concern regarding what needs to be done about hurricane prevention.  The plan is to raise the site 7 feet so it will be better prepared for a natural disaster.  It also puts the development 2 feet above 500 year flood-level. These big steps are only the beginning.  These developments are going to impact Old Astoria because of the easy access to the campus via the F train on 21st street.  This can also encourage developers to invest in Astoria!

The post Cornell’s High-Tech Campus on Roosevelt Island appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.

The life science fields are booming industries in this century, especially in New York City.  You can thank the $500 million investment that created over 16,000 jobs in the life sciences. But what about the undergraduate and graduate students that are pursuing a degree? There is a dearth of internships available. We are encouraging bright and talented students to study this complex topic and they do not have a pipeline to use to get the experience they need for success.  This is a serious problem! And hopefully the LifeSci NYC Internship Program will be the answer. The LifeSci program will aim to place interns in an area of study that they are interested in and prepare them for a successful role in the industry. They are looking for a diverse range on NYC students as well as students from disadvantaged communities and economic backgrounds. The application is now open and will be on a rolling basis until May of 2018.  You can register and apply here. OANA supports improving the quality of life in our community. How better can you improve everyone’s quality of life by encouraging the next generation to apply themselves in a field that is booming?  Apply today!

The post Internship Program Opening to Benefit the STEM Student appeared first on OANA - Old Astoria Neighborhood Association.