The Flushing Blog

Queens Library at Bayside is among the 10 finalists competing in this year’s NYC Neighborhood Library Awards, often called the “Oscar of Libraries.”

The top five libraries that win the honor receive a $20,000 prize, while the remaining finalists will get $10,000 apiece.

This year, 24,000 New Yorkers nominated their favorite branches and what they mean to their lives. Three Queens libraries are among the finalists.

Daniela, a lifelong customer, said her mother used to bring her siblings and her to the library multiple times a week for programs and activities.

“It not only made me realize what a love I have for literature and the arts, but helped me socialize as a why child with a diverse and king population,” she said. “Now 24 years later, I am welcomed as more than just a community members, but a family member.

Bayside Library has $13.2 million in capital needs.

Asian Americans For Equality, the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations are announcing the launch of their new marketing campaign for small businesses tomorrow at 11 a.m.

The announcement will be at Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel, located at 135-20 39th Avenue.

Expected attendees include Councilman Peter Koo, Christopher Kui of AAFE, John Choe of the Flushing Chamber, and representatives from NYC Department of Small Business Services, Queens Tourism Council and Open House New York.

Joe DiStefano, a local food critic and culinary tour guide at Chopsticks and Marrow, is also expected to attend.

The new marketing campaign will include new logos, slogans and branding for Flushing small businesses. The campaign is part of NYC SBS’s Neighborhood 360º Grant program.

Assemblyman Edward Braunstein announced the winners of his annual Mother’s Day essay contest for students grades two through five.

The following students are the winner:

• 2nd Grade: Chloe Li from PS 130, Bayside
• 3rd Grade: Julia Sweeney from PS 184, Whitestone
• 4th Grade: Demetrios Kavasilas from PS 184, Whitestone
• 5th Grade: Bridget O’Connell from PS 94 in Little Neck

All winners received a New York State Assembly Certificate of Merit and an Amazon gift card.

“Congratulations to all of the winners,” Braunstein said. “300 students from schools throughout Queens participated in my office’s Mother’s Day Essay Contest and I was extremely impressed with their creative and heartfelt entries.”

Councilman Paul Vallone and the Bayside Historical Society are hosting the third annual Independence Day Fireworks and Concert set on Wednesday, June 28 at Fort Totten.

For the last two years, the event has drawn thousands of spectators to celebrate fireworks, fun and family.

Admittance begins at 5 p.m. Musical performances will run from 6 to 9 p.m.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs, picnic-related items. Food trucks will be on site to provide snacks, beverages and other tasty eats.

The 15-minute fireworks by Grucci will begin at 9:15 p.m.

Remember this is a non-alcoholic event. All bags, coolers and backpacks will be inspected upon entry. Parking will be available at the Little Bay Parking Lot under the Throgs Neck Bridge and along Bell Boulevard west of Fort Totten.

Vallo Transportation will provide shuttles to and from offsite parking locations beginning at 6 p.m.

“I can’t imagine a better way to kick start the summer than with a fireworks show and concert in Fort Totten,” Vallone said. “These types of family events really bring the community together in celebration.”

“This year will be even bigger and better than last year,” added Paul DiBenedetto, president of the Bayside Historical Society. “BHS at the Castle serves as a cultural destination within the Fort Totten Historic District and hosting an Independence Day Celebration right outside our front door is a great way for the community to link the past with the present.”

Fourth-grade student Elisia Zeng from PS 188 in Oakland Gardens won the annual Earth Day poster contest.

State Senator Tony Avella, who administers the local competition, visited the school last week to give her an award for her redesign.

“Every student who entered this contest did a great job communicating their concern for our environment through their creativity,” Avella said. “As a member of the Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee, I am proud to see young people across my district take a serious interest in the future of our planet.”

Roughly 110 students across 16 schools participated in the contest. All of the entries can be viewed here.

“I hope that Elisia and other students her age continue to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining our environment for generations to come,” Avella said.

The Lewis H. Latimer House Museum has won $1,000 as the winner of the 2017 Queens SOUP.

The funding will enhance the museum’s Tinker lab, which provides a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education program for local kids. The program will expand access for low-income families.

According to the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce executive director John Choe, Queens SOUP is a potluck dinner and funding model that provides seed money and promotional opportunities to help local projects.

The Latimer House Museum won with votes from local residents who participated in a crowd-funding micro-grant community dinner in March. For $5, attendees ate, learned about local projects and cast their ballots for their favorite project.

The Latimer House Museum is a city landmark that was home to Lewis H. Latimer, an African American inventor, self-taught Renaissance man and son of fugitive slaves. It calls attention to the contributions of African Americans to science, tech, arts, poetry and broader American life.

Councilman Paul Vallone announced that he’s been endorsed by the Queens County Democratic Party for his re-election bid.

Vallone stood by Congressman Joseph Crowley, who leads the Queens Democratic Party, in what he called one of the proudest moments for him and his family.

“Representing my district has been the best four years of my life,” Vallone said. “We have put Northeast Queens not only back on the map, but on top of it.”

Vallone is the son of former Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone and brother of former Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. Vallone chairs the Council’s Subcommittee on Senior Centers.

According to the New York City Campaign Finance Board listings, Paul Graziano is the only challenger Vallone faces right now.

“I am once again reaffirming my commitment to preserve our quality of life here in our community and continuously support our schools, public safety, veterans and seniors,” he added. “Let’s finish the work we have started together.”

Congresswoman Grace Meng reintroduced legislation this week that would take the job of combating aircraft noise away from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and put the responsibility instead on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Quiet Communities Act of 2017 would reopen EPA’s Office of Noise Abatement and Control, which was defunded by the Ronald Reagan administration in 1981.

The bill would require the EPA Administrator to conduct a study of airport noise and examine FAA’s selection of noise measurement methodologies, health impacts, and abatement program effectiveness.

“Queens and many other parts of the country continue to suffer from the effects of excessive airplane noise and the negative impact it has on people’s quality of life,” Meng said. “Shifting the job of noise mitigation from the FAA to the EPA would help us better address the problem, and the idea makes perfect sense.”

“Aircraft noise is an environmental issue that can impact the health of Americans, and the EPA has overseen these types of noise issues in the past,” she added. “The FAA’s lack of success in combating airplane noise illustrates the need for a different solution. I say we give the job back to the EPA.”

Meng first introduced the bill in 2015, garnering 25 co-sponsors.

On Monday, Assemblyman Edward Braunstein presented a $125,000 grant to the Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

The money will be used for a new ambulance.

Braunstein and his eastern Queens colleagues joined him at the Ambulance Dedication Ceremony.

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic is hosting her fifth annual Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month celebration on Friday, May 26 at 5 p.m.

The event will be at Selfhelp Community Services’s K7 Building Community Room, located at 137-39 45th Avenue.

The following AAPI leaders will be honored:

• Syed A. Bukhari, executive board member, Muslim Center of New York
• Katy Chiang, president, Kissena Democratic Club
• Judith J. Chin, Board of Regents, New York Supreme Court 11th Judicial District
• Yolanda Dela Cruz Gallagher, board member, Fresh Meadows Homeowners Civic Association
• Bomsinae Kim, executive director, Korean American Family Service Center
• Dr. Devbala Ramanathan, president, Dropadi Jigyasu Ashram

The celebration includes cultural performances and an award ceremony for the community leaders.

To RSVP, contact Marilla Li at marilla@nilyrozic.org.