queenschamber.org THIS IS QUEENSBOROUGH 2 QUEENS QUIPS Helen Marshall Cultural Center Dedication In honor of Helen Marshall, the 18th President of the Borough of Queens, Borough President Melinda Katz recently unveiled an 11,000 square-foot multi-purpose event space at Queens Borough Hall and named it the Helen Marshall Cultural Center. Mrs. Marshall’s distinguished service spanned three decades, including as a member of the NYS Assembly for District 35 1983-1991), a member of the NYC Council for District 21 (1992-2001), and President of the Borough of Queens (2002-2013). As Borough President, Mrs. Marshall spearheaded efforts to construct the community facility and envisioned it as a place where the people of Queens could hold cultural, civic and entertainment events that would provide enrichment to the community. Aloft Hotel Set to Open in LIC Aloft Long Island City Manhattan View Hotel is set to open on November 10. The hotel, which will cater to both business and leisure travelers, is located on Jackson Avenue and is part of Starwood and Marriott brands of hotels. This hotel has two towers and 26 floors combined, and there are 176 loft-style guest’s rooms with smart design and flexible work spaces. The hotel also features a rooftop terrace with NYC Skyline views, a large courtyard and a 1,400 square feet meeting space with a skylight. Marina Property Sold in College Point A large 69,918 square foot property on the College Point waterfront has been sold for $16 million to Sam Chang of WV Marina Properties in a deal brokered by Cushman & Wakefield. The sale includes a seven-story building containing 34 luxury residential units and two floors or commercial office space, 95 parking spaces and marina rights for up to 50 boats. Currently, the buyer plans to sell the remaining residential condos and potentially use the water bordering the property for a marina concept. “This closing represents the largest and highest property sale for the College Point marketplace over the past several years,” said Stephen Preuss, executive director of Cushman & Wakefield. 11 Queens High Schools Make Top 50 List U.S. News ranked the top 50 high schools throughout New York City based on criteria of admissions processes, school enrollment size, graduation rate, average SAT scores and a student college readiness index. A total of 11 Queens’ high schools made the list, and three place among the top 10. Baccalaureate School for Global Education in Astoria ranked sixth on the list with a college readiness index of 99% and a 100% graduation Townsend Harris High School in Flushing placed ninth. New Safety Improvement Plan Set for Corona The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on October 20th that it will move forward with an updated safety improvement plan for 111th Street adjacent to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The Queens community around that area rallied together and made this plan happen, bringing 25 new on-street vehicular parking spaces, improved roadway design with a 2-way parking protected bike lane, 14 median tip extensions that will cut crossing distances in half for pedestrians, and a reduction of one travel lane in each direction to reduce speeding. Community Board 7 Parks Chair Kim Ohanian; Paul Vallone, Melinda Katz; NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver; Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski; District Manager Marilyn McAndrews QCC hosts job fair for former Elmhurst Dairy employees By Bridget K. H. O’Brien, CEO/Founder Bridget O’Brien PR & Events An iconic Queens’ dairy that provided milk to thousands of New York City schoolchildren for nearly 100 years closed on October 31. The owners of Elmhurst Dairy tried to keep the business in Queens but found it impossible to do so with constantly rising costs and the many constraints of dairy regulations. The dairy, which operated in Jamaica, employed nearly 275 workers. Thomas Grech, Director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, said, “The Queens Chamber needs to be involved to help these workers. We reached out to Deputy Borough President Melva Miller, who is always there for the business community of Queens. Knowing the folks at York College well, their commitment to continuing education and the campus’ proximity to the Elmhurst Dairy, we all agreed a job fair was in order. We had to get this done by the end of October due to the closing of the facility.” On October 17, the job fair was “open for business” at The York College Academic Core Building. With more than 20 businesses present, employees of all ages were able to search for their new jobs. Additionally, NY1 was on site to cover the event and spread the word to employers who are looking to hire. There are still employees seeking jobs, so if you are looking for new employees, please contact the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
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