You are reading

Local Pols Urge De Blasio to Reconsider Plan to Close Astoria Houses Senior Center

Press Conference at Astoria Houses Senior Center (Photo: Constantinides Twitter)

May 10, 2019 By Meghan Sackman

Local politicians are urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to cancel the city’s plan to close the senior center at NYCHA’s Astoria Houses.

Council Member Costa Constantinides and State Senator Mike Gianaris announced at a press conference Thursday that they had sent a joint letter to the Mayor urging him to restore the funding for the Astoria Houses Senior Center that he plans to cut from the City’s 2020 fiscal budget. They also questioned his commitment to NYCHA residents.

“This proposal is not only of detrimental impact to seniors in our community but indicative of the larger disinvestment from NYCHA at a time when New York’s public housing requires more, not fewer, resources,” the letter says.

The letter states that the closure of the senior center, located at 4-05 Astoria Boulevard, would lead to $500,000 being wasted. Constantinides allocated $500,000 in 2014 to renovate the space, which will be completed next month.

The closure would be one of 12 senior centers serving NYCHA residents that the Mayor would close as a way to save $900,000 in City’s 2020 fiscal budget.

De Blasio said that these senior centers, which offer programs such as a daily hot meal, education programming, and health services, were underutilized and that some of them were not up to health and safety standards.

The City plans to transport the seniors that use the Astoria Houses Senior Center to a nearby center in Queensbridge.

The mayor’s office said the policy is cost effective and that seniors would still have access to a quality center. Furthermore, transportation to the new center would be free.

Constantinides, among other local officials, does not think this is an acceptable solution.

“Instead of paying for buses to another center almost two miles away, I ask the administration keep this center open to not disrupt the daily lives of Astoria Houses seniors.”

Assembly Member Catherine Nolan also wrote a letter to the Mayor asking him to reconsider the closures.

“How can this closure happen?” the letter asks. “It’s wrong and violates prior policy and agency agreements. I ask that your administration take a step back, listen and engage with our local community leaders and figure out a better path forward.”

Letter written by Council Member Constantinides and State Senator Gianaris to Mayor de Blasio

 

 

email the author: [email protected]

5 Comments

Click for Comments 
J

The senior center at Astoria houses doesn’t have a large enough senior population attending the programs

Reply
Pat Macnamara

Once again clueless Costa and his absurd podium arrive to save the day. Attack the mayor on his policies. The mayor would rather have the elderly eat lead paint chips and be gunned down by drug dealers than have a senior center. His wife is bilking millions with her phony mental health initiatives. But cuts to “underutilized” senior centers will save $900,000. Costa you are so weak

4
14
Reply
in the US we make our own way

Pat Macnamaracist maybe the elderly should provide for themselves, instead of freeloaders like you looking for a government handout. This isn’t socialist Venezuela.

15
3
Reply
Skip Seglipse

Maybe Costa should have put funding for the senior center on the participatory budget ballot instead of those stupid bus timers.

3
8
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Manhattan bouncer charged in New Year’s Day fatal stabbing in Elmhurst: NYPD

A Manhattan man was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal stabbing of an East Elmhurst man during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in what notably became the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Torrence Holmes, 35, of St. Nicholas Place in Hamilton Heights, was taken into custody at his home and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst on manslaughter and other charges on Saturday afternoon.

After surge of traffic violence, Queens leaders demand safer streets especially for children

Following a tragic week on Queens streets where three pedestrians — 43-year-old Natalia Garcia-Valencia, 58-year-old Elisa Bellere and 8-year-old Bayrron Palomino Arroyo — were fatally struck by unsafe drivers, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that he has allocated $1.5 million in capital funding for street safety improvements on three of the borough’s most dangerous roadways.

Richards made the announcement at 82nd Street and Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst on Monday morning, about a mile from where the 8-year-old boy was struck and killed by an impatient pickup truck driver from Flushing on Mar. 13 as he walked in the crosswalk at 31st Avenue and 101st Street with him mother and brother, who was injured.