by Alexander Bernhardt Bloom alex@queensledger.com

Tuesday was held the 2024 edition of the Queens Business Expo, an annual event put on by the Queens Chamber of Commerce and held at Citi Field’s sprawling conference center space in the stadium’s upper deck level. On entry, attendees were met with views of the pristine diamond below, quiet today for the main event above.

Some 140 partners participated in this year’s edition, – including our very own BQE media, also a sponsor of the event – and the vendor’s tables they set out were there for the perusing of the expo’s estimated 2000 attendees. (The event is free and open to any interested members of the public by way of a simple web registration form).

They’d come to rub elbows with Queens’ best in the commercial sector, and also to hear remarks from featured panels, whose focus this year was Artificial Intelligence and particularly highlighted women entrepreneurs in that field.

Most importantly, the annual event is about connecting with its members, explained R.J. Zamudio, with the Queens Chamber of Commerce, and encouraging them, especially small businesses, to connect with eachother. “Networking, giving opportunities, giving government groups a chance to reach the public.” Indeed, a good number of the tables, nestled among the banks and restaurants and nonprofit advocates at their flanks, were representatives of city agencies related to development.

For Zachary Richards of Raising Cane’s, commanding a table full of company-marked giveaways, the event simply provided a good way to make an introduction to the new neighbors they’d find around their newest location in Flushing, the casual fried chicken chain making inroads there and elsewhere in the five boroughs. “We’re new to the market,” he said, “we’d like to tell you about us.”

Christian Hernandez, Director of Retail Banking at Maspeth Federal Savings, was there as a neighbor as well, looking to mingle with other smaller business leaders and conduct outreach in even the most basic of ways: “The more people who know the name of Maspeth,” a ‘hidden gem’ of a town at the edge of Queens, he described it, “the better for the bank and town.”

Victor Prado, program manager for the Queens Economic Development Corporation, was there for visibility. “When it comes to nonprofits, there are a lot of services we do for the community, and the community doesn’t know about it,” he said, from behind a desk covered in leaflets and branded ballpoint pens for handout. “We want to make it visible. We’re here to make ourselves available.”

A diverse bunch, there was nevertheless a strong feeling of mutual support and kinship among the Expo participants, and when they gathered for the mid-afternoon luncheon by the dining section on the home plate side of the upper deck the banner that hung overhead seemed to speak to something bigger than baseball: We Are All Mets, it read.

By Ana Borruto 

The 11.4-mile long Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown G train subway service will be partially shut down this summer for track reconstruction and modern signal installation. 

Starting Friday, June 28, the G train will undergo the first phase of an extensive multi-week, 24/7 project to replace its 1930s-era legacy signal system with Communications-based train control (CBTC) — a wireless connectivity system that keeps trains in constant contact, and in turn, more reliable. 

Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Councilmember Lincoln Restler hosted a town hall on Thursday, May 30 at John Ericsson Middle School in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where representatives of the Metropolitan Transit Authority and New York City Department of Transportation explained how the shutdown will catapult the G train “into the 21st century.” 

The forum allowed for regular G train commuters to ask questions and express their concerns about the shutdown, which was described as a “huge inconvenience” to the Greenpoint community and beyond. 

“When we got this news a few months ago, we pushed and prodded the MTA to consider if there are ways to do just overnight work, are there ways to limit this so we don’t have to endure a six-week full shutdown of this train line,” said Restler. “We haven’t been able to identify an alternative path forward, they are insistent that this is the necessary way to go.” 

Sean Fitzpatrick of the MTA explained exactly why the service outages are needed on the G train, the main reason being the age of the subway line. 

The G train has some of the oldest signals left in the New York City train system, which has caused “below average” performance times, according to Fitzpatrick. The current system is fixed-blocked signaling, which means the trains are divided and registered into fixed blocks with buffers up to 1,000 feet-long installed between them.

“It’s a marvel of early 20th century engineering,” Fitzpatrick said.

However, the drawbacks of this current system include not being able to pinpoint the exact location of a train, so trains run farther apart to create a safety buffer — creating service delays. 

The infrastructure for fixed-block signaling is also expensive to install and maintain. 

CBTC signaling allows trains to transpond to one another: in simple terms, the train’s position on the track is easily located because the section of track around each train moves with the train, rather than being on pre-defined, fixed blocks. 

“We are able to run them more closely together, more quickly, while maintaining safety,” Fitzpatrick said. “We also have a better view of the entire system so we’re able to respond better when there are incidents — it’s the single biggest investment that we can make to improve the reliability of a train.” 

This transition from a fixed-block to CBTC system for the G train requires the installation of new signaling equipment, replacement of 30 miles of track and more than a dozen switches and the integration and testing of the new system. 

Fitzpatrick said replacing the 1930s-period switches and tracks is particularly challenging, especially in the underground tunnels. To create a safe, workable environment for the project, the MTA said it has no choice but to shut down the G train line temporarily. 

With ridership lower in the summertime and school not in session, Fitzpatrick said it is the ideal time for the outage to take place. 

He added the MTA is promising to be finished with the reconstruction by Sept. 2. 

During the outage, shuttle buses will be available at impacted stations every one to four minutes during the weekdays and every five to 10 minutes on the weeknights. 

Shuttle buses can be expected to arrive at stations on weekend mornings and evenings every three to five minutes; every five to 10 minutes on late nights. 

Several tools will be implemented to keep traffic moving and areas clear for the shuttle buses, such as turn restrictions, daylighting, monitoring and automated camera enforcement. 

Here is the timeline of the shutdown and list of alternative shuttle bus transportation options: 

Phase 1: Friday, June 28 to Friday, July 5 

• G trains won’t run between Court Square and Nassau Avenue 
• Free B94 shuttle buses will run between Court Square and Nassau Avenue and make all ​ stops.

Phase 2: Friday, July 5 to Friday, August 12

• G trains won’t run between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues.
• Free B98 shuttle buses will run between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and make all stops.

Phase 3: Friday, August 12 to Tuesday, September 3

• G trains won’t run between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Church Avenue. 
• Free B93 shuttle buses will run between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Jay Street-MetroTech, making all stops between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Hoyt-Schermerhorn. 

The overall long term work of the G train will continue into 2027. With this specific line becoming the go-to transportation option in some of the fastest growing communities in the state, elected officials are urging Governor Kathy Hochul and the MTA to further invest in the G train’s future. 

This includes extending the G train back to Forest Hills, Queens. According to Gallagher’s public campaign in favor of a full G train upgrade, the petition mentioned how up until 2010, the G train served parts of Astoria, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Rego Park and Forest Hills.

“The G is our lifeline in this community,” said Gallagher. “It’s going to be a very long summer.” To find out more information about the G train shutdown this summer, visit tinyurl.com/ymv5b99c.

By MOHAMED FARGHALY mfarghaly@queensledger.com

In a display of artistic activism, students from public schools across Queens took center stage at Juniper Valley Park on May 30, unveiling their socially conscious bench murals that tackle pressing community issues. Under the gray skies of Thursday morning, the event took place on the circular path west of the bocce court, drawing attention to critical topics such as gun violence, climate change, neurodiversity, and housing rights.

Part of a citywide summer exhibition organized by NYC Parks, the initiative was spearheaded by The Center for Educational Innovation (CEI), under the banner of “CEI BENCHMARKS: Youth Setting the Standard for Social Change” program. The benches, adorned with vibrant murals, serve as poignant canvases for the voices of tomorrow’s leaders, reflecting a commitment to social justice and civic engagement.

Among the participating schools were P.S. 124 Osmond A. Church, M.S. 137 America’s School of Heroes, J.H.S. 226 Virgil I. Grissom, and P.S. 277 The Riverview School – High School, each contributing their unique perspectives to the public discourse.

“The benches are part of our Benchmarks program that showcases social issues, so students, they work with their teaching artists on their benches and they figure out a social issue that’s close to their heart, or that they feel that people need to be made aware of, and they put those social issues in art and then transfers them to the benches,” Tia Walker, Senior Program Manager at CEI said. “So the social issues range from things like housing and climate, housing, bullying, climate change, gender inequality, and various other things.”

The CEI BENCHMARKS program, which engaged over 1,000 students from thirty schools citywide this year, provided a structured platform for students to delve into social activism and express their concerns through art. By aligning with state learning standards and emphasizing social-emotional learning, the initiative empowers students to become agents of change in their communities.

“In this current climate, young people need a public platform to express themselves on current social issues in a constructive, creative and powerful way, so they can join the conversation and make a difference in our world. We are so proud of our students who have confronted major social issues through their beautiful and powerful bench murals. Their messages for social change on a wide array of critical issues will inspire hundreds of thousands of people this summer in our citywide parks exhibition,” said Alexandra Leff, Creator of CEI Benchmarks and CEI Executive Director of Arts Education. 

Unisha Chetram, an eighth-grader from M.S 137 America’s Scholastic’s of Heroes participating in the venture, expresses the significance of their bench installation project. She highlights the collaborative effort between classes, focusing on addressing issues of inadequate housing and gun violence, which they feel passionately about. Unisha emphasizes the importance of shedding light on these critical issues, particularly given the ongoing challenges faced in New York. She underscores the urgent need for action, citing the devastating impact of gun violence and the struggles of individuals living paycheck to paycheck, often leading to homelessness. Through their artful benches, Unisha and her peers aim to raise awareness and spark dialogue around these pressing societal concerns.

“Our bench is a pretty special message that we are sharing to the world,” Chetram said. “It was important to kind of display these benches in what we think is very important because a lot of people are dying every day due to gun violence. And there’s just a lot of people who can’t live paycheck to paycheck. And sometimes they have problems like health problems and stuff and they have to spend money on them. And that could maybe get them on the streets and it’s just a very big problem.” 

Eighth grader Johnathan Rambally explains that the purpose of their presence is to promote their benches, intending to educate New Yorkers about the pressing issues in their city. He describes their involvement in the program as stemming from a collective recognition of the prevalent challenges facing New York. With a focus on gun violence and inadequate housing, Johnathan and his peers aimed to address the most prominent issues affecting their community through their bench project.

Student Hanah Sbatri shares her involvement in the program, stating that her school’s collective desire to make a difference led to their participation in creating the bench. She emphasizes the passion her peers and she felt towards the chosen topic, contributing ideas to the project. The process took a few months due to limited class time, but the dedication remained steadfast. Hanah underscores the importance of such projects, stressing the need to address overlooked issues to foster a safer community. She concludes by expressing her commitment to making a positive impact through their efforts.

“I think it’s important for us to do such a project because it’s very overlooked, because we really want to create a safer community but in order to do that, we need to get rid of the things that are causing harm to us,” Sbatri said. 

The unveiling at Juniper Valley Park follows a Citywide Event on May 23 at Randall’s Island, where all thirty social-action benches were first revealed. From June to August, these thought-provoking installations will rotate through parks in each borough, continuing to spark conversations and inspire action across the city.

“These public artworks beautify our diverse neighborhoods, foster dialogue about pressing matters, and exemplify our core values of acceptance, inclusivity, and communal care,” said Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City. “The next generation of New Yorkers should always pave new pathways to fairness and equality and I am proud to see you have already undertaken this fundamental responsibility. Today, I commend your artistic skills, commitment to social justice, and impactful contributions to civic life in our global city.”