Quantcast

City Council panels approve construction of new school in Ozone Park

DSC_01621-624×416
File photo

A new school will soon rise in Ozone Park.

The City Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses and the Land Use Committee approved on Wednesday a School Construction Authority (SCA) contract to erect P.S. 335, a 504-seat school at a vacant lot on Albert Road between Raleigh Street and 99th Place, in the Centerville section of Ozone Park. The school is scheduled to open in 2017.

An SCA spokesperson said the number of seats are flexible and can change depending on the needs of the community.

Several pre-K classes will also be included in the 72,500-square-foot space and the SCA is planning to add a spacious playground area, basketball and volleyball courts, bicycle racks, areas dedicated to planting and gardening and an outdoor stage for events.

Currently, students in Centreville attend P.S. 63 at 90-15 Sutter Ave. across Cross Bay Boulevard or P.S. 146 in Howard Beach at 98-01 159 Ave. The SCA, expecting overcrowding in District 27, procured the land from the New York Racing Association to alleviate potential overcrowding from the addition of 990 students in the district by 2017.

Councilman Eric Ulrich said this school is a great addition to the neighborhood.

“This new school will help alleviate overcrowded classrooms in our district and will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood,” Ulrich said in a statement. “The final design of the school is contextual with the surrounding community and is just the latest investment we are making in our children’s future.”

A capital project, set to replace and add much-needed streets, including Albert Road, sidewalks, curbs, pedestrian ramps, water mains, sanitary sewers and new storm drains in the Centreville area must be completed before the construction of the new school.

A spokesperson for SCA said work on the new school is slated to start “in the next few months.”

RECOMMENDED STORIES