By Daniel Massey
A coalition of 10 Queens neighborhood organizations was awarded a $1,500 grant Aug. 8 to establish an advocacy group that will promote community involvement in the operation of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The partnership, spearheaded by the Kew Gardens Hills Homeowners Civic Association and the New Immigrant Community Empowerment, will use the grant to establish a new, independent, non-profit organization.
“This is the first citywide program to support inter-ethnic neighborhood partnerships that solve quality-of-life problems,” said Michael Clark, president of the Citizens Committee of New York. “Longtime New Yorkers are joining with newcomers to organize around common community problems.”
The award, one of seven given out boroughwide and 22 citywide as part of the Citizens Committee’s Neighborhood Partners Program, is aimed at bringing immigrants and longtime residents together to work on neighborhood improvement projects.
Bill Chong, the vice president for programs for the Citizens Committee, said certain issues, such as well-kept playgrounds and bathrooms, are common quality-of-life concerns that bridge cultural gaps.
The park, a former dumping ground labeled a “valley of ashes” by F. Scott Fitzgerald in “The Great Gatsby,” is now a symbol of the city’s diversity. The third largest park in the city, new immigrants have made it the most heavily used green space in the five boroughs, according to the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
“There are significant numbers of new immigrants in all the communities surrounding the park,” said Kew Gardens Hills Homeowners Civic Association President Patricia Dolan. “They are a tremendous resource to support the park because they are its biggest users.”
Increasing numbers of Hispanics in the neighborhoods to the north of the park, Asians to the east and Russians to the south have changed the way the park is used. Now the community hopes to have an increasing say in the way its park is run.
The award was sponsored by the Citizens Committee for New York City, Deutsche Bank, the Abby R. Mauzè Charitable Trust and the Altman Foundation.
“There needs to be a vehicle in place that enables communities to work in part with the city, the Parks Department and local officials so the park is developed in ways that makes sense from everyone’s perspective,” said Brian Pu Folkes, the Director of NICE.
The coalition, which has yet to choose a name, will focus on outreach and education programs that seek to involve both new immigrants and longtime residents in organizing around issues facing the park. “It really encourages grassroots activism,” said Chong.
Citywide, there are tens of thousands of people active in more than 250 similar neighborhood park advocacy programs. But what distinguishes this Queens effort is its emphasis on bringing together a cross-section of the borough’s population.
“New York is so diverse, but the more diverse we become, the more segregated we tend to become,” said Chong. “Here’s an opportunity to break out of that and work on something together.”
Reach reporter Daniel Massey by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 155.
