By Betsy Scheinbart
The construction of the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard at 116th Street in South Jamaica is 19 percent complete and within budget, the district manager of Community Board 12 said last week.
Yvonne Reddick gave an update on the progress of two schools, a movie house and street improvements currently underway in the Jamaica area to a Jan. 16 meeting of the community board.
Reddick said about a fifth of the work on the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2003, has been done.
Any Queens student with an interest in law enforcement or public safety can apply to the high school, which will also include a Police Athletic League Community Center.
Another school set to open in 2003 is PS 268 in Jamaica, Reddick said. Five percent of the construction of the elementary school at 175-02 Jamaica Ave. in School Board 29 has been completed, Reddick said.
Although she said she was pleased with the progress of the school construction, Reddick pointed out that “we’re still not getting that much space — it’s still not going to alleviate the overcrowding.”
Meanwhile, the One Jamaica Center project, a 15-screen movie house and mall, is taking shape on Jamaica Avenue at the corner of Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica Center.
The project is on schedule and major tenants, including Walgreens, the Gap, Old Navy and Bally’s Total Fitness, should be open by late spring or May at the latest, Reddick said.
The movie theater will be the only place to see first-run films in southeast Queens.
Several street and sewer projects are currently underway in the Community Board 12 area, which covers Jamaica, South Jamaica, St. Albans, Hollis and part of Springfield Gardens.
The city Department of Transportation approved a proposal to put a traffic signal at the intersection of 120th Avenue and Lucas Street in St. Albans, Reddick said. The work is tentatively scheduled to be completed by June 30.
South Jamaica’s Baisley Boulevard storm sewer project is 75 percent complete, Reddick said.
Another sewer project called the South Jamaica Reconstruction Project was put on hold recently, but the contractor plans to continue the project in March, Reddick said.
The capital project, which Reddick said “has been on the books for many years,” will include replacing curbs, sidewalks, sanitary sewers, storm sewers and planting new trees. It will cover part of south Jamaica between Sutphin Boulevard and Baisley Pond Park, Reddick said.
In addition, KeySpan Energy started working with its contractor, Hallen Construction, Jan. 2 on installing a new gas main on Smith Street and surrounding parts of south Jamaica, Reddick said. The work was expected to last until July.
The project is one phase of a plan aimed at alleviating the “serious flooding conditions” in the area, Reddick said.
Once the gas main is installed, paving will be restored to all roadways, sidewalks and grass openings made during construction. The next phase of the improvements was set to start in the spring with the installation of new storm sewers, Reddick said.
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 138.
