By Madina Toure
Seniors at the Pomonok Senior Center in Flushing will no longer have to worry about walking to the center.
Last week City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), state Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz and state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing) announced 10 additional temporary parking spaces for seniors at the center on 67-09 Kissena Blvd. and are asking the New York City Housing Authority to renew the spaces once they expire in April 2015.
“There are people who live in Pomonok who can’t walk to the senior center because it’s too far,” Lancman said. “In addition, the senior center is open to everyone.”
Queens Community House, the organization that runs the center, bought 10 parking spots, but the center still had a half-empty parking lot.
“NYCHA finally gave parking passes for 10 spots for the senior center so seniors can have a place to park and not be frustrated by the fact that there’s a half-empty parking lot that they don’t have access to,” Lancman said.
Other lawmakers said the new spots will better serve the senior community.
“Senior citizens can once again visit the center freely without having to worry about if they will be able to park close enough to walk,” Stavisky said in a statement. “This is a great benefit to the Pomonok community and the hundreds of seniors who visit the center every day,”
Simanowitz agreed.
“These spaces are vital to insuring the long-term viability of this important community facility,” he said. “It is my hope that this leads to further dialogue to not only continue increasing the number of spots in the center’s lot but to make the existing spaces permanent.”
Some were not as enthusiastic.
Monica Corbett, president of the Pomonok Residents Association, said she hoped for the spaces to be permanent.
“I am incredibly disappointed that NYCHA has only given temporary parking in a lot that is consistently not filled to capacity,” Corbett said. “I hope they act to make these spaces permanent.”
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtoure@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.
