Astoria Councilman Costa Constantinides joined School Construction Authority President Lorraine Grillo at P.S. 151 at the Mary D. Carter School in Woodside on Tuesday to unveil a brand-new schoolyard after the school removed mobile classroom trailers from the site.
“Two years after we began the process of removing these trailers, we can today proudly open a new schoolyard for generations to come,” Constantinides said.
The schoolyard plan is the result of Constantinides’ sustained partnership with Grillo to replace transportable classroom units (TCUs) from school campuses across his district.
When the councilman announced the removal of TCUs from P.S. 85 in April, Constantinides revealed the final part of his plan to clear his district of all such temporary classrooms, which have been criticized for lacking proper heating, cooling and other basic amenities for students.
Up until 2017, the trailers at P.S. 151 were occupied by students from P.S. 255Q, an elementary school for autistic students who are spread among eight different sites in Queens. When the city made moves to remove the trailers, the special needs students moved to P.S. 397Q.
“We removed old, dilapidated TCUs to bring new, beautiful play space for the students at P.S. 151 to enjoy as well as ensure that the students of P.S. 255Q have a new permanent home that meets their needs,” Grillo said.
Constantinides has also partnered with Grillo and Borough President Melinda Katz to close trailers at P.S. 70 in Astoria in addition to P.S. 85.
