Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has announced a new inter-agency task force to address quality-of-life issues in College Point as an ongoing sewer construction project has caused disruptions in the community.
The College Point Task Force, Richards announced on Thursday, June 17, includes elected officials, agency officials and community leaders, who will collectively develop and implement solutions in the community.
The current issues are related to the sewer construction project, which is taking about five years to complete and causing excessive noise; the loss of parking space; and hazardous road conditions, according to Richards.
“Our new College Point Task Force will meet regularly to address the issues facing the community, ensuring a reliable channel of communication between city officials and the neighborhood’s residents and homeowners,” Richards said. “We will work together to fix the quality-of-life issues in the area and to bring this sewer project to an environmentally conscious, speedy and successful conclusion.”
Local elected officials, including state Senator John Liu, Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal and Councilman Paul Vallone, said for far too long, College Point has not received the proper attention it deserves from city agencies.
The lawmakers thanked Richards for launching the task force.
“As it is crucial for the residents to be connected with the city agencies, the newly launched College Point Task Force will play a role to bridge residents and city agencies, not to mention bringing feasible results,” Liu said.
College Point’s failing infrastructure has been long neglected for far too long, according to Rosenthal, who said the new task force will achieve tangible results in the community.
“All New Yorkers have a right to safe, well-preserved streets and curbs, and I look forward to working with Queens Borough Hall and College Point leaders in ensuring that our infrastructure is not only fixed, but our community is moving towards permanent resolutions that foster small businesses and promote a greater quality of life,” Rosenthal said.
According to Vallone, for far too long, College Point has had its fair share of municipal facilities that have been dumped there with no consideration for the community.
“Each year, we call upon the city to complete total reconstruction of College Point roadways, only to have it fall on deaf ears,” Vallone said. “I applaud Borough President Richards for undertaking this endeavor as the city must prioritize northeast Queens.”
