Less than a month after Joe Femenia’s passing, a local councilman has proposed a College Point street naming in honor of the civic leader.
Councilman Paul Vallone announced plans to co-name of the intersection of 23rd Avenue and 130th Street after the College Point Civic and Taxpayers Association (CPCTA) president, who died suddenly of a heart attack in January.
“The tragic and unexpected passing of Joseph Femenia was a great loss for all of College Point,” said Vallone. “The victories and ongoing battles to preserve and protect College Point will always be part of Joe’s great legacy. He will now be forever remembered for generations as they look to the street sign recognizing his great legacy. I will forever cherish Joe’s friendship, vision and the leadership he displayed as we worked together.”
Vallone plans to introduce the bill to co-name the intersection after Femenia, which will be passed later this year. A co-naming ceremony will also likely be set for late this summer.
“Naming a street for Joe is a tribute to his hard work and dedication to make College Point a better place to live and work. He spent countless hours for over a decade making the College Point Civic Association a strong community based organization that became the voice of the community,” said Tom Palma, Chair of the College Point Board of Trade. “The street sign will become a lasting symbol and remembrance that we all need to dedicate time to get involved in order to improve the community that we live in.”
The community received the news of Femenia’s untimely passing at the monthly CPCTA meeting on Jan. 30. The 62-year-old civic leader and activist had been the organization’s president since 2008. He also served as Community Board 7 member and the board’s Transportation Committee chairperson for 10 years.
