Waterfront Alliance Seeks Bd. 7 Support
Willets Point, College Point and Flushing in Board 7, as well as LaGuardia Airport and the northern portion of Community Board 3 all border Flushing Bay.
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) has a simple message. "Our mission is to transform New York's harbor and waterways into clean, accessible, and vibrant places to play, learn and work," Carter Craft said.

"We want to create an action agenda for the waterfront," Craft said at the May meeting of Community Board 7 in Flushing. With more than 200 square miles of open waterways in our area, much is happening on waterfronts all over the city but, Craft cautioned, "Some communities are not being served as well as others. Flushing Bay hasn't gotten the attention and investment it really deserves," he said.

Once home to the Matinecock Indians, who harvested fish, crabs, clams, oysters and waterfowl there, Flushing Bay now suffers from growing mud and sediment. "It's at critical mass and something must be done about it," said Craft.

MWA, a regional coalition of 329 concerned civic organizations, is looking ahead to the 2009 elections in New York City in an effort to make waterways an important part of the political dialog. They are also looking for candidates who, said Craft, are more versed in and proactive for waterfronts and waterways.

Asking for Board 7's support, Craft said, "The problems of Flushing Bay are not going to be solved without a concerted effort by all the communities involved."

Willets Point, College Point and Flushing in Board 7, as well as LaGuardia Airport and the northern portion of Community Board 3 all border Flushing Bay.

The Flushing Bay Committee of Community Board 3 has said that water pollution flowing into the bay and inadequate tidal flow are causing severe silting and odors. The silting is shrinking the bay and poor sewage design causes the strong odors emitted during low tide.

A greater role by the Port Authority (PA), which operates LaGuardia Airport, is necessary, said Craft. The city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) must also take a lead role in designing new sewers, he said.

"We need the leadership of your board to help increase the level of participation," Craft said.

In a second presentation, Susan Lacerte, executive director of the Queens Botanical Garden (QBG), said the garden is blooming. Azaleas, crabapple, dogwood, pansies and lilacs are now in bloom with rhododendron, roses, iris and lilies to follow next month.

QBG's new Visitor and Administration Center building has won the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Quality Award and an award for excellence in green design from the American Institute of Architects.

Free tours of the Visitor and Administration Center, including the planted green roof, geothermal heating and cooling system, compost toilets, gray water recycling system, cleansing biotrope and more are available on the first and third Saturdays of each month (June 7 and 21) at noon. No reservation is needed.

QBG's 13th Annual Rose Ball on June 17 will honor Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and S. Richard Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council, for their contributions to sustainability.