Queens Gazette

New Annex For PS 85 In Astoria


A state-of-the-art learning annex will replace the trailer classrooms at PS 85, the Judge Charles Vallone School in Astoria. Discussing the upcoming addition was Councilman Costa Constantinides, joined by Lorraine Grillo, president and CEO of the city School Construction Authority, NYS Senator Michael Gianaris, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, Dr. Philip Composto, superintendent for School District 30, PS 85 administrators including Principal Ann Gordon-Chang, and Marie Torniali, chair of Community Board 1 (not pictured).

A state-of-the-art learning annex will replace the trailer classrooms at PS 85, the Judge Charles Vallone School in Astoria. Discussing the upcoming addition was Councilman Costa Constantinides, joined by Lorraine Grillo, president and CEO of the city School Construction Authority, NYS Senator Michael Gianaris, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, Dr. Philip Composto, superintendent for School District 30, PS 85 administrators including Principal Ann Gordon-Chang, and Marie Torniali, chair of Community Board 1 (not pictured).

Councilman Costa Constantinides, the Department of Education, and the School Construction Authority joined with community leaders, educators and parents on April 25 to announce that a state-of-the-art learning annex will replace the trailer classrooms at PS 85, the Judge Charles Vallone School in Astoria.

Removing these trailers means that all temporary classrooms will have been eliminated from Council District 22, fulfilling Constantinides’ more than five-year pledge to enhance school facilities.

“No longer will any child in this Council district have to shiver through a math lesson with his or her coat on, or suffer through hot temperatures in one of these trailers,” said Councilman Constantinides (District 22). “Thanks to our partnership with the Department of Education, the School Construction Authority, and dedicated parents, we can construct a new building that better serves the students of PS 85. We have been committed to removing these trailers from schools within our Council district, and I can proudly say today that our goal will be accomplished.”

“This new annex will provide much-needed relief for the students and staff at PS 85, allowing us to remove Transportable Classroom Units (TCU) and provide students with a comfortable and nurturing place to learn,” said Lorraine Grillo, president and CEO of the city School Construction Authority. “Today demonstrates how strong partnerships with local leaders, parents, and community members can enhance our children’s learning environment and prepare them for success. As part of the SCA’s steadfast commitment to remove all TCUs across the city, 94 TCUs have been removed in Queens, and an additional 31 have been identified for removal.”

PS 85 currently operates at 140% capacity with more than 100 pre-K and kindergarten students learning in TCUs, which were intended to be short-term facilities. These trailers have been in place for decades, despite complaints that they lack proper heating, cooling or technology for Western Queens students to learn in a constructive environment.

This trend will end with a new 476-seat building, which will serve as an annex for PS 85. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2020, as the project is currently in the design phase. A new gymnasium-auditorium is included in the plan to replace older existing facilities.

Constantinides and Grillo made the announcement alongside NYS Senator Michael Gianaris, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, Dr. Philip Composto, superintendent for School District 30, PS 85 administrators including Principal Ann Gordon Chang, and Marie Torniali, chair of Community Board 1.

Since taking office in January 2014, Constantinides has remained committed to replacing classroom trailers with actual school facilities. Constantinides announced in October 2017, through a partnership with Borough President Melinda Katz and the SCA, that a modular building at PS 2 in East Elmhurst would be replaced with a permanent facility, and reportedly construction is set to begin this fall. Earlier in the year, Constantinides, Katz, and Grillo announced 11 trailers at PS 151 in Woodside would also close.

Superintendent Composto said, “This new building will provide our children space for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, which allows us to prepare our children for the 21st century.”

“There are few things as important as providing our children the space they need to learn and get on the path towards a more successful future. I’m glad the students at PS 85 will now have that chance, but there is more to be done. Let’s keep working,” said Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris.

“It is about time that students and teachers have the facilities they deserve,” said Assembly Member Simotas. “Children between the ages of 2 and 6 have a unique aptitude for learning and we have to foster that by ensuring that their kindergarten experience is not interrupted.”

“Schools are a home away from home for our kids and trailers are neither welcoming nor conducive to learning,” said Torniali. “A new annex to serve our children and their teachers is a proud moment for Astoria.”

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