LARGEST AUDITED COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN QUEENS Aug. 14–20, 2015 Your Neighborhood — Your News® 75 cents THE NEWSPAPER OF FLUSHING, AUBURNDALE, KEW GARDENS HILLS & FRESH MEADOWS Pilates studio Queens tackles Legionnaires’ sued over OT Borough conquered disease back in May before South Bronx outbreak in Fresh Mdws. BY MADINA TOURE BY TOM MOMBERG RUN IN THE SUN In the aftermath of a small outbreak of Legionnaires’ dis- A Flushing man has filed ease in Queens this spring, bor- a lawsuit against his former ough hospitals and buildings employer in Fresh Meadows are continuing to undertake for demanding he work up to safety preventive measures in 105 hours a week with no over- light of the recent outbreak in time. the South Bronx. Marcos Leyton, 35, is charg- In April and May, 13 people ing that Pilates Bodies New got sick with Legionnaires’ in York had hired him at a salary Flushing, three of whom live of $1,000 a week and regularly in the Bland Houses at 40-21 scheduled him to work seven College Point Blvd. in Flush- days a week for up to 15 hours ing, according to a Health De- a day, which translated into partment spokeswoman. 65 hours of overtime weekly, As of Wednesday, there had according to the complaint he been 115 cases and 12 deaths filed with Brooklyn federal in the South Bronx, accord- court. ing to Mayor Bill de Blasio. If Leyton’s suit is upheld, There had been no new cases his former employer will be since Aug. 3. Health Commis- in violation of the Fair Labor sioner Dr. Mary Bassett issued Standards Act and the New an order Aug. 6 that owners of York Labor Law. buildings with cooling towers The lawsuit contends Pi- are required to register their lates Bodies, 159-16 Union buildings and disinfect their Turnpike, Suite 210, did not towers. properly account for all the Legionnaires’ disease is a hours Leyton worked in his type of pneumonia caused by time employed at the fitness Legionella bacteria that grow studio from June 2013 to No- in warm water and are com- vember 2014, because there monly found in cooling tow- was no accurate record system ers. in place. Some buildings use the Leyton’s attorney, Jordan On a steamy August Sunday, the city Parks Department opens the hydrant next to the Unisphere in towers in their air condition- El-Hag of El-Hag and Associ- Fliushing Meadows Corona Park to keep the kids from running under the landmark fountains a few ing, ventilation or heating sys- ates in White Plains, said his yards away. Photo by Michael Shain tems. client was not aware of his The Health Department Continued on Page 54 Continued on Page 36 A CNG Publication Vol. 24 No. 33 60 total pages Flushing park littered New fresh selections Homelessness and criminal activities plague space coming to Bell Blvd. BY TOM MOMBERG venient stop for train com- BY MADINA TOURE muters. Quick, tasty and healthy In addition to offering deli The Bowne House Flushing food alternatives are coming selections, the market will is calling on the city Parks De- to Bayside’s Bell Boulevard, have hot lunch selections, partment and other city agen- at all hours of the day. bubble tea, fresh-squeezed cies to address the growing Owner Frank Wu and juice, sushi, organic prod- homeless population and the store manager Harry Celik ucts, fresh produce and dairy drinking and drug activities are opening the Big Green products. Celik said he would in the adjacent Weeping Beech Apple Market in the space offer a selection of fruits Park. that previously housed Rani, and vegetables from organic An officer on the board of 41-17 Bell Blvd., by the third farms, which have stricter directors of the Bowne House or fourth week of August. controls on pesticide use than Historical Society said the Celik, of Kew Gardens, does USDA-certified organic homelessness and accompa- said he teamed up with Wu produce. nying problems at night have to meet some of the demand “We are going to sell light, been occurring during the last for high-quality all-natural organic and natural stuff, year in the park, located 143-20 foods and late night eats in but we’ll keep it reasonably 37th Ave. A number of homeless people are currently living in Weeping Beech Park Bayside. The market will be priced. A lot of the specialty This has had an adverse in Flushing. Photo by Madina Toure open 24 hours a day. products we are going to sell effect on the Bowne House, “We have been eyeing Bell you can find in health-food whose property has been “Now I don’t have money park regularly, she said. Boulevard for a while,” Celik stores, but at a lower price. littered with liquor bottles for apartment,” Kwon said. Anyone found drinking said. “For a couple of years Because we are a smaller thrown over the fence and de- “So I want people to help me. I or doing drugs in the park at now, we have just been look- place with fewer employees, bris, she said. need a house.” any time can be given a sum- ing for the right spot.” we will be able to cut some of She has been reaching out The Bowne House offi- mons, removed from the park After being turned down the overhead.” to social service agencies to cer said she has spoken with or arrested, the Parks spokes- for a lease at the same loca- Celik said his selection assist the homeless people and Kwon, whom she described as woman said. Anyone within tion over a year ago, Celik and prices would easily allow has notified the police of the a nice woman, and said the wa- the park after hours would be said the long-vacant space people to grab lunch for less criminal activities. ter spraying on the bench was removed from the space. finally came up for grabs than $10. The market’s phone “They (Parks) said they meant for the plants. The Bowne House officer earlier this summer after the number is 718-281-2028. come twice a day, but it’s not The city Department of said she suggested moving the previous lessee backed out of Big Green Apple joins oth- adequate,” she said. “You’re Homeless Services said it benches away from the fence a contract. er produce markets on Bell dealing with essentially a very has identified Kwon’s family and putting them on the cen- Located right next to the Boulevard, like Won Well Be- small space that’s heavily uti- and that an outreach team is tral path, while the agency Port Washington-bound en- ing Food, 42-21 Bell Blvd., and lized by people in the neigh- working to get them to accept recommended putting lights trance to the Bayside Long the Bayside Milk Farm, 35-15 borhood and other groups.” services. The agency is trying along that fence to deter crimi- Island Rail Road station, the Bell Blvd., and will be the South Korean native Linda to get the family to come into nal activity. Big Green Apple Market is only 24-hour establishment Kwon, 50, has been living in the the Adult Family Intake Cen- State Sen. Toby Stavisky near the city Department of on Bayside’s commercial park for the past month with ter and is working with faith (D-Flushing) said she has not Transportation parking lot strip besides the 7/11 conve- her husband, her 30-year-old leaders to keep the members received complaints, but she on 41st Avenue and is a con- nience store. daughter and their dog since together. plans to speak with the com- they lost their home nearby. A Parks spokeswoman said munity affairs people in the She moved to the park because Common Ground, a nonprofit 109th Precinct. people kept stealing her bags that helps homeless people “They (Homeless) must pre- when she stayed across the move into supportive housing, fer it to a shelter, which tells street. has been providing outreach us something about the shelter She said that someone from and helping to assist the home- system,” she said. the Bowne House was spray- less people in the park. The A spokesman for City Coun- ing water on the benches to agency has also been coordi- cilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) send homeless people away, nating efforts with the NYPD said his office is working with taking pictures of her against and has hosted a number of DHS and nonprofits, such as her will and even calling the volunteer cleanup days at the the Jesus Love House Mission police. park. in Flushing. He also said the She said there are many The agency’s Park Enforce- 109th Precinct has been crack- homeless people like her who ment Patrol and maintenance ing down on some of the drug Big Green Apple Market, 41-17 Bell Blvd., plans to open by the end of stay in the park because they divisions have also been moni- activity in the park. August, bringing all natural and organic food selections to Bayside 24 have no other place to go. toring and maintaining the hours a day. 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