LARGEST AUDITED COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN QUEENS Oct. 10–16, 2014 Your Neighborhood - Your News ® 75 cents THE NEWSPAPER OF FLUSHING, AUBURNDALE, KEW GARDENS HILLS & FRESH MEADOWS Avonte’s mom Neglected Qns parks get face-lift remains bitter De Blasio pledges one year later FLUSHING TAKES TO STREETS funds to fi x up BY BILL PARRY city green spaces Avonte Oquendo was remem- BY ALEX ROBINSON bered by his mother, Vanessa Fontaine, and a small circle of Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to friends on the first anniversary turn over a new leaf on how fund- of his disappearance Saturday. ing for the city’s parks is doled The gathering took place in Hunt- out. ers Point South Park near where The mayor came to Flush- the 14-year-old autistic boy was ing Tuesday morning to launch believed to have entered the wa- a new initiative that will provide ter of the East River after he van- $130 million in capital funding ished from the Riverview School to 35 parks and playgrounds he in Long Island City last Oct. 4. said were neglected during the His body was discovered on Bloomberg administration. the shore of College Point in Jan- “From children and parents uary. The cause of death has yet to athletes and students, every to be determined by the medical New Yorker deserves access to examiner’s office. clean and safe public parkland “I’m here to honor him today - no matter what neighborhood because he was an amazing kid,” they live in,” he told reporters Fontaine said. “And I just want standing in PS20’s playground. everyone to know that you know “Through targeted investments Continued on Page 50 and programming, we will en- gage New Yorkers by re-creating parks in communities that need open space improvements the most.” The Community Parks Ini- tiative identified parks in densely populated low-income areas that Demonstrators rally against domestic violence outside Flushing’s branch of the Queens Library. See story on Page had received less than $250,000 in capital funding over the last two 2. Photo by Nat Valentine decades. MAILING ADDRESS GOES HERE Continued on Page 50 A CNG Publication Vol. 23 No. 41 60 total pages 2 FT Flushing targets abuse CB 11 OKs variance COM . Hundreds join Korean nonprofi t’s annual rally against domestic violence for auto repair shop TIMESLEDGER BY JUAN SOTO the service station at 42-42 BY ALEX ROBINSON Francis Lewis Blvd. An auto repair busi- According to a rep- A few weeks after mur- nesses at Francis Lewis resentative from the busi- der suicides claimed five Boulevard got what it was ness, Prela Enterprises lives in downtown Flush- looking for during this had a letter of support from . 10–16, 2014 . 10–16, 2014 CT ing, hundreds of purple- month’s Community Board about 300 residents of the , O wearing marchers weaved 11 meeting. community. through the neighborhood’s By a 19-vote-margin “Prela is a good neigh- EDGER L streets to take a stand (28-9), the board extended bor,” he said. “And it is a IMES T against domestic violence. an approved variance from good business.” The Korean Ameri- five to 10 years to Prela En- The approval of the ex- can Family Service Cen- terprises, which was set to tension comes with the con- ter organized the annual expired in November 2017. dition that parking on the demonstration, which took The Auburndale site be limited to vehicles place last Friday, for Do- Improvement Associa- waiting for service, signage mestic Violence Awareness tion opposed the exten- be limited to the city Board Month. sion, arguing that the of Standards and Appeals Two separate murder 10,020-square-foot shop’s requisites, and a no park- suicides rocked Flushing’s lot has excessive signage ing sign be installed in the Asian community in two and commercial vehicles shop’s fence. days in early September. park overnight. “We addressed those A man shot and killed his “We oppose the exten- issues,” said Prela, adding girlfriend in broad daylight sion at this time,” said Ter- that the only concern now before taking his own life ri Pouymari, president of is getting the certificate of in downtown Flushing on the Auburndale Improve- occupancy. the afternoon of Sept. 8, ac- ment Association. “If they During the CB 11 meet- cording to the NYPD. Early meet the conditions in 2017, ing held at Middle School the following morning, Korean American Family Service Center Executive Director Grace Yoon speaks to the crowd. then we will be okey for a 158, at 46-35 Oceania St., police found the burned Photo by Nat Valentine 10-year extension.” the board asked neighbors remains of a father who The business opened to submit ideas for the capi- had slit the throats of his “These critical funds domestic violence counsel- Executive Director Jung- in 1957, when the board tal and expense budget for wife and son before cutting will significantly help ing as well as a scholarship sook “Grace” Yoon. granted a variance to per- fiscal year 2016. his own wrists and setting these two organizations program for struggling The organization, mit the construction of Continued on Page 9 their Roosevelt Avenue continue the great work mothers. It also offers a which has a bilingual 24/7 apartment on fire. they do to help victims of number of different educa- hotline at 718-460-3800, said A number of commu- domestic violence,” Meng tional programs for adults, it served 1,800 individuals nity leaders and elected of- said. “It is critical that children and youth seeking in fiscal year 2013. ficials marched in the dem- groups like these have the refuge from violence and KAFSC, which is onstration to join the fight resources they need, and helps victims get back on based in Flushing, recently against domestic abuse. I am pleased to help bring their feet. merged with another Ko- U.S. Rep. Grace Meng these federal dollars back “This timely funding rean organization called (D-Flushing) announced here to Queens.” will enable us to outreach the Women In Need Cen- last week that she helped KAFSC, which re- to local businesses such ter, which has served as an secure $300,000 in federal cently marked its 25th as nail and beauty salons emergency shelter for bat- funds for KAFSC and the anniversary, helps low- and continue providing a tered women and children Garden of Good Hope, income victims of domestic directly accessible, cultur- for 21 years. another Flushing-based violence and sexual assault ally familiar, safe haven Reach reporter Alex group that provides ser- in the Korean and Asian of support and resources Robinson by e-mail at arob- vices to victims of domestic immigrant community. towards healing and self- [email protected] or by CB 11 gives approval to a 10-year variance extension for Prela Auto violence. The organization provides sufficiency,” said KAFSC phone at 718-260-4566. Repair at Francis Lewis Boulevard. 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FLUSHING TIMES (USPS#03925) is published weekly by News Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY.11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2014. All rights reserved. The newspaper will not be liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the FLUSHING TIMES C/O News Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, N.Y. 11361 3 Queens Restaurant Week grows as it enters 11th year BT T IMES L More than 200 eateries from across borough partake in two and a half-week promotional bonanza EDGER BY SARINA TRANGLE Water’s Edge,” McKay said of the samples outside the mall said , O Long Island City American res- they were new and opted into res- CT . 10–16, 2014 taurant. “It’s really taken off here taurant week as a way to intro- Dozens gathered in Atlas in Queens. This is my fourth year duce themselves to diners. Park’s lawn Monday to sample doing it. We had 100 back then and “We’re new so we wanted dishes from participants in now we’re at about 200.” to get more known,” said Lesley Queens Restaurant Week. For a $100 fee, Queens Res- Tinishanay, whose father is the Close to 200 eateries have taurant Week participants get chef and owner of Il Falco, a fine TIMESLEDGER joined the 2-1/2-weeklong promo- marketing and promotion ahead Italian restaurant in Long Island tion, which offers diners three- of event through the EDC and City. “It’s hard, but little by little . course prix fixe meals for $28 at many see a roughly 20 percent we’re getting there.” COM most restaurants and $14 lunch uptick in customers, according to Similarly Loycent Gordon, a specials on weekdays, weekends McKay. firefighter who purchased Neir’s or both, according to Queens Eco- This year’s roster of eateries last year to prevent the storied nomic Development Corp.