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What Are We Clapping For?




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Back in October of 2014, as news began to spread about possible FEMA allocations for the boardwalk and other glaring needs for the peninsula, The Wave began an ongoing process of contacting elected officials and agencies from the city, state and federal level to assure Rockaway would get the assistance it desperately needs.

Specifically, how are the various funds raised for Sandy relief being spent? Are the funds being allocated properly? Are funds raised for the peninsula providing the peninsula with every resource it needs and will need?

Not by a long shot.

Prior to the “State of the City” on Feb. 3, sources from the mayor’s office leaked out that in 2017 – an election year – a return of ferry service to Rockaway.

So, via social media, The Wave advised residents to watch / listen to the mayor speak. About an hour and a half in, the mayor said, “Let’s talk about “The Rockaways.”

There were cheers, which was nice. Then de Blasio started talking. He talked about affordable housing for Rockaway, and sadly, that was the limit of his Rockaway segue.

His ferry “announcement’ included Red Hook and Soundview.

Let’s be blunt; Rockaway already has more than its share of affordable housing. It also has a homeless shelter, ongoing efforts by the city and the Department of Homeless Services to place at least one more on the peninsula. In addition, Rockaway operates 5,000 units of public housing, 6,000 nursing and adult home beds, eight group homes, four drug rehabilitation centers, the St John’s Boys Home, the second highest amount in the borough of Queens of Section 8 voucher clients and several SRO hotels.

We have several influential elected officials who represent us. Is it too much to ask that they again impress upon this mayor and his cadre of “big picture” analysts that this peninsula lacks the basic needs of a viable community?

They have, as a group, been able to make some progress on certain issues. But clearly, based on this “State of the City,” something is being lost in translation.

Medical care and transportation are constantly brought up as critical needs for Rockaway, yet nothing is being done about it. Rockaway has the highest unemployment in Queens, and its residents are consistently ignored by the city to which they pay taxes.

A ferry in 2017 may be great news, but no one even knows where the Rockaway stop on the city-wide route will be because they have to “study” it, first.

Maybe that’s why they need almost three years to figure it out.



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