You are reading

Van Bramer Ramps Up Street Cleaning Program, Coverage Area Expanded

An ACE worker cleaning up a street in Astoria

Aug. 12, 2021 By Christian Murray

A dedicated crew of workers will be keeping a long list of streets in western Queens clean stemming from a new allocation of city funds by Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.

Van Bramer said that his office has allocated $270,000 to a non-profit organization that will be bringing on six dedicated workers to sweep streets, pick up trash and clean graffiti throughout Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and Astoria.

This year’s initiative builds on clean-up programs that Van Bramer first put in place in 2012 and has expanded since.

In 2012, Van Bramer first brought a dedicated crew to clean up the commercial district of Woodside, before bringing the service to Hunters Point in 2013 and then Dutch Kills in 2014. The amount allocated to clean those areas last year was $150,000.

This year there will be an extra $120,000 to spend and the coverage area will include additional streets in areas such as Sunnyside and Astoria.

The new coverage area includes 43rd, 48th and Skillman avenues in Sunnyside. The coverage area also includes additional streets in Woodside and Long Island City (see list below).

ACE workers in Western Queens

“What we are going to see is a massive scaling up of routes,” Van Bramer said in an interview. “The thoroughfares are going to be cleaned and there will be additional staff to do it.”

Van Bramer said that the non-profit organization ACE, formally known as The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, will be in charge of maintaining the streets.

The workers are part of an ACE program where they are provided jobs as well as supplemental training in various fields. Most of the workers come from homeless shelters, drug dependency centers as well as prisons.

“I feel really good about the program,” Van Bramer said. “It’s also a good use of taxpayer dollars to keep the streets clean. People’s quality of life matters a great deal to me.”

Van Bramer is kicking off the program today with an event at 48th Avenue and 47th Street.

There are several commercial streets that are not part of Van Bramer’s coverage area.

Most of these streets are cleaned by organizations hired by Business Improvement Districts. BIDs, such as Sunnyside Shines and the Long Island City Partnership, hire workers to keep their respective zones clean.

The list of streets that will be cleaned in the 2021/2022 year. The regular areas will be cleaned on an ongoing basis. The monitored areas will be cleaned at regular intervals. (Source: Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer’s office)

 

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

The best pumpkin picking patches near New York City

Sep. 7, 2024 By Barbara Russo, Kaitlyn Riggio and New York Family

October is almost here which means it’s that time again to go pumpkin picking. Head to one of these pumpkin picking farms in and near New York City to pick from a variety of gourds, munchkins, and other pumpkins.

South Richmond Hill senior killed after fire breaks out in his illegal basement apartment on Thursday afternoon

A 72-year-old man was killed after a fire engulfed his illegal basement apartment in South Richmond Hill on Thursday afternoon.

The FDNY received a call just after 5 p.m. of a house fire at 94-14 132nd St. Firefighters confirmed the blaze broke out in the basement. The FDNY dispatched 12 units and 60 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene. Paramedics rescued the 72-year-old victim, and EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead a short while later.

Woman allegedly choked in Queensboro Hill by robber who snatched her bag containing thousands in cash: NYPD

Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are looking for a strangler who robbed a 63-year-old woman in Queensboro Hill on the night of Thursday, Aug. 29.

The victim was walking on a residential block near the intersection of Frame Place and Maple Avenue just before midnight, when a stranger approached her and began to choke her. The perpetrator snatched her bag, which contained $6,000 in cash, her wallet and an iPhone.