Community Corner

🌱 Variety Boys And Girls Club Overhaul + Fire Destroys E-Bike Store

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Queens.

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(Patch Media)

Good morning, Queens! 🤩

  • 🔭 The Variety Boys and Girls Club in Astoria is getting a major $1 million overhaul! Updates include a planetarium (!), a 1,000 seat basketball arena, 229 units of all affordable housing, and more.
  • 🔥 A blaze erupted inside a Sunnyside e-bike shop on Thursday that took firefighters over 2 hours to put out. FDNY officials suspect it may have been caused by a lithium-ion battery.
  • 🌊 The historic bathhouse complex at Jacob Riis Park will undergo a $50 million renovation!

🌞 Nice with plenty of sunshine. High: 67 Low: 53.

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Here are the top stories in Queens today:

1. The Variety Boys and Girls Club, a not-for-profit in Astoria, is getting a $1 million overhaul — including a 1,000 seat basketball arena, an Olympic sized swimming pool, a planetarium and a tech center for robotics. The not-for-profit serves 4,000 Queens children a year, including free after school programming, and has operated out of its current building since 1955. The new and improved center, which is expected to be complete by 2026, will serve 16,000 young people a year. In addition to the new 123,000 square-foot clubhouse, the center will also include 229 units of all affordable housing — about 60 units will be reserved for young people aging out of foster care. Construction will begin next year.

Spectrum News NY1

2. A blaze erupted inside a Sunnyside e-bike shop on Thursday evening, and now fire marshals are investigating to determine if it was caused by a lithium-ion battery. It took firefighters nearly two hours to put out the blaze inside the Fly Wing E-Bike store — the entire first floor and more than 60 e-bikes were destroyed in the fire. As the investigation into the source of the fire was ongoing Friday, FDNY officials released a two-minute video to alert the public of the dangers the lithium-ion batteries. "Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries have increased dramatically in New York City with deadly consequences," the video warns. "Damaged and unstable batteries and improper charging, storage or disposal can cause the batteries to overheat, leading to an explosive, aggressive fire that spreads rapidly."

New York Daily News ; Queens Courier

3. The historic bathhouse complex at Jacob Riis Park will undergo a $50 million renovation, which will begin with a full restoration of the brick bathhouse's original Moorish/Byzantine facade. Plans for the landmark building, located on the western end of the Rockaway Peninsula, include multiple eateries, bars and lounges, retail spaces, a courtyard swimming pool, dedicated event areas, and even a 28-room boutique hotel. The bathhouse first opened in 1932, and was an epicenter of activity on the Rockaway Peninsula for decades until the building was completely shuttered in the 1990s. "This project to revitalize and rejuvenate the Jacob Riis Bathhouse represents a giant step forward for the Rockaway Peninsula as it continues to recover from the battering it received from Hurricane Sandy a decade ago," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. "By restoring the Jacob Riis Bathhouse to its glorious past, we are creating a brighter future for the Rockaways, its residents, and its many visitors."

The Architect's Newspaper

4. Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar delivered the keynote speech at a Tuesday, Oct. 18, roundtable on domestic violence in the South Asian diaspora held at the Queens Family Justice Center in Kew Gardens. Rajkumar, the first South Asian women to ever be elected to office in the State of New York, noted that domestic violence statistics for the South Asian diaspora are very high — up to 40% of South Asian women experience domestic violence, and this number could even be higher as there is a chronic underreporting of domestic violence among this community. Rajkumar, a former lawyer, also mentioned at the roundtable that she successfully advocated for $34.4 million in financial assistance to domestic violence survivors for this year's state budget.

Queens Courier

5. Developers of the controversial Innovation QNS megaproject admitted at the City Council hearing on Wednesday that they have not yet secured the city funding necessary to keep their promise of making 40 percent of the unit affordable. Currently, only 25 percent of the 2,800-unit project will be affordable apartments, paid for by the developers themselves. However, local Council Member Julie Won said last week that she would oppose the luxury development unless it were at least 55 percent affordable — and with the vast majority of affordable units unsubsidized by government. Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday that he would work with Won to reach a deal.

The Real Deal ; Patch

🗞Hankering for more headlines? 👀 Look no further:

  • New York Hall of Science reopens more than a year after extensive flood damage from Hurricane Ida (Queens Courier)
  • Elmhurst resident to run in his 24th NYC Marathon (Queens Ledger)
  • A Decade After Hurricane Sandy, New Yorkers Still Fear the Rain (The New York Times)
  • Former Venezuelan government lawyer flees to New York City (Spectrum News NY1)
  • NYPD seeks suspect in Queens, Manhattan bank robbery spree; say he's netted $15,000 in 18 jobs (New York Daily News)

🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • Diwali Celebration with Brad Lander and Shekar Krishan (11 a.m.)
  • The 2022 Queens Jazz OverGround Autumn Jazz Fest (12 p.m.)
  • Queens Fiber Arts Festival (12 p.m.)
  • Langston Hughes Library Literary Arts Festival (12 p.m.)
  • Flushing YMCA Beacon 194 Fall Fest (2 p.m.)
  • Fort Totten Halloween Festival (4 p.m.)
  • Queens World Film Festival TRAILER Party (7 p.m.)
  • The Odd Rock Comedy Hour with Rob Paravonian (7:30 p.m.)

To Do Tomorrow:

  • Queens County Farm Museum Free Admission Sunday (11 a.m.)
  • Photo Lab for Kids: Fun Family Portraits (12 p.m.)
  • Queens County Farm With The Crew! (12 p.m.)
  • Classical Kids Fair (1 p.m.)
  • LIVE at Culture Lab LIC: FREE Outdoor Concerts! (5 p.m.)
  • Last Call Comedy Show w/ Comics From Netflix, HBO , NBC, SNL, Amazon Prime (6:30 p.m.)
  • Are You Smarter Than A Comedian? (8:30 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

  • 🐮 Do not feed "people food" to the livestock:"Some of our livestock may neighbor the pumpkin patch, but they shouldn't be eating jack-o-lanterns! Our dedicated farmers regulate their diets and give them access to fresh forage and grazing. Please help our livestock stay healthy; don't give them pumpkins, apples, donuts, or any other "people food". If you'd like to feed the goats and sheep, hay is available in the farm store." (The Queens County Farm Museum via Facebook)
  • 👻 Life after the pumpkin patch: "There is LIFE after #QBGPumpkinPatch! Here are some ideas of what to do with your colorful gourds to repurpose them and add them back into the closed loop of organics recycling! 🎃 Smash them at our PUMPKIN SMASH event at Lou Lodati Park in LIC on Sat,11/5! You smash them and NYC Compost Project will turn them into compost. Register at link in bio or pumpkinsmash2022.eventbrite.com 🎃 Make sweet pies and hearty soups! 🎃 Scoop out and roast the seeds to eat. 🎃 Make pumpkins into dog treats! 🎃 Donate them to your local animal sanctuary!" (Queens Botanical Garden via Facebook)
  • 🎪 Immigrant Resource Fair today!: "Join us for our Immigrant Resource Fair in Corona! Sign up for HRA services, consult with the Consulate General of Mexico in New York, get an HIV test with Voces Latinas mobile unit, and much more. For more information, call 718-286-0644 or email welcome@queensbp.org." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
  • 🌱 Exhibition on the organic architecture of Mexico City: "There's never a bad time to visit NY's @NoguchiMuseum, but when an exhibition on the organic architecture of Mexico City opens and it's that golden window of autumn where fallen leaves cover the sculpture garden, it's particularly magical." @dominomag https://domino.com/style-shopping/friday-faves-hay-laila-gohar-via-carota-cookbook/" (The Noguchi Museum via Twitter)
  • 🌙 Get ready for tonight's Queens Night Market: "Here's the penultimate layout this year. Another gorgeous Saturday in forecast, so see you tomorrow?! Be sure to check out the adidas activation, where you can customize your own Mexico football jersey! PS: Hope you're getting your costumes ready for our big Trick-or-Treat season finale next week! We'll announce the costume contest times and prizes soon!" (Queens Night Market via Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Saturday off right! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update.

— Emma Radu Fighera

About me: Emma Radu Fighera is a reporter born and raised in Queens, New York. She studied Literature and Studio Art at Hamilton College, where she helped run the only daily publication on campus, The Daily Bull newsletter. This past spring she earned her M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Queens Daily? Contact me at queens@patch.com

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