Photo Courtesy of DHS
Sen. Chuck Schumer
By Michael V. Cusenza
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica) recently penned a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and City Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue urging them to engage the community prior to initiating groin construction on Rockaway Beach.
“It is imperative that both the East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet Coastal Storm Risk Management project is completed, and the concerns from residents and businesses are heard,” the pols wrote.
Rep. Greg Meeks
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia/Magnus Manske
Earlier this month, Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach), and Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) wrote a letter to Schumer, Meeks, and Donoghue calling on them to postpone construction—which would include the closure of several beaches on the Rockaway peninsula, from Beach 92nd Street to Beach 116th Street, from Memorial Day weekend to the end of July—until after the summer, to allow small businesses to get the seasonal commerce they rely on every year.
“This area is the commercial and economic engine of the neighborhood during the summertime, and attracts millions of visitors from across the five boroughs and beyond,” the three Queens elected officials wrote.
In their missive to the Army Corps and Donoghue, Schumer and Meeks said, “As our offices have repeatedly stated, we expect both the Army Corps and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to be maximally responsive to the Rockaway community, as well as flexible in accommodating legitimate concerns about potential disruptions from any proposed beach closures. We cannot underscore enough the importance of connecting with communities, like the Rockaways, early and often on projects impacting their livelihoods and quality of life. While the completion of these groins to protect the Rockaways shorefront in advance of this year’s hurricane season is absolutely necessary, so too are the concerns of the residents and local businesses owners, who are the heart of the Rockaway community.”
