TONIGHT! Update meeting on the Astoria Gas Turbine Power Facility (NRG Energy) Repowering Project

Thanks to GreenShores for alerting us to this:

There will be a community update meeting on the Astoria Gas Turbine Power Facility (NRG Energy) Repowering Project:

Thursday, April 9, 2009
7 p.m.
Riccardo's Restaurant (21-01 24th Avenue, Astoria)

After hosting their initial meeting, along with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in November 2008, NRG Energy has submitted its permit applications and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in support of this project. Currently, NYSDEC personnel are reviewing these documents before submission for public comment.

The repowering project will replace all of the existing almost 40 year-old turbines at the facility with four new turbines.

Meeting attendees will hear a short overview about the recently submitted applications and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Attendees will also have the opportunity to discuss the project informally with NRG representatives and consultants.

ALL are welcome to attend this meeting!

For more information about this project:
www.dec.ny.gov
www.nrgenergy.com

Final scoping documents are available for public review at:

Queens Library, Steinway Branch: 21-45 31st Street
Queens Library, Astoria Branch: 14-01 Astoria Blvd
NYSDEC Website: www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6061.html

Recent Events: Queens Holistic Moms and LIC Boathouse Fundraiser

Just wanted to post a little about two recent events I attended - the Queens Holistic Moms kickoff meeting on Wednesday, and the LIC Boathouse Fundraiser event last night.

The Queens Holistic Moms meeting was a huge success! Lots of people showed up with their kids and families, so much so that the space had to be expanded at ARROW (they have movable partitions to separate the space into multiple sections). It was great to see so many people interested in holistic living/wellness in Astoria. They have a bunch of events upcoming, which I think will be a good time for all involved.

The LIC Boathouse event was also a great success! There were probably over 200 people there throughout the evening. I didn't get a chance to taste much of the food, but the few sweet things I tasted were wonderful - I'm guessing they were from Sage General Store. There was beer, wine, and soft drinks, a slide show, and a film or two playing in the background. It was neat to see The Foundry as well, which I'd heard so much about. The best part about the night was seeing so many from the community come out and support this important community resource. On a personal level, I loved seeing so many friends there!

I took pictures of both events and will share them with you here as soon as I can upload and edit them!

Save Two Coves Garden!!

While at the Queens Holistic Moms meeting last night (which was pretty awesome), I learned that Two Coves Garden is in danger of losing the community garden! I think this would suck pretty badly, as the garden is a very important aspect of the community. Here is the notice of this sad situation:

One of the largest and most popular community gardens in New York City is threatened by the Parks Department and Goodwill Industries' decision to impose a decade-old design for a park on 75% of the garden's space.

Over the past two years, a vibrant grassroots community organization turned a neglected lot into the urban oasis that is today Two Coves Community Garden. This diverse community of more than 200 active urban gardeners, participants in a 1,300 sq ft community plot (including local school participation), and even more visitors and supporters actively care for and maintain the site as volunteers under a city license. Now this unique and beneficial addition to Astoria could be lost forever. The waterfront neighborhood surrounding the garden is blessed with seven parks and recreational areas already. Two Coves Community Garden is the only connection to the dynamic urban agriculture movement praise by First Lady Michelle Obama, Cornell University and - ironically - the Parks Department itself!

I do love this garden, as I worked on beautifying the space early on and am happy to see how it's evolved.

One thing you can do to help is attend the Community Board 1 meeting on Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. Let the Board know you support this amazing urban garden!

Details:
Community Board 1 Meeting
Tuesday, March 17th
7:00 pm
Astoria World Manor
2522 Astoria Blvd

Anyone who attends can sign up to speak for 2-minutes during the public comment segment, in support of the garden.

Hope to see you there!

Photo credit: (cc) Meg Cotner

Upcoming TA Queens Committee Meeting

I wanted to remind you that the Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee is meeting on Monday. I've been to their meetings and it's a very enthusiastic, dedicated, and friendly group. You don't have to be a bicyclist to be part of things - fans of all kinds of alternative forms of transportation are welcome! Here's the skinny:

Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee Meeting

Help plan TA’s Queens agenda for the coming months and make a difference in how people get around the city.

Monday, March 9th
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Greater Astoria Historical Society
4th floor of the Quinn Building
35-20 Broadway, Astoria (map)