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| N.Y. Prison's Use of Queens Plaza Eyed |
| By New York Daily News |
| Published: 05/27/2002 |
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As the redesign of New York's Queens Plaza proceeds, many borough officials would like the Correction Department to stop using it as a place to bus Rikers Island inmates upon their release. Rikers has been busing 30 to 80 misdemeanor offenders to the Queens Plaza area - the nearest major transportation hub - for the last three decades. The drop-off occurs at 5 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. 'In all the years we have been doing this, there has never been a problem with this location as a discharge site. These releasees use the transportation to other parts of the city and do not linger,' said Correction Department spokesman Tom Antenen, adding that Correction Commissioner William Fraser has been actively working with officials on the matter. However, Met Life, which relocated 900 employees to a building at 27-01 Bridge Plaza North in November, is said to be unhappy with the releases so close to its offices, sources said. While not commenting specifically on the inmate issue, Met Life spokesman John Calagna said, 'We want to be positive about the area. We are working with both the Queens borough president and other elected officials on the Rikers bus issue and making the area of Queens Plaza better.' Met Life is about to construct a new office building next to the existing structure. Penny Lee of the Department of City Planning said the department has been working on the redesign of Queens Plaza since 1998, to make it the 'gateway into the borough.' She said Met Life 'has come to our meetings and have given us their input and have been a very enthusiastic partner with the redesign. It [the dropoff point] is their front door, and they would like to see improvements at their front door.' The matter was under discussion at Community Board 1's District Service Cabinet meeting recently in Astoria. District Manager George Delis said, 'I believe the solution is to drop off these releasees in the boroughs where they live.' |
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