Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
Two weeks ago I walked over to Mario’s Deli on Vernon to pick up a something-parmigiana hero and a coke, only to find that the deli was no more. I don’t know if it’s closed for good, or just under renovation, but I’m inclined to believe the former as the telephone number no longer works. Old Italian deli’s notwithstanding, a better indicator of all the changes in LIC is the loss this year of Title I funding for PS78/312.
On Wednesday night, the local PTA held a meeting at the new K – 8 school, which started 15 minutes later than planned due to the number of parents needing to get signed in. According to a source, the biggest issue was the loss of Title I funding and the implications it would have on the after school program. It seems that this funding is given out on an “all-or-none” basis, according to the percentage of parents whose incomes are below a certain number. With the massive gentrification of LIC recently, this is the year we pushed through that threshold. The loss of funding means that the school will no longer provide after school coverage between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. In other words, the post-class daycare needed for parents who normally couldn’t afford it, of whom there were supposedly few in attendance. Those that did attend, and their light turnout may very well have not been indicative of their actual numbers, were obviously vocal about this loss. It basically means that they will have to make some very difficult decisions as to whether they keep their children at PS 78/312, or make an abrupt change and uproot them in order to receive this coverage elsewhere. Thus taking them away from their friends, and the continuity and familiarity of a school. Either way, it highlights the very sad downside of rapid gentrification.
In other news, an LIC townhouse just sold for $3 million, smashing the previous record price for a single-family home in the area. It’s the changing of the guard.
Finally, I’d be remiss in not passing on that the LIC Partnership, Long Island City’s version of The Chamber of Commerce, has announced a new President, Elizabeth Lusskin. This group has done a good job melding the disparate businesses of LIC together into a collective voice, and integrating it with the rest of the community. You can read Liz’s bio here.
LIC Rowhouse Sells for Eye-Popping $3 Million – let me tell you, it’s not a bad buy at that price either.
7-Train Service to Be Suspended for Five Weekends This Fall – in case you didn’t get my tweet two weeks ago!
New Bar In Dutch Kills Aims To Be Gathering Place For Changing Area – a typical conversation at this “local” watering hole might go like this “Hola Hans, I’m Guadalupe and this is my friend Xinmao”
