This Sunday, April 22, The Journey Church in Astoria will be giving away $1,000 to help erase someone’s debt!

The Journey Church is a casual, contemporary, Christian Church, which will be holding service at 5pm at The Variety Boys & Girls Club in Astoria.

“Experience authentic community, incredible worship, a relevant message to your life, and leave impacted by the good news that God loves and cares for you,” says Mike Cooper, lead Pastor of the Journey Church.

Free Childcare is provided via the Journey Kids program.

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The Journey Church- Astoria
Service at 5pm
The Variety Boys and Girls Club
21-12 30th Rd, Astoria, NY 11102

Screen shot via Google Maps

The MTA has announced that it will close the Astoria Boulevard N/W station for nine months to add four elevators to the station.

The move to make the popular station, which is connected to the M60 bus to LaGuardia Airport, ADA accessible has been a long time coming.

Lawmakers such as State Senator Michael Gianaris were initially skeptical of the MTA’s plan. In February, he chided it as a broken promise that he’s heard about for well over a decade.

All indications say the MTA is finally following through. However, none of the other N/W stations in Astoria and Long Island City will have elevator access, even as most of them undergo long shutdowns and station rehab projects.

That’s another point elected officials have expressed their anger over.

In a statement, Councilman Costa Constantinides called the MTA’s announcement bittersweet. While elevators will finally provide accessibility to people with disabilities, parents with strollers and seniors, local businesses may suffer from the closure.

Just look at how the 30th Avenue businesses have collapsed since the station was closed for repairs.

Legislators are pledging to hold the MTA accountable for their project. Let’s hope they do.

Uh oh…

The famed Marriott Courtyard Hotel at 90-10 Ditmars Blvd. has shuttered its doors. With 288 guest rooms and its rather close proximity to LaGuardia Airport, it will apparently be a big loss for travelers.

The LaGuardia Marriott Courtyard hotel was shuttered this morning without warning. The hotel is at 90-10 Ditmars Blvd.

“This was a surprise to us,” said Tom Grech, the executive director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Grech was at a meeting at Vaughn College next door when he heard the news.

As of late this afternoon, the hotel website had no indication they were closed.

Of course when any hotel in Queens closes these days, there is speculation that the hotel owner ‘sold out’ to the idea of getting a guarantee of nearly double the room rate to use it as a homeless shelter.

Last year, Department of Homeless Services (DHS) denied that they were renting rooms for homeless men at this site.

More to come.

Time to cast your ballot!

Astoria residents ages 11 and up can now vote for their favorite projects. The top vote-getters, up to $1 million, will be funded.

Projects including improvements to the children’s rooms at district libraries, a new hydroponic lab at Long island City HS, a new research library at PS 17, lighting upgrades at Astoria Houses Community Center and district-wide resurfacing.

To see the full ballot of projects and a list of voting sites, see here.

A CityMD Urgent Care is coming to 31st Street between Ditmars Boulevard and 23rd Avenue in the next few weeks.

The spot used to be a Payless shoe store, but that closed down recently. It’s next to the McDonald’s, right off the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard station.

CityMD Urgent Care is a walk-in medical clinic that provides services like pediatric care, physical exams, vaccinations, x-rays and rapid lab tests and screenings.

There’s another CityMD Urgent Care on Steinway Street in Astoria, and nearly a dozen in Queens.

Community Board 1 is launching a survey of Ravenswood residents, business owners and stakeholders.

The survey will ask about how community members feel about growth, housing and new development. Given the changes in Astoria and Long Island City, many residents have felt left out of the decision-making process.

The survey will give residents a chance to voice their concerns.

The survey will be available online in English, Spanish and Bengali from April 4 through April 30 on CB1’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages. Stakeholders can visit www.nyc.gov/queenscb1 to participate in the survey.

It can also be found using the mobile code shown on the flyer above.

For more information, contact Community Board 1 at 718-626-1021 or [email protected]