www.queenstribune.com • Aug. 15-21, 2013 Tribune Page 5
Powell Cove Estates Developers Sued BY JOE MARVILLI Staff Writer
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The Fair Housing Justice Center has filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against Powell Cove developers. Suzanne Vilchez and Maria Coello made requests for the Powell Cove Estates condo in College Point where they had put a deposit to add accessibility features, as Vilchez is disabled and uses a wheelchair. That request has turned into a lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the case are Vilchez, Coello, the Coello Family Trust and FHJC. The defendants are AVR Realty Company, AVR-Powell C Development Corp., RPA Associates, RPE Overlook Development Corp., Miele Associates, John Meyer Consulting, Planning, Engineering, Landscape Architecture and Land Surveying, P.C. and John Doe doing business as Gary D. Canella Associates. In August 2009, Vilchez and Coello visited Powell Cove, interested in a ground-floor single-story, two bedroom unit. Vilchez made several accessibility-related requests, including lever handles on the doors, an accessible route to the patio and more. About one year later, the two took a tour of the apartment and noticed that many of their requests had not been made. According to the court document, Vilchez was informed that the
change would conflict with the uniformity of the design at Powell Cove. Similar renovations for an accessible patio door without a high threshold and more were also rejected. The plaintiffs are filing to halt and reform the defendants’ discriminatory
practices, as well as injunctive relief, compensatory damages and punitive damages for violating Vilchez’s civil rights. “The case just exposes the tragedy that some builders have ignored the rights of disabled people,” James Ba-
hamonde, the plaintiff’s counsel, said. The defendants’ attorney could not be reached for comment as of press time. Reach Joe Marvilli at (718) 3577400, Ext. 125, jmarvilli@queenstribune.com, or @Joey788.
Corona Health Clinic Slated To Shut Down BY TRIshA sAkhuJA Staff Writer According to plans set in place by the Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Corona Health Center on Junction Boulevard is set to close weeks before the start of school. The services provided by the Corona and Tremont Health Center in the Bronx will no longer be available to children, particularly low-income and immigrant families, in need of a public health functions. On Aug. 14, elected officials along with Local 436 at District Council 37 rallied in front of the Corona Health Center, demanding the City to push back the closing date. “We are hoping to keep the pressure on the City at least through the school rush,” said Judith Arroyo, president of Local 436 at District Council 37. Arroyo said “These clinics make up a drop in the bucket” in terms of the
City’s healthcare budget. A City Health Dept. official said there are other locations across the City that provide free or low-cost immunizations, such as 50 primary providers in the Bronx and 22 in Queens. “While we are reluctant to close clinics, the agency has decided to restructure and consolidate services to preserve essential functions and reduce overall cost of operations,” a City Health Dept. spokesperson said. The health center’s staff from the Queens and the Bronx center will be transferred to other locations. State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) echoed his concerns regarding these closures in a letter sent to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and both the New York State and City Dept. of Health. According to the letter, Peralta said Article 28 states that the Corona and Tremont Health Centers may not be closed unless the City gives the Dept.
of Health notice of the planned closure, submits an acceptable closure plan and receives written permission to close the clinic. In 2012, the Corona Health Clinic served 4,286 children, according to D37. The Corona staff administered almost 33,000 vaccines to nearly 16,000 clients last year. Director Anthony Feliciano of the Commission on the Public’s Health System said this is an abrupt plan put in place by the City. “The notion that everyone has access to some place is not enough,” Feliciano said. If the City does not push the Clinic’s last day of operations, its scheduled last day is Aug. 16. In this case, Queens’ patients will have to travel to the Fort Greene Health Center in Brooklyn. Reach Trisha Sakhuja at (718) 3577400, Ext. 128, tsakhuja@queenstribune.com, or @Tsakhuja13.
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