Plans Stall For Wind Turbine, Corrections Academy In Bayside

BAYSIDE, NY – A wind turbine and a training academy for the Corrections Department are being considered for the Bayside army base Fort Totten, QNS reported.

FDNY officials. who currently share the land with the NYPD and the U.S. Army, initially received positive feedback from Community Board 7 as they explained plans to build a wind turbine in the southeast portion of the fort at the board's monthly meeting Oct. 23.

But that mood shifted when board vice chairperson Chuck Apelian said he heard the Department of Corrections is also considering it as the potential site for a new training academy, QNS reported.

Apelian motioned for the board to table its vote on the Fire Department's plan until it received more information from the city about the potential academy site, according to QNS. The motion passed.

“We’ve had this many times before, where we get half a story from one agency,” Apelian told QNS. “Without clarification on what’s happening in Fort Totten right now, and the mayor trying to push different agendas on us, I think it’s unfair for this board to take a position right now.”

Community Board 7 oversees the Bay Terrace, College Point, Whitestone, Malba, Beechhurst, Queensboro Hill and Willets Point neighborhoods of Queens. Fort Totten, located in Bay Terrace, is currently used by the U.S. Army Reserve, NYPD and FDNY with some areas designated as public parks.

Former Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte confirmed the department's interest in the site in May during a statement to the New York City Council on the Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Capital Budget and Commitment Plan. It includes $100 million for a new training academy and the department was conducting a feasibility study with the Department of Design and Construction on Fort Totten, Ponte said in the statement.

While they wait for more information on the training academy, board members requested the Fire Department add an educational component to their plans for the turbine that would allow community members to learn about the structure and its impact, QNS reported.

Fire officials said in the community board meeting that the 160-foot turbine would be constructed near the NYPD K9 training building, the Queens Chronicle reported.

The 100-kilowatt turbine would be the first of its kind built on city property, fire officials said. Northern Power Systems, which would design and build the turbine, estimated the project would cost around $481,000, the Queens Chronicle reported.