(Washington, DC) - U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Queens/L.I.) today secured millions in federal dollars for projects in Queens and Long Island. These include funds to help silence the blaring horns the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is required to blast each time its trains pass through the quiet community of Little Neck, Queens; money to create a visitor’s center at the former Queens home – now a museum – of the late Louis Armstrong, the legendary jazz musician and funds for the annual operating budget of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point on Long Island. Ackerman obtained the money in the final version of the 2008 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill. The measure passed the House late today by a vote of 270 to 147.

 The dollar amounts and details of the projects include the following:

$250,000: Creation of a Quiet Zone at the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) crossing in Little Neck, Queens
 

These funds would help silence blaring horns the LIRR is required to blast each time its trains pass through the residential community of Little Neck, Queens.

The money would be used to upgrade the gates at the LIRR crossing on Little Neck Parkway in Little Neck, a spot that sees more than 80 trains per day, each one blasting its horns day and night. Specifically, the money would help close the gaps that exist in the gates.

Due to these gaps—which vehicles and people can easily squeeze through—the trains are mandated by federal rules to sound their horns when approaching the crossing in order to warn traffic and pedestrians. But once the gaps are eliminated, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) can classify the Little Neck crossing as a quiet zone, a designation that allows trains to pass through a crossing without blasting their horns because sufficient safety measures are in-place. 

In 2005, the federal government began requiring all trains to blow their horns at crossings where inadequate safety measures exist. These passing trains must blast their horns at high decibels for 15 to 20 seconds prior to arriving at the crossing.

The $250,000 is double the amount Ackerman originally secured in the bill.

“We worked overtime to get these levels bumped up” said Ackerman. “The Quiet Zone is a priority for the safety and well being of our constituents, and with other funding sources in doubt, we wanted the community to make the decision as to which system is best for them, with enough resources on the table to decide on the merits, rather than the money. Now let's hope the President doesn't screw things up again.”

The funds would be disbursed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and used by New York City and New York State transportation agencies, which will be responsible for constructing the crossing’s safety improvements.

$150,000: Creation of a visitor’s center at the Louis Armstrong House, a museum in Corona, Queens
 

The Louis Armstrong House Museum will use these funds to construct a much-needed visitor’s center. The house, which opened as a museum in October 2003, is the former home of the late Louis Armstrong, the legendary jazz musician. It is operated by the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Queens College. This visitor’s center will house expansions to the Armstrong Archives, accommodate artifacts in a modern, professional exhibit area and include parking facilities. 

The visitor’s center will allow the facility to better present concerts, educational lectures and historically significant community programs. It will also continue to provide the public with the unique opportunity to view Louis Armstrong’s vast personal collection of tapes, manuscripts, scrapbooks and papers.

The funding will enhance the Louis Armstrong House Museum’s ability to better serve and educate the public. The museum is a popular destination for elementary and middle school class trips and is also frequented by college students conducting research for their studies. The construction of a visitor’s center to the Louis Armstrong House Museum would afford the museum the ability to display historic artifacts professionally and enhance visitors’ experiences in the museum with multimedia and special programming.

Armstrong died of a heart attack in 1971 at the age of 69. He resided at the house at the time of his death. The facility is a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark. 

“These funds will greatly enhance the Queens Jazz Trail as well as this terrific facility” said Ackerman. “It will also help foster international, regional and local tourism in Queens and result in a positive economic impact for the Corona community.” 

$ 62,747,000: United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point on Long Island
 

These funds will go towards operations and maintenance as well as capital renovations for the United States Merchant Marine Academy, one of the nation’s five U.S. Service Academies. The other academies include the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London. 

The money will maintain this vital national educational program and economic and national security asset. 

The funds will be spent for a multi-year capital renovation program based on a Congressionally mandated "Master Plan." The Master Plan recognizes the academy's critical mission and its pressing need for capital improvements. Specifically, the plan calls for approximately $250 million in renovations to be undertaken over a twenty year period.  

Repairing the academy's aging facilities and infrastructure, by providing support for desperately needed building renovations will enable Kings Point to fulfill its mandate.

This year’s allocation for the academy is $1 million more than Ackerman secured last year and builds on years of full funding for Kings Point that Ackerman has championed.

The money will also fund legislatively mandated cost of living increases for academy faculty and staff. 

Kings Point's mission is to train young men and women to serve and to lead in our merchant marine, armed forces and transportation fields. In peacetime, these merchant mariners contribute to our international trading prosperity. In times of war, it is our nation's merchant mariners who enable our country to move troops and material anywhere, anytime.

“Now, more than ever, it is critical to have highly educated people to protect our ports, our merchant vessels, as well as our maritime industry, and the academy must maintain its cutting edge as a premier, accredited maritime institution,” Ackerman said.

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