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Neighbors Install Mini Library as Part of Block Beautification Work

By Katie Honan | July 26, 2016 5:57pm
 The 110th Street Block Association has installed tree guards and fought for a speed bump as well.
Neighbors Install Mini Library as Part of Block Beautification Work
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CORONA — On a busy block off Northern Boulevard, knowledge is in bloom.

Neighbors from The 110th Street Block Association installed the Little Free Library inside a flower-lined tree guard two weeks ago as part of their local beautification. 

It's stocked with books in multiple languages and for all ages of readers — with a "take a book, leave a book" policy. 

"We're very proud that it's here," Regina Bernard, 39, a professor and organizer of the block association, said. 

Her husband, Rick Carreno, 41, built the library on his own, painting the top shingles a brick red and the base a bright orange. The library holds around two dozen books, with boxes of more books inside the Bernard's house to restock. 

The library is one of a few like it in Queens, and will likely be even more popular once school starts up again, Bernard said.

It's one of a handful of beautification projects the neighbors have taken on to improve their block, between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard.

Their association was formed three years ago to address quality of life issues, particularly during the construction of P.S. 330 on their corner. 

They also had issues with trash, traffic from Northern Boulevard and "an incredible bad dog poop problem," Bernard said.

Some neighbors thought that if they jazzed up the areas around their trees, people wouldn't be so inclined to throw their garbage in it.

So last year they built the tree guards with wood donated from Metropolitan Lumber and 108th Street Lumber. They added flowers donated by Garden World. 

Preparing the tree spaces was "back-breaking work," Ethel Bernard — Regina's mom — said.

And while it didn't stop everything all at once (explicit "no dog poop" signs had to be installed later) it helped change some of the problems on 110th Street.

"You look at the end result, and know that it was worth the pain and stress," the elder Bernard said.

Neighbor Asha Jungra, 49, said it's worth it to "look outside your window and you see it and it makes you feel proud."

The street has had its share of issues since the Bernards and Jungras moved there 20 years ago.

"The block wasn't great when we moved in," Surendra Jungra, 52, said.

Regina Bernard began the block association as a way to make steady improvements, working to engage their neighbors — many who don't stay for very long in rented apartments, she said.

In addition to the tree guards, they often organize block-wide cleanups and pushed the city for a speed bump.

The work isn't easy and often requires multiple calls to city agencies just to get things going, she added. 

"I do this for my family," said Bernard, who has a young son and daughter. "If you're a homeowner, it's not like you can pick up and leave. I want my kids to be excited about where they live."