ASTORIA – Mayoral and City Council District 22 candidates attended an open house at the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens on June 3 for the unveiling of the new redevelopment plans of the Astoria club. Former New York City Council Member and current CEO of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens Costa Constantinides was among those present.

Dianne Morales, Tiffany Caban, Evie Hantzopoulos, Catherina Gioino, Leonardo Bullaro, and Nick Velkov were all in attendance. The candidates viewed plans for a state of the art five story building, took a tour of the existing facilities and met with kids attending after school programs.

New York City mayoral candidate Dianne Morales and Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens CEO Costa Constantinides on Candidate Day. Photo: Courtesy of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens

The redevelopment will include the first planetarium in Queens, 1,000 seat arena, Olympic size swimming pool, black box theater and more. The new 14 story building will include the club in the first five floors and the rest will be 100% affordable housing. The new facility will draw children and families from all over Queens, increasing the number of children served from 4,000 to an estimated 15,000.

New York City Council District 22 candidate Tiffany Caban and Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens CEO Costa Constantinides on Candidate Day. Photo: Courtesy of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens

New York City mayoral candidate Dianne Morales and Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens CEO Costa Constantinides on Candidate Day. Photo: Courtesy of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens

More information is available online: https://bgcqueens.org/.