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Queens Borough President Donovan Richards says Gov. Andrew Cuomo should put a memorial to essential pandemic workers in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, instead of a spot in Battery Park City that has outraged local residents.
“Queens was the epicenter of the epicenter for COVID-19,” Richards told The Post.
“I can’t think of a more deserving place to honor essential workers who put their lives on the line every day at facilities including Elmhurst hospital and St. John’s Episcopal than Flushing Meadows Corona Park.”
Richards said he will urge Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio — as well as Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams — to put the memorial at the site in his borough.
Cuomo has faced fierce opposition from residents of the Lower Manhattan area after pushing to put the “Circle of Heroes” memorial at sites there without their input.
Battery Park City is controlled by the state, but Cuomo has agreed to delay construction of the workers memorial beyond Labor Day to give residents more of a say on the design and location.
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An advisory panel that only included union leadership representing essential workers will be expanded to include BPC residents, said Battery Park City Authority Chairman George Tsunis, Cuomo’s point man on the project.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park is a city-owned and -run park, and Richards said the proposal would require a lengthy review — but it’s worth the wait and a more appropriate location to honor front-line workers.
Unlike Battery Park City, no residential community is close to Flushing Meadows Park, which is adjacent to the Mets’ Citi Field ballpark and the U.S. Tennis Center. The park is easily accessible via the No. 7 train and the Long Island Rail Road.