The northwest corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue will be co-named Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa Way for the two victims of the gas explosion here on March 26, 2015.
A volunteer who helped with the co-naming efforts told us that City Council approved the bill on May 24. As we understand it, there will not be a mayoral signing ceremony for the legislation, and it will go into law on June 23. It then usually takes the Department of Transportation six weeks to prepare the new street blades.
Members of CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee and the full CB3 board signed off on the proposal last month.
Organizers behind the co-naming hope that the street sign bearing the names of the two men will both help commemorate their loss and serve as a warning against unscrupulous landlords.
In February 2016, the DA charged landlord Maria Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter ... as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis. (A fifth person, Andrew Trombettas, faces charges for supplying his license to Ioannidis.) All pleaded not guilty.
Authorities have said that siphoned gas at the Hrynenko-owned 121 Second Ave. was to blame for the explosion, which killed Locón and Figueroa, and injured two dozen other people. The blast also destroyed three buildings.
Figueroa, 23, a recent graduate of SUNY Buffalo State, was at Sushi Park with a co-worker. Locón, an employee at Sushi Park, was 27.
In a story at DNAinfo last month on the co-naming proposal, Ana Lanza, Figueroa's mother, said, "It's not going to bring him back — nothing is going to bring him back. But at least this brings a little bit of comfort, that he's going to be remembered somewhere, somehow. That his life wasn't taken in vain. That he meant something."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'
Memorial for Mary Spink tomorrow
RIP Nicholas Figueroa
RIP Moises Ismael Locón Yac
7 comments:
What would "serve as a warning against unscrupulous landlords" is the city actually successfully prosecuting the Hrynenkos. Two years since the accident, one since they were charged, anything up?
What happened was truly horrific but these street namings are a waste of money. It's not like anyone is actually going to call the street their names.
Any idea why the mayor is not going to sign it?
Your inconsiderate comment is a waste of money.
Agree with 10:12am - when will these people be held accountable in any meaningful way for what happened? I feel like the powers that be are just looking the other way.
I'm very glad to hear this.
Ms. Lanza, if you are reading this, we are so, so sorry for your loss. Your son will not be forgotten.
Respect to the young men who died in the blast. Nothing can bring them back. Sad.
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