The Juniper Park Civic Association, led by Robert Holden and Tony Nunziato (inset photo), successfully lobbied elected officials to get on board, and together they convinced Keyspan to sell the former gas tanks site to the City of New York for $1 so it could be cleaned up and converted into a public park, which opened in 2010. Vietnam Veterans of America's Chapter 32 at the time was led by the late Pat Toro, who requested that a permanent borough-wide memorial to those who perished in the Vietnam War be placed inside the park. Last year, Borough President Melinda Katz announced that she was fully funding the project. Katz joined Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, Vietnam Veterans Chapter 32 President Michael O'Kane, Vietnam Veterans of America National President John Rowan and a host of others to unveil plans for the $2.8M Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Elmhurst Park on June 9th. Parks expects to have the monument completed by 2019.