Calm Our Traffic

Sick of cars and trucks speeding down 60th Street, members of the Maspeth West End Block Association (MWEBA) held a protest at the corner of 60th Street and 60th Road.

Members of the block association have been fighting to have something done for over two years. They hope to get a speed bump, all-way stop signs or a traffic light installed to slow drivers.

“It’s a very congested area,” said Kathy Hamilton, president of MWEBA. “A lot of cars speed down 60th street.”

Nearby children from PS 153 have to cross the street to get home, and without any traffic regulations, it can become a dangerous situation.

Hamilton said a traffic study was conducted in 2008 at the request of Community Board 5, but the study occurred in August. If they had waited until school was in session, Hamilton believes, the study would have recognized the concerns of the parents.

Push for Upgrades Along Rail Corridors Gains Steam

By Conor Greene

An effort to increase the quality of life for residents living along rail corridors is gaining momentum, as civic associations from throughout the area are banding together to address the issue.

Neighbors Mary Parisen and Mary Arnold recently devised a plan entitled Glendale Clean and Green, which aims to address issues relating to the railroad yards and corridors that cut through the area. After presenting their plan to Community Board 5, the women found that other nearby communities are suffering the same types of problems.

To address these issues, which range from emissions coming from idling locomotives, along to noise and safety concerns, a group called Civics United for Railroad Solutions (CURES) was recently formed. It includes various civic groups such as Citizens for a Better Ridgewood, Glendale Property Owners Association, Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together, the Juniper Park Civic Association, Maspeth West End Block Association and Citizens for a Better Ridgewood.

After getting word of the effort out to the public, residents from Glendale and surrounding neighborhoods such as Middle Village began contacting the women to get involved, Parisen reported at last week’s Community Board 5 meeting. “They’re facing the same problems we’re facing in Glendale,” she said, noting that a petition effort is underway to pressure elected officials to taking action.

Arnold said that while there are a host of problems related to rail operations, the main focus continues to be on lowering the harmful emissions that spew from the locomotives. “That’s what all of us are breathing when you have diesel engines idling outside your house,” she said, adding that federal grant money is currently available to pay for the conversion of diesel engines. “It’s hard times, but we’re all breathing this air and it’s a problem,” she said.

Middle Village resident Laura Zimmer, who also lives along the rail corridor, said the problem has gotten much worse in recent years. Locomotives now idle in her residential area for as much as two hours at a time, preventing residents from enjoying backyards or hanging laundry outside. “It’s really disturbing... We’re all suf- fering from this,” she said.

Board District Manager Gary Giordano later credited Parisen and Arnold for doing a “yeoman’s job to bring all this to the attention of the elected officials” and said support on the federal level “will be very important.” He is hopeful officials “can come up with an avenue for fund- ing very quickly” to help alleviate the problems.

With state federal funding in mind, CURES recently sent a letter to officials regarding the MTA’s 2010-2014 capital budget and the state Department of Transportation’s 2010-2015 capital budget. The letter asks the agencies “to effect planning, infrastructure, and equipment upgrades in Queens that will better protect the public health and safety and quality of life in communities that presently are bearing serious environmental burdens.”

The letter argues that the “contract between the LIRR’s gleaming double decker passenger rail cars that pass through our neighborhoods and the degraded condition of the LIRR rail corridor, the rail yards, and the freight transportation in our neighborhoods make it crystal clear that our neighborhoods have been neglected and dumped on for too long.” To remedy this, the group wants “state and federal oversight and money coming in here now to upgrade the freight transportation system and environment in Queens.”

The issues CURES seeks to remedy include “unnecessarily high levels of diesel emissions due to old equipment, idling, lack of traffic capacity and lack of ‘last mile’ access,” exposure of residential areas to waste that is being stored in and transported in open cars instead of sealed intermodal containers, open access for vandals to the LIRR rail corridor in an area that includes hazardous chemicals and the Buckeye Pipeline, and storage and transportation of petroleum gas and other hazardous chemicals, which has led to two emergency evacuations of homes in the past three years.

Regarding the problem described by Zimmer, Giordano said he has had a “much more difficult relationship” with New York and Atlantic Railroad than most of the other agencies he deals with. Trains had been parked outside Christ the King High School until the school sued in federal court. Giordano recently contacted the agency to see about having idling trains moved from the residential area near 69th Place, to no avail. “All I wanted them to do was move the switching operation maybe 200 yards south,” he said.

As long as these issues continue to detract from the health and safety of local residents, Parisen vowed that CURES would push for solutions. “You are going to be hearing a lot more about this organization,” she promised.

Maspeth Residents Want More Police Presence

Quality of Life Issues Continue to Frustrate

By Conor Greene

Quality of life issues were again on the minds of residents during this month’s Maspeth West End Block Association meeting, with gripes ranging from a lack of police presence that has led to teenagers congregating in the area to traffic issues outside a local school.

The meeting, held September 17, was dominated by complaints that residents blame on the lack of police patrols through the neighborhood by officers from the 104th Precinct. Civic President Kathy Hamilton was unable to get precinct officials to attend the meeting, but said some progress was made during a recent meeting with Deputy Inspector Keith Green, the precinct’s commanding officer. “It’s just not enough,” she said of the minimal patrols that resulted. “I guess we need to make some more noise.”

One neighbor complained of “gangs” of teenagers that come to the area to drink beer and smoke pot on the street corners. She described them as “very nasty” and said her property was vandalized after she asked them to move along from in front of her house. One told her they live in Ridgewood, and residents are worried that the area will attract more teens from out of the neighborhood because there is little police presence in the area.

Hamilton and Jennifer Manley of the mayor’s Community Affairs Unit stressed that residents should call 911 immediately if they see a crime in progress. Manley added that steps can be taken against a nearby deli residents say is selling beer to underage individuals.

Other complaints included issues stemming from dismissal from PS 153 on 60th Lane, which residents said becomes impassable due to double parked cars. “You can’t go to the stores between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. if you want to be able to park near your house,” the residents said. “It’s non-stop horn blowing… The parking is absurd.”

“It’s not the kids and it’s not the school – it’s the people who are in charge of them” whoare to blame, added resident Ann Murphy. She called the situation a “disaster waiting to happen” that has been a problem for about a decade.

Manley said the problem of parents double parking near schools is a “chronic issue across the borough and said there is a Department of Transportation program aimed at reminding parents not to do so. “It is a traffic enforcement issue,” she said, suggesting the issue be raised at a community board meeting. “Asking nicely doesn’t seem to be working, so maybe some tickets would be helpful,” she added.

Another topic of concern for residents was a violent mugging that took place on 62nd Avenue near 60th Street several Fridays ago. A resident heard a girl scream and came out to find her bleeding from her head. According to neighbors, a group of Hispanic men approached the couple and asked if they had any money. When they said they didn’t, the men started beating them before jumping into a black car. “It was a gang that just came down our block and mugged those kids,” said one resident. “There was blood all over.”

Other topics of discussion included ongoing parking and other problems in the area of the Met Oval soccer complex and drug-related activity in Moonlight Bar. In addition, residents expressed concern over the future of a property on 56th Street that is currently home to a lumber company. The company seems to be in the process of vacating the property, and a concrete wall was recently built. As a result, “everyone is speculating about what is happening back there,” one resident said, adding that the concern is that residential units will be constructed there. “Nobody knows what is happening, but something is happening,” the resident added.

Editor’s Note: The meeting also included a detailed discussion on the effort to attract a supermarket west Maspeth, as reported in last week’s Forum West. That story can be read online at theforumnewsgroup.com.

Effort Underway to Bring Supermarket to Maspeth

By Conor Greene

Maspeth residents’ wishes for a supermarket might be one step closer to reality now that a local union representative is working to match a local site with potential tenants. Residents have long complained that they are forced to pay sky high prices for items such as milk and bread due to lack of competition among area stores.

Steve Pezenik, special projects director for Local 338, which represents local supermarket workers, attended last week’s Maspeth West End Block Association meeting at the urging of Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village). Residents in that area of Maspeth have been hoping for a new supermarket since the closing of C-Town on Fresh Pond Road several years ago.

“When Liz calls, you come because she has done a lot for us,” said Pezenik during the session last Thursday in Trinity-St. Andrews Church. He said a supermarket is important because it “anchors an area” and provides local jobs. “I would love to bring a market to you,” he told the several dozen residents in attendance.

News that he was showing a potential site at Metropolitan Avenue and Tonsar Street to C-Town representatives the following day was met with enthusiastic applause. However, Pezenik did not respond to several messages seeking comment on how that meeting went. A spokeswoman for Crowley said her office is still waiting to hear feedback from the union on the meeting.

Many residents in that area of Maspeth have been clamoring for a full-size supermarket since the closing of the Fresh Pond Road C-Town, which was replaced with a Staples. Pezenik said the owner didn’t want to give up his store, but was forced out when Staples offered the landlord more money. Residents say that all the local bodegas quickly increased their prices once that happened, meaning those without a car are forced to overpay for basic items.

If a company operator decides the Metropolitan Avenue site, or another nearby property, is suitable for a supermarket, the business could be open in less than a year, said Pezenik. He said the three things necessary to bring a market to the area seem to be in place: demand from consumers, efforts by the union to bring company representatives to check out possible sites and cooperation from the local councilmember to help with issues such as zoning changes or variance requests.

Crowley said that residents should contact her office with any other suggestions for a location if the Metropolitan Avenue site doesn’t work out. She said the city Department of Education is also eyeing that site for a possible school, but refuted rumors that housing might be constructed on the site instead. “It is really a great disservice to this community to not have a grocery store,” she said. “It’s something that most neighborhoods can take for granted… It’s a shame Staples came in.”

Quality of Life Problems Highlight Civic Meeting in West Maspeth

By Conor Greene

Quality of life issues, including music blaring from cars, increased truck traffic and problems at a local bar were on the minds of Maspeth West End Block Association members as the fledgling group tries to tackle issues in that section of the neighborhood.

The meeting last Thursday at Trinity-St. Andrews Church on 60th Street attracted several dozen residents, many of whom aired complaints about problems they say detracts from the quality of life in the neighborhood. The 104th Precinct did not have a representative at the meeting, so the group wants to schedule a sit down next month with police officials to address the ongoing problems.

Problems at the Moonlight Bar

A source of pain for many residents in the vicinity of Flushing Avenue and 60th Place is the Moonlight Bar. Establishments operating under various names have been in business there for about three years, but the problem has gotten much worse in the past few months with loud music played into the early morning hours. “It’s an intoxicated, very horrible clientele,” said resident Diane Boudreau, who has lived in her home two doors down from the bar for 11 years with “no [prior] problems.”

“They are very nasty, very rude and they destroy property,” said Boudreau of the Moonlight customers, adding that many appear underage, and several have threatened residents who complain about their behavior. “A lot of people are frustrated [but are] afraid of retaliation,” said another nearby resident, Eugenia Ihrig.

Problems at Moonlight were also raised at a June COP 104 meeting in Maspeth Town Hall. A resident told the precinct’s commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Keith Green, that he had called 311 numerous times with similar complaints. Deputy Inspector Green said that the precinct has received prior complaints about the establishment, and agreed it has recently become a problem again. Residents also contacted Community Board 5 officials about the bar, who responded with a letter to the establishment’s owner.

Community Affairs Officer Tommy Bell told the Forum that issues at that location are being addressed. “The Moonlight Bar has been the subject of enforcement pretty much each week,” he said, adding that the owners have been issued numerous summonses a host of city agencies. “We have heard the calls from the community and as long as the complaints prove to be valid we can and will take the necessary enforcement action,” said Bell.

Jeff Gottleib, representing state Senator Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), said it is often difficult to fight against the renewal of a bar’s license because many former agency commissioners wait represent bar owners in the hearings. As a result, the best chance of progress comes at the local level, he advised the residents.

“No one should lose a night’s sleep, especially if they have to go to work the next day,” said Gottleib. “I don’t see any great hope in the SLA coming down here and handling this. It has to be handled on a local level with the police.”

Traffic Woes

Other complaints centered on disruptions caused by honking horns and loud music from cars cutting through the neighborhood to Flushing and Metropolitan avenues. “It’s just constant,” one woman griped, adding that drivers routinely disregard a stop sign at 60th Street and 62nd Avenue that was installed several months ago through the efforts of Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s office.

The vehicle noise issue was exacerbated when the city Department of Transportation recently combined two traffic triangles at the intersection of Grand and Flushing avenues into a single green space, according to another resident. Traffic patterns at 64th Street were altered to accommodate the change, which the resident said “made it much worse” because cars are now backed up waiting to get onto the avenues.

“I think I’ve heard every boom box sound inside my house,” said Douglas Gorowski. Another woman complained that there is very little police presence in the neighborhood. “I don’t see the police,” she said.

Residents also said there has been an increase in truck traffic cutting through residential streets. Often, the large vehicles damage parked cars or are unable to navigate tight turns. In addition, commercial vehicles from nearby warehouses often park on residential streets overnight. “If the police were on the street they would see it,” griped one frustrated resident. “It’s a joke.”

The group’s president, Kathy Hamilton, said there also has been an increase in graffiti in the neighborhood. “It seems to be getting particularly worse and keeps happening,” she said, noting that as soon as the building owner cleans it up, the vandals strike again. Gorowski, whose property has been struck several times, said the fact that he knows who is doing it makes it more frustrating. “Somebody better catch them – you don’t want me to catch them,” he said.

“We really need police presence in the area. How much can an individual take?” said Hamilton. “People are just doing what they want.”

Pushing for a Supermarket

Hamilton also brought up one of the group’s biggest issues: the need for a supermarket in the area of West Maspeth. Since the closing of C-Town on Fresh Pond Road several years ago, many residents, especially seniors and those without vehicles are forced to rely on smaller bodegas which often charge much higher prices.

The residents focused their attention on two possible locations: a former auto dealership site at Forest and Metropolitan avenues that might be the future home of a Walgreen’s pharmacy, and the former Rite Aid property at Metropolitan Avenue and Tonsar Street, which previously was a Key Food supermarket. Several in attendance expressed concern that the owner of the Tonsar Street site would seek a zoning change allowing condos to be constructed there.

A representative for Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) said that it is difficult to push for a certain type of development on a specific site, since it involves private property owners and businesses.

Met Oval Complaints

Finally, several residents raised continuing issues they are having with the Metropolitan Oval soccer field on 60th Street, which is privately owned and operated. Complaints included illegally parked cars, pickup games at all hours of the night and a huge pile of trash that has been left on the property for months.

Hamilton said the owner declined an invitation to address these issues at a previous meeting. “If I have to get a dumpster to throw out the garbage, why doesn’t this guy have to?” she lamented.

Gottleib told the residents that the city has laws intended to prevent this type of problem. “We’re dealing with a public nuisance. There are laws in New York City against public nuisances,” he said. He told the civic group that it needs to set up a meeting with officials from CB 5, the 104th Precinct and local elected officials, including Councilwoman Crowley, who did not have a representative at the meeting.

After hearing residents bring up all the various issues, Hamilton determined that a July meeting is needed to address these problems, which all involve police matters. “It’s all about the same thing – the police don’t patrol here,” she said. “Something’s got to be done.”

The group will meet again on July 16 at 7 p.m. in Trinity-St. Andrews Church in hopes of discussing these issues with officials from the 104th Precinct.

Civic Group Seeks to Gain Footing in Maspeth

By Conor Greene

When Kathy Hamilton moved from Maspeth to Middle Village two years ago, she noticed that quality of life issues such as illegal garbage dumping and problems with traffic were going unaddressed. She also noticed there was no local civic association in the area, something she changed with the founding of the Maspeth West End Block Association, which has been meeting each month since September.

Ten months into her role as a neighborhood civic leader, Hamilton reports mixed results. The group was successful in lobbying the city to install a stop sign in the neighborhood, but has been less successful in other areas, such as a push to bring a supermarket to the area, or in having officials from the 104th Precinct respond to their grievances.

“When I first moved here, I noticed there was a lot of illegal garbage dumping, a lot of traffic, people fighting outside, smoking pot on the corner, and so my neighbor (Melinda Garcia) and I decided to develop this block association,” said Hamilton, who holds a master’s degree in social work. “Now I’m a homeowner, so I guess I look at it differently. Over there [in other neighborhoods] there is more influence with the politicians, but over here there is not really any influence.”

The group is focused on the western portion of Maspeth and holds its meeting in Trinity-St. Andrews Church on 60th Street. The area it represents and seeks to improve roughly stretches from the Long Island Expressway south to Metropolitan Avenue and east to Fresh Pond Road.

While the group’s June meeting attracted several dozen residents, including many new faces, Hamilton and others expressed frustration that nobody from the precinct was there to address problems they are hoping to address (see related story). Hamilton said that while an officer from the precinct attended a meeting last year, she has since been told that her group should attend one of the other meetings 104th Precinct officials attend each month elsewhere in the area.

“If they make their way to every other meeting, they should come here once in a while,” said Hamilton. “They don’t have to attend every meeting, but [next] month in particular we are going to try to contact the elected officials to see if they can get someone from the precinct over here.”

In response, Community Affairs Officer Tommy Bell told the Forum that a precinct representative has attended prior MWEBA meetings. “What [Hamilton] was told was that we have a lot of civic meetings to attend every month and we try to attend as many as possible,” said Officer Bell. “But, she should also make an effort to attend either the 104th Precinct Community Council meeting or the COP 104 meeting which was set up to bring all the civic groups together to address many of the groups’ individual complaints.”

Overall, Hamilton says the feedback she has received from neighbors has been positive. However, one group member said she was met with some skepticism and apathy when she walked around the neighborhood spreading word about the association. “They say they joined all the civics in the past and nothing ever got done,” the resident recounted at last week’s meeting.

Hamilton noted that the group’s success in getting a stop sign installed sounds very minor to residents who aren’t aware of the red tape involved in such a request. “That does seem kind of minor, but obviously we’re doing something,” she said. “I just ask [skeptics], do you have any suggestions? Otherwise we’re not going to get anything done.”

At this month’s meeting, Jeff Gottleib, representing state Senator Joseph Addabbo, told Hamilton her group is not getting the attention it needs because its members are too quiet. Hamilton’s response: “Not anymore.”

The group generally meets on the third Thursday of each month at 60-11 60th Street beginning at 7 p.m. For details, contact Hamilton at (347) 499-8223 or mweba11378@aol.com.