Deadline Approaches to Enroll in Metro Ave HS

With the city Department of Education’s deadline approaching for parents and students to file appeals regarding school assignment, several local officials are urging locals to consider enrolling in the Queens Metropolitan High School this fall.

The deadline for the DOE’s appeals round is the close of business on Tuesday, June 1. In the meantime, Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi and school Principal Marci Levy Maguire are encouraging students who live within the school’s zoning boundary to apply to attend there in September. Students who wish to be considered for the Queens Metropolitan HS must file an appeal through their middle school guidance counselor, with give to families that live within the zone.

The Queens Metropolitan High School will open this September with 350 9th grade students. In a victory for students and parents, both Koslowitz and Andrew Hevesi fought to make sure the Queens Metropolitan High School would be a locally zoned school. In 2010 the school will first accept students in the designated zone, followed by students who reside in District 28 and 24. After both zones, the school will be open to all Queens and New York City residents.

“The Queens Metropolitan High School will be one of New York City’s finest public schools. Yet, in order to make the local zoning agreement a reality, we need local students and parents from the zone to participate in the appeals round exercises by making the Queens Metropolitan High School their choice,” said Council Member Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills)

"We fought very hard to ensure that the residents of our neighborhoods would be able to send their children to this new local school. It is now crucial for parents to take advantage of this opportunity and fill out an application to have their child considered for placement at the Metro School," said Hevesi (D-Forest Hills).

City to Open PS 290 in Maspeth Until Ridgewood Building is Completed

While the city Department of Education continues negotiations with the owner of the former Rite Aid site on Metropolitan Avenue – eyed as the future site of PS 290 – officials announced that the new school will open this fall on the IS 73 campus in Maspeth. Students of the planned school will attend classes at the temporary location until construction is completed at the Ridgewood property.

The city recently unveiled plans to build a 600-seat school on the Rite Aid site at 55-20 Metropolitan Avenue. However, the city doesn’t yet own the site and doesn’t expect to open the new PS 290 there until 2014. Since District 24 is the most overcrowded in the city, there is a sense of urgency to begin opening the new K-5 school as soon as possible to help alleviate the strain.

“While we work hard to acquire a permanent home for the school, the temporary location of PS290 is an important step that will let us relieve overcrowding faster in a district that really needs it. The proposal will leave both IS73 and PS 290 with enough space to serve their students,” the DOE said in a statement.

In the fall, PS 290 will open to 50 to 75 students who were denied enrollment at PS 153 or PS 71 because of capacity issues there. One additional grade level will be introduced at the campus each year, until the school is moved to its permanent location in four years, at which time pre-kindergarten classes will be offered. In addition, PS 290 will be a zoned elementary school, meaning DOE will rezone the area prior to the building’s opening.

The PS 290 incubation plan is contingent on approval by the Panel for Educational Policy, which is due to meet on April 20. The City Council must approve the purchase of the Rite Aid property before the DOE can finalize that agreement and begin construction.

A public hearing on this proposal was held on Wednesday evening in Maspeth. If the DOE is unable to open the Metropolitan Avenue site in 2014, the PS 290 students will remain in their temporary home on the IS 73 campus.

Board Backs Metropolitan Ave School Plan

By Conor Greene

The city’s plans to build a 600-seat school at the former Rite Aid site on Metropolitan Avenue was overwhelmingly backed by Community Board 5 members at last week’s meeting, albeit with some specific requests.

Despite backing the project, some members of the advisory board were unhappy with the lack of specific details provided by the city Department of Education. “We really didn’t see any plans at all for the site… so I’m giving this recommendation kind of blind in many respects,” said Walter Sanchez, chair of the board’s Land Use Committee. However, “I really don’t feel the board should object to a school there,” he added.

Under the current plans, the city School Construction Authority would build a new K-5school serving 600 students in hopes of easing overcrowding in District 24, which is home to the city’s most overcrowded schools. Three board members – Manny Caruana, Sylvia Knappi and Chairman Vincent Arcuri voted against the proposal.

Among the board’s stipulations are that a 16 foot wide driveway be built around the perimeter of the school, which would replace the vacant pharmacy on the site, to prevent buses from causing traffic backups along Metropolitan Avenue. “We believe it is vital that provisions be made for providing space within the property exterior,” wrote CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano in a letter sent recently to the SCA.

The board is also requesting that the school be zoned so that it draws from neighborhood children currently attending PS 153 and PS 71, which are both currently overcrowded.

“Unfortunately, presentations to our board lacked specifics related to youth demographics in the area, and the specifics of overcrowding in nearby schools, justifying the need for this multi-million dollar project,” wrote Giordano. “Our inquires indicate that the overcrowding at nearby PS 153 impacts approximately 300 children, and that PS 71 in Ridgewood, while not as overcrowded, may be able to have a library and gym if this new primary school is build.”

The city has already agreed to Community Education Council 24’s request that the facility be built so that it can be converted to a K-8 building in the future if needed. The board has asked that an “appropriate size” gym be included in the final plans.

Sanchez also noted at last week’s CB 5 meeting that he would like the board to be presented with detailed drawings so that members can provide additional input.

Following the vote, Arcuri said he voted against the plan because “once again, SCA and DOE have failed to present demographics to prove the need for this school and to show where students would be coming from. That should be the first presentation by DOE,” he said. “We have down-zoned most of our district, yet we continue to come up with more classrooms.”

In response, board member Dan Creighton said he think “we owe it to our children to have schools that are the proper size” and include amenities such as a proper size gym and science labs.

There was also the feeling that it doesn’t matter in the end what board members and the community say to the city. “The point is, they don’t really care about the community board’s opinion one way or another,” said Vernon McDermott. “They feel they can put it through with or without us.”

City Nears Deal to Buy Former Rite Aid Property

Ridgewood Site Eyed for New 600-Seat K-6 School

By Conor Greene

The city has reached an agreement to purchase the former Rite Aid property at Metropolitan Avenue and Tonsor Street in Ridgewood and plans to build a 600-seat school there to help alleviate local overcrowding.

A spokeswoman for the city Department of Education confirmed that the agency has “reached an agreement to buy the property” but was unable to reveal the purchase price until the deal is finalized. The plan is to build a K-6 school at the site, according to Community Board 5, which is holding a public hearing on the plan on February 24 at 7 p.m. in Grover Cleveland High School.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) said she is “pleased” that the SCA is looking at potential locations in the area for new schools. “I will continue to work with the DOE, the SCA and the community to ensure this process is done with the best interests of the surrounding neighborhoods and for our future generations," she said.

The property, located near Grover Cleveland High School, most recently housed a Rite Aid pharmacy but has fallen into a state of disrepair over the past few years. It had been eyed as a potential location for a new supermarket, which is needed in the area, but was determined by one company to be too ex- pensive to modernize for that use.

It was one of several local sites identified by members of Community Education Council 24 to be included in the city’s upcoming five-year capital plan, according to the group’s president, Nick Comaianni. “This is a site we found a few years back and has stayed empty, so we told the SCA to pursue it for years,” he said. “It is a perfect site for a school - nice and big, the location is good on the main avenue and it’s in the right place to alleviate overcrowding in Ridgewood and Maspeth.”

The property measures about 100,000 square feet, meaning there is plenty of room for a building and other facilities such as a playground, said Comaianni. “To me, that’s going to be a great school,” he said, adding that it is accessed by a main road, meaning nearby residential areas wouldn’t be impacted by increased traffic. He recalled a number of chain stores failing at that location during his lifetime, including several supermarkets, and thinks it will be more appropriate for a school than another business.

Comaianni said CEC 24 has suggested several other local properties to the School Construction Authority as possible locations for schools, but he declined to specifically name them to preserve the city’s negotiating leverage. “What I’ve always pushed for with SCA is, when you find a spot, even if you don’t have the money to build on it now, purchase the property for the future,” he said. “Worst case scenario, the market is slow, so you can resell it as the market improves later on.”

The SCA is still finalizing the purchase agreement, and will need City Council approval to move forward with the deal, according to Crowley. It would take at least three years before the school is completed, said Comaianni, who added that the revised five-year capital plan still needs City Council approval as well.

Koslowitz Begins Second Stint on City Council

By Conor Greene

A month into her second tenure serving Forest Hills, Rego Park and parts of Richmond Hill and Elmhurst on the City Council, Karen Koslowitz says she has hit the ground running and is looking forward to tacking key issues that affect her district.

Koslowitz succeeds Melinda Katz in serving the 29th Council District, after defeating a crowded field in the September primaries and cruising to victory in the November general election. This marks the second stint on the City Council for Koslowitz, who previously represented the area before term limits forced her from office. In between, she served as Deputy Borough President under Helen Marshall.

“Things are going very well – the office is up-and-coming, and we’re settling in,” Koslowitz told The Forum this week. She says she has put together an experienced staff comprised of “people who are familiar with the community.” Aside from her full-time office staff, Koslowitz arranged for a lawyer to come to the office on certain nights to answer questions constituents have about tenant-landlord issues, she noted.

Koslowitz was recently named chair of the consumer affairs committee and will also serve on the Council’s education, aging and finance committees, among others. She says these committees will allow her to work on “issues that absolutely affect my community.” For example, she plans on establishing a parent advisory council consisting of the PTA presidents from schools throughout the district. “That way I can hear their concerns and bring their concerns back to City Hall,” she said. “The legislators are kept out of the loop, so I wanted to create my own panel where you actually hear the concerns of the constituents.”

Issues impacting senior citizens are also a priority for Koslowitz, who served on the aging and education committees during her first Council stint. “We have an aging populationin my community from Elmhurst all the way to East Richmond Hill,” she said. “Changes in what is going on with the meals on wheels program, the access-a-ride, what they’re planning on doing is absurd as far as I’m concerned.”

Another ongoing concern is the state of the area’s main shopping districts including Austin Street, Queens Boulevard and Metropolitan Avenue. “I think they’re hurting from the economy just like everybody else,” said Koslowitz, adding that the constant ticket blitzing by traffic agents needs to be addressed. “There are often two or three meter maids on a block. We all have to work together, every department. If a customer gets a ticket, they’re not coming back and will go somewhere else to shop.”

While there are limited options in terms of constructing a municipal parking garage along Austin Street, Koslowitz plans to revisit an idea she came up with a decade ago – allowing shoppers to park in the lot behind Borough Hall on Queens Boulevard and offering shuttle bus service to Austin Street. “Especially on weekends, if someone is eating, watching a movie or shopping and spends a few hours [on Austin Street] that would be an ideal parking place,” she said. “However, at the time [she first proposed it] the city said it was going out of the municipal parking business.”

Another major concern for Koslowitz is the state of healthcare in Queens, where three hospitals containing more than 600 beds have closed in the past two years. “It’s a big problem… with a population of 2.3 million, to lose that many beds, when we could have used more to begin with,” she said. “I’m looking into seeing if we can get smaller [facilities].”

She plans on discussing the future of the former Parkway Hospital property with its owner to see if part of that building could be used for medical purposes. “The facility needs to be used for something. There are two things the area needs that we don’t have: hospital beds and senior housing,” said Koslowitz. “Throughout the district, that needs to be revisited and I intend to do that.”

Koslowitz’s office is located at 118-35 Queens Boulevard, 17th Floor and can be reached at (718) 544-8800.

Board Pushes for Changes to City's Plan for Opening of Metro Ave HS Campus

Community Board 5 has overwhelmingly voted in favor of three resolutions to be submitted to the city Department of Education seeking changes to the current plan for the opening of the new Metropolitan Avenue High School in Forest Hills.

At its meeting last Wednesday, the full board voted in favor of the three resolutions that are seeking: a greater share of the high school seats for students in District 24 (the facility will be shared with District 28); a second tier be created so that PS 91 students have the option of enrolling there if the district’s allotment isn’t filled by students from PS/IS 87 and PS/IS 113, which have first chance at the seats; and that the school be opened up to both 9th and 10th graders in its first year, instead of just freshman as currently planned.

The Metropolitan Avenue Campus, slated to open this fall, includes a 1,000 seat high school that will be split between District 24 and District 28. It also includes a second building serving students in sixth through 12th grades that is dedicated solely for District 28. Currently, District 24 students will occupy half of the 1,000-seat high school, or just 500 or the 1,400 total high school seats within the two schools. Instead, CB 5 is requesting that 700 seats be set aside for District 24 so it gets its fair share of class space.

The second resolution was the result of concerns that if 125 seats in each grade level were not filled by PS/IS 87 and 113 students, they would then be opened up to students throughout the entire district and borough. The board is seeking insurance that the seats will remain open to Glendale students who attend PS 91 until 6th grade and IS 119 through 8th grade graduation.

The third resolution is being pushed by the board due to the current classroom overcrowding crisis the borough is facing, especially at the high school level. The DOE argues that opening the school up one grade at a time – meaning it will only be filled to 25 percent capacity this fall – is the best way to set the school up for success. However, board members agreed that argument is trumped by the dire need to immediately provide more seats for students throughout Queens.

The only board member voting against the three resolutions was Chairman Vincent Arcuri, who had pushed for the three requests to be contained within a single resolution. The DOE did not respond last week to a request for comment on the board’s requests.

Officials Want More Metro Ave HS Seats for Glendale Students

By Conor Greene

As the Metropolitan Avenue school complex gets closer to its anticipated opening this fall, the battle over who gets to occupy the building is continuing with officials pushing for more seats for students in the Glendale area.

On Monday, members of Community Board 5’s Education Committee agreed to present three resolutions to the full board regarding the new complex, with features a 1,000 seat high school to be shared between District 24 and District 28, along with a 1,000seat 6-12 school dedicated solely for District 28.

The three resolutions call for 200 additional seats in the high school for students in District 24 so the two districts would more evenly split the total number of new high school seats. It also asks that a “second tier” be created so that priority shifts to students in PS 91’s zone if the 125 seats in each grade level currently assigned to District 24 aren’t filled from students in the PS/IS 87 and PS/IS 113 areas. The third resolution asks that the high school be opened to both ninth and tenth graders in its first year, instead of just freshmen as proposed.

The resolutions were expected to be voted on by the full CB 5 membership at its monthly meeting this past Wednesday. Check next week’s Forum West for an update on the vote.

In December, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) wrote to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein asking that a secondary zone be created limited to District 24 students to ensure the area doesn’t lose part of its 125 seat allocation. “The people of Glendale and Middle Village are in dire need of high school options and those families just outside the local zone should be given preference… before the school opens up to the rest of Queens,” she wrote.

Two weeks later, Crowley wrote to Klein to request that “immediate action” is taken to alleviate “dire overcrowding” in District 24. She proposed that the new Maspeth High School, which won’t be ready until 2012, be opened up in the available space at the Metropolitan Avenue complex, since that facility won’t be filled to capacity for several years. Once the Maspeth High School is complete, the students, teachers and administrators would simply move to the new building.

“As I understand, the [DOE] plans to incrementally ‘grow’ the two new schools located on the Metropolitan Avenue Complex,” wrote Crowley. “During the first years these schools are open the building will be at approximately 25% capacity. I believe we can take immediate action to alleviate the overcrowding of Queens high schools without sacrificing the level of education… If we act now to put together a school leadership team and have the administration for the Maspeth High School to start teaching children as early as the fall of this year.”

The issue of only opening the next high school up to one grade at a time has been met with criticism from some officials and parents due to the current situation. “The DOE’s argument that new schools do better when grades are phased in does merit consideration, but our Queens high schools are massively overcrowded, so delaying utilization of 1,000 new high school seats for many years can’t be in the best interested of our Queens high school students,” Dmytro Fedkowskyj, who is a CB 5member and the Borough President’s appointee to the Panel for Educational Policy, told The Forum.

The DOE said last month that parents and officials had several weeks to comment on the proposed zoning boundaries. The department didn’t immediately return a message for comment on the zoning proposal or the plan to open the school only to 9th grade, and Crowley’s office didn’t receive a formal response to either December letter.

The overcrowding situation in Queens has forced a number of high schools to operate on split sessions. According to Fedkowskyj, Francis Lewis is at 175% capacity on five sessions, Forest Hills High School is at 160% capacity on three sessions, Cardozzo is at 150% capacity on three sessions, and both Grover Cleveland and Newtown are at about 120% capacity while operating on multiple sessions.

At Monday’s meeting, attendees including D24 President Nick Comaianni suggested the three requests be submitted to the DOE as separate resolutions to prevent them all from being rejected at once. “Taking seats away from Forest Hills to give to us is not happening,” he said. “The reality is, Forest Hills will fight tooth and nail for those seats.”

MTA Reportedly Considering Nixing M Train Line

V Line Would be Rerouted to Metropolitan Avenue

By Conor Greene

Western Queens residents and officials are anxiously awaiting official word from the MTA on the future of the M train following reports the agency is considering eliminating the line and rerouting the V train to Middle Village.

The MTA is not commenting on the rumors, which were reported this week in amNY and various transit blogs. A spokesman said Wednesday that MTA officials are “reviewing the package of service reductions that was adopted by our board in December, but I cannot speak to any individual cuts or restorations to services on any of the lines individually as the process is going.”

According to the reports, the MTA would eliminate the M line, which currently terminates at Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village. The service reduction package contained within the MTA’s doomsday budget adopted in December already includes cutting M service to Brooklyn. The M line would be replaced by the V line in northern Brooklyn through Ridgewood and Middle Village.

In response to the rumors, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) said she hopes the service reductions don’t unfairly impact Queens commuters. “Clearly, the MTA needs to be reminded that the people of Western Queens need transit too,” she said in a statement to The Forum. “While the MTA brainstorms a makeover for its doomsday cuts, I hope they will consider sharing the burden with Manhattan riders rather than continually eliminating options for the Queens riders.”

Vincent Arcuri, chairman of Community Board 5, said his Transportation Committee is looking into the situation. He noted that the V line currently provides greater overnight and rush hour service than the M train. “During rush hour you can wait for three trains from lower Manhattan before you get an M,” said Arcuri. “We’ll have to analyze it. I would hope they wouldn’t adjust the schedule down if it went that way.”

According to the MTA, a series of public hearings would be held once any official decisions are made regarding service changes. “We’re a few steps out before anything takes place,” added the spokesman, Aaron Donovan. “Now that we have a little more time to evaluate the cuts, we’re taking a closer look at them.”

Approval Granted for Greenspace at Rundown Intersection

The LIRR has signed off on a plan spearheaded by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley to beautify the intersection of Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan Avenue, which is currently dominated by a run-down building that was formerly home to a newsstand.

Crowley (D-Middle Village) was joined at the site in September by fellow elected officials to call on the LIRR, which owns the property, to allow a community greenspace be created until a plan to develop the area moves forward. That plan has been delayed for years, leaving the structure to deteriorate at the intersection where Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood meet.

“I am excited that the LIRR has approved our plan to clean up and green up the property,” said Crowley in a statement. “For the past decade this abandoned old newsstand has invited graffiti, vandalism and traffic. As one of the busiest intersections in Queens, beautifying this corner will help east traffic tension, reduce crime and attract consumers to surrounding businesses.”

The next step, according to Crowley, is securing funding for the project. Her office is estimating that about $100,000 will be needed to demolish the structure and replace it with greenery and benches. She plans on working with city and state officials, including Assemblymembers Mike Miller (D-Glendale) and Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) in hopes of finding money to complete the intersection’s transformation.

“This is an important community initiative,” said LIRR President Helena Williams. “We are working with Councilmember Crowley to help the community identify a source of funding for removal of the old newsstand building and to develop a green area.”

The intersection is one of the busiest in the borough, with six different bus lines passing through the area each day, along with thousands of vehicles and pedestrians. At a recent hearing on the MTA’s 2014 capital plan, Crowley testified about the property and provided board members with photos of the abandoned LIRR-owned properties. Board members then surveyed the area before approved her proposal.

City Unveils Zoning Limits for Metro Ave HS

Frustration Over DOE Process for Opening New Buildings

By Conor Greene

With overcrowding within borough schools a chronic problem, many parents are thrilled that the long-awaited Metropolitan Avenue high school complex will finally open this September. However, many are shocked at the city’s decision to only open the school up to one grade at a time, meaning it won’t be filled to capacity for four more years.

The city Department of Education unveiled its proposed zoning map for the new 1,000 seat high school set to open on Metropolitan Avenue near Woodhaven Boulevard in time for the start of the next school year. Aside from expected disappointment and complaints from parents whose block wasn’t included in the zoning, many in attendance at PS 113 on Monday were surprised that the school will initially only be occupied by freshmen.

The complex, which as been in the works for nearly two decades, includes the 1,000-seat high school, for which priority is being given to District 24 and District 28 students who live within the proposed zoning boundaries. It also contains a 6-12 school which has been set aside for students in District 28 and wasn’t part of Monday’s zoning discussion.

Gaby Fighetti, senior director of enrollment at the city DOE, said the main goal is to “set up this high school to be a success.” The goal was to create a zone that will eventually include about 250 students from each grade level, with half the seats set aside for District 24 students and half for District 28 students.

For the first year only, students living in an area previously zoned for another local high school such as Forest Hills or Hillcrest, but now included in the Metropolitan Avenue zone, will be allowed to choose which facility they attend. In future years, they will only be zoned for the new school.

Priority will first be given to students living in the zoned area, and then to the rest of Queens before admission is opened up to residents citywide. The proposed zone was created using mapping software that contains addresses of enrolled students, explained Fighetti. “It’s all about density. You go out as far as you can go until you have too many families zoned,” she said.

During Monday’s meeting, some residents requested changes to the proposed zoning, such as extending it further north so students don’t have to cross Queens Boulevard. Another asked if Cord Meyer residents currently zoned for Hillcrest would be allowed to utilize seats at Forest Hills High School that will open up as students enroll in the new Metropolitan Avenue complex.

Fighetti said that since FHHS is already overcrowded, the department will not be redrawing zoning lines for that facility. “No matter where you draw the zoning lines, there is a family across the street that isn’t included,” she said, adding that while the DOE is willing to listen to arguments regarding the zoning, the rationale behind a change can’t simply be that a particular block or household isn’t included.

However, a major point of contention was the DOE’s decision to open the new school up to one grade level at a time, meaning it won’t be filled to capacity for four years – even though nearby high schools are filled beyond capacity. In explaining the decision, Fighetti repeated the mantra of “setting the school up to succeed.”

A DOE spokesman later told The Forum that the department is “phasing in the school one grade at a time rather than opening all grades at once because research, as well as our experience, shows that new schools do better when they phase in gradually. While we understand that high school overcrowding is a serious concern in Queens, our first responsibility is ensuring that we’re setting up our schools for success. The Metropolitan Avenue complex will help alleviate overcrowding in nearby high schools starting when it opens in 9th grade next year, and as it adds new grades in subsequent years.”

Still, many didn’t buy that rationale at Monday’s meeting. “We can’t have schools operating on five sessions,” said Dmytro Fedkowskyj, the borough president’s appointee to the Panel for Educational Policy. “We’re building state of the art buildings and we’re not even utilizing them… I think this is a mistake. Go back to the drawing board and utilize more of this school now,” he said to loud applause.

Another resident suggested that the school be opened up to freshmen, sophomores and juniors initially, since most students wouldn’t want to transfer to a new school for their senior year anyway. Fighetti later denied a resident’s theory that the decision is drive by budget constraints. “It is not an economic decision, it’s an instructional one,” she reiterated.

While the proposed zoning map is close to a final product, the DOE will continue to accept community feedback over the next two weeks, according to a spokesman. Residents can e-mail suggestions and comments to portfolio@schools.nyc.gov before the proposal is submitted to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein for approval.

Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) told the audience that the zoning map presented that night was different from a proposal officials reviewed several weeks ago, which didn’t include Forest Hills Gardens. He also questioned the decision regarding the facility’s opening. “The bottom line was to reduce overcrowding [so] is there a rationale to open just one grade?” he questioned.

Dermot Smyth, the area’s United Federation of Teachers representative, suggested that parents fill Klein’s e-mail inbox to voice their unhappiness with the decision to only open the school to freshmen next year. “Let him know you don’t want it to open up with three-quarters of the seats empty,” he said. “Be a little loud and he will pay attention.”

Eyesore at Major Intersection Might Become Community Greenspace

By Conor Greene

The intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road – where Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood meet – is currently dominated by a rundown newsstand on land owned by the LIRR, and local officials are hoping to turn the property into a greenspace.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) was joined at the site last Thursday by State Senator Joseph Addabbo (D-Ozone Park), Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Glendale) and community leaders to call on the LIRR to turn the land over to the community until it’s needed for a long-delayed bridge replacement project.

“While we continue to wait for the MTA to finally develop this area, we should be granted the opportunity to beautify this property in the meantime,” said Crowley. “The thousands of Queens residents who pass daily through this intersection have had to look at the dilapidated condition of this property for over a decade. This long-time eyesore hurts the surrounding businesses and stifles the area’s economic growth.”

Under Crowley’s plan, the LIRR would simply give the community approval to knock down the building, clear the site and plant a community greenspace. She estimated the project would cost about $10,000 and could be covered by donations and community volunteers. “This is a reasonably achievable prolocalposal that will benefit the area drastically,” she said.

On Tuesday, LIRR President Helena Williams said agency officials are willing to meet with community representatives to hear their suggestions. “I want to thank Councilmember Crowley and other members of the community for bringing this situation at Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road to my attention," said Williams. “While our plans to redevelop the site remain on hold, the LIRR welcomes suggestions for its interim use. We certainly support beautification options and would like to meet with community representatives to hear their suggestions."

The proposal was also supported by Addabbo, who said, “This property means very little to them but a lot to our community.” He said upgrades to the area would benefit the community both in terms of aesthetics and economically, as it will become more inviting to shoppers. “This is a blight. It’s unfair to the residents to face this everyday.

Local Democratic District Leader Tom Bornemann said the current situation has existed for about a decade, during which time several former Republican council members failed to address it. “This was brought to the councilman [at the time] eight years ago and nothing has been done until now,” he said.

Also on hand to support the project was Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano – who noted the $30 million bridge replacement project was supposed to begin in 2004 – and Ted Renz of the Ridgewood Local Development Corp – who recalled that the intersection was formerly home to a train station. “This should be another transportation hub in the future,” said Renz. Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) also supports the initiative but was unable to attend the press conference.

A city Department of Transportation spokesman was unable to say when the bridge replacement project will take place. However, the department will continue to work with the MTA and LIRR to determine the project’s scope and timing for maintaining the bridge while meeting the needs of the community, the railway and its customers, according to the spokesman.

Crowley said the focus is now on cleaning up the former newsstand property, but noted that a former service station across the street is also owned by the LIRR. “We’ll do this one first and that property will be our second request,” she said.

“They need to take care of the local community, and all it would take is the flick of a pen,” added Miller.

School Construction Projects Moving Forward in Forest Hills

SCA Announces PS 196 Expansion; Metro Ave Campus on Time

By Conor Greene

The city Department of Education and School Construction Authority is making progress in its effort to provide additional seats for students in Central Queens, with several projects in Forest Hills moving forward as planned.

The SCA recently announced that the capacity of PS 196 on 113th Street will receive more than 400 new seats through an expansion and renovation effort that began recently. At the same time, work on the Metropolitan Avenue complex – which will be home to two separate schools – is progressing on budget and should be completed by September 2010, as scheduled.

Construction has begun on a three-story addition to the existing PS 196 building that will provide 408 new seats when completed in September 2011. In all, the expansion will include 644 seats, as some temporary classrooms now housed in trailers will be replaced with the new permanent building.

The expansion will result in 17 new standard classrooms serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The fully air conditioned building will also include a student cafeteria with a full kitchen, a special education classroom, a music room, art room, science lab with prep room, medical and administrative offices and other support spaces.

Once the expansion is completed, renovations of the existing two-story building will begin and should be finished by February 2012, according to the SCA. That will include a newly expanded library, a new elevator and various building system upgrades. At that point, the school will have capacity for 1,260 students.

In all, the PS 196 project is expected to cost $29.8 million, according to the SCA.



Meanwhile, work is progressing at the Metropolitan Avenue site, which is at the intersection of 65th Avenue and will be home to two new schools. One will serve 700 intermediate and high school students, while the other will be a 1,000 seat high school. Construction on the $158 million project began in 2007, although the project itself dates back nearly a full decade.

Each school will have its own administrative area, instructional spaces, library, cafeteria, gym, exercise room and meeting rooms. The schools will share an auditorium, base building services and outdoor recreational areas, and the high school will feature a competition gymnasium.

The campus will include space for about 200 District 75 special education students. In addition, about 500 seats have been set aside for students in nearby District 24, which is the city’s most overcrowded education district.

There currently are about 200 construction workers on site daily, with work about two-thirds completed, according to the SCA. While it remains on schedule for its September 2010 opening, there are still some outstanding issues regarding traffic in the area.

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.”

Request for Maspeth Parkland Highlights CB 5 Budget Hearing

Dry Harbor Playground, South MV Street Repairs Also Requested

By Conor Greene

Impassioned requests by Maspeth residents to set aside money to purchase and convert the former St. Saviour’s property into a public park highlighted the fiscal year 2011-2012 budget hearing, held during Community Board 5’s monthly meeting.

Other requests made by residents and board members during last Wednesday’s session included funding for senior housing, upgrades at Dry Harbor Playground, reconstruction of the 80th Street bridge, repaving of streets in south Middle Village and additional manpower for the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood.

Board District Manager Gary Giordano said the board’s Executive Committee met Monday and devised a list of 35 capital budget items to be considered this year. Each board member will have the chance to rank the items in priority order with the final rankings scheduled to be voted on by the full board on Oct. 14. The expense side is handled in a more informal manner, with the Executive Committee reviewing last year’s list to determine if changes need to be made regarding those requests.

“There was obviously a lot of testimony in regard to residents wanting the city to build a park at the former St. Saviour’s site,” said Giordano. “The Executive Committee took all of that into consideration, as well as all the other budget requests we have to make,” he said. “You’re talking about requests that cost more than $1 million so often times you have to advocate for some time
to get the project funded.”

Park at St. Saviour’s Property

Almost immediately, the focus was on the former St. Saviour’s property on 58th Street in west Maspeth. While the historic church structure has been dismantled, removed from the property and will be rebuilt on a site in Middle Village, local residents haven’t given up the fight to preserve the actual property for use as a park.

The property, which comprises a full block and has been listed for $8.5 million, is privately owned and zoned for commercial use. The city doesn’t have the funding needed to buy the land and build a park, so Christina Wilkinson of the Newtown Historical Society has been working with local elected officials in hopes of arranging a land swap using city-owned land to compensate the St. Saviour’s property owner.

The budget hearing featured a handful of Maspeth residents, including several who live across from or near the vacant property. Wilkinson started by reminding the board that the idea of acquiring the land and church building for use as a park and community center was first raised three years ago. “While the church building has been saved, there is still more work to do in order to be able to call this endeavor a success,” she said.

Wilkinson added that Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe has indicated that the department would be receptive to taking possession of the land provided that funding for its acquisition and maintenance is set aside by local elected officials. In addition, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and Borough President Helen Marshall are working “on acquiring the site at minimal cost” and a local company has offered to donate clean fill that could be used to repair the land.

“I request that you continue to list this project as a priority because now we are closer than even to making this proposal a reality. The property is still available and the elected officials are on board and actively working to make this happen – something which was not true in the past,” said Wilkinson. She noted that the property “represents the last sizeable tract of undeveloped land in Maspeth,” which has just 12 acres of park to serve more than 36,000 residents.

Dorie Wolt, who lives a block from the property, called the site a “dumping ground” and said “it’s a disgrace what they did” including cutting down dozens of trees. “I really think they should do something about it,” she said, before reading a statement by the Historic Districts Council advocating on behalf of a park there.

“While the building is now unfortunately gone, the site still remains a welcoming natural open space in an area grievously underserved by parkland,” the HDC statement argued. “For over 150 years, St. Saviour’s was the center of the community… Returning the land to such a purpose is a chance to preserve a piece of the area’s past while giving to its present and future.”

A resident who said he has lived in Maspeth his entire life said the neighborhood is the second oldest town in the state and suggested that a museum be created on the site, while another noted that the area’s closest greenspace is Maurice Park, which is difficult for many residents to get to.

Others, including Anthony Lewandowski lamented the destruction of what was once the centerpiece of the neighborhood. “You allowed a beautiful piece of land to be destroyed,” he told the board. “It’s now a dirt pile surrounded by a fence that’s covered with graffiti.”

Other Budget Requests

Other testimony included a request from Glenridge Senior Center Executive Director Albert Juszczak for the board to consider funding for senior housing, which he called “so critical for our community.” He said it is an issue the center’s board is working on and noted that, “despite the fact that [housing] prices have been falling supposedly… they are still way too high for many seniors.”

Board member Brian Dooley, president of the Glendale Property Owners Association, suggested that money be set aside for phase two of the Dry Harbor Playground improvements, including lighting at the basketball courts and softball field, along with fencing around the children’s playground. “I think these [are the types of requests] that in these tough economic times are obtainable,” he said.

On the expense side of the budget, Dooley suggested that the board call for additional manpower at the 104th Precinct. “It benefits all of us,” he said. “Little by little, I do think we are seeing some increases in the quality of life type of things” such as graffiti.

Board member Cathy Sumski asked that repairs of streets in south Middle Village be prioritized this year. “It keeps getting pushed back... and 73rd Place is full of potholes and sinking sewer covers,” she said. “I think it’s becoming dangerous.” According to Giordano, that project includes streets south of Metropolitan Avenue between 73rd Place and 80th Street north of the LIRR tracks. He said that 73rd Place is “probably the busiest roadway in that area” and described it as “kind of like a country road” that gets a lot of traffic during the day. While the project includes 73rd Place, it doesn’t include 80th Street.

Flooding, Parks, Libraries and Transit

Giordano said on Tuesday that he expects measures to help prevent future flooding to be highly prioritized by the board. “I think we continue to be very concerned about the need to reduce the potential for street and basement flooding conditions, so I expect that should be a very high capital budget priority, trying to get new, larger sewer lines installed,” he said. “So that continues to be an important priority, as do the parks, the roadways and public transit. This board has always been a big advocate of renovating the libraries and the schools and I don’t think that is going to change much.” He added that he would like to see an addition at PS 81 in Ridgewood highly prioritized.

Officials Fund Library Upgrades

By Conor Greene

The Glendale and Ridgewood branches of Queens Library will be upgraded thanks to $1.2million provided by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, while the Middle Village branch reopened this week following a $400,000 renovation sponsored by Borough President Helen Marshall.

Crowley (D-Middle Village) joined Queens Library Director Thomas Galante last Thursday at the Glendale Library to present a$400,000 check, which will help fund the second phase of the 73rd Place branch. Planned upgrades include a new elevator and staircase connecting the main and lower floors and renovation of the Renaissance garden adjacent to the newly-renovated lower level.

“The funding will allow for both the expansion of the children’s area as well as the adult section,” said Crowley. “This will create a more inviting space for the community, increasing the book inventory while opening more reading space.” She said the children’s area is expected to open within weeks in an area that has been used for storage over the past half-century. “While the project is almost complete, this funding will make the expansion a reality and the building will now be utilized to its fullest potential.”

In addition to the money for Glendale, Crowley also allocated $800,000 to complete renovations at Queens Library at Ridgewood. “I strongly believe that investing in our local library is money well spent because it has the opportunity to become a cornerstone of the community,” she said.

This past Wednesday, Marshall joined library officials for the reopening of the Middle Village branch on Metropolitan Avenue, which was upgraded with $400,000 she provided. The funding helped cover the costs of installing new technology that allows for self-checkout, public access computer stations, touch screen monitors, security gates and new furniture.

Marshall, a former early childhood teacher and a founder of the Langston Hughes Library in Corona, bills herself as a “longtime advocate for libraries.” Since becoming Borough President in 2002, she has allocated more than $81 million to library projects. In addition to the Middle Village branch, she provided $400,000 each to the Rosedale, Baisley and Douglaston branches.

City Tackles Traffic 'Nightmare' at Middle Village Intersection

By Conor Greene

The city Department of Transportation has taken several minor steps to help alleviate traffic nightmares local drivers experience daily in the area of Dry Harbor Road and 80th Street in Middle Village after receiving complaints about the area.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) wrote several letters to the city DOT over the past few months after several constituents informed her of unsafe conditions at Furmanville Avenue and 80th Street and at 80th Street near Cooper Avenue.

In response, the DOT conducted an investigation of “the complex intersection of Dry Harbor Road, 80th Street and Furmanville Avenue” and has changed the timing of traffic lights to help improve traffic flow, according to a department spokesman. The light for traffic headed north on 80th Street will remain green for 11 seconds longer in the morning and six seconds longer in the afternoon, and the green light for westbound Furmanville Avenue traffic has been increased by six seconds in the afternoon.

The DOT will continue to monitor the area to determine if additional changes are warranted, according to spokesman Montgomery Dean.

In her letter to DOT Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy, Crowley noted that an 84th Street resident “is concerned for the safety of the neighborhood” especially due to two schools in close proximity to the intersection. “Drivers are unable to make a left turn westbound onto 80th Street from Furmanville before the light turns red due to the large amount of cross traffic.”

In response to complaints from John Hegener of 67th Road, Crowley wrote that “something must be done to alleviate the excessive traffic conditions on 80th Street,” where “vehicles are at a stand still for blocks.” She suggested looking into solutions including adjusting the light sequence or altering the traffic pattern.

In an interview, Hegener, who has lived on the block for 54 years, said the problem isn’t as bad during the summer, “but once school starts again, 80th Street becomes a nightmare.” He also said the problem became much worse after the Shops at Atlas Park’s former owners, the Hemmerdinger family, convinced the MTA to reroute two bus lines past the Glendale shopping mall.

“It’s happened mainly since the mall [opened] and since the buses,” said Hegener. “It’s just discouraging because it all has to do with the mall, and there is nobody going to it now. Once they put in stores that people actually start going to, it’s going to be a real nightmare… It gets so bad on the side streets that feed Metropolitan Avenue that you have to sit there for three or four lights.”

Hegener said the one thing he doesn’t want to see the city do is eliminate on-street parking spaces so that traffic patterns could be altered. “The city will probably alleviate the problem by taking away parking, which will lead to more problems for the residents.”

In a press release, Crowley thanked the DOT for investigating the issue, which she said must be resolved to get drivers moving again on local streets.

“I am glad the [DOT] began looking into ways to alleviate traffic issues for drivers on 80th Street,” said Crowley after the department studied the area. “The people who rely on 80th Street on a daily basis are all too aware that during rush hour 80th Street is like a parking lot because cars aren’t moving. It is imperative that we fix this situation for the motorists, the students of PS/IS 87 and the residents of 80th Street.”

Former Model Charged in String of Armed Robberies

By Conor Greene

Four men, including a 20-year-old former underwear model who made news last year when his 37-year-old girlfriend was fired from her teaching job due to the relationship, have been charged in 15 armed robberies over the past month.
Joshua Walter, whose relationship with a Howard Beach teacher made headlines last year, was charged in the crime spree along with Lamont Adams, 33, of Far Rockaway, Willie Winston, 30, of Astoria and James Young, 29, of Brooklyn. Each was charged with robbery and criminal possession of a firearm in connection with robberies, which stretched from Greenpoint thorough central Queens.

The string of robberies began on June 14 at a fruit and vegetable market on 45th Avenue in Astoria and continued through July 12, when the group held up a Dunkin’ Donuts on Horace Harding Expressway. In between, the group is charged with hitting 7-11 stores, including locations on Northern Boulevard, Metropolitan Avenue and Queens Boulevard, convenience stores such as Super Deli on Woodhaven Boulevard and bodegas in areas including Rego Park, Forest Hills and Jamaica.

The spree, which netted between $800 and $1,000 during each heist for a total of $12,000 to $15,000, came to an end at about 1:30 a.m. on July 16, when police with the Queens North auto larceny task force spotted a red Chevy Astro van matching the getaway vehicle’s description on 30th Avenue in Astoria.

After they were taken into custody, the suspects were placed in lineups and admitted their roles. Nobody was seriously injured in the robberies, during which the men displayed handguns while emptying the cash register and stealing cigarettes and lottery tickets. One suspect was captured on camera wearing a red USC sweatshirt during every heist, and police say Walter struck a customer with a .380 handgun during the final holdup.

Walter, a former Hugo Boss model, gained some unwanted attention last year when his girlfriend, Gina Salamino, 37, was fired from her city teaching job due to the couple’s relationship, which began when he was 17.

Garbage Trains, School Lawsuit and Maspeth Trucks at JPCA Meeting

By Conor Greene

This month’s Juniper Park Civic Association Meeting included news that a settlement has been reached to prevent trains hauling garbage from idling in residential areas and an update on the battle against the city’s plan to build a high school in Maspeth.

In addition, the civic group held a moment of silence for a longtime member who recently passed away, and honored another resident who is still going strong at 107 years old during the session last Thursday. Reports on other items discussed at the meeting can be found elsewhere in this issue, including funding for the reconstruction of St. Saviour’s Church, an update on crime and a ceremony honoring the neighborhood’s outgoing monsignor.

Garbage Trains and Truck Traffic

Civic President Robert Holden informed the large crowd at Our Lady of Hope about a new problem the civic is dealing with: a plan by Waste Management to haul trash by truck from its transfer station on Review Avenue in Long Island City to the rail yard in West Maspeth. While this is part of the city’s plan to reduce the amount of trucks making long-distance trips to out-of-state dumps, it will lead to an increase in local traffic.

The garbage will be loaded onto rail cars near the intersection of Maspeth Avenue and Rust Street, near the former St. Saviour’s property. This has led Holden to surmise that the reason Mayor Michael Bloomberg refused to fund a purchase of the land for a public park is because this plan was in the works.

“The real reason the mayor didn’t want a park there was because he had a bigger plan,” said Holden. The city’s solid waste plan “is being forced upon us here in this district.” Under the plan, all trash from neighborhoods in community boards one through six would be trucked to the Review Avenue transfer station, which Waste Management will expand to accommodate the increase. While that facility is located along the Newtown Creek, it doesn’t have barge or rail access, meaning the trash must be driven a mile and a half to Maspeth before it is shipped by rail to dump sites in Virginia.

“It would be a decent plan if they would barge the garbage out or rail the garbage out,” said Holden. “This was their master plan – who would want a park near this transfer station?” He noted that the trains, filled with garbage, will then travel through Middle Village and Glendale before leaving the region. Last year, there was a problem with foul odors emanating from trains idling in one location, especially near Christ the King High School on Metropolitan Avenue. “Now they’re going to add more,” he said. “They city didn’t insist they barge it or do it by rail the right way.”

Holden reminded the large crowd that the civic can no longer even get a response to letters sent to Mayor Bloomberg about this issue, a far cry from when the mayor stopped by JPCA meetings on several occasions before his reelection. “We couldn’t keep this guy away. Now we can’t get answers to our letters anymore.”

While West Maspeth will likely bear the brunt of increased truck traffic, Middle Village attorney and City Council candidate Thomas Ognibene had some good news regarding the issue of odors from the trains stinking up the neighborhood. He said that the fumes caused issues last year at Christ the King, including making a pregnant teacher ill. After negotiations between the school and railways proved futile, Ognibene revealed publicly for the first that a lawsuit against New York and Atlantic Railway and CSX was needed to resolve the problem.

The outcome, according to Ognibene, is a settlement in federal court that allows CSX to take possession of idling trains sooner. The agreement, which was effective as of Wednesday, should eliminate the need for trains to sit in residential areas. Instead, trains will be picked up by CSX in the morning and stored at a rail yard away from residential areas untilthey’re ready to leave the area.

“We believe that starting July 1, we’ve solved the problem with the existing trains,” said Ognibene. “Hopefully that’s going to help… but it took a lawsuit. There may be glitches but at least we got something going in that direction because we’ve suffered long enough.”

Maspeth School Lawsuit

Ognibene also updated residents on a lawsuit the JPCA and Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) have jointly filed against the city regarding the proposed Maspeth high school.

The issue, according to Holden and Ognibene, is that information regarding toxic materials found on the site was withheld before the City Council voted earlier this year to approve the Department of Education’s plan to build the 1,100-seat school on the former Restaurant Depot site at 74th Street and 57th Avenue. Despite objections from the area’s local member, Elizabeth Crowley, the City Council voted 38-10 in April in favor of the plan.

“We feel it is going to overburden the neighborhood,” said Holden. “The city really didn’t tell the elected officials or us how toxic it is… Information was withheld and the School Construction Authority rushed this through.”

Ognibene noted that one problem is that the city “is not diligent as an ordinary buyer would be” in terms of investigating the site. He added that 19 schools around the city were built on toxic sites, which has forced the city to go back and remediate the property after construction was completed. “Obviously it’s going to be very expensive” to remediate after construction.

“Unfortunately, the City Council I believe didn’t get the full information,” said Ognibene. “This is a dangerous location to build a school… It presents significant problems for the community.”

The civics are named plaintiffs in the lawsuit because they have legal standing to file the lawsuit. Ognibene is now waiting to for a return date and hopes a judge will issue a restraining order preventing the city from moving ahead with work at the site until a phase three environmental impact statement is conducted to show exactly what remediation is needed. In May, the city paid $16,250,000 for the 54,000-square foot property. The current plan is to install a protective barrier between the contaminated soil and the building foundation.

“We feel we have a strong case,” said Ognibene. “Certainly the health, safety and welfare of our children in schools should be paramount. I think it’s important that the city in this type of situation steps up and does the right thing.

Civic Members Honored

At the beginning of the meeting, Holden asked for a moment of silence in honor of civic member Ed Nubel, who recently passed away.

“We lost him too soon,” said Holden, recalling that that the long time volunteer always made sure there was coffee at every meeting. “He really exemplified the spirit of this neighborhood… I know Ed is looking down on us. If you have a cup of coffee, toast Ed tonight.”

Next, another longtime civic member – 107-year-old Carl Berner – was presented the volunteer of the year award for his continued dedication to the neighborhood. “How many people see this man in the neighborhood?” asked Holden, noting that Berner walks several miles a day in the area of Caldwell Avenue and chalks his longevity up to oatmeal.

Berner is still recovering from two hip operations and a short nursing home stay, but is eager to return to civic matters such as cleaning up along the railroad tracks, said Holden. “Don’t be surprised if you see him over there in a couple months with a rake. We’re never surprised by Carl Berner.”

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.

Fallen Heroes Honored on Memorial Day

Thousands of residents packed streets throughout Queens for annual Memorial Day parades and ceremonies, including along Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Myrtle Avenue in Glendale and Ridgewood and Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills.

In Maspeth, the community celebrated Memorial Day on Sunday with a parade for the 25th consecutive year, followed by a ceremony at Maspeth Memorial Park. Justice Charles Markey was this year’s grand marshal, and Cpl. Abe Kleiner, U.S Army Ret. WWII, was presented the Maspeth Veteran Award. In addition, St. Stanislaus Girl Scout Troop #4311, which pushed for the revival of the annual parade 25 years ago, and essay contest winners from local schools were also honored at the ceremony.

Pat Toro, president of the United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of Maspeth, reminded those in attendance that “veterans continue to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is important for us to remember and honor those who could not return… Thank you for remembering, and to the veterans here today, I salute your service.”

A similar scene unfolded the following day along Myrtle Avenue in Glendale and Ridgewood, followed by a ceremony. Former State Senator and veteran Serf Maltese reminded the crowd that most World War II veterans are now between 85 and 87 years old and “unfortunately are passing on at a very high rate.” He reminded residents to “express your appreciation for what they did” for our nation.

Also on Monday, the American Legion Continental Post 124 in Forest Hills held its annual parade, followed by a ceremony at Remsen Memorial Park “to honor those who served our country in the defense of liberty for all.”

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