Walmart Debate Rages On

By Eric Yun

Opposing rallies were held outside City Hall last Thursday as the City Council held hearings over the possibility of a New York City Walmart. A project the size of a typical Walmart store would require City Council approval, but Walmart is reportedly looking at smaller lots—notably the Gateway II plaza in East New York—which would not require zoning approvals.

Walmart representatives did not attend the meeting, leaving stones thrown by politicians unmatched.

“Walmart’s absence and refusal to attend only leads me to further skepticism about them as a company,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio echoed Quinn’s complaints and added, “Walmart’s record is clear: they have eliminated more jobs than they created by driving small businesses out of town and they are contributing to the decline of the middle class by instituting poverty level wages for familes. What’s good for Walmart isn’t good for New York City.”

Critics of Walmart claim the chain hurts small businesses. In 2009, the Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola Uni- versity of Chicago studied the effects of a Walmart opening in Chicago. The researchers found the store cost the neighborhood 300 jobs and no economic benefits were found.

“These estimates support the contention that large-city Walmarts absorb retail sales from other city stores without significantly expanding the market,” the report stated.

Walmart sent a letter to the Council about their absence: “Since we have not announced a store for New York City, I respectfully suggest the committee first conduct a thoughtful examination of the existing impact of large grocers and retailers on small businesses in New York City before embarking on a hypothetical exercise.”

Walmart executives contend that the Council is holding them to a different standard from other big box retailers such as Target and Costco.

The company has started an extensive public relations campaign stating their case. A poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen, LLC showed that 71% of New Yorkers support a Walmart within the city. The company has also ramped up television and radio ads, and it launched a website, WalmartNYC.com, to publicize the benefits of a store in the city.

Included on the site are endorsements from many political figures, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“You should let the marketplace decide,” Bloomberg said. “[Anytime anyone] has tried to manage the marketplace, it has not turned out very well. I think the Soviet Union is as good an example as you’d ever need of that.”

Another endorsement from Eduardo Giraldo, vice president of the Queens Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, states “You’ve got Duane Reade, Costco, Target, CVS, T.J. Maxx, Staples. ... If Walmart wants to move in, let it compete. This is America. It’s a free enterprise.”

Locally, Councilmember Eric Ulrich (R- Ozone Park) has said Walmart deserves to be in the city.
“Walmart wants to come here and provide union construction jobs and permanent positions that offer pay wages equal to or higher than many of their competitors, and allow people to save substantially on their grocery bills,” Ulrich said. “Why should my constituents—many of whom are on fixed incomes—pay more for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread? It’s not the job of politicians or special interest groups, especially in today’s economy, to block economic development.”

Still, some believe economic development seems unlikely if a Walmart opened its doors in the city.

“Small businesses in my neighborhood would be in a lot of trouble if Walmart moved in,” said Nelson Eusabio, owner of Compare Supermarkets, which operates several stores in Queens including one on Liberty Avenue. “Walmart would lead to more shuttered stores and fewer job opportunities. That’s a price New Yorkers can’t afford.”

Council Extends Smoking Ban to Public Parks, Plazas and Beaches

By Eric Yun
In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibited smoking in nearly all public indoor areas in the city. Last week, the City Council amended the legislation to include the city’s parks, beaches and other public places to the no-smoking list.

The bill passed the Council by a 36-12 vote and is expected to be signed into law by Bloomberg meaning it will go into law in 90 days. The bill’s supporters said this will pre-vent litter in parks and beaches and prevent exposure to secondhand smoke.

Under the new legislation, smoking would be prohibited at parks, beaches, pools, recreation centers and all buildings and facilities operated by the Parks Department. It also extends to the city Department of Transportation’s pedestrian plazas.

Sidewalks immediately ad- joining parks, squares and public places, pedestrian routes that are adjacent to vehicular traffic and parking lots are exempted from the ban. “Recent studies, and studies over the years, have shown that secondhand smoke can have a harmful impact,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village). “Public smoking is not just a risk people take on themselves, it is a risk that impacts everyone around them. This new law will make sure that smoking is prohibited in public parks and beaches, areas where our youngest New Yorkers gather.”

Critics, however, said the bill was too intrusive and impinged on civil liberties. “While I understand the health concerns that prompted the introduction of this bill, it is nothing more than another example of gov- ernment intruding into the private lives of New Yorkers,” said Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park). “Whether we like it or not smokers pay taxes and they have rights too. We need to be mindful of the fact that we’re infringing on the rights and freedoms of everyday residents who are not breaking the law.”

The Parks Department is responsible for enforcement and can issue fines of $50.

Babysitter Convicted for Drowning Death of Baby

On June 15, 2009, neighbors were shocked as rescue workers carried a lifeless baby boy out of Krystal Khan’s Ozone Park home, which doubled as a daycare center. On Tuesday, Khan, 30, was convicted of reckless assault of a child by a child daycare provider and endangering the welfare of a child.

Before the incident most neighbors felt she did a good job taking care of children.

“This is all very upsetting. I checked this place out for my own child about two years ago,” neighbor Billy Caires told The Forum in June 2009. Caires said the house seemed to be clean and in order.

According to trial testimony, on the morning of June 15, 2009, Khan took Nyquil before being entrusted with the care of 11-month-old James Farrior—even though she knew Nyquil causes drowsiness. It was further alleged that Khan kept a bucket with around six inches of water unattended in the kitchen.

Khan then fell asleep, leaving Farrior and her own three and four-year-old sons alone. Later in the morning, her four-year-old child woke her up, and Khan discovered the baby drowned in the bucket of water.

“As a caregiver with sole responsibility for the life and safety of a young child, the defendant had an obligation to provide a safe environment, to be vigilant and to stay with that child at all times,” said Brown. “The defendant must now live the rest of her life knowing that by failing to act responsibly her actions resulted in the death of a child and robbed that child’s parents of seeing their baby grow up.”

Khan faces up to four years in prison, and sentencing is scheduled for March 28.

Ridgewood Home to Some of City's Worst Buildings

By Eric Yun

Landlords can make a tenant’s life miserable. Violations that are ignored, such as mold and vermin can transform a nice apartment into a potentially dangerous living situation. The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is using a 2008 program to put pressure on landlords and owners to fix their buildings.

The Alternate Enforcement Program (AEP) was signed into law in 2007, and since 2008, the HPD targets the city’s 200 worst multifamily buildings. This year, the program was amended to include more buildings with more than 20 units.

The HPD released their list of the 200 worst buildings of 2011 last Thursday. Seven properties in Queens were included—four are in Ridgewood:

• 18-21 Cornelia Street
• 555 Fairview Avenue
• 17-36 Greene Avenue
• 10-48 Wyckoff Avenue

“We call these the ‘worst’ buildings for a reason,” said HPD Commissioner Rafael Cestero. “For the families who call these ‘Terrible 200’ buildings home, the conditions pose a real threat to health and safety—not only to the tenants, but to the neighborhood as a whole.”

At 18-21 Cornelia Street, a three-story building with six units, there are 127 open violations. These include the proper termination of bed bugs and roaches on the third floor, obstruction of fire escapes, missing or broken carbon monoxide detectors and lead paint violations.

The building at 555 Fairview Avenue, a two-story building with four units, has 79 open violations. A sample of these violations include a water leak on the ceiling of a first floor bathroom, lead paint, no hot water for the first floor and a foul odor emanating from the cellar.

There are five violations open at 17-36 Greene Avenue, a two-story building with four units, mostly from lead-based paint concerns.

And at 10-48 Wyckoff Avenue, a three-story building with three units, there are 35 open violations. There is an uncapped radiator on the first floor and a disconnected radiator on the second floor. It has also been cited for a defective wood floor and missing smoke detectors.

Buildings with more than 20 units are eligible to be entered in the AEP if they have three or more open hazardous or immediately hazardous violations per unit and owed the city $5,000 or more from the HPD’s Emergency Repair Program (ERP). The ERP allows the city to correct hazardous conditions in build- ings and charge the owners for the work.

Buildings of between three and 20 units must possess five or more hazardous violations per unit and ERP charges of $2,500 or more.

According to the HPD, the 200 buildings combined owe the city $2.9 million in ERP charges.
For a building to be removed from the list, owners must, within four months, fix their violations and pay the city for any repairs under the ERP. If the building is not in compliance within four months, the HPD can fix the buildings at its discretion.

 The four buildings are within Community Board 5, and District Manager Gary Giordano questioned if the city has enough power to force building owners to comply.

“Four months is a long time for necessary repairs, especially if it’s a plumbing, roof or electrical repair,” Giordano said.

Giordano said the vast majority of landlords want to keep their property in good standing,
but the board has received its fair share of problematic landlords. “In certain situations, the landlord seems to be milking the building for rent money. But some don’t have the financial wherewithal to fix the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, tenants of the four Ridgewood buildings will have to wait and hope that their owners take the AEP designation seriously.

Ty Calderwood, who works for Harry Horrowitz, the property manager of 18-21 Cor- nelia Street, said the company is working to correct the issues. He noted that the property is in foreclosure and that they inherited many problems slowing the repair process.

“Ninety percent of repairs are done,” Calderwood said.

CTK Math Team Ranks #1

Christ the King Regional High School is ranked number one among religious high schools and 15 out of more than 200 competing public and private institutions in the New York State Mathematics League. Senior Christina Marino is one of 26 students with a perfect score. The team moderator Mr. Richard Hartman noted, “I show them original ways of looking at problems, so I try to make it fun.” Mr. Hartman also holds an annual contest to see who can recite Pi to 1,000 places.

(l-r) Christ the King Math Club Moderator Richard Hartman, far left, and Principal Peter Mannarino stands proudly with Math team members Makita Ellis, left, Pulkit Arora, Christina Marino, Juliana Daxland, Peter Ciavarella and Nikolina Dabovic.

Fund Allocates Millions for Green Projects: Shows Model for Future Initiatives

By Eric Yun

In the summer of 2006, blackouts in Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside persisted for weeks and left more than 100,000 residents without power. As a result of the subsequent outrage, Con Edison reached an $8 million settlement with community groups to fund green initiatives.

North Star Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports grassroots campaigns, teamed up with the Western Queens Power for the People campaign, which formed as a result of the power outages, to distribute the funds.

Fifteen groups were selected to receive grant money, and the affected neighborhoods can expect to see more trees, environmental programs and green jobs.

Hugh Hogan, North Star Fund’s Executive Director, said it is important to fund these green initiatives, especially in Western Queens. “Currently, Western Queens has among the lowest amounts of green space of any neighborhood in New York City—only 2 percent compared to a citywide av- erage of 14 percent,” he said.

After several meetings with community groups, Hogan gained an understanding of the residents’ vision for greening their neighborhoods. As an added bonus, there was a significant amount of money to turn the vision into a reality.

“Sometimes you have a great vision, but the resources aren’t always there. It’s exciting to have the funds for the vision and create a greener place to live,” Hogan said.

Among the grant recipients is the City Parks Foundation, which will work with community groups to plant up to 850 trees in the area. The Sunnyside Gardens Community Association was also selected to plant trees outside of Sunnyside Gardens park.

But Hogan said the Greening Western Queens initiative was more than planting trees; Teaching young residents about the importance of living a more environmentally friendly life is just as important. The Recycle-A-Bicycle program will create a center to teach kids about bike repair and promote the importance of bike riding. Solar One will partner with the city’s Education Department to create a Green Design Lab in eight public schools. These labs will teach children about sustainable energy and provide them with the op- portunity to make their own schools more energy efficient.

These programs and community activism are a great model for similar projects in other neighborhoods, Hogan said. He hopes the work Western Queens Power for the People and the North Star Fund inspires other communities to action.

“We’re trying to create a model for how communities can transform themselves,” Hogan said. He added that the work with other departments like the City Parks Foundation could be replicated throughout the city.

Aviators Hockey Heats Up

As New York City was being buried by snow throughout January, the New York Aviators of the Federal Hockey League (FHL) buried 10 consecutive opponents with a barrage of goals, stellar goaltending and physical play. In fact, beginning with the A’s December 30 victory over Danbury, they are riding a 14-game winning streak and a 18-2 home record at the Aviator Sports & Event Center on Flatbush Ave., in Brooklyn.

Here are a few of the highlights of the A’s undefeated (10-0) January: scored 44 goals and allowed 14 goals; registered 364 shots on goal; 10 game winning goals from seven dif- ferent players including three from Jesse Fel- ten; Matt Punutreri led club with 21 pts and 13 assists; Felten lead the team with with 9 goals for the month; five different A's tallied double-digits points; goalie Kevin Druce went 8-0 1.85 GAA, 1 SO, .938 SV%.

The performance was especially impressive as two of the A’s top players, defenseman David Inman and forward Mike Thompson, were called-up to Elmira and Wheeling of the ECHL during January.

The streak has moved the A’s have into third place, seven points ahead of Danbury, just five points behind 1000 Island and 10 points behind Akwesasne. The top four teams qualify for the FHL playoffs.

The Aviators have three games this week: Feb 11 at 7:05 pm vs Cape Cod at Aviator and then a pair of games on Feb 12 and Feb 13 at Danbury. Tickets are still available by visiting newyorkaviators.com or by calling 718-758-7580.

Tax Preparer Convicted

As people rush to file their taxes, they should keep in mind that not all accountants and tax services are legitimate. Jean Tout-Puissant, 51, of Queens Village was sentenced to up to seven years in prison for his involvement in an identity fraud scheme.

According to District Attorney Richard Brown, Tout-Puissant, a tax preparer, used personal information from his client Louis Beaujuin to fraudulently open several business accounts in 2007. These accounts were used for Tout-Puissant’s bar, El Millenium Pub in Queens Village.
Tout-Puissant applied for credit cards under Beaujuin’s name and withdrew $200,000 in cash advances to make purchases at restaurants and shops, such as Victoria’s Secret, Brown said.
Beaujuin became suspicious when he received bills that did not correspond to any accounts he was aware of. Beaujuin was retired and living off small Social Security benefits at the time.

Brown warned residents that these crimes are easy to fall prey too, especially during this time of year.

“As we enter tax season, all consumers should be very careful as to whom they entrust their most intimate financial details—such as names, date of births and social security numbers,” Brown said. “Such information is worth more than money to an individual intent on committing fraud and could cause a consumer financial headache for years to come.”

Immigrants who implicitly trust members of their own communities are at an increased risk, Brown added. Beajuin and Tout-Puissant were both Haitian.

Tout-Puissant was convicted of multiple counts of grand larceny, first-degree identity theft and first-degree falsifying business records.

Undercover Sting Busts Credit, Gift Card Scheme

Criminals beware. It’s usually not a good idea to try fraudulent schemes in the same building as the Queens District Attorney’s office. Two Brooklyn men were charged with attempting to use stolen credit cards to purchase thousands of dollars worth of Duane Reade gift cards in Kew Gardens, which shares a building with the DA.

“The defendants could not have made it any easier for the investigators involved in the undercover operation to effectuate their arrest,” Brown said, noting how the arrests occurred right outside of his office.

According to District Attorney Richard Brown, two Duane Reade employees were contacted via Facebook to assist them in using stolen credit cards for gift card purchases. “Do U wanna make 300 a week while @ work,” the messages read. “I want [you] 2 ring me up as I buy gift cards on credit gwap [a street term for illegal credit cards].”

The employees alerted their manager who contacted the DA. At the direction of the State Police, the employee told the suspect—identified on Facebook as Carlos Escobar Bigante but later identified as Carl Dupiton, 21—that he knew a friend who could help him.

The friend, an undercover investigator, allegedly had multiple phone conversations with the man where he allegedly said they would spend as much as $3,000 a day on gift cards.

The undercover investigator allegedly set up a meeting on February 1, 2011, at the Kew Gardens store where a man matching Carlos Escobar Bigante’s Facebook picture arrived. Bigante allegedly left the store and a second suspect, Garry Rey, 22, allegedly approached the undercover investigator and stated he was part of the plot.

Rey proceeded to use more than 10 different credit cards to purchase Ebay and Paypal gift cards, but only the first transaction for $404 was accepted, Brown said.

Rey left the store where he was arrested along with Dupiton. Police allegedly recovered 18 gift cards with a value of $3,350, as well as the credit and debit cards he had purportedly used in the store.

Rey was ordered held without bail, and bail for Dupiton was set at $150,000. Both men face charges of criminal possession of a forged instrument, grand larceny, commercial bribing, petit larceny and scheme to defraud. They face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico praised the Duane Reade employees who helped them with their undercover operation. “The early reporting by Duane Reade Pharmacy’s employees of the scheme ... was key to this arrest operation,” D’Amico said. “This shows the importance of the public’s role in assisting law enforcement in efforts to prevent this and other types of fraud.”

This Week's Forum South and West

Water Main Break Leaves Residents Without Water

By Patricia Adams

A water main broke on Saturday at the corner of 99th Street and 160th Avenue in Howard Beach and went unrepaired into Sunday morning leaving some area residents without water for about nine hours.

The break was reported to DEP through 311 by residents. “The water was shut off with no notice,” one resident told The Forum. Lisa, who lives with her family across the street from Charles Park said water service went down after 3:30 p.m Sunday and was restored around midnight.

According to officials, no notice was given to the residents about the shut off because it was an emergency situation. “The DEP’s priority was to get the water off and prevent dangerous icing conditions in the freezing temperatures,” said Betty Braton, chair of Community Board 10.

Water service was shut off to the area surrounding the break and crews worked from early Sunday morning to remove mounds of snow and ice in order to locate turnoff valves.

The break was repaired and service to approximately 100 homes affected was restored by the end of Sunday night.

From Austria to Forest Hills: Woman Celebrates 101 Eventful Years

By Patricia Adams

For most of us, living to celebrate our 101st birthday would be extraordinary enough. But for Forest Hills resident Regina Schilling Mittler, the number of years she has lived is just a fractional part of how extraordinary her life has truly been.

Born in Lemberg (then part of the Austrian Empire) on February 2, 1910, her mother was a concert violinist and her father a conductor. Much of her early childhood was spent in Czernowitz, where her aunt lived, while her par- ents were off on busy concert schedules.

Regina’s life would go on to be punctuated and shaped not only by the arts and culture, but also by one of the most tumultuous times in world history. It included hardship and struggle as early as her fourth birthday few of us ever encounter. It was 1914, World War I was underway, and Regina’s mother -- away on tour when all railroad connections to the Austrian Empire were severed -- had no way back to her beloved child.

Regina remained in Czernowitz under the care of a nanny for more than four years until 1918, when she was finally reunited with her mother. They travelled together to Vienna, and despite the fact that Regina was mal- nourished, she managed to escape the influenza epidemic that was spreading though the world.

In keeping with the family’s love of music, Regina was provided with piano lessons with a local teacher and within five years, she earned a full scholarship to the Vienna Conservatory. She was just 13 years old.

She continued on at the Conservatory, graduating with honors before passing the Austrian Music Teachers Exam. During her time at the school, Regina sang with the famed Arbeiter Chorus and attended the Vienna debuts of noted musicians Vladamir Horowitz, Bela Bartok and Marion Anderson. Following her graduation, Regina continued on at the conservatory as a staff accompanist and taught privately.

Regina was working as a piano teacher in Austria at the end of WWI, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was 1938 and demands for the union of Austria and Germany increased after Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany.

The German army occupied Austria on March 13th, and one day later, while she was giving a piano lesson, Regina got a phone call from her mother after the Gestapo had come looking for her. She had been a counselor in a summer youth camp run by the Social Democratic Party and now the Nazis were arresting anyone with a known association to the party.

When Regina hung up the phone she knew that her life—if she weren’t killed—had changed forever. She left the home of her stu- dent and immediately began her life in hiding. She moved from friend to friend for more than a year—hiding in basements and any other safe location available, sneaking around the streets when necessary. She waited for help from people with access to the American Embassy as they searched for her immigration number needed to secure her travel visa.

One day while walking past the American Embassy, Regina and her friends were approached by an official who asked them if they wanted to immigrate to America. Regina submitted an application, which was approved on her birthday in 1939. Her cousin Laura’s employer provided her with an affidavit and funds to buy a ticket to New York. She arrived in New York in March. She had escaped the Nazi’s and was safe.

In New York Regina visited Steinway Hall to receive a piano from a refugee relief agency, and there she ran into the composer and pianist Franz Mittler, a fellow refugee, with whom she had studied in the early 1930s. They grew increasingly close and got married in December of 1939.

In September 1943 the couple moved to Kew Gardens where Regina lived for 45 years until moving to her present apartment in Forest Hills in 1989. They had one child, Diana, who is still caring for her mother today.

Regina was interviewed and appeared in the film documentary “Last Stop, Kew Gardens” which was broadcast on PBS Channel 21 in 2008. After her retirement Regina devoted much time to reading and travel. Since 2008 she lives at home assisted by her 24-hour home attendants Rina Soldevilla and Virginia Martinez.

Atlas Park Sold: Owner of Queens Center Mall Involved in Purchase

By David J. Harvey

The Shops at Atlas Park was sold at auction on January 28 at Queens County Supreme Court, and the buyer will soon take ownership. The winning $53.7 million bid for the property was submitted by a newly-formed group called WMAP, LLC.

Little is yet known about WMAP, apparently formed for the purchase, except that Walton Street Capital, a Chicago based investment firm, is a member. Walton Street Managing Principal Eric Mogentale said the company does not publicly comment on its investments. Macerich, the owners of Queens Center Mall, will be in charge of managing the shops at Atlas Park after the sale is complete on February 28.

Atlas Park, formerly owned by the Hemmerdinger family, had been under foreclosure for nearly two years. The financier, Société Générale, was still owed $119 million at the time of the sale. The Hemmerdingers had created Atlas Park, LLC for the original property purchase and can’t be held person- ally liable for the balance of the debt owed on the mall.

The sale is expected to close within 30 days of the auction and will leave Société Générale at a significant loss. Société Générale spokesperson Jim Galvin did not return a request for comment.

According to auction referee Denis Cap- pello, the opening bid of $50 million came from a group that had partnered with the bank, which had revealed Société Générale’s willingness to sell for much lower than the debt owed.

“If the bank was going to say listen, we want $119 million or we’re just going to take it over ourselves a lot of people would probably just walk away,” he said. “When they started at $50 million, I was somewhat surprised that they were willing to go that low.”

Cappello said he had expected the bidding to reach up to $70 million, and that there would be more bidders. After the opening bid, Capello set the bidding increment at $250,000 and only two parties—the one partnered with the bank and WMAP—went back and forth up to $53.7 million.
“When we got past $53 million and I had to start closing the bidding, I was surprised,” he said.
While there remains uncertainty about the future of the Glendale shopping center, the
involvement of Macerich was seen as a promising sign.

Additionally, Walton Street has been heavily investing in mall properties. In June 2010, Walton Street set up a $300 million refinancing for a mall property in Colorado it originally invested in back in 1999, The Streets at SouthGlenn, an open-air town square-style mall with joint residential properties. In December, Walton Street purchased the Simi Valley Town Center in California, which came with a $112 million mortgage.

Walton Street Managing Principal Neil G. Bluhm told the New York Times in 2009 that his firm was prepared to begin heavy investment in the Northeast and in California. He said the recession had caused a lull in real-estate speculation, but that he planned to spend $1.5 billion over the next few years on property in Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Bluhm said he hopes for annual returns of 20 percent.

Currently, the struggling Atlas Park has no such potential. Kathy Masi of the Glendale Civic Association said the community is thrilled that Atlas Park finally has an owner, and welcomes the connections to the more successful Queens Center Mall. Masi said she hopes the success of Queens Center will come to Atlas Park under dual management. Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, who has worked to bring new life to Atlas Park for years, said she is looking forward to revitalizing Glendale’s shopping mall.

“The community welcomes the new leadership with open arms and is eager to help Atlas become an engine for economic growth. I will be meeting with Macerich this week and other stakeholders including civic groups in the coming weeks and months to make sure this shopping center works with the community and the residents I represent."

Cappello also said he is eager to see Atlas Park transformed. He said his wife often shops at Atlas Park, and the night before the auction, they ate at the mall’s California Pizza Kitchen.
“In this business we get caught up in the numbers, but when I see a closed store over there and that the people who worked there lost their jobs, it’s a concern. Living in the area, I would like to see it move along and see better times.”

Woodhaven Hopes to Melt Frozen Emergency Communications

By David J. Harvey

With record levels of snowfall in January, the city has struggled to coordinate street plowing, garbage pick-up and parking issues. Meanwhile, the web of complaints to Sanit tion during the snowstorms hasn’t seemed to have much impact—prompting one community group to try and streamline city-wide emergency reporting.

Trash continues to stagnate and many streets in Queens are still suffering diminished parking capacity. Piles of snow separat- ing streets and sidewalks impede deliveries, including those of heating oil, and block the view of drivers at intersections.

“On the corners you see mountains of snow and you can’t see past those corners, you’re going into the street blind,” Howie Kamp, of the Ozone Park Civic Association, said.

Local civic leader Tony Nunziato said he’s seen city workers plowing already clear streets and truck drivers taking side streets to avoid snow only to find themselves stuck.

“Once you don’t do something right, then it spreads.” Nunziato said. “When one thing fails, it just continues.”

Residents reporting snow issues in their neighborhoods can call 311, their local community groups, the local Community Board office or elected officials. All of those groups report to each other, as well as to the Mayor’s office and to the local Sanitation Department office.

Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association, said even with all the avenues for reporting snow conditions, the city seemed overwhelmed.

“Problems were being reported to our elected officials, to the Mayor’s office, to our Community Board, and each one in turn was telling us they were reported to Sanitation, but it just didn’t seem to be getting done.”

So while the snow piled up, the WRBA began an effort to decongest the complaint pipeline to Sanitation.

After the first snowstorm in December, the WRBA revived the old tradition of “Block Captains” to help compile reports about conditions in the neighborhood. Wendell said he wanted to find a way to get a comprehensive report using a grassroots network.

“After the Christmas storm, a lot of people were blasting the city saying, ‘hey we were forgotten,’” Wendell said. “We wanted to take a different approach.”

The WRBA began using Facebook and Twitter to reach residents, but Wendell said this approach was too sporadic. He decided to use residents on each street to help the WRBA report conditions to Community Board 9 and the area’s two elected city officials, Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village).

“If [the block captains] can go out on their porch and look up and down their street they can tell us what conditions are, not just in a snowstorm.” Wendell said. “In a state of emergency we can put together some real comprehensive information telling them, ‘here, these are the conditions on the ground.’”

Despite high hopes for the network, Wendell said the city is still slow to respond.

During the last January storm, which ended early Thursday morning, Wendell collected reports from his captains and sent out a report before noon. By 4 p.m., the majority of streets had not been touched. He reported conditions again, leaving out plowed streets. On Friday, 16 roads were still unplowed.

“We’re reporting this information but I don’t think they’re very good at doing follow
ups,” Wendell said. “I don’t think Sanitation is very good at giving us any metrics on what’s been plowed or not.”

“They have no idea what they touch and what they don’t,” he added.

The Sanitation Department has announced plans to outfit every plow with a radio to improve communication, and Wendell said Mayor Bloomberg’s office had expressed interest in the WRBA’s Block Captain system. Wendell said he worries that the city is overwhelmed, and hopes to see the Block Captain approach catch on.

“If our elected officials are swamped with calls, I can only imagine how Sanitation is,” Wendell said.

By the end of January, the WRBA had 25 percent of Woodhaven streets covered by Block Captains. Wendell said the WRBA will continue signing up captains until it has 100 percent of the neighborhood covered.

Cuomo Promises Massive Cuts to 2011-2012 Budget

By Eric Yun

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his executive budget on Tuesday, which he promised will “set our state on a new path toward prosperity.”

Cuomo preached fiscal responsibility and promised reduced spending during his campaign last November. He said the new pro- posed budget would eliminate New York’s projected four year deficit of $64.6 billion by 86 percent without raising taxes.

The key component to Cuomo’s plan is cutting spending for numerous agencies including education and healthcare.

“We simply cannot afford to keep spending at our current rate,” Cuomo said. “Just like New York’s families and businesses have had to do, New York State must face economic reality. This budget achieves real, year-to-year savings while restructuring the way we man- age our state government.”

The first goal for the budget is to reduce the cost of state government. State agencies will be instructed to maximize savings, and Cuomo wants to negotiate with state employee labor unions to save money. Cuomo said if savings could not be achieved, up to 9,800 layoffs would be necessary.

In the executive budget, Medicaid spending will be cut by 2 percent, or $982 million. Medicaid funding has spiraled upwards every year, and Cuomo said the practice was unsustainable.

The cuts in Medicaid could be critical to Queens residents who already lost Mary Immaculate and St. John’s hospitals in 2009. According to a report in The New York Post, the Governor’s cuts could put Wykoff, Jamaica and Peninsula hospitals in danger of closing.

In reaction to the news, city Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) released a statement slamming the proposed cuts. “Queens County has lost three hospitals in the last two years alone,” Crowley said. “The human costs of closing another one or two will far outweigh the financial savings for New York.”

Cuomo also announced plans to cut educa- tion funding. The proposed budget would cut funding by $1.4 billion. SUNY and CUNY schools will also have their operating aid cut by 10 percent.
The MTA will receive a small increase in funding, but Cuomo is proposing using $100 million from dedicated transit funds to pay off state debts.

“When it comes to transit nothing much has changed,” said Paul Steely White, execu- tive director of Transportation Alternatives. “Cuomo is taking dedicated funds away from riders.”
Transportation Alternatives fears that taking the funds will lead to future MTA service cuts.

Last year, after former Governor David Paterson took $160 million of dedicated tran- sit funds, the MTA cut the W line, which ran through Astoria, and the V line, which ran through Forest Hills. More than 10 bus routes were also eliminated or reduced.

State Senator Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) said the budget was “a good first step.” “We definitely need to cut spending and reduce government,” Addabbo said. However, Addabbbo was wary of layoffs and cuts to education and healthcare.

Education and healthcare are two of the largest elements of the budget, but Addabbo said there is wasteful spending within the bptj that can be reduced. Over the next eight weeks, Addabbo wants to discuss the budget and determine what the cuts will do to the state and the city. “We need to see what the ramifications are if we implement this budget,” he said.

Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Wood- haven) is also encouraged by the budget.

“That said, I am very concerned about the impact of eliminating aid to New York City. We cannot ask our already struggling schools to take another massive cut,” Miller said.

Miller also vowed to fight cuts to senior centers and people with developmental disabilities.

Addabbo said his biggest concern is that last year’s disastrous budget process is not re- peated. The 2010 budget was not passed by the April 1 deadline, and the legislature was forced to pass extender bills to keep the government working. Addabbo said Paterson held legislators hostage, with no room to negotiate, forcing them to pass Paterson’s budget.

Carl Berner, Steadfast MV Resident, Turns 109

In 1928, Carl Berner emigrated from Germany and entered New York Harbor. By 1938 he had bought his first home in Middle Village for $5,190. Over the next 73 years, Berner has been a celebrated civic activist and one of the original members of the Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA).

Berner celebrated his 109th birthday last Thursday—adding another year and milestone to his already long and fulfilling life. As a youth, Berner split time in France and Germany. He was educated in German public schools and learned English. After moving to the United States, Berner achieved the American dream.

He toiled for hours as the nighttime superintendent for the Chrysler building. He worked there for five years, ten hours a day, six days a week. Berner was offerend a position to become a U.S. foreign agent because of his fluency in French and German, but he declined. Instead, he started his own toy-making company, first out of his garage, which became very successful. He met his wife, Margaret, and had a daughter, Emily.

Berner’s toys became collector’s items, and his expertise was sought by many businesses. He was invited to train younger workers in the industry. After moving to Middle Village, Berner immediately joined the Eliot Av- enue Civic Association, the precursor to the JPCA. Since then, he has been a fixture in civic activities around the community. At 109, Berner is still active and eager to help his neighbors, “especially the elderly.”

Bob Holden, president of the JPCA, praised Berner’s work and what he sees for the centenarian’s future: “We expect to see Mr. Berner walking around the neighborhood in the spring.”

This Week's Forum South and West

Marshall Touts Progress in State of the Borough Address

By Eric Yun

Economic progress is still slow throughout Queens, but Borough President Helen Mar- shall said strides are being made to keep the borough thriving.

At her State of the Borough Address, Marshall focused on the work she’s accomplished over her last two terms and promised to keep progress moving forward.

“I look forward to completing projects and building new communities in my third term,” Marshall said.

Marshall focused on several key initiatives. She said she believes education is paramount to the borough’s success and praised the openings of several new schools. “PS 13 in Elmhurst opened a new annex,” Marshall said, “and PS 273 opened its doors with 379 seats in Richmond Hill.”

New schools in the area that opened this year includes the newly opened Metropolitan Avenue campus in Forest Hills, and the new Maspeth High School is currently under construction.

Marshall has also worked to improve the infrastructure in Queens. Last fall, the state Department of Transportation broke ground on repairs to the Kew Gardens Interchange— one of the most congested areas in the city where the Van Wyck Expressway, Jackie Robinson Parkway and Queens Boulevard all meet. Marshall has also pushed the city to fix sewers around Queens, specifically to alleviate flooding in areas like Broad Channel.

Through her tenure as Borough President, Marshall has allocated more than $354 million to libraries, parks, cultural institutions and historic houses. But Marshall blasted the way the city allocated money for libraries. “Last year, each and every branch in Queens received $77,000 less than Brooklyn branches,” she said.

At her address, Marshall asked Queens Council Members to draft legislation to fix the inequities in library funding. “This is not a borough against borough war,” Marshall said. “This is a matter of fairness.”

Ten senior centers have closed in Queens, and more cuts are on the way. Marshall promised to do everything she could to provide services for seniors. “Believe me, we will continue to fight these cuts.”

One way Marshall helped local seniors was providing funds for the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps to house resident seniors.

“We’re very grateful to Ms. Marshall, and our other elected officials, for coming together and crafting a plan that not only helps our seniors, but also benefits the volunteer ambulance corps at the same time,” said Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association. “It’s a win-win scenario for the residents of Woodhaven.”

Marshall has also been dedicated to funding parks. She has allocated more than $140
million for park projects. Her funding has helped renovate the bandshell in Forest Park and a new baseball field and cricket pitch was unveiled at Southern Fields in Ozone Park.

Betty Braton, chairwoman of Community Board 10, was grateful for Marshall’s help. “We look forward to her continued support of park projects in our area,” Braton said.

Atlas Park Auction May Bring New Life to Shops

By David J. Harvey

The story of a mall plagued with financial woes and empty stores may soon have a new chapter. The Shops at Atlas Park, an open-air shopping center on Cooper Avenue in Glendale, is up for auction on January 28 after more than two years in foreclosure.

When developer Damon Hemmerdinger’s family-owned company, ATCO Properties and Management, opened the 400,000- square-foot, $200 million mall in April 2006, less than half the space was leased. Today, several storefronts remain empty.

Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, the New York branch of French-owned financier Société Générale, foreclosed on Hemmerdinger’s property in January 2009. The bank is likely preparing to unload their investment at a significant loss.

According to the legal notice of auction, the foreclosure debt was over $119 million by June 2010. And when at least two real estate firms were considering purchasing the mall in September, speculation put the buying price of Atlas Park as low as $50 million. Société Générale spokesperson Jim Galvin declined to comment.

According to Vincent Arcuri Jr., chair of Community Board 5, one of those companies met with community representatives while in negotiations. The firm, Chicago-based McCaffery Interests Inc., specializes in underperforming urban real estate, but eventually decided against the investment.

"We thought there was an ability to fix it,” Daniel McCaffery, president of McCaffery Interests, said to Retail Traffic. “But negotiations broke down."

Arcuri said he hopes whichever company wins the auction on Friday will pay attention to the community when deciding how to revamp Atlas Park.

“Whoever takes it over should listen to the community and the tenants,” Arcuri said, echoing years of residents’ criticism. “They need to bring in shops that the community and the young people are asking for.”

Hemmerdinger’s original plan for Atlas Park called for an upscale center that would attract
the wealthier shoppers of Manhattan and nearby Forest Hills. With poor access to the highway and shops that weren’t geared toward the surrounding community, Atlas Park failed to draw targeted crowds and alienated nearby Glendale residents.

While bolstering mall patronage was unsuccessful, it wasn’t for a lack of effort. Several buses were rerouted to connect with the property while Hemmerdinger’s father Dale was serving as MTA Chairman. But rather than attracting new patrons, the buses have been blamed for rising traffic congestion in the area.

Hemmerdinger even once ran a promotion at the Atlas Shops where he gave away $20,000 to mall shoppers. He handed out $1 bills and $1,000 prizes, calling himself a friend of the economy. The effort proved insufficient to promote an ongoing client base that would have prevented Atlas Park’s foreclosure.

After ATCO lost Atlas Park to foreclosure, a series of managers were brought in under the leadership of Societe General. The first replacement for the Hemmerdinger’s was the Mattone Group, and the most recent is CB Richard Ellis. None of the management groups have been
able to garner wide public support. “The management hasn’t been that good, because the bank has had complete control and has been calling the shots,” Arcuri said.

The community and politicians have floated several ideas about what should be done with Atlas Park, such as bringing in a supermarket like Target or Wal-Mart, or even opening space for City University of New York classes.

Council Member Elizabeth Crowley (D, Middle Village) proposed the CUNY partnership, and Crowley’s office said recently that she was exploring options such as medical facilities and breast-imaging centers.

"Atlas Park has the opportunity to serve as a positive economic engine for Queens and our city’s small businesses—but its value is dependent on its management," said Crowley. "I look forward to working with the new owner of Atlas Park to make sure this shop- ping center works with the community and the residents I represent."

Parents Concerned About DOE Choices

By Eric Yun

Parents let city Department of Education (DOE) officials know they were not happy with the direction the city is taking regarding enrollment and rezoning at this month’s Community Education Council (CEC 24) meeting.

It was a full agenda, and the meeting started with Bonnie Gross and Xinpei Qu from Stu- dent Enrollment. Gross alerted parents that 8th graders who took the specialized high school exam to enter schools like Stuyvesant or LaGuardia will receive their results and placements around February 10. By March 25, everyone will begin to learn their high school matches, Gross said.
CEC 24 President Nick Comaianni asked the enrollment officers to do a better job of including Superintendent Madelene Taub-Chan in the decision making process. “You should check with the superintendent before enrollment decisions are made. She should not be alerted after the decision,” Comaianni said.

Qu told the board that the superintendent is an integral part of their decision process. Gross also said if there is a communications breakdown they will review and fix the problems.

Parents let Gross and Qu know that more seats needed to be added for the gifted and talented programs. Most elementary schools in Maspeth including PS 153 are kindergarten through sixth grade. Therefore, students who test and qualify into the “Beacon” program in 5th grade face a difficult decision: switch schools to enter the program from 6th through 8th grades or enter the program in 6th grade and hope there is a spot for 7th graders the following year.

Charlie Vavruska, president of the Beacon Parents Forum, said they were guaranteed spots for their kids in 7th grade, but now they are being told there are only a handful of seats available.

“My daughter is in 5th grade at PS 153,” Vavruska said. “I’d like her to stay and graduate with her class.”

Parent after parent pleaded with the DOE to add extra seats to the program.

Another controversy arose at the meeting when Alex Shub from the Division of Portfolio and New Leaders presented the proposed principal of Maspeth High School. Shub said Khurshid Abdul Mutakabir was the most qualified leader out of the 200 candidates the department interviewed.

“This is a community concerned about their children,” Mutakabir said. “I proposed a straight forward school with a language arts focus. The top goal is to send kids to top universities.”

However, the board and parents felt Mutakabir’s introduction to the community felt disingenuous. A similar introduction of proposed leaders for the Metropolitan Avenue high school saw the DOE bring several candidates for public meetings.

“It feels as if this guy was just hand picked and we have no say in the decision,” one parent said.

Finally, the board passed a resolution approving Portfolio’s “step zoning” proposal that was introduced last week. IS 119 was ex- panded to kindergarten through 8th grade, so
a new zone needed to be introduced. When creating the zone, Portfolio wanted to alter several other zones to alleviate overcrowding.

However, at last week’s meeting at IS 119, parents strongly opposed the move and asked the department and the board to reconsider the proposal.

Board member Brian Rafferty understood the objections to the project: “I don’t think it’s necessarily the best solution. But it is a solution,” he said, and voted for the proposal.