Glendale Playground Planned; Maspeth Park Fight Continues

By Conor Greene

Glendale residents will likely soon have a new playground thanks to money set aside in this year’s budget by the area’s local councilmember. At the same time, the push to preserve the former St. Saviour’s site in Maspeth is continuing, with officials looking into the possibility of a land swap as a way to acquire the land at a reasonable cost.

Glendale Playground Plans

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley announced she has secured $600,000 in the 2009-2010 budget that will be used for a new playground in the upper-Glendale area. Her office is looking into the possibility of using land inside Forest Park off Myrtle Avenue near the Union Turnpike and is planning to tour the area with Parks Department officials in coming weeks to identify an ideal location.

In addition to the $600,000 secured by Crowley, $300,000 previously allocated by former Councilman Anthony Como (R-Middle Village) was just sitting in the Parks budget after the department decided that money shouldn’t be used at the Dry Harbor Road playground as initially planned. Crowley said she is working to combine the two appropriations so the entire $900,000 can be used in the Forest Park area.

“It is such a large park that Glendale is built around, but it is really cut off [from the community] by the Jackie Robinson Parkway,” said Crowley. “We want to open access to the park [but] it’s complicated because we have to do it in a way so we don’t take down any trees. That could provide access for people in Glendale without having to go to Woodhaven Boulevard. It is a much needed renovation and expansion to the playground area that the people in upper Glendale have not had.”

Crowley noted that the expansion of PS 113 led to a reduction in the amount of playground space available to the community. She said she envisions a new play area within Forest Park similar to Joseph DeVoy Playground, which is in a wooded area off Union Turnpike near 71st Avenue in southern Forest Hills. She is also working to expand the playground in Evergreen Park on St. Felix Avenue in Liberty Park.

The Parks Department did not return a message seeking information on the planned Glendale playground.

Fight for Maspeth Park

Maspeth residents and activists still haven’t given up the effort to have the former St. Saviour’s property acquired for use as public parkland. Crowley’s office is awaiting a response to letters sent to Mayor Michael Bloomberg urging him to pursue the idea as part of his goal to provide parkland within a ten minute walk for every city resident.

Christina Wilkinson, president of the Newtown Historical Society, identified several city-owned parcels in Brooklyn and Queens that could be eligible for a land swap, through which the owner of the St. Saviour’s property would be compensated for his land. Crowley’s office is looking into whether the proposed city-owned properties would be eligible for a swap, and recently sent a second letter to Mayor Bloomberg about the idea.

“Maspeth is underserved by parks, this site is for sale and acquisition of the land by the city for use as a public park would satisfy a need for both present and future residents,” said Wilkinson. “The city should take action and not pass up this rare opportunity to create more parkland.”

The land swap is being pursued after Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe informed residents that the department doesn’t have the funding required to purchase the land and then convert it into park space. “We believe the residents of Maspeth would benefit from more and better access to public parkland,” wrote Benepe. “While we could not justify the forcible acquisition of the site through condemnation, we would consider purchasing the land if the current owners are now willing sellers.”

The 58th Street property is the former home of the historic St. Saviour’s church building. That structure was dismantled and removed from the site before the property owners readied the property for development. The church will be rebuilt on land donated by All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village. The Maspeth property is currently listed for $8.5 million, and Benepe noted in his letter that “no such funding” currently exists in Parks’ budget, meaning allocations from local elected officials would be necessary.

In a July letter to Mayor Bloomberg, Crowley argued that the “community is in desperate need of more green space” and a park there would serve students from Martin Luther High School and St. Stanislaus Kostka, along with West Maspeth residents “who have to travel miles to find a park.”

On Wednesday, Crowley said a second letter was recently sent to the mayor since her office “hasn’t gotten the response we’re looking for.” She said Maspeth residents are especially in need of green space to help alleviate the pollution caused by heavy truck traffic in the area. “That’s just a great spot [for a park] and this would be an easy part of achieving his goal” to provide parkland access to all neighborhoods.

In the second letter to Bloomberg, Crowley warns that construction of a warehouse, allowed under the property’s zoning, “would clearly hurt the community and end any chances of building much needed park space for Maspeth.” She adds that the community has compiled “a large list” of unused city-owned sites that could be used in a land swap.

Crowley noted that the owners paid $4 million for the land but have since made a “significant investment” in order to prepare the site for construction. “Many people in the community feel that the land has historical value and building anything on it from a historical perspective would be wrong,” she said. “I imagine the owner would be happy to get rid of the land based on his experience owning it for a fair trade or price.

“With the cost of acquiring land today and building parks, it’s tough to find that type of funding in the city, but there’s no doubt in my mind that this area, which has traditionally been forgotten about, needs to be recognized,” continued Crowley. “By teaming up with community leaders in Maspeth to put pressure on the mayor, I think we will prevail.”

However, not all Maspeth residents think a park is the neighborhood’s most pressing need. In a letter to the Forum, Charlene Stubbs of the Maspeth West End Block Association expressed fear of problems such as increased crime and argued the area is in desperate need of a supermarket. She said the issue will be discussed at the civic’s next meeting, scheduled for Thursday at Trinity-St. Andews Church on 60th Street at 7 p.m.

City Prepares to Open Eight New Schools in Queens

Overcrowded Dist 24 Gets Bulk of Projects

By Conor Greene

The city School Construction Authority is set to open 23 new facilities around the city this fall, including eight in Queens. Locally, officials and parents of children within District 24 hope five projects in that area will bring relief to the area’s overcrowded schools, as the city prepares to add 3,000 seats to the area over the next two years.

Nick Comaianni, president of Community Education Council 24, said the amount of money the city is dedicating to the area is a major victory, but stresses that overcrowding conditions still exist throughout the district. “Getting all these seats is very important and is definitely going to alleviate a lot of overcrowding, but we’re still overcrowded,” he said. “We managed to get one-third of the entire budget in Queens put into District 24. For me, that was a big accomplishment for myself and my fellow board members.”

Despite the progress, the area still needs additional seats, especially on the high school level, that are zoned for local students. “That’s one of the things we’re missing,” he said, noting that 500 seats in the new Metropolitan Avenue complex have been set aside for District 24 students. “We did an excellent job. That’s what happens when you work together with the local elected officials and the community education council – you get things done,” added Comaianni.

This marks the “most ambitious school construction program in the city’s history, and Queens has already started to see this investment pay off,” said DOE spokesman Will Havemann, adding that the five new buildings in District 24 will help “alleviate elementary school overcrowding.” By 2012, the city will also have opened close to 10,000 new high school seats across the borough, he added.

“Ensuring that students have the opportunity to go to school in uncrowded, state-of-the-art facilities is one of our top priorities, and we worked hard in Queens and across the city to make sure that tour school construction efforts keep pace with students demand,” said Havemann.

The following is a glance at each of the local projects, as provided by the School Construction Authority. On Tuesday, a Department of Education official told CEC 24 members that all of the buildings are slated to open on time for the start of the school year.

At PS/IS 49 in Middle Village, a $36.7 million project will provide a new addition and renovation of the existing building on Penelope Avenue. The facility now boasts a fully air conditioned accessible three-story building serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Specialty classrooms include a music suite, science lab, a gym, guidance, medical and administrative offices and a library. The addition also includes a parent/community room and staff work areas, while alterations to the existing building include creation of five classrooms.

In all, the project will provide 410 seats, according to the SCA. Construction began in August 2007, with the addition completed this past month. Renovations to the existing building will continue through March 2010.

Also in Middle Village, a new school was built on the site of PS/IS 128 on 65th Drive. The four-story building for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grades includes 21 standard classrooms, two special education classrooms, and reading, speech and small instruction rooms. Specialty rooms include an art room, music room and a science classroom including lab space. There is also a 5,400-square-foot gym, a 2,700-square-foot library, a 3,564-square-foot student cafeteria, a 500-square-foot staff lunch/conference room and a 4,800-square-foot auditorium. In addition, the building now offers five citywide special education classrooms, speech and physical therapy rooms, guidance and nurses’ offices, a parent/community room and a medical suite.

The $49.4 million project created 497 seats and is expected to be finished by September. Demolition of the old building and completion of a new playground is expected in May.

In Glendale, PS/IS 113 on 79th Avenue was expanded through a $40.5 million project that will result in 446 seats. The two-story, fully air conditioned handicapped accessible addition provides a new main entrance with elevators to all floors of the new and existing building. The addition includes 11 classrooms, three pre-kindergarten classrooms, two science labs and prep rooms, two special education classrooms, an art room and a music room.

The project also resulted in a 5,400-square-foot gymnasium and a 7,500-square-foot cafeteria/kitchen complex. New and existing spaces include new fire alarm systems, public address, telephone, security and data systems, backed up with emergency power. Alterations to the existing school include a new library in the lower level, medical and guidance suites and improvements to the auditorium. Space has also been created for a school-based support team, parent/community room and a small group instruction room. Site improvements include a new early childhood playground covering 3,000 square feet, repaving the main play area and new fencing and landscaping.

The existing building housing PS/IS 102 on Van Horne Street in Elmhurst has also been renovated with a new four-story fully air conditioned and handicapped accessible addition for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grades. It includes three pre-kindergarten, five kindergarten, five first grade, five second grade and 17 standard classrooms. In addition, there are three special education classrooms, two science labs and a resource room, a music suite and two art studios.

Other amenities included in the $56.2 million project, which will result in 936 seats, include a new 479-seat cafeteria totaling 2,339 square feet, a full-service kitchen, resource rooms, medical, guidance and administrative suites, a 5,400-square-foot gym and custodial office. In the main building, the existing cafeteria will be converted into a play space and a 1,859-square-foot library. Site improvements include a 3,000-square-foot early childhood education playground and larger play yard with running track.

The final project in this capital plan for District 24 is the renovation of the Elmhurst building that formerly housed St. Bartholomew School on 43rd Avenue. That building, which the city is leasing, received a new kitchen, windows, roof, electrical upgrades and room conversions through the $6.4 million project started in June 2008.

Three other projects were also completed around the borough in time for the opening of school next month: the new Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, the second phase of the PS 78 annex in Long Island City and conversion of the former American Martyrs School on Peck Boulevard.

At a cost of $77.7 million, the new five-story Frank Sinatra School of the Arts will serve students in grades 9 through 12 with a focus on enhanced education and programs in performing and visual arts. In all, the building has seating for 998 students.

According to the SCA, the information provided regarding project cost reflects the amount of the construction contract and doesn’t cover ancillary costs such as land acquisition (where required) and furniture.

Parents, Teachers Criticial of City's Handling of Swine Flu Outbreak

By Conor Greene

As swine flu continues to spread around the city, contributing to several more deaths and resulting in additional school closures, many parents and teachers feel the city isn’t taking the threat seriously enough.

Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott touched on the city’s response to the outbreak at a meeting on mayoral control last week in Middle Village, and Dr. Roger Platt, assistant commissioner of the Department of Health’s Bureau of School Health answered questions at Tuesday night’s Community Education Council 24 meeting in Glendale.

However, despite hearing the city’s rationale behind closing some schools while leaving others open, many parents and teachers expressed displeasures with the city’s handling of the H1N1 outbreak, which now has contributed to four deaths across the city.

“We’ve tried to be very consistent as far as the criteria for closing schools,” Walcott told concerned parents last week, adding that it is not based solely on attendance rates or trips to the nurse’s office. “I totally disagree with you that it’s not being taken seriously” he told one teacher who criticized the city’s response. “It’s important that we have a citywide standard… System wide closing has not proven to be effective.”

At CEC 24’s monthly session, which was moved to PS 113 because PS 58 was one of the schools closed due to the outbreak, Superintendent Catherine Powis reported that PS 143 and IS 73 were set to reopen Wednesday (May 27) and PS 58 was to open the following day. However, many parents later expressed dismay over the criteria used to make decisions regarding school closures.

Dr. Platt stressed that closing schools “is not going to prevent the spread of this flu through the city” and warned that he doesn’t “think that absentee rates is a good guide” as to whether a school should be shut. He also repeatedly argued that for the “vast, vast majority” the symptoms only last several days and are not life-threatening for those who are otherwise in good health. “The most important message in all of this is, if you’re someone in a high risk category… at the very first sign of illness you must contact your doctor… Those are the people we are trying to protect when we close schools.”

The doctor also noted that closing schools obviously doesn’t prevent children from mingling in other settings. “We have to be realistic from a public health perspective as to what we can accomplish when we close schools,” he said.

Nick Comaianni, president of CEC 24, said he was one of those who wanted all schools closed, at least throughout the hard-hit district, when the outbreak first occurred. “Obviously it’s easier to transmit the virus in closed quarters,” he said, adding that school closings “give parents piece of mind” knowing the building was thoroughly cleaned. “Most of these absences… are due to parents keeping their children home due to anxiety,” he said.

Dr. Platt responded that, while it is “difficult for people to accept,” there is “little or no” benefit to closing schools since the virus doesn’t live for long on ordinary surfaces. “Should we observe routine hygiene standards in schools? No question about that.” But closing and cleaning is not a strategy that is “supported by any experts… People expect it, and it does make people feel better about the schools, but it is not really useful to stop the spread of flu.”

CEC Vice President Peter Verccessi asked what percentage of students must have flu symptoms for a school to be closed. Dr. Platt said that the “rule of thumb” is for a nurse to report to the Department of Health if at least five students have a fever. At that point the school is placed on a watch list, meaning health officials “look very carefully at that school” several times a day. If two percent of the population has symptoms on a given day, or if a pattern is detected, “it is very likely [the DOH] will recommend it close.”

CEC member Bill Kregler suggested that the handling of the situation is being controlled by politics instead of health factors. “Our children are pawns once again on an issue that politicians are bouncing back and forth.”

At one point the doctor admitted that there is “no question” that closing every school and quarantining all students would slow the spread of N1H1. “The question is, is it worth the price?” he added, drawing yells from members of the audience who clearly feel that the disruption to the school year is warranted.

One resident asked if the city will be prepared for flu season, considering how hard this virus has hit the city during warmer months. Dr. Platt said that the Center for Disease Control is working “furiously” to develop a swine flu vaccine. He warned it “may very well come back in October” in “more severe form… That’s what people [health experts] are worried about.”

A teacher from PS 229 told the doctor that it “infuriates” her when officials say the symptoms are mild. “I think it’s being downplayed,” she said, adding that two faculty members at PS 229, including one 30-year-old teacher, are still recovering from the flu. Dr. Platt responded that the two to three days of symptoms is merely an average. “I don’t think there is any question people are sick with that illness for longer.” He also said it’s possible those teachers don’t have swine flu.

Still, despite all the assurances that this situation is not much different from flu outbreaks that occur every week, some, including teacher Rosemary Parker, remained unconvinced. “I have never seen 40 kids lined up outside the nurse’s office,” she said. “I don’t think the DOH is taking this serious enough.”

“They’ve been playing politics with our health… for two weeks now and it has to stop,” added teacher Dermot Smyth.

Jeanette Bartels, parent of three students at PS 229, said that it seems like the city is “playing with a loaded gun.” She pointed out that students are transported to schools on buses that are also used for students at schools that were closed such as PS 58. “Why didn’t we just shut the system down?” she asked, repeating a question that was asked numerous times throughout the meeting.