Councilman Anthony Como addresses a Middle Village audience. (photos by Ben Hogwood)
Low flying planes, a proposed school that is threatening the neighborhood, a street with poorly timed traffic signals and a nearby reservoir that is under threat of destruction by the city Department of Parks and Recreation — are all concerns residents of mid-Queens brought to area politicians during a recent town hall-style meeting in Middle Village.
State Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale) and Councilman Anthony Como (R-Middle Village) sponsored the meeting, held Thursday, and brought with them a string of state and city officials to respond to the concerns of the community.
Residents came out en-masse to the event, with some 200 filling the seats at Our Lady of Hope auditorium.
One of the most contentious issues brought up revolved around a proposal to construct a new 1,650-student intermediate high school at the former Restaurant Depot property on 57th Avenue at 74th Street in Maspeth. Residents speaking on the issue said a school that large would have a detrimental effect on the community by clogging up traffic and bringing in students from outside the area who have no respect for the town.
“If this school goes in, you mark my words, it will be the end of this community,” said one speaker. Como agreed a school of that magnitude would have a negative impact on Maspeth and Middle Village and said he will meet with officials from the city Department of Education to make sure such a school doesn’t get built. Added Maltese, “We will not tolerate that school going into the area.”
Another speaker raised concerns about the safety of Middle Village. Arson, a drug overdose and illegal fireworks have all impacted the community in recent months and she believes the area is now a dangerous place to be in. “I’m in the position now where I can buy a house, but Middle Village is the last place I want to look because I’m afraid,” she said.
So far this year the 104th Precinct — which covers Middle Village, Ridgewood, Glendale and Maspeth — has responded to four murders, 11 rapes, 178 robberies, 81 felony assaults, 234 burglaries and 297 grand larcenies this year. Over a seven-year period, the murder rate is up 33 percent and rape is up 10 percent while every other category shows a decrease. The statistics show a significant reduction in all categories over a 15-year period.
Maltese also addressed a concern from a Middle Village resident who said low-flying planes coming into Queens airports are destroying the way of life in Middle Village. Maltese said he was well aware of the problem and is also plagued by it; however, he said this issue needs to be addressed at the federal level. “I can’t promise you we can solve it with legislation or communication, but we will try”.
Another popular complaint swirled around the city Department of Parks and Recreation’s desire to redevelop Ridgewood Reservoir, a vibrant, unadulterated piece of land near Highland Park that used to provide drinking water to Brooklyn. The department has $50 million to develop the site and proposals have included filling in one of the reservoir basins to use as ball fields. The plans have come under fire from both local leaders as well as Comptroller Bill Thompson, who rejected a contract for the project in June. The parks department has resubmitted the contract to the comptroller’s office and it is currently under review.
Both Como and Maltese backed Thompson’s decision and professed their admiration of the site in its current condition. “This is one instance where any amount of money putting concrete or asphalt on Ridgewood Reservoir would be a total waste of money and bordering on malfeasance,” Maltese said. “We have a situation here where we have a treasure that’s undiscovered.”
