The streets of south Queens are becoming cleaner and safer, but, according to residents in attendance at a meeting held by the Ozone Park Civic Association on Tuesday night, finding easier ways to navigate them remains an issue of concern.The actions of tow truck drivers provided a broad range of complaints among Ozone Park residents. Grievances aired at the meeting ranged from those inconvenienced by habitual disregard of no-standing laws to monetary theft.
"They are out-of-their-mind lunatics, these tow truck drivers,” said Lt. Joseph Salvato, special operations lieutenant for the 106th Precinct. He recently uncovered a scam by a tow truck company attempting to steal money from unsuspecting residents.
The tow truck driver, whom Salvato declined to identify, posted fake tow away zone signs at a Duane Reade drugstore on Liberty Avenue and then charged an illegally high sum for retrieval and pocketed the extra money.
According to Salvato, discovery of the scam has led to a police crackdown on towing companies around Queens, who have been caught speeding and stealing cars for scrap metal.
Residents called for more sewers, more curb cuts to provide easier maneuverability for the handicapped and an end to the use of traffic cones to reserve parking spots on commercial streets.
Residents also fear that construction related to highway project 411B, a $60 million project to improve the Nassau Expressway near Kennedy International Airport, may present a challenge to getting around, especially for the elderly and handicapped.
To make sure the project runs smoothly and creates as little disturbance as possible, City Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr., who addressed the crowd, suggested the creation of a task force made up of community and civic members to meet weekly with contractors to address community concerns.
Both Salvato and Addabbo were pleased to predict that Queens may see cleaner streets with the recent arrest of notorious graffiti vandals “Sum” and “Z.”
Republican District Leader Eric Ulrich claimed that the vandals, who turned out to be a 35-year-old man and his 22-year-old girlfriend, were responsible for spray painting their tags in cemeteries and on city and federal property.
According to Salvato, the pair are expected to confess to additional charges on Wednesday. Ulrich said a community graffiti cleanup is being planned for the end of fall to ensure a clean holiday season.
Addabbo lauded recent police activity and added that he hoped an increase in police funding would allow the city to recruit a larger force. Despite a raise in the starting salary for NYPD officers — now more than $42,000 per year — Addabbo warned that a weakening economy will not leave Queens untouched as Wall Street woes equate to less overall revenue in the state.
“We want to maintain a certain level of living in the city, but how do you do that without revenue?” Addabbo asked.
He also spoke of his opposition to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposals to consolidate or close city senior centers to save money. “The idea of freezing a senior’s meals for a week is a problem,” he said, adding that a daily visit to deliver meals is more important than the meal itself, as it provides the only regular source of human contact for many seniors.
“As a city we tighten our belt,” Addabbo said “and we get through these rough times together.”
He also discussed mayoral control of schools and term limits. Legislators in Albany will vote next year to decide whether city schools will remain under control of the mayor or be governed by school boards and a city board of education— a decision, Addabbo said, that should be made by local residents, not state legislators.
“People leave a community because of our schools or stay in a community because of our schools,” he said. “Our community would change drastically,” based on the outcome of this vote.
Addabbo announced he will hold town hall meetings in local communities to determine attitudes regarding the school system.
He also hopes the issue of term limits for elected officials did not distract from issues more pertinent to the daily lives of citizens.
Photo Caption: Lt. Joseph Salvato of the 106th Precinct at the Ozone Park Civic Association meeting. (photo by Sari Zeidler)
