Fear of the unknown is something many communities experience when they first learn that a group home for the developmentally disabled is moving into their neighborhood.In Howard Beach, some residents have expressed regret at the loss of their community’s group home and fear the unknown of what will replace it.
The Bernard Fineson Developmental Center, located at 155-55 Cross Bay Blvd., is shutting its doors on June 1, 2009. Some area residents are sad to see the center, which opened at that location in 1975, and its 48 residents leave.
Since 1999, Fineson announced repeatedly it was moving out of the community, but it never followed through, causing Howard Beach residents to shift between relief that the center would stay and concern about what would replace it.
But as of last week, it was officially announced at a Community Board 10 meeting that the center is closing. It has already started the relocation planning process, according to Fineson’s community development coordinator, Larry Rozelle. The center is moving its residents to another of its locations in Queens Village.
The office of Gov. David Paterson is negotiating with various housing agencies to determine the future of Fineson’s Howard Beach building, Rozelle said.
The fear of the unknown, coupled with the loss of a good neighbor, has many Howard Beach residents concerned and anxious for a decision.
Throughout the years at its Howard Beach home, Fineson has forged a comfortable relationship with the Howard Beach community. In its first five years, Fineson — although never disruptive or ostentatious — made a name for itself and started what would become an exciting annual event for local residents.
Members of the Independent Bikers of Queens, dressed as Santas decked out in black leather jackets, would ride their motorcycles through town every Christmas to deliver gifts to the center’s children.
Good neighbors are sometimes difficult to find and when you’ve got one, it’s hard to let go, according to Betty Braton, chairwoman of Community Board 10. She spoke with the Queens Chronicle about the matter in May, when Fineson announced design plans for a group home it plans to open in South Ozone Park.
The Bernard M. Fineson Developmental Disabilities Services Office is the Queens branch of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Its units serve as citywide resources for families seeking out-of-home placement for their developmentally disabled loved ones. The Howard Beach location has an autism unit and offers children’s services.
Fineson was established in 1968 in the former Stadium View Inn — originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair — in Corona.
Stephen Geffon contributed to this story
