At Budget Hearings, Marshall Believes Queens ‘Shortchanged’ by Thomas Cogan - www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette

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Borough President Helen Marshall said she understands that during these difficult fiscal times cutbacks are necessary, in her borough as well as elsewhere. But, she said at the annual public hearing concerning capital and expense budgets held at Borough Hall February 23, she also believes Queens is being shortchanged.

Some 60 speakers, representing 14 community boards and nearly every college and community college, arts group, hospital and health group, social services agency and museum that the borough contains, along with Queens Borough Public Library officials, also testified at the hearings.

The borough president’s understanding of cutbacks encompasses a realization that thousands of teachers will be dismissed; several firehouses will close; the library will take a significant cut this fiscal year and a larger one next, and in the meantime has stopped buying books; programs for the aid of both children and the aged will be shrunk, and parks improvements will be lamented for their lack. Out of that partial list of funds reduction and from lists unmentioned she would like to take back some small amounts that she believes

Queens deserves.

It is the duty of their district managers to speak for community boards at budget meetings. At the February meeting, they came to the rostrum in numerical order, so the first was Lucille Hartmann of Community Board 1. She said that chief among the concerns of her board is the seawall along the East River, and anyone who has seen it slowly fall into the water beneath the Queensboro Bridge for years and years knows what she means. A parking lot at Astoria Boulevard and 35th Street is needed for everyone from commuters to 114th Precinct police officers, she said, and local curb reconstruction has been stalled as long as has seawall repair. Debbie Markell-Kleinert of Community Board 2 began by giving thanks that the Queens West Library is to be built on Parcel 8 in Hunters Point, but went on to say that repair of catch basins and sewers in her district has been delayed repeatedly. Construction of a new 108th Precinct headquarters building is certain to occur only in her dreams, but the problem of 44-02 Vernon Blvd. is of great urgency. This huge excavation next to the Con Edison Learning Center was abandoned when the developer went bankrupt, and now stands, filling with water. Markell-Kleinert said the Department of Housing Preservation and Development should seize it, with an eye to building affordable apartments there.

Giovanna Reid of Community Board 3 observed that her district (Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst), with a population of 200,000, has a large number of recent immigrants. As far as schools are concerned, “our chief objective is additional seats”, she said, adding her gratitude for the addition of I.S. 230 on Northern Boulevard, between 110th and 111th Streets. She said the local libraries are “totally overused”, and funds for the Jackson Heights branch must be restored. Richard Italiano of Community Board 4 said the problem of flooding and sewers inadequate to handle it is of grave importance in his district, as it is for Board 5’s Gary Giordano, who said they are collapsing in Maspeth, Glendale and Ridgewood. Giordano said he has toned down his fiscal requests lately but still insists that the 104th Precinct’s current strength of 152 officers should be more like 170. He added that closing a firehouse in a district full of wood frame houses is a dangerous way to save money. He described the Glendale Library as an underfunded “stepchild” lacking accessibility for the handicapped. Frank Gulliscio of Board 6, covering Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Rego Park, said that the special study of Woodhaven Boulevard, a thoroughfare affecting five districts (Boards 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10) has been proceeding too long and should be completed. He said the new Bob’s Discount Furniture at 72-25 Woodhaven Blvd., where Woodhaven Lanes bowling used to be, is welcome as an enterprise but the consequent traffic increase needs better management.

Fear of fires and floods bothered several of the remaining district managers, especially when they considered their dilapidated sewers and shuttered firehouses. Libraries, they said, should be built or refurbished, not closed for half the week. Sea walls besides that in Board 1 are deteriorating; and in Board 14 on Beach Channel Drive, the bulkheads are gone and water from Jamaica Bay is getting under the roadway, while in Bayswater it is said to reach residential lawns when the moon is full. Susan Seinfeld of Board 11 mentioned a shore road in Douglaston that she said is “falling into the bay”. Work goes uncompleted on island malls in the middle of 111th Street, while island malls on Union Turnpike have rebars sticking out of them.

Who can pay to have these things completed or repaired? Regarding run down medians and a carousel in Forest Park, Board 9’s Mary Ann Carey said she has thought of turning to Donald Trump for help. She even suggested she might ask him to subsidize restoration of Frederick Macmonnies’s “Civic Virtue,” the marble statue beside Borough Hall in bad shape after 90 years outdoors. Councilmember Karen Koslowitz interrupted to say that restorations would cost $20 million. (Congressmember Anthony Weiner, not an admirer of the statue, on the following day suggested that it be sold on Craigslist and removed.)

Representatives of the many institutions that followed specified the amounts they needed and the related projects. Queensborough Community College needs $1.7 million toward repair of its Humanities Theater. CUNY Law School will move into a new home next year at 2 Court Square in Long Island City, but needs $864,000 to furnish all its classrooms with audio/visual equipment. Queens Theatre in the Park needs $400,000 to refurbish its lobby and other parts of the building. Queens Botanical Garden needs $1 million to repave its cobblestones and an unstated amount to replace its parking lot blacktop with permeable pavement. Mount Sinai Queens needs $177,206 to equip a state-of-the-art ultrasound suite. Peninsula Hospital needs $132,000 for a digital mammography system to supplement its older analog system. Make the Road New York needs $3 million toward moving into a Center for Immigrant Opportunity in an old church in Jackson Heights, near where immigrant laborers constantly gather in search of day work. Services Now for Adult Persons (SNAP) spokesperson Marian Lewek said that while SNAP provides “the best food in any senior center”, more than $130,000 is needed for three new vans to replace vehicles that date from another century. Tom Finkelpearl of the Queens Museum, like others, moderated requests his institution might otherwise have made in acknowledgment of the economic recession.

Rep Weiner Issues Correction - www.qgazette.com - Queens Gazette

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Congressmember Anthony Weiner has advised that the report issued by his office on vacant storefronts in Queens, which was released on Monday, July 19, and was reported on Page 1 of the Gazette of July 21, 2010 (“Biz Strip Vacancies”), mislabeled one of the neighborhoods his staff surveyed.

While the streets surveyed were correct, the neighborhood designation for Jamaica Avenue was imprecise. Since Woodhaven begins west of 98th Street, and only about 22 percent of the street was in this area, it should have been labeled "Richmond Hill/Woodhaven”, Weiner said in a statement.

Kerouac Was Queens Recluse by Jason Antos - Queens Gazette

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Last week the Queens Gazette ran an article about a lecture given by Pat Fenton about author Jack Kerouac’s life in Queens. The article attracted the attention of Larry Myers, a playwright and associate professor of rhetoric and communication at St. John’s University, who has also been studying the prolific author and his movements, not only in Queens, but also around Greater New York and the country. Myers wrote an Off-Broadway play about Kerouac entitled, “Jack Kerouac, Christian.” which opened in 2009. Given a very strict Catholic upbringing, Kerouac would often paint depictions of Christ with a religious orientation.

The author of On the Road lived at 133-01 Cross Bay Blvd. in Ozone Park and 94-21 134th St. in Richmond Hill for a total of 12 years. It was the longest amount of time that Kerouac and his mother, Gabrielle, with whom he lived for a good portion of his life, ever stayed in one place.

“They were constantly on the move,” Myers said. “Jack and his mom would sometimes just pack up and leave because they could not pay the rent.”

The Queens period of Kerouac’s life has always been shrouded in mystery, simply because he never talked about it. However, the reasons for his silence are less significant than others might think.

“Kerouac kept quiet because nothing major ever happened to him while he was living there,” Myers said. “Gabrielle worked all day in a shoe factory in Brooklyn while he sat home and wrote. He was kind of a recluse.”

Although he lived a mainly uneventful existence in Queens, Kerouac had his moments. He was hospitalized not too far from his home in Ozone Park after having an attack of thrombophlebitis (inflammation of a vein caused by a blood clot) while walking with poet and friend Allen Ginsberg across the Brooklyn Bridge. Kerouac would go on to mentor Ginsberg by giving him lessons in his apartment on Cross Bay Boulevard, which was also the former home of actor John Garfield. It was in this home where Town and the City was written. Ginsberg and Kerouac would take many walks together around the city.

One day they stopped at the Atlantic Avenue overpass of the recently built Van Wyck Expressway. “It looks like a bowling alley of cars,” Kerouac observed.

July 17, 1947 was the day that Kerouac left Ozone Park for his trip across the country. This was one of several journeys that would come to shape his On The Road.

By January 1948, Kerouac rarely left Ozone Park for Manhattan or anywhere else. Whenever he was lonely or felt melancholy, he would write letters to Ginsberg. Most of the information about Kerouac in Queens comes from the correspondence between Ginsberg, Neal Cassady and himself.

On July 26, 1950, Kerouac, now living in Richmond Hill, wrote another draft of his book and entitled it Gone On The Road. This version would be one of many to be scrapped.

From 1952 through 1957, Kerouac continued traveling around the country and even made a trip to Mexico, writing poems. Kerouac lived with the Cassadys through the winter and into the spring of 1952. After leaving Queens in 1955, he went back to a succession of addresses.
Kerouac’s writing would become known as “beat” literature. He has been called the creator of the beat generation, an accolade that he detested. Kerouac meant “beat” to mean “beatific”, or the showing of joy and happiness.

The success of On The Road propelled Kerouac to legendary status. Some people compared him to Walt Whitman. Kerouac was also the inspiration for the television series “Route 66”, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964.

Despite his fame there was little fortune. Not all of his books were successes. He was also an alcoholic. When Kerouac died in 1969 at age 47 he had only $87 in his bank account.

Many celebrities make more money dead than when they were alive and Kerouac is no exception. The famous scroll of teletype paper on which he wrote On The Road was purchased by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay for $2.6 million.

“Kerouac’s family makes millions each year off his name.” Myers said. “He is bigger than James Dean.”

Addabbo Applauds State Election Board’s Certification Of Optical Scan Voting Machines by John Toscano www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette

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The recent decision by the New York state Board of Elections to certify new optical scan voting machines is a “momentous occasion that begins a new era of voting” in our state, state Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. declared.

Addabbo, chairman of the senate Elections Committee, said the state board had engaged in a long and meticulous process over a period of about three years during which they examined every aspect of the programming and operation of these machines.

This included, he said, “reviewing millions of lines of code to make sure that they are trustworthy and accurate”. These machines, Addabbo continued, “have been tested harder and were subjected to more requirements than any system in the nation, and the voters of the state of New York should feel confident that they will produce accurate and reliable results.”

Addabbo (D–Howard Beach) stated, “The testimony and the reports we have received, and the audits of results produced by the machines, revealed that they accurately recorded and reported the ballot selections made by the voters.”

The lawmaker noted further, “The optical scan technology also preserves voters’ ballots, commonly referred to as a ‘paper trail’, ensuring the ability to conduct an accurate recount as necessary.”

A Board of Elections (BOE) spokesman confirmed that Addabbo’s information about the board study of the optical scan voting machines, which complied with the help America Vote Act, was correct.

The BOE spokesman said the machines had been tested by a national federal laboratory in Denver, Colorado, “and then we did our own testing in several cities in the state”.

The spokesman said the BOE recommended certification at its December Board meeting. Certification indicates the machines comply with federal requirements and are considered capable of meeting the demands presented by an actual election.

The two machines certified were manufactured by the Dominion Company based in Canada and the firm E.S.&S of Omaha, Nebraska.

The BOE spokesman said that the New York City Board of Elections had not yet purchased any of the machines, but most cities north of Westchester County had acquired them. The state Office of General Services negotiated the purchases with Dominion.

The BOE spokesman did not know the total number of machines purchased thus far, the total cost or individual unit costs.

Addabbo said that the senate Elections Committee, in the exercise of its oversight powers, had held hearings and taken testimony from elections commissioners, the machine manufacturers and interested members of the public regarding the machines and their performance in a pilot program in 47 of the state’s 62 counties.

“While some concerns have been expressed regarding privacy because of the layout of the poll sites, as well as difficulties some poll workers have had in operating these machines, these are easily curable election management issues that have nothing to do with the reliability of these machines,” Addabbo said.

Addabbo stated that he was confident that the pertinent issues he and his committee had addressed during the oversight hearings will be considered and that the optical scan voting machines “will ensure that every vote is counted on Election Day, and counted accurately”.

Kew Gardens Interchange Renovations Planned by Richard Gentilviso - www.qgazette.com Queens Gazette

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The New York State Rebuild and Renew Transportation Bond Act was approved by voters on Nov. 8, 2005, authorizing the state to borrow up to $2.9 billion through the sale of bonds. Four years later, it turns out there’s still some money left to spend.

Work will soon begin at the Kew Gardens Interchange, a confluence of the Van Wyck Expressway, the Grand Central Parkway and the Jackie Robinson Parkway, according to representatives of the New York State Department of Transportation and the engineering firm of Hardesty and Hanover, LLP, at a presentation of multiple infrastructure and operational improvements at the Kew Gardens Interchange to the Queens Borough Board in October.

“There’s a couple of million dollars to be spent,” a state DOT representative said in announcing the groundbreaking would begin on Contract I early next year. The $130 million project, of which $65 million is funded by the 2005 bond act, has been in development for a very long time. “This is no longer just a study, we’re moving forward.”

The proposal, involving a number of bridges that are to be repaired or replaced, will take place at several sites where there are high volumes of traffic. “This is the only dedicated truck route to JFK [Airport],” the DOT representative said.

The first contract will replace the 82nd Avenue pedestrian bridge, replace and lengthen the Hoover Avenue bridge and replace the Queens Boulevard bridge over the Van Wyck Expressway. There will also be a reconstruction of the subway pedestrian tunnel and a rehabilitation of the Queens Boulevard bridge over Main Street.

The Van Wyck will also be widened where it crosses over the southbound side of Main Street and the auxiliary lane beginning at the Hillside Avenue entrance will be extended. The work on Contract I is expected to last from 2010 through 2014. Two more contracts are planned.

The 2005 bond act provided money for the purpose of “improving, enhancing, preserving, and restoring” the quality of the state’s transportation infrastructure. Half of the $2.9 billion ($1.45 billion) was to be used to improve public transportation, most going to two MTA expansion projects: LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Station and the Second Avenue subway. The other half was for roads and bridges.

During the 2005 election year, it was argued pro and con, that the bond act would contribute to the state’s economy, create jobs and increase opportunity and that it was not fiscally responsible, would increase taxes and stole resources from the future to pay for today’s costs.

The New York City Department of Transportation is also beginning a major rehabilitation project of seven bridges along the Belt Parkway. “This is really going to delay traffic,” said a NYC DOT representative at the Queens Borough Cabinet in October.

Seven bridges, built at the end of the 1930s and into the early 1940s will be rehabilitated, beginning with the Paerdegat Basin Bridge, the Rockaway Parkway Bridge and the Fresh Creek Basin Bridge. The reconstruction, beginning this month and continuing through 2014, will bring the bridges into compliance with federal and state safety standards but will require lane closures as follows:

During weekdays:

• All lanes open 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• One lane closed 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• One lane closed 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Two lanes closed 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

During weekends:

• All lanes open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday

• All lanes open 8 a.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday
• One lane closed 11 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday
• One lane closed 11 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday
• Two lanes closed 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday
• Two lanes closed 2 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Sunday

For more information, call the Belt Parkway Community Liaison at 347- 702-6437 ext. 114 or e-mail: SevenBelt BridgesOut-reach@gmail.com.

Powerful Union 32BJ Endorses Dems www.qgazette.com Queens Gazette

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After previously announcing the endorsements of eight incumbent city councilmembers from Queens who are seeking re-election, the politically powerful Service Employees International Union, Local 32 BJ has also endorsed the four Democrats running for "open" council seats.

They are Assemblymember Mark Weprin (District 23, Hollis), who's running to replace his brother David, a candidate for city comptroller; Jimmy Van Bramer (District 26, Long Island City), seeking to replace Eric Gioia, who's running for Public Advocate; S.J. Jung (District 20, Flushing), who's running to replace John Liu, also running for city comptroller, and Frank Gulluscio, (District 32, Howard Beach), challenging Councilmember Eric Ulrich, the only Republican in the council.

Local 32 BJ had previously also endorsed Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Republican/Independence Party candidate for mayor, and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, a Democrat.

Local 32 BJ, the largest property service union in the country has 70,000 members in New York City, 17,600 of them in Queens. As part of its political program the union intends to mobilize thousands of members to turn out Queens voters in support of these candidates, according to a release announcing the endorsements.

Cops Follow Antifreeze Trail To Driver In Fatal Hit-Run by Liz Goff - www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette

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Queens police followed a trail of antifreeze that led them to the home of a suspected drunk driver alleged to have mowed down a Chinese food deliveryman on April 19.

On Saturday night, April 18, You Yuan Zhou, 43, was heading to his last delivery for the China House Restaurant at about 11:45 p.m., traveling west on Jamaica Avenue near 80th Street, when a Volkswagen Jetta slammed into the rear of his Yamaha scooter, police said.

The impact knocked Zhou’s helmet from his head, and his scooter was dragged for almost a block by the Volkswagen until the driver, Gus Pappaeliou, 27, hit the brakes and put the Volkswagen into reverse to shake the scooter loose, police said.

Zhou died a short while later at the scene.

The accident occurred about one block from the Woodhaven restaurant where Zhou was working overtime to pay the mortgage on his family home in Elmhurst, restaurant employees said. Zhou, a married father of two, came to the U.S. about 10 years ago. In addition to working extra hours to make his mortgage payments, Zhou was sending money to his parents in China.

An eyewitness who spotted the license plate of the Jetta called 911, giving cops a lead to the identity of the driver. Another onlooker showed police a crumpled metal object in the street that turned out to be a hood ornament torn from the Volkswagen by the impact.

Police said the driver sped from the scene without realizing the impact had damaged the car’s radiator. A trail of antifreeze left on a four-block stretch of road led to 76th Street in Woodhaven, where Queens Highway cops found the Jetta, parked behind a fence at Pappaeliou’s home. Police impounded the Jetta and knocked on the door of the home, where they found Pappaeliou among his relatives.

Pappaeliou surrendered to the Highway police, who charged him with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license and drunk driving. Pappaeliou was held in lieu of $30,000 bail at his arraignment at Queens Criminal Court.

Eyewitnesses told police Zhou never knew what happened. “They said there was a loud ‘boom’, the helmet flew into the street and the car was dragging the scooter down the street,” police sources said. “Eyewitnesses said the guy in the car hit his brakes and jammed the car into reverse to knock the scooter off. The guy just peeled off without even looking to see if the man on the scooter was O.K.”

Howard Beach S.T.A.R.S. Program Receives Donation of $1K from Allstate Agent Joseph DiBlasi - www.qgazette.com - Queens Gazette

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Allstate Agent Hero Joseph DiBlasi (holding check, l.) presents a $1,000 check to S.T.A.R.S. volunteer staff and some young participants in the program.

Allstate agent Joseph DiBlasi, whose office is located at 35-16 Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, was recently named an Agent Hero by Allstate Insurance Company's New York Region for his awarding a $1,000 grant to a local youth program. DiBlasi donated $1,000 to Striving to Achieve & Reach Success (S.T.A.R.S.), a volunteer staffed, community youth organization in Howard Beach providing children with recreational, educational and self-developmental activities and events.

"As an Allstate agent, I believe it is my responsibility to demonstrate the Good Hands Promise in the Queens community every single day," DiBlasi said. "It is an honor to be able to donate this grant to S.T.A.R.S. and, hopefully, touch the lives of the youth who are involved."

Albany Political Brawl Over Aqueduct Casino Development by John Toscano - Queens Gazette

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The long delayed selection of a company to operate a proposed video slot casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park remains deadlocked as Governor David Paterson and state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos disagree about a developer picked by the governor.

Although Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has joined the governor in his selection of Delaware North to run the potentially lucrative operation, Skelos feels Delaware North's proposal "does not include an economic development proposal that would be a greater benefit in the long run".

Skelos noted, "[State] Senator Serf Maltese, who represents Aqueduct, has been working directly with Community Board 10, local civic groups and other elected officials to ensure that the vendor selected has a plan to develop Aqueduct into a true destination venue, which would create more jobs and generate more revenue for education in the long run."

Skelos, from Rockville Center, who recently succeeded Joseph Bruno as the GOP senate leader, concluded: "Before agreeing to any final proposal, we must be assured that the bid meets the basic criteria we established when we authorized this effort. That included a world class racino along with an economic development proposal that would generate additional revenue for education first and foremost, and for the local communities and the state."

Paterson, Skelos and Silver must all agree on any choices of a developer to run the Aqueduct enterprise.

Maltese, a Republican from Middle Village, and Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer, a Democrat who represents Ozone Park, have been working together with the community to settle on a developer to run the 4,500-video-slot-machine operation, which would operate 16 hours day.

Calls to Pheffer for comment were not returned.

In a prepared statement, Maltese said he had "worked closely" with Pheffer and Betty Braton, Donna Gilmartin and the members of Community Board 10 and other civic and community leaders in a united front "to ensure that whichever franchise is selected, it be the most beneficial for the communities surrounding Aqueduct".

Maltese stated, "Those who live and work near Aqueduct have been deeply concerned about the future of the racetrack and we have worked hard to ensure that they have a significant say in the decision making process. That being said, Delaware North has all along been nearly everyone's third choice."

Paterson has made no official statement that he was ready to select Delaware North for the Aqueduct development, but Monday's New York Post reported that he had selected the Buffalo company.

The story also said that the selection had come as the governor and Skelos quarreled over an agreement they had that the Democratic governor would not get involved in any senate election campaigns.

Paterson's choice of Delaware North angered Skelos, the story said, because it could hurt Maltese in his election battle with City Councilmember Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D- Howard Beach).

Meanwhile, according to a published report, Delaware North's proposal had the look of a Las Vegas style casino. Besides making an up front payment of $370 million to the state according to the report, Delaware North and a firm it hired, The Peebles Corp., would build the racino at a cost of $250 million.

In a later phase, a hotel, a conference center and possibly a regional shopping center would be built within two years. Several high-scale restaurants would be included in the development as well as a food buffet patterned after Las Vegas that could seat 600 people. It would also include a large food court, several bars and other entertainment facilities.

All of these amenities combined would meet the requirements that would make the entire development a "destination venue", a place that would attract casino customers who would also patronize the other attractions.

The slot parlor is expected to draw 20,000 people a day and generate $1 million a day in revenue for the state, much of it earmarked for education. The Aqueduct casino was first talked about some seven years ago. Two other companies are bidding for the contract.

Senior Spotlight - Maltese's Bill To Protect Senior Assistance Programs Passes by John Toscano | www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette

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Expressing concern for seniors from New York City and how they might be affected by a controversial Bloomberg administration plan to improve seniors' services, Queens' two Republican state senators have sponsored legislation that would protect those programs in the city and throughout the state and ensure proper community input on any planned changes to present services, such as Meals-On-Wheels, that millions of seniors depend upon.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Serphin Maltese and co-sponsored by Senator Frank Padavan, comes in response to proposed changes to senior citizen service programs in the city that have caused concern over the possibility that seniors in the Meals-On-Wheels program would receive frozen rather than hot meals.

Both Maltese (Middle Village) and Padavan (Bellerose) sharply criticized the City Council's role in responding to the controversial plan.

"The city council failed because they have turned a deaf ear to the concerns of seniors who are worried about how the changes in city service will impact their quality of life," Maltese stated. "My legislation will ensure that seniors and their families will have a say on any proposed service changes before they can go forward."

Padavan's charges were even more harsh. He stated, "It was the extreme ineptitude of the city council, coupled with their lack of action, that forced the state legislature to step in and protect New York City senior citizens.

"The fact that the city council could not deal with their own local problems when it came to changes in service delivery for the elderly is unconscionable. We will be there for our seniors. However, the city council members should accept responsibility for their lack of action which precipitated a crisis for New York City's seniors."

A copy of Padavan's legislation was sent to Council Speaker Christine Quinn's public information officer, who has not responded to this reporter. No release from Maltese has as yet been received.

Both Maltese and Padavan are expected to be challenged for re-election in November, Padavan by Councilmember James Gennaro (D- Fresh Meadows) and Maltese by Councilmember Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D- Ozone Park).

The proposal Maltese and Padavan complained about was announced by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs and city Department for the Aging (DFTA) Commissioner Edwin Mendez- Santiago earlier this year. It was supported by Quinn, among others.

In an April 9 release from DFTA announcing a delay in a Request for Proposal (RFP) dealing with proposed changes for senior centers, Quinn was quoted as saying: "We look forward to working with DFTA service providers and stakeholders to ensure that changes are implemented in such a way that no one loses services they depend on."

Several members of the council, including Councilmember Leroy Comrie (D- Jamaica) have spoken out on certain phases of the proposed plan, some at a public hearing held by a council committee. Comrie said he felt that the DFTA was moving too rapidly to win approval of the plan.

Apprised of the legislation being pushed by Maltese and Padavan, a spokesman for DFTA said seniors and senior advocate organizations have had opportunities to comment on the proposals.

As of this moment, the DFTA spokesperson said, responses to the RFP for home delivered meals were returned in May. He said no senior would be negatively impacted by them.

According to the DFTA spokesman, the proposed changes are designed to "prepare for the growing and diverse needs of tomorrow's seniors. Enhancements made to services provided for seniors will result in more seniors being served, providing more options without a loss of services to seniors. The city will continue to work daily with providers to answer questions, resolve concerns and ensure transparency in its efforts to provide enhanced services for seniors".

Under Maltese's legislation passed by the senate, any change or amendment to the plans submitted to the director of the State Office for the Aging (SOFA) must include:

• A detailed description and analysis of how many seniors would be impacted by the change.

• Annual and long-term demographic projections of how many seniors would be served by the change.

• Financial sustainability of the amendment.

• Information related to potential diminishment of services as a result of the amendments or changes

• Cost comparisons between current and changed programs.

Padavan stated, "This legislation sets forth a very detailed and comprehensive oversight mechanism when it comes to county-related services for seniors, not only in New York City but throughout the state. Through increased public input, this legislation empowers and strengthens the voice of seniors and will help protect and update senior services throughout the five boroughs and our state."

Once the amendment is submitted, the director of SOFA must take any comment and input from all stakeholders, providers and seniors into account during the review process. The director of SOFA must approve or disapprove the change or amendment.

Finally, the legislation requires that the county agency comply with the provisions of the approved plans and with the results of state hearings or review unless the amendment plan is approved by SOFA.

Maltese's bill now goes to the Assembly for consideration. If it is passed there and signed into law by the governor, it would take effect immediately.

Community Board Members Sworn In, Service Recognized - Queens Gazette

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"Queens Borough President Helen Marshall swore in 47 new community board members and honored more than 50 veteran members for their longstanding service in ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. at the Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on Thursday, June 12. Marshall also noted that some 289 members had been reappointed to the borough's 14 boards.

When a revised City Charter was adopted in 1975, community boards were given greater responsibility related to delivery of city services, the city budget and land use issues. The 1989 Charter revision reaffirmed those responsibilities. Under the City Charter, each board has up to 50 members who serve for staggered terms of two years. Members serve without compensation. Anyone interested in joining his or her community board must be a New York City resident who lives in or has a business, professional or other significant interest in the district. The borough president appoints community board members, with at least one-half of the members selected from nominees of the district's City Councilmembers."

The new community board members are:

Community Board 1 Member Joan Asselin (c.) was honored for 30 years of service to Community Board 1 by Borough President Helen Marshall (l.) and Deputy Borough President Karen Koslowitz.

Community Board 1: Judy Trilivas, John Ziedonis and Jaroslaw Kril.

Borough President Helen Marshall congratulates Julian Wager for his providing 30 years of service to Community Board 1. Photos Dominick Totino, Office of the Queens Borough President

Community Board 2: Marvin Jeffcoat and Sheila Lewandowski.

Community Board 3: Yeon Chan Lee, Julio Ferreras, Felix Suero, Dudley Stewart, Julian Diaz and Auribal Ramos.

Community Board 4: Gurdip Singh Narula, Diego Freire, Carmen Enriquez Luciano, Emma Hernandez, Peter Vekiarelis, Albert Perna, Roseann Geiger, Beth Anna Moonray Ferguson, Jackie Williams and Myrna Littlewort.

Community Board 5: Dmytro Fedkowskyj, Michael O'Kane and John Maier.

Community Board 6: Alexander Yakubov.

Community Board 8: Kenneth Cohen II, Tamara Osherov and Herman Bhupsingh.

Community Board 9: Balbir Kaur, Sandra Datnarain, Dulal Bhattachrjee and Richard David.

Community Board 10: Howard Kamph, Romeo Hitlall, Mario Faulisi and Marilyn Vecchio.

Community Board 11: Alex Yagudaev, Andrew Rothman, Susan Macinick and Janet McEneaney.

Community Board 12: Ellen Henry- James and Heilma Owens.

Community Board 13: Jack Friedman and Kangela Moore.

Community Board 14: Antonino Amato, Richard Sirgiovanni and Mordechai Dicker.

Community Board 7 had no new appointees.

Robert Mangieri, a member of Community Board 9, which covers Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Kew Gardens and Ozone Park, was honored for 35 years of service as the longest serving member of any board. Other honorees included:

30 Years of Service • Community Board 1: Joan Asselin and Julian Wager.

• Community Board 6: Samuel Bloom, Norbert Chwat, Joseph Hennessy and Miriam Ratner.

• Community Board 8: Bernard Diamond and Mark Lefkof.

25 Years of Service:

• Community Board 2: Ronald Casey.

• Community Board 8: Alvin Warshaviak.

• Community Board 11: Joseph Sollano.

20 Years of Service

• Community Board 1: John Carusone and Antonio Meloni.

• Community Board 3: Ana Lopez.

• Community Board 5: Fred Haller III.

• Community Board 7: Charles Apelian and Millicent O'Meally.

• Community Board 10: Frances Adams.

• Community Board 11: Joan Corn.

• Community Board 12: Margaret Kirkland.

Fourteen board members were recognized for 15 years of service and 19 for 10 years' service.

"I welcome our new board members, congratulate our honorees and, on behalf of all our residents, express our gratitude to all our board members who devote their time and talent to build communities and strengthen communication and cooperation within the districts that they serve," Marshall, a one-time community board member, said.

Mendez- Santiago Outlines Senior Centers Plans by Richard Gentilviso - Queens Gazette

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Mendez-Santiago envisions "centers of wellness and vitality" for seniors in the future. He also wants to offer choices between hot meals and frozen meals, or vegetarian and diabetic meals if needed...

City Department for the Aging Commissioner Edwin Mendez-Santiago denied that the city is planning to close senior centers. "I just want you to understand that we have everything on the table," he told the Queens Borough Cabinet. He asked for support to modernize the department at the March cabinet meeting.

Mendez-Santiago said the City Council and the mayor will continue to negotiate until the final budget is adopted in June. "I'm limited by budget," he admitted. DFTA has an annual budget of $94 million to run 326 senior centers in the city.

Mendez-Santiago envisions "centers of wellness and vitality" for seniors in the future. He also wants to offer choices between hot meals and frozen meals, or vegetarian and diabetic meals if needed, a program DFTA currently operates in The Bronx.

But amid news Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered more budget cuts of 3 percent beginning July 1 on top of previously ordered cuts of about 7 percent, Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5, asked about the reductions.

Mendez-Santiago said DFTA was immediately cut 3 percent, or $3.5 million that will be absorbed internally and not affect senior centers. On July 1, another 3 percent cut of $5.5 million is scheduled. He was not yet aware of the new 3 percent cut at the time.

"Should we have less senior centers that are stronger and better?" he asked, indicating that fewer centers, each having a larger operating budget, could offer more services.

"With all due respect, are you saying you're closing senior centers?" asked Frank Gulluscio, district manager of Community Board 6 and an announced candidate for City Council.

"That's not what I said," replied Mendez-Santiago.

"The word is out to the senior population," Gulluscio said, "They're all concerned about closing, it's a real concern."

Bloomberg will end his tenure as mayor of New York on Jan. 1, 2010, but the year 2030 seems to keep cropping up. Last year, in PlaNYC, the Mayor set specific goals for housing, environment and transportation by 2030.

Mendez-Santiago is also focused on 2030.

He told Borough President Helen Marshall that the number of older New Yorkers (age 60 and over) will almost double (46 percent) over the next 25 years, rising from 1.3 million to 1.84 million in 2030 and making them the fastest growing demographic.

He also reported that by 2030, "diversity of older New Yorkers will change dramatically in terms of race/ethnicity, education, financial status, country of birth/cultural heritage, consumer preferences, sexual orientation and disability".

"I've been a social worker, working with older adults for more than 30 years," Mendez-Santiago said. "A 70-year-old today is much different. They are more active and vibrant. Growth in the city's elderly is going to challenge us if we don't amend our programs."

Historically, DFTA has used the number of meals served to measure senior center utilization. DFTA has also defined senior centers operating at less than 90 percent capacity as being "underutilized".

In fiscal year 2007, 44 percent of DFTA-funded senior centers were underutilized, and 95 percent of those were determined to be "chronically underutilized", meaning that they have been underutilized for the past three to five years. One million meals go unserved annually due to underutilized centers.

"Clearly, something is not working," said Mendez-Santiago.

"Why can't we fix the centers [we have]," Marshall retorted.

Queens Gazette - Letters to the Editor - Leave Reservoir Alone by Henry Euler

Letters to the Editor:

The Ridgewood Reservoir is an area on the Queens- Brooklyn border by Highland Park that the Parks Department and the city would like to develop into recreational space. The problem, however, is that it would mean that acres of trees would have to be cut down.

How ironic that would be! The city in conjunction with the Parks Department wants to plant one million trees throughout the city for health and ecological benefits. Yet in this pristine area, they are willing to sacrifice hundreds of trees to put down Astroturf and the like. In the meantime, there are many ball fields and other recreational spaces around the city that already exist and are in need of improvement. Some of those areas are even near the Ridgewood Reservoir. Shouldn't some of the money that would be allocated for this project be better used to repair what already exists?

It is not only the trees at stake at the Ridgewood Reservoir site. The area is an oasis for birds. Over one hundred types of migratory birds have been identified there. Many of those nest there as well. It is an ideal habitat for birds and other types of wildlife.

The Ridgewood Reservoir was used as a backup water supply for Queens and Brooklyn into the 1960s. It was made up of three basins. Two of those three water areas subsequently became reforested in the typical way that land changes over time in nature. That process is known as succession and this particular site is on its way to becoming a full fledged Eastern forest. Why interrupt this urban forest by cutting down trees?

My understanding is that the city and Parks Department are planning on spending anywhere from $46 million to $55 million on this project, depending on the source. That money should be spent on improving existing recreational areas and purchasing additional parcels of land to be used for open space and park uses.

In Queens, many concerned citizens urged the purchase of several parcels including the St. Saviour's church property in Maspeth, the Klein Farm in Fresh Meadows and the Iris Hill wooded property in Bellerose. Other parcels are available as well, and all of this land should be used for green areas for the public.

According to the mayor, one million more residents are expected in the city by 2030. It is difficult to figure where everyone will live, given the overdevelopment, infrastructure and flooding problems that we are already facing today. In addition, where will everyone go to relax and enjoy nature? Where will our children play? It is time to plan ahead and think of the future. We must buy open space in the city to meet those needs and we also have to preserve land that is environmentally sensitive like the Ridgewood Reservoir area.

Henry Euler
Bayside

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