News From City Council Member Eric Ulrich

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Celebrates Opening of Rockaway Beach for Summer

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) joined Parks Department officials, residents and colleagues in government on the boardwalk at Beach 97^th Street in Rockaway on Friday to celebrate the annual opening of the city’s public beaches. After reminders from Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to stay safe this summer, the officials and residents sampled some of the food available on the boardwalk this summer and tried their hand at beach tennis.

Ulrich said, “As we all know, Rockaway continues to be one of the city’s best kept secrets. It’s a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family, and to enjoy the beach. There are lots of new and exciting amenities this year, and I encourage everyone in Queens to visit this summer and discover the beauty Rockaway has to offer.”

In all, the City boasts 14 miles of beaches that attracted 19 million visitors last year. New this year will be food concessions run by Rockaway Beach Club, LLC, which will serve tacos, po’ boys, arepas, enchiladas, Italian ices and more at snack bars at Beach 86^th, 97^th and 106^th streets. In addition, a mile of new boardwalk is open this year along stretches between Beach 23^rd and Beach 81^st streets.

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich: Additional Police Presence Needed at Aqueduct

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) is asking the NYPD to assign additional police officers to the 106th Precinct in advance of the planned September opening of video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park.

The new racino is expected to draw more than eight million visitors each year, and local residents and Community Board 10 have already expressed concerns about the current staffing levels at the local precinct.

Ulrich said, “In order to keep our streets safe, we are going to need more cops at the 106^th Precinct. My constituents should not have to worry about any rise in crime that might emanate from Aqueduct. We need to do everything we can to guarantee a good quality of life for the neighborhoods surrounding the track. This request is more than reasonable.”

Ulrich had the opportunity to speak directly with Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly during a recent Public Safety Committee hearing and in a May 18 letter to the department. He requested that the new officers be assigned beginning in the new fiscal year so they will have time to acclimate themselves to the area before the racino opens.

In the letter to Commissioner Kelly, Ulrich wrote, “While the new racino is scheduled to open later this summer, many of my constituents are still concerned about the level of police protection the community will receive from the NYPD. Despite the fact that vehicular and foot traffic will increase, it still remains unclear if and when the local precinct will receive additional police personnel. Undoubtedly, more police officers will be needed to patrol the residential neighborhoods surrounding the facility… I believe this request is warranted given the size and scope of the new venue and the necessary planning that will go into maintaining a good quality of life for area residents.”

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Statement on Mayor's Plan to Close Engine 294 and Other Fire Companies

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) released the following statement on the Mayor's plan to close 20 fire companies around the City, including Engine 294:

“The Mayor’s plan to close Engine 294 and other fire companies around the city is downright dangerous. Response times will go up and lives will be put at risk. Woodhaven and Richmond Hill desperately need adequate fire protection and emergency services, especially since many of the homes there are attached, wood-frame structures. We simply cannot balance the budget by putting people in harm’s way. Mark my words - budget cuts like these can be deadly and I will do everything in my power to fight them.”

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Co-Sponsors Bill to Prevent Children from Being Exposed to Pornography in Public Libraries Council Members Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) and David G. Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) announced bipartisan legislation on Sunday that will protect children at New York City’s public libraries from exposure to Internet pornography. The legislation would make it a misdemeanor criminal offense for any adult to view pornographic materials within 100 feet of a minor in a public library. Ulrich said, “This is a common sense piece of legislation aimed at protecting our children while they spend time at the library. Kids shouldn’t be exposed to sexually explicit content, and taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for it either. This is a serious concern for many people who don’t want their children subjected to this form of public indecency.” Greenfield said, “I am a strong supporter of our public libraries and the value and rich experiences that they provide to New Yorkers. Part of that experience, however, should not be traumatizing children by exposing them to sexual predators and debasing pornography. Our bipartisan legislation would send an unmistakable message to sexual predators: expose yourself to children and you will go to jail.” The legislation would make viewing pornography within 100 feet of a child a misdemeanor carrying fines of between $1,000 and $10,000 and the possibility of jail time, as determined by a judge. Because the proposed legislation is narrowly tailored to protect children, it is expected to pass any constitutional challenges.

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Statement on Mayor’s Proposed Budget

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) today released the following statement in response to Mayor Bloomberg’s FY 2012 Executive Budget:

Ulrich said, “This is a very difficult budget. Even though years of prudent fiscal planning helped the city weather the recession better than most, cuts still seem inevitable. I’m especially concerned about the impact potential teacher layoffs will have on class size in our schools, and I’m also worried about the proposed firehouse closings. As an alternative, I am encouraging my colleagues to seriously consider some of the recommendations that have already been made by the Independent Budget Office. Rest assured, before the City Council adopts the budget, I will do everything in my power to protect vital services and persuade the Mayor to find money elsewhere.”

Historic Woodhaven Church to Close by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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I attended St Matthews as a child and served as an acolyte under Father Lutz in the 1960's...And, my children and I helped with the cemetery clean up about 10 years ago...

Residents like Allan Smith, inset, are worried what will happen to the Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church’s building and cemetery after the site is sold. PHOTO BY ANNA GUSTAFSON

The impending closure of the beloved 111-year-old Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Woodhaven is sending shadows across a community whose residents worry the diocese could sell the site to someone with little reverence for the historical building and the cemetery behind it.

Saint Matthew’s, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, will hold its last service on May 22 at 3 p.m. Officials from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, which owns the church at 85-45 96th St., said they decided to shutter it because of a dwindling number of parishioners.

“The church has always been a staple in the community,” said Community Board 9 District Manager Mary Ann Carey. “The cemetery has to remain there. They shouldn’t be selling it.”


Carey and Maria Thomson, president of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp., said they are concerned about what a new owner will do with the property.


“It’s so unfortunate they’ll sell the property,” Thomson said. “The church never said anything to the community about this situation.”


According to a message in the church’s May 8 service bulletin, the rector, the Rev. Tracey Williams, will continue to live on site until plans for the sale of the church are finalized. Diocese officials did not say when they expect to sell the church, nor to whom. They said the building will be deconsecrated during the last service.


“This action has been taken after many years of faithful ministry in the midst of a declining population and dwindling resources,” the Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, bishop of the Long Island diocese, wrote in a recent e-mail to supporters.


Several former parishioners said the decrease in population occurred following disputes with the church’s current rector. Williams did not respond to a request for comment.
John McGinty, the diocese’s director of communication, said it was “unclear” as to what will happen to the Wyckoff-Snediker Family Cemetery, which the church purchased from the city in the early 1960s and which was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.


The cemetery has about 160 individual gravestones denoting burials from 1793 to 1892.


Allan Smith, 73, a Woodhaven resident who was baptized in the church, grew up going there and worked for years to restore the cemetery, said he is distraught to see the end of an establishment that has played an instrumental role in his life.


“It’s probably the finest example of English Gothic architecture on Long Island and probably on the East Coast,” said Smith, a former architect who has conducted tireless research on the cemetery and the church but is no longer a member. “It has a bell tower and beautiful stained glass. It really is very special.”


Saint Matthew’s held its first service on Jan. 7, 1900 at a storefront rented on Jamaica Avenue near 91st Street.


It moved from that spot to a a small wooden church on 96th Street in 1901, and the cornerstone for the building that houses the congregation today was laid in 1927.The first service in the stone church was held on Dec 2, 1928.


“It is a sad day for such a beautiful church to close,” state Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) said. “The many programs St. Matthew’s provided, like its food pantry, served the community for years and its loss will be felt by everyone. St. Matthew’s is a fixture in the Woodhaven community, and it will be impossible to replace.”

Forest Park Greenhouse Photos - April 27th, 2011 - More Problems for Forest Park Management

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Almost three years ago the Parks Dept started to renovate the Forest Park Greenhouse. Since that time time the glass panes were removed and the steel structure was left to rust by being left exposed to the elements. Recently, when I walked past the greenhouses I saw that the Parks Dept has wasted the original $200,000 that then-Council Member Joe Addabbo had allocated to the project and the remains of the original building has been torn down and a new structure has been financed by Council Member Elizabeth Crowley...This is yet another example of the Parks Dept wanton disregard of City owned assets and an extraordinary level of incompetence of by the Forest Park management team, headed by Debbie Kuha...

Previous blog posts...

The Secret Gardeners of Queens by Lisa J. Colangelo - NY Daily News - July 17, 2008

Little Progress on Forest Park Greenhouse Renovation - June 18, 2009...

Forest Park Carousel Open to Vendors - April 27, 2011

The Forest Park Carousel has been closed to the public since September 2008. Today, prospective vendors got a peek at our Carousel in action. Kudos to our friends at Project Woodhaven for getting this video...

Assembly Member Miller Sponsoring Job Fairs in Woodhaven & Glendale

In an effort to help find employment for those who are currently struggling to do so, Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Queens) has announced that he will be hosting two job fairs in the month of May. 

           

“In these tough economic times people need all the assistance they can get.” Assemblyman Miller said. “Working with All Nations Baptist Church and Christ Congregational Church, we decided that putting these job fairs together would be an excellent way to find employment for those who are currently struggling to put bread on the table so they can once again provide for their families.”

Click on image to enlarge

Woodhaven Job Fair

When: Friday May 13th

Time: 10am - 3pm

Location: All Nations Baptist Church

86-76 80th Street, Woodhaven, NY 11421

RSVP: 718-805-0950 - polancp@assembly.state.ny.us

Click on image to enlarge

When: Tuesday May 31st

Time: 10am - 3pm

Location: The Legacy Center

64-34 Myrtle Avenue Glendale, NY 11385

RSVP: 718-805-0950 - danilo.djurectic@gmail.com

Woodhaven Richmond Hill Kiwanis Club Hopes for More Members by Lisa Fraser - Leader-Observer

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Joan DeCamp, president of the Richmond Hill-Woodhaven Kiwanis club and David Quintana, a RHW Kiwanis member, pose for a picture with Project Woodhaven blogger, Ed Wendell

The Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Kiwanis Club held their first meeting of the spring on Wednesday, March 9, in an effort to recruit more community members and to have their voice heard more in the area.

Held at Avenue Diner at 91-06 Jamaica Avenue, local community businesses and members discussed the history and goals of their organization.

Joan DeCamp, the president of the club, spoke about the various community outreach services that the club performs, such as the Key Club at Richmond Hill High School, food drives at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the scholarship program, which offers two $2,500 scholarships to residents of Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Kew Gardens or Forest Hills who demonstrate academic excellence, and three $600 scholarships awarded within the Kiwanis family.

The Richmond Hill-Woodhaven Kiwanis club is one of 18 clubs in the Kiwanis Queens west area.

Senator Joe Addabbo Co-sponsors Bill to Require Hate Crimes Curriculum in All New York State Schools

Responding to last month’s gang-related murder in his district of a young man by five teens now charged with manslaughter, who also are being investigated by the NYPD for hate crimes, NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr.(D-Queens), a member of the Senate’s Education Committee, is co-sponsoring a bill (S.269), which would raise awareness about hate crimes through curriculum in the schools. Addabbo supported this bill in the Education Committee and the bill has been sent to the full Senate for a vote.  

The Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating last month’s murder as to whether the suspects shouted anti-gay slurs at the victim and whether he was chased and bludgeoned to death on a Woodhaven street because he was perceived to be gay.  

The proposed new law requires a course of instruction in the awareness of hate crimes in our schools, so that every child in New York State will become educated on the commission of hate crimes. Hate crimes mean offenses that are committed based upon the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of the victim. The instruction will include examples of symbols and objects associated with hate crimes and the events and historical significance surrounding such symbols and objects. Such a course will also focus on the moral aspects and legal implications of such offenses and promote attitudes of tolerance and acceptance.

The law requires the board of education, trustees, principal or other person in charge of every public, private and parochial school in New York State to arrange for giving such course of instruction in every school under its/his or her control to every pupil for a period of not less than 45 minutes in each month during which such school is in session. The law will take effect on the first of September following the date on which it becomes a law.  

Explains Addabbo, “This bill offers a valuable course to increase an understanding of the seriousness of hate crimes among all students in New York State.  It is important that our schools teach core values of tolerance, acceptance and knowledge to all children in order to prevent hate crimes.” He believes that students should be taught about the vile nature of hate crimes and that such instruction will directly combat negative language and stereotypes that are prevalent in today’s society. Addabbo is hopeful that this instruction will educate our youth about the implications and dire consequences of hate crimes, and will provide them with a better understanding of the differences in each person. 

Vigil Held For Victim In Fatal Woodhaven (Queens) Beating - NY1.com

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Queens residents held a vigil Thursday to remember a teenager beaten to death by attackers who thought he was gay.

Family, friends, and activists gathered in Woodhaven to remember Anthony Collao, 18.

Police say he was beaten to death with an iron pipe outside a Queens house party.

They say the suspects were yelling anti-gay slurs.

Collao was not gay, but the teen hosting the party is.

LGBT activists attended the vigil as well as Diego Sucuzhanay, whose brother was killed in a similar attack.

"It's unacceptable behavior, we must keep fighting we must speak out. This shouldn't be happening," said Sucuzhanay. "We don't want any more victims and if there are more victims were are going to keep fighting."

"Because the party was associated as a gay party he was a victim of homophobia. So we're here to stand with our community and out allies because when one of us is targeted everybody is targeted," said Ejeris Dixon of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

Five teens have been arrested and charged with the beating.

The district attorney is investigating the attack as a hate crime.

No Cost Mammograms Sponsored by Senator Addabbo - April 16th at Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corp

Senator Joe Addabbo & Assemblyman Mike Miller's Speak Out on the Assault in Woodhaven Leading to Death of Teen

Senator Addabbo:”This Kind of Activity Should Not Happen in Woodhaven or Anywhere”

NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens), released the following statement concerning the weekend’s deplorable criminal violence that occurred among youth gathered inside a Woodhaven abandoned house (within his Senate District 15):

My office staff and I are determined to work with law enforcement to address the issues related to this unacceptable violent crime. I also intend to work with the Department of Buildings and other government agencies to address the growing problem surrounding the rise of incidents involving illegal activity being conducted in abandoned houses. This kind of activity should not be able to occur in the good community of Woodhaven or anywhere.

Assemblyman Miller’s Statement on the Assault in Woodhaven

This weekend, the life of an innocent teenager was cut tragically short in a senseless hate crime. Though the victim was not a member of the LGBT community, several members of the party were, and they were targeted solely for that reason. Over the past several years in Queens, we have seen senseless attacks on the LGBT community from Jackson Heights to Woodhaven. It is a shame, it is unacceptable, and it needs to end now. My heart goes out to the victim and his loved ones. It is time we stand up against hate.

Police Commissioner Calls Queens Slaying a Hate Crime by Joseph Goldstein - NYTimes.com

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Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Tuesday that the fatal beating of an 18-year-old man in Queens early Saturday “falls into the category of a hate crime.”

The victim, Anthony Collao, was at a party at a house in Woodhaven when five gate-crashers, none older than 17, pushed their way inside, Mr. Kelly said. Once indoors, they began “making homophobic remarks” and writing messages on the wall in red markers, said Mr. Kelly, who was asked about the case after a City Council hearing.

As Mr. Collao, who the police said was at the party with a girlfriend, left about 1 a.m., he encountered the same group outside the house, on 90th Street. One of the teenagers had a metal bat and another had a cane, according to a criminal complaint.

With a shout of “this is my hood,” the teenagers chased Mr. Collao down 90th Street and set upon him in a storm of punches, kicks and blows from “an object that appeared to be a stick,” according to the complaint.

Mr. Collao was taken to Jamaica Hospital and died late Monday after he was taken off life support, Mr. Kelly said. The attack and the death were reported by The Daily News on Tuesday.

When the police arrested one of those suspected in the attack, Christopher Lozada, he had an Atlanta Braves cap that belonged to Mr. Collao, according to the complaint. The police also discovered blood on Mr. Lozada’s clothing and on the sneakers of a second person arrested in the case, according to the complaint, which said that a metal pipe with blood on it was recovered from the crime scene.

Mr. Lozada and three other suspects were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Monday on charges of manslaughter, gang assault and weapons possession. The police are still searching for a fifth suspect, whose name they did not release. The criminal complaint does not make any mention of antigay slurs, or offer any suggestion as to what motivated the attack. Mr. Kelly said that investigators with an expertise in hate crimes were looking into the case.

David Franzese, a lawyer for one of the defendants, Luis Tabales, 16, said that his client had nothing to do with the assault and “doesn’t know the other individuals he was arrested with.”

Mr. Franzese said the party was at an abandoned home that had become a hangout for teenagers.

Queens Senior Center at Risk: State Budget Cuts Could Close Lifeline by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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Eleanor Errante (left), 89, and two pals socialize at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Senior Center

The neighborhoods of Woodhaven and Richmond Hill are so close that their borders often blur.

But when a senior center closed in Woodhaven nearly two years ago and residents were offered the chance to go to a facility in Richmond Hill, many opted to stay home.

Thanks to an unusual partnership, a new senior center opened on Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven - also providing a steady stream of income for a struggling volunteer ambulance corps.

"This has made my life much happier," said Stella Pyatok, 89, who played cards at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Senior Center last week with friends while waiting for lunch. "I'm here practically every day."

The center celebrates its official opening on Friday. It serves more than 70 seniors a day at its renovated space at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps site.

The cash-strapped corps gets a monthly rent check.

"I'm just so glad to see they have somewhere to go," said Kathy Sexton-Dalbey, chief operating officer of the ambulance corps. "People don't realize how much these senior centers mean. I see what happens when they live alone and don't get checked on."

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and other elected officials came up with the funds to renovate the facility so it can be used as a senior center.

Everyone is hoping those efforts weren't for naught. Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens, which operates the facility under a contract with the city, just found out that it is one of 22 centers that could close if vital state funds aren't restored.

Eleanor Errante, 89, who has lived in Woodhaven since 1933, said the center is a safe place for seniors to get a nutritious meal, companionship and mental stimulation.

"Sometimes this is the only hot meal some seniors have for the day," Errante said.

Debbie Hoffer, director of field operations, and site manager Pat Critelli said the center also focuses on senior health with exercise classes, including yoga and t'ai chi.

"The number of people coming grows every day," said Hoffer. "And all we keep hearing is 'wait until the weather gets better' because even more will be here."

Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Senior Center Gets New Sign...

When I attended the last Woodhaven Residents Block Association meeting at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corp there was a new sign for the newly relocated Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Senior Center hanging outside the building. It's a lovely new sign, one problem though...maybe someone should have proofread the sign before accepting it...the word Neighborhood is spelled wrong..!

The sign might be a moot point if Mayor Bloomberg gets his way since this is one of the many seniors centers on his list to be closed...

Shame on you, Mayor Bloomberg,,!

Late Last Call Hung Up by Community Board 9 by Ralph Mancini - www.timesnewsweekly.com

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Denies Eatery Liquor Permit Extension

A Richmond Hill restaurant’s request to serve alcoholic beverages until the wee hours of the morning was shotdown by members of Community Board 9 at the group’s Tuesday, Feb. 8 meeting following a brief war of wordsbetween decision makers of the advisory panel that stood on opposite sides of the fence.


During the board’s monthly Public Safety Committee report at the Fairfield Pavillion in Richmond Hill, attendees were informed of an appeal made by owners of Las Victorias Restaurant, located at 104-19 Jamaica Ave., to obtain a liquor license authorizing the sale of adult drinks until 4 a.m.


Committee co-chair James Coccovillo clarified that moving forward his team would only endorse restaurant liquor licenses if the establishments stop selling alcohol to their patrons at 1 a.m.


“At this time, this committee is taking a stand,” he said. “This is going to be our policy.”
The business owner initially disputed the condition set forth, arguing that many other restaurants in his area carry on with their distribution of drinks to their customers throughout the early morning hours.


Board member Joan DeCamp sided with him, pointing out how “unrealistic” it would be to expect any night time eatery to be successful without making liquors available to the clientele.


“I would much rather have people come into a restaurant…eat, stay and have a drink than go out to a bar,” she observed.


A rebuttal was issued by committee member Rabbi Daniel Pollack, who advised listeners that restaurants and bars play by a different set of rules. Neighborhood restaurants, he suggested, generally close at 12 midnight.


He frowned upon permitting Las Victorias from essentially becoming a bar after 1 a.m., maintaining that excessive drinking often leads to criminal activity and quality-of-life problems.


“I like going out to restaurants a lot,” Coccovillo added. “After dinner, I’ll sit there and I’ll even have a drink or coffee; within 15, 20 minutes, I’m on my way home. I’m not hanging out, drinking—that’s a restaurant. If you’re open at three in the morning, you’re no longer a restaurant; you’re a bar.”


Fellow board member and associate real estate broker Regina Santoro predicted that having another bar-like business would only add to the existing “chaos” generated by several night establishments throughout Richmond Hill.


In relation to other eating establishments that don’t adhere to a curfew, Coccovillo promised that they would be aware of the committee’s new policy once their liquor licenses are up for renewals.


During a roll-call vote, Board 9 elected to support the restaurant’s request by a 24-12 tally with the stipulation that the business in question conclude selling alcohol by 1 a.m.


Spike in local grand larcenies


Capt. Martin Briffa, executive officer of the 102nd Precinct, reported increases in criminal activity over the previous 28-day period, including a 23 percent surge in major crimes, along with a 131 percent growth in grand larcenies. Most of those crimes consisted in the theft of credit cards and bank checks, which the captain said are “easy to crackdown on.”


He also addressed a three percent uptick in felony assaults by explaining how his precinct is flooded with night clubs and other establishments, where assaults have taken place, particularly during the holiday season.


Briffa surmised that educating the many foreigners in his command about the laws they must abide by will help alleviate the recent numbers.


Many crimes, such as rape, he continued, are being committed by individuals that know the victims and not by strangers.


“We can do car stops. If you have a Toyota, we’ll stop you; that’s what they’re stealing these days. We try to teach people not to leave handbags in cars. There are people who are even taking quarters from [parked] cars,” said Briffa.


In response to Board 9 Chairperson Ivan Mrakovcic’s concerns about prostitution, Conditions Unit Sgt. Joseph DeMarco admitted that there was a problem in the area of Rockaway Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue. He promised board members that his unit would perform sting operations if necessary to rid the streets of street walkers.


DeMarco further touched on his precinct’s focus on monitoring liquor stores to ensure that they don’t sell any of their merchandise to people who are under the age of 21.


Carousel update


In his chairperson’s report, Mrakovcic notified board members that a vendor who currently works at Flushing Meadows/Corona Park will soon be operating the Forest Park Carousel starting sometime in June. “We want it open as soon as possible… and landmarked,” he stated.


Strengthening park communities


Hassan King of Partnership for Parks spoke of his organization’s outreach efforts to provide resources to stakeholders interested in maintaining smaller park properties. 


He detailed how his group was involved in helping the Astoria Park Waterfront Alliance secure grants in order to provide greater waterfront access in their neighborhood park.


“Because of our unique relationship with the Parks Department, we’ve been able to help with the education and fitness programs in that park,” he said along with mentioning how Partnership for Parks is also looking to visit other areas they normally don’t go to.


In addition, King offered his expertise to Mrakovcic, Andrea Crawford and other board members who may be looking to start a feasibility study on a rails-for-trails project to turn an unused tract of land at Forest Park into a bike trail.


Pol promotes listening tour


City Council Member Ruben Wills was on hand to tell those in attendance about his listening tour in which he will visit various sites throughout his district to understand the needs of all his constituents. “All I do is sit and listen to you,” he added.


The Southeast Queens native alerted the audience to an upcoming unemployment seminar he’ll be hosting in order to “bring everything to this community that hasn’t been provided.”
“When everything gets tough, we actually band together—we make things happen,” he said in reference to school teachers being laid off.


Spotlight on car service


Some board members, such as Clark Whitsett, made their feelings known about the Richmond Hillbased Community Quisqueya Car Service, which recently submitted its application for its base station license renewal.


Whitsett reported that the drivers from the car service continually make illegal u-turns at busy intersections, congesting traffic. He also noted how many of them wait for their calls along residential streets and deprive residents of parking spaces.


Similarly, Mrakovcic pointed out how Community Quisqueya’s employees frequently leave their cars running and pollute the air in between rides.


Attorney Richard Weinberg conceded that his client may be the best, but is “far from the worst” in terms of local car service companies. He stated that his client’s employees are all local community members.


Board member and Woodhaven activist Maria Thomson concurred by saying that Community Quisqueya provides jobs and a “good” service to the community usually responding to their calls within five minutes.


“Every time we had a problem, they took care of it. U-turns are a police issue,” concluded Sam Esposito. The board voted in favor of renewing the base station license by a 29-7 tally.


Community Board 9 regularly meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:45 p.m. at various locations throughout Kew Gardens, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven. For more details, call 1-718-286-2686

Forest Park Senior Center Faces Closure by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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The proposed state budget cuts to senior services could force the Forest Park Senior Center to shutter its doors for good, leaving older residents from throughout southern Queens without a place many said gives them a reason to get up in the morning.


“It’s very dismal,” said Donna Caltabiano, executive director of the center located at 89-02 91 St. in Woodhaven. “We’re looking at closing in June.”

Forest Park Senior Center, which relies primarily on funding the borough president’s office typically gets through the state, is one of about 110 centers city officials said could close if state legislators approve Gov. Cuomo’s proposed budget.


Cuomo has called for about $25 million to be carved from monies usually allocated for the city’s senior centers, which represents about one-third of the city’s funding for the programs, according to officials from the city Department for the Aging.


“Any senior center that gets state and city funding has to be concerned at this point,” said state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach). “Forest Park is a snapshot of other centers who will find themselves in dire circumstances.”


Addabbo said he is pressuring state officials to cut elsewhere and restore funding for seniors.


“I don’t care if a center has 300 or three people,” Addabbo said. “That center is needed, certainly in these tough times.”


Seniors gathered for lunch and to play their daily round of bingo at Forest Park on Tuesday said news about the potential closure was devastating.


“It really keeps us alive to come here,” said Anna Luongo, 95, of Woodhaven. “The center means everything in the world to me.”


Many of those who attend the center are older seniors in their 80s and 90s and said the support they receive from friends and employees there is crucial, particularly because many of them have lost spouses and friends.


About 55 seniors come to the center for lunch four days a week.


“We need each other,” said Evelyn Yantis, 88, of Richmond Hill. “This is what makes me happy, coming here. I wake up, I get dressed, and I want to come here.”


Joseph Palladino, a decorated World War II veteran who lives in Woodhaven, echoed others’ sentiments and said the center provided a much needed support base after his wife of nearly 60 years died in 2004.


“It gives people an incentive to get up in the morning and go out and be with people,” Palladino said. “If they didn’t have this place, they’d just stay home, put the television on, skip lunch and just rot away.”


For Palladino, the center has become not just a place to play bingo and cards but to do what he has become quite adept at — flirting.


Nicknamed the “kissing bandit,” Palladino noted he is legally blind so he has had to pursue hobbies other than reading or watching television.


“I’ve had to take up catching girls,” Palladino said and winked.


Other senior center officials said they were unsure as to whether or not the facility would have to close, but Howard Beach Senior Center Director Ike Albala said any cuts to funding for elderly residents in the borough would be a harsh blow to a vulnerable population.


“If they don’t have a place where they can go and interact with their peers, where they can go for meals and access services, it becomes a stifling kind of existence,” Albala said. “It would be quite a shock if we closed. A lot of our members are within walking distance, and there’s no other center within walking distance.

Grandmother Uses Whistles To Protect Queens Neighborhood Reported by Monica Morales - WPIX

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With NYPD Comstat Stats just out, and assaults, burglaries, and grand larcenies are all jumping double digits from last year, one Woodlawn woman is on a mission to change that.

Maria Thomson, the President of the 102nd Precinct Community Council, is taking to the streets, armed with whistles. Thomson has raised hundreds of dollars for whistles and was handing them out at trouble spots in her neighborhood.

The idea, she says, is to whistle if you are in trouble to get a police officer's attention. New Yorkers have mixed feelings about this old-fashioned crime fighting approach.

Woodhaven resident Chino Rivera said, "I'll whistle after I knock them out. That's a real New York answer isn't it?"

While other New Yorkers praised Thomson and her efforts like George Penetta. Penetta said, "Thanks for caring about our neighborhood."

While some crime was up, 102 precinct officers were able to reduce robberies by 25 percent and misdemeanor assaults by 31 percent, according to the new stats. The NYPD did not comment on this story.

Small Business Seminar - Saturday February 12th (11am - 1pm) at the Woodhaven Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps - Sponsored by Assembly Member Mike Miller

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Free Seminar for Small Business Owners and Employees

When: February 12th

Time: 11am - 1pm

Where: Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps

78-15 Jamaica Avenue - Woodhaven, NY

Sponsored by Assembly Member Mike Miller

Boxing - Woodhaven NY Card Announced - FightNews.com

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On March 4th, the first ever show promoted by New Legend Boxing Promotions will take place at the Cordon Bleu Banquet Hall in Woodhaven, New York (part of the NYC borough of Queens). In the main event, former amateur standout and undefeated super middleweight Will Rosinsky (13-0, 7 KOs) will see action in an eight round bout against Alfredo Trevino (6-1, 1 KO). There will be three six round-co features that will have some great local talent on display. In a super bantamweight bout, undefeated Juan Dominguez (6-0, 4 KOs) will take on an opponent to be named. Light heavyweight Joel Castillo (7-0, 4 KOs) of the Bronx, New York will also see action in a six rounder. Also, after a four-and-a-half year layoff, Light heavyweight Aneudi Santos (12-5, 9 KOs) will return in a light heavyweight bout.

Disgraced Politician Dies In Federal Prison by Dominick Rafter - Queens Tribune

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Former State Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, who represented Southwest Queens for more than 30 years before resigning in disgrace in 2009, died Jan. 6 in a North Carolina prison at the age of 75.

Seminerio, a Democrat, was elected in 1978 to represent a Richmond Hill-based district in the State Assembly. His 133-vote victory assured him the seat for the next 31 years.

In later years, he often endorsed Republican candidates like Rudy Giuliani for Mayor, George Pataki for Governor, and Rick Lazio and Al D’Amato for U.S. Senate. During his time in the Assembly, he represented Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood and Woodhaven. He last faced a Republican opponent in 2000 and often got the nominations of both the Democratic and Republican parties in his reelection campaigns.

“For over 30 years Anthony Seminerio represented the 38th Assembly District with passion and dedication,” said Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven), who succeeded Seminerio in the Assembly. “We should remember all of the good things that he has done for the community. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his wife and his children. “

In 2009, a federal indictment was handed down on charges of fraud, after he was accused of using a fake consulting agency to collect payments on actions he took as an Assemblyman between 1999 and 2008. According to the charges, Seminerio solicited and received payments to a consulting firm he set up called Marc Consultants from persons and organizations that had business with the state for nearly a decade beginning in 1999, and sometimes threatened anyone who refused to pay to the firm. Prosecutors discovered that Seminerio did not perform “any bona fide consulting services that fall outside the scope of activities an elected official could readily be expected to perform on behalf of his or her constituents.”

Instead, he used his elected office to lobby state legislators and state agencies on behalf of his paying clients and occasionally against people and organizations, including some of his own constituents, who refused to pay his firm a fee.

According to specific charges, Seminerio approached the founder of a Queens-based consulting firm in 1999 for whom he once worked and demanded a share of the company’s revenue. When the founder refused, Seminerio sought to dissuade their clients from doing business with them and instead hire Marc Consultants. That same year, Seminerio also pressured Robert Richards, the President of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, to pay fees to Marc Consultants and threatened to work against vital state funding to the Chamber of Commerce in the state legislature if they didn’t pay consulting fees. In January 2000, Richards agreed and paid a monthly fee to Seminerio’s firm for approximately two years.

More recently, in 2008, Seminerio had attempted to convince Dennis Whalen, a senior New York State Health Department official, to allow Jamaica Hospital, which had paid Seminerio’s firm consulting fees, to acquire the Caritas Hospitals. Whalen had mentioned that other state officials supported Parkway Hospital’s bid to acquire Caritas. Parkway had refused to pay Seminerio’s firm any money. Seminerio never disclosed to Whalen that Jamaica had paid him.

Seminerio had attempted to claim his actions were approved in 1996 and thereafter by the New York Legislative Ethics Committee, but the court rejected the assertion.

In February 2010, a federal judge sentenced Seminerio to six years in jail and a $1 million fine.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125.

WRBA Holds First Meeting of 2011 Snow Tops Concerns by Lisa Fraser - Leader-Observer

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Resident David Quintana asks representative from Congressman Anthony Weiner's office to communicate to the the Congressman that we need to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan wars at WRBA's first meeting of 2011.

The Woodhaven Residents Block Association held their first meeting of 2011 last Saturday, January 8, at the Woodhaven Richmond Hill Ambulance Corps. Topping concerns: the slow snow removal process on many of the blocks in Woodhaven.

Residents complained of uncleared snow on their respective blocks days after the storm, and one, Maria Concolino, said she noticed that some vendors on Jamaica Avenue and along the side streets didn't bother to shovel the snow to make a walkway for pedestrians.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley was on hand to discuss the frustrations residents faced and stated that she would confront the Mayor and sanitation on why the streets were not cleared in a timely fashion.

"When EMS workers cannot get to an emergency because the snow is now plowed, I do not believe that is the fault of the emergency service people," she said.

She informed the residents that a hearing would be held in the borough regarding the snow cleanup at Queens Borough Hall on January 21.

Assemblyman Michael Miller was also present and shared with residents, his experience with the storm – his block in Glendale was not plowed until Wednesday night because of a stuck car that the sanitation crew refused to move.

Edward Wendell, president of the block association, urged residents to become block captains so that they could be the eyes and ears of their block in situations such as the blizzard. Captains will report on to the WRBA what's happening on the block.

"The idea is to prepare ourselves for the next storm, whether it be a snow storm or a rain storm that we had last year ripped down trees," Wendell said. "We need to be able to quickly assess the damage in the neighborhood."

The WRBA would then get in touch with the captain so that in the event that sanitation or a local official contacts them, they know which blocks to hit first, and which trees are down or which blocks are without power. A map outlining the blocks that need a block captain can be found on the association's blog, wrba.wordpress.com.

Another nuisance that has been bothering a few residents in the recent weeks centered around a food truck vendor parked on 85th Street and Jamaica Avenue next to the J train station.

Vamce Barbour, treasurer of the WRBA, pointed out that he recently saw the vendor selling food at 10 p.m. one night. Another resident also reported seeing the vendor a few nights later. Maria Thomson, financial secretary of the WRBA said that he has no right to be parked on a residential street.

"I was able to get him off of Jamaica Avenue after many months," she said. She contacted Crowley's office in hopes to rid the vendor, who sells Mexican food, because he disrupts business on the avenue. She's now aiming to get him off of the residential block.

The next residents association meeting will be held on February 12. The meetings are held on Saturdays now because it is more convenient for residents to attend on the weekend instead of after work on a winter weeknight.