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

Ridgewood Site Is Radioactive By Robert Pozarycki - www.timesnewsweekly.com | Times Newsweekly

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Health Dept. Probes Former Chemical Factory

Despite claims that there is no immediate danger to the public, city officials are investigating the extent of radioactive contamination at and in the vicinity of a former factory on the Brooklyn/Queens border in Ridgewood, it was announced.


The New York City Department of Health (DOH) is in the midst of the second phase of its survey and study of the former Wolff-Alport factory located at 1127-1129 Irving Ave., which is now occupied by an auto body shop and an adjacent grocery store.


According to local activists, Wolff-Alport participated in the Manhattan Project that led to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. Based on information from the DOH, the contamination does not appear to be related to the project.


The study, which is being funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Brownfield Assessment, aims to determine what locations in the immediate area of the site are contamination and how the problem could be remedied.


During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Wolff-Alport produced thousands of pounds of a sludge containing thorium while extracting rare earth elements found through the processing of monazite sand.


Thorium is a radioactive element with a half-life of 14 billion years, more than three times the age of the earth. Handling thorium in small amounts is considered safe, but prolonged exposure to thorium and its radioactivity could increase the risk of cancer, according to the EPA.


Workers at the factory—perhaps unaware of the presence of radioactive material—dumped the thorium sludge in the nearby sewer regularly from 1945 until the fall of 1947, when the Atomic Energy Commission ordered that the company halt the practice. During inspections conducted during the 1970s and 1980s, Health Department personnel detective radioactive contamination inside the sewers where the sludge was dumped and in parts of the former Wolff-Alport factory.


As recently as July 2009, during the first phase of the study, workers found elevated gamma radiation levels in the sewer under Irving Avenue between Cooper and Eldert streets. While the levels were not considered hazardous to anyone’s health, it confirmed the existence of deposited radioactive material.


Samples of soil and groundwater along Cooper Avenue/Street, Irving Avenue and Moffat Street near the former Wolff-Alport site are in the process of being collected, and the Health Department is seeking agreements with local home and business owners to conduct tests on their properties.


The data collected through the study will be analyzed by the Health Department “to evaluate potential health risks to the area’s workers and residents,” according to a DOH information sheet. “The agency’s report and recommendations will be made available once the surveying and sampling are completed.”


History


According to information from the Health Department provided to the Times Newsweekly, Wolff-Alport processed monazite sand between the mid-1940s until the 1950s through a complex method that involved the use of numerous chemicals such as heated sulfuric acid. This was done to extract rare earth minerals used in a wide variety of products from magnets to camera lenses.


Prior to that, the company took part in the Manhattan Project as part of the World War II effort, it was noted during Community Board 5’s Dec. 12 meeting in Middle Village. District Manager Gary Giordano and Chairperson Vincent Arcuri noted that the factory was one of many businesses across the city which help produce parts for the creation of the bomb that was successfully tested in Alamogordo, N.M. in June 1945 and duplicates that were later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August of that year.


To prevent the project from being derailed in the event of an enemy attack, the work was spread out across the city rather than being concentrated in a single area, Arcuri noted.


In processing the monazite sand toward the end of the war, the company produced a sludge which contained thorium. After the AEC ordered factory workers to stop dumping the radioactive sludge into the nearby sewer, Wolff-Alport agreed to concentrate the waste as a precipitate and then sell it to the commission for its own use.


According to a report issued in 1987 by the U.S. Department of Energy on the Ridgewood location— found on the DOH’s website—the company sold more than 52,771 pounds of the sludge to the AEC through 1951. The contamination found during the 1970s and 1980s in the buildings and the soil and sewers adjacent to the Wolff-Alport site was likely the result of the processing and storage of the thorium sludge, the report indicated.


When the Energy Department’s report was issued, the level of radiation did not exceed exposure limits, which have since been lowered, the DOH noted. A joint survey conducted by the DOH and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) near the Irving Avenue location found that radiation exceeded normal background levels, prompting a more in-depth study.


The Health Department estimated that a worker at the Wolff-Alport site received a dose of about 120 miliRems (mR) of radiation in a single year. By comparison, the average New Yorker gets a dose of about 360 mR annually, the result of a number of factors including altitude, natural background, medical procedures and fallout from past nuclear testing and the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine in 1986.
Moreover, a person who receives a CAT scan of their entire body receives an instantaneous dose of 5,000 mR of radiation, the maximum amount an adult can safely absorb in a single year, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Alpha rays are initially given off by thorium as it decays; over time, the element begins to emit gamma radiation. Since the alpha particles cannot be absorbed by human skin easily, handling small amounts of thorium over short periods of time is considered safe.


Prolonged exposure to thorium can lead to increased risks of lung, blood and pancreatic cancer since human organs are more susceptible to increased amounts of radiation.


Two environmental consultants— Louis Berger and Associates and Co- Physics Corporation—are conducting the probe on the DOH’s behalf. Workers from the DOH are supervising the process and members of other agencies— including the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)— are assisting in the probe.

Agency Is Still Weighing Wetland Ruling For Reservoir by Robert Pozarycki - Times Newsweekly

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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) remains no closer to making a decision regarding the potential declaration of the Ridgewood Reservoir on the Brooklyn/Queens border as a wetland, according to an agency spokesperson.


“At this time, DEC has not made any determination to map the ponded or vegetated areas within the Ridgewood Reservoir as regulated freshwater wetlands,” said Thomas Panzone in an e-mail to the Times Newsweekly in response to a state- ment made during Community Board 5’s Oct. 13 meeting that the agency was “90 percent certain” that it would classify the 55-acre site as a wetland.


The co-chairperson of Board 5’s Parks Committee, Steven Fiedler, told board members on Oct. 13 that the statement was made by a DEC representative during a recent meeting convened by State Sen. Joseph Addabbo and community residents regarding the fate of the reservoir.


According to Panzone, “DEC is in communication with New York City Parks and DEP, which have committed to conduct hydrological studies of the reservoir district to determine the current sources of water entering and leaving the reservoir basins.”


“Once these studies are concluded, the [DEC] will determine whether to conduct further studies of the vegetation and make a decision regarding whether to map this area as freshwater wetlands,” Panzone said.


Should the agency declare the reservoir as a wetland, the spokesperson said, the city’s Parks Department would then be required to submit permits to the state agency for any potential improvements it wishes to make in any or all of the basins. 


All applications would be restricted to “certain regulated future activities in the freshwater wetland or 100-foot freshwater wetland adjacent area.”


“The designation would mean that the city would have to demonstrate, through a permit application, that future uses of the area would be consistent with protection and preser- vation of the wetland resources,” Panzone added. He noted that the Parks Department would maintain responsibility for the management and maintenance of the reservoir if the wetland designation is administered.


Formerly used as the source of drinking water for Brooklyn and Queens, the Ridgewood Reservoir was taken completely out of the city’s water system in the late 1980s. Since being shuttered and left inactive, the site has evolved into a natural habitat filled with a wide assortment of plant and wildlife.


In 2004, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection transferred ownership of the reservoir to the Parks Department. The agency later declared its intention of developing the site—along with the adjacent Highland Park—into one of eight regional parks as part of the PlaNYC 2030 master plan launched by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2007.


Community and environmental activists fought plans initially put forth by the Parks Department to develop athletic fields in one of the reservoir’s three basins as part of a $50 million overhaul. Funds for the project were eventually scaled back due to the fiscal crisis that gripped the city and country in 2008.


Currently, the Parks Department is in the midst of the first phase of improvements to the reservoir, which includes installing new fencing and lighting around the perimeter of the site. The project would not be affected in any way by any potential wetland declaration, it was noted.

Queens Borough Library To Put Its Archives On Net by Robert Pozarycki - Times Newsweekly

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History buffs and researchers will soon be able to look through old books, news articles and photographs in the Queens Borough Public Library’s archives from their own computers as the library is in the process of digitizing their collection.

Thousands of documents and images in Queens Library’s Long Island Division dating back to the 1800s will be scanned and published online in order to be accessed by Internet users all over the world. To mark the effort, the library also announced that it is renaming the Long Island Division as The Archives at Queens Library, a title which the organization stated “better reflect[s] the true scope of the collections.”

For years, students, historians and others seeking to learn more about Queens’ past have had to travel to the Central library in Jamaica to browse the Long Island Division’s trove of primary documents depicting life in Queens County as well as Brooklyn, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Queens Library has assembled a Digital Assets Team to organize, scan, archive and digitize the collection for publication on the Internet. John Hyslop, digital asset manager for QBPL, observed that while the task before them is great, there are “hundreds of thousands of primary and secondary materials documenting Queens’ social, economic, political and physical history that historians, students and genealogists from around the world want to see.”

“I am very excited because we will be giving our customers what they want: Internet access to the library’s unique and valuable documentation of Queens and Long Island history, which they can see in their homes, schools or offices,” said Hyslop.

According to Queens Library, the first archive to be digitized is the Hal B. Fullerton Photographs, a collection of 399 images taken between 1880 and 1910 which show various scenes around Long Island, including old Long Island Rail Road cars and stations, original automobiles and car races. It is anticipated that the collection will be published online later this year.

Next, the Digital Assets Team will tackle the Queens Library’s own collection of more than 4,300 photographs depicting life in Queens County between 1880 and 1996. The collection includes images of the first Flushing library branch housed in a bungalow at the corner of Main Street and Kissena Boulevard in Flushing, where the more modern, multi-story branch now sits.

Also included in the library’s collection are images of notable politi- cal figures in Queens and New York over the years. One photograph shows then-Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicating the first book bus.

Images provided by the Queens Borough President’s office will also be digitized in the weeks to come, the library noted. The borough president’s collection includes 1,916 images taken between 1898 and 1958, capturing a wide variety of events from major storms to commercial development.

The library also announced that it will digitize documents housed at the Langston Hughes library in Corona as well as music scores at the Central Library.

Among the other materials to be scanned are documents belonging to Wilson and Jane Rantus, an African- American couple who resided in Jamaica between 1834 and 1883. The collection, which contains receipts, bills and letters gathered by the couple over the years, are known to be the only records for an African- American family living on Long Island during that period of time.

For more information on the Queens Library’s archival efforts, visit www.queenslibrary.org.

Glendale Bank Held Up For Second Time In Two Weeks - Crook Shows A Note To Cash In by Robert Pozarycki - Times Newsweekly

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For the second time this month, a Glendale bank branch has been held up by a note-carrying bandit, police reported.

Officers from the 104th Precinct secure the Capital One bank located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard in Glendale following a bank heist last Saturday, June 13. It was the second time this month that the branch was held up by a note carrying crook, according to police. (photo: Allen Epstein)

Law enforcement sources said a man swiped about $1,000 in cash from the Capital One bank located at 83-24 Woodhaven Blvd. at around 10 a.m. last Saturday morning, June 13.

Nearly two weeks earlier, police noted, the same branch was held up by a thief who used a demand note to gain a sum of money on the morning of Tuesday, June 2.

As reported in last week's issue of the Times Newsweekly, the suspect in that caper is believed to be linked to the June 5 robbery of the Chase bank branch located at 96-19 101st Ave. in Ozone Park.

Police sources could not immediately confirm a link between last Saturday's heist in Glendale to the two previous holdups.

Regarding last Saturday's caper, authorities said the suspect entered the Capital One branch located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard at around 10 a.m.

Upon arriving at the counter, police said, the suspect handed a teller a note demanding cash. After the employee complied with his request, it was reported, the perpetrator fled from the scene northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard.

Members of the 104th Precinct responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.

Various police units canvassed the surrounding area for the suspect involved. Despite their efforts, police said, no immediate arrests were made.

The suspect behind the heist was described by law enforcement sources as an African-American male standing 6' tall and weighing about 200 pounds.

An ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Major Case Squad and the Joint Bank Robbery Task Force, police said.

Anyone with any information regarding the heist that could prove helpful is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Information may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers by text message to 274637 (followed by the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

All calls and messages will be kept confidential.

Bandit Slips Teller Note Get Cash At Glendale Bank by Robert Pozarycki - www.timesnewsweekly.com - Times Newsweekly

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Takes Off With A Grand Of Dough

Armed with a note, a crook managed to withdraw cash from a Glendale bank during a heist on Tuesday morning, June 2, according to police.

Police guard the Capital One bank located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard in Glendale on Tuesday morning, June 2 shortly after a robber swiped an undetermined amount of cash from the branch. (photo: Joseph Epstein)

Reportedly, the robbery occurred at the Capital One Bank branch located at 83-24 Woodhaven Blvd. near Myrtle Avenue.

Law enforcement sources said the suspect—described as a 35- year-old African-American male standing between 6' and 6'2" tall and weighing 225 pounds who was wearing a blight blue shirt, blue jeans and mirrored sunglasses— walked into the branch at around 9:05 a.m. and handed a note demanding money to the teller.

Police later determined that the suspect displayed no weapons during the theft.

Moments later, authorities noted, the employee handed the bandit more than $1,000 in cash. The suspect reportedly took the money and fled from the scene on foot northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard.

Officers from the 104th Precinct responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.

Police units conducted a search of the surrounding area for the suspect. No immediate arrests were made despite their efforts.

The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the NYPD Major Case Squad and the Joint Bank Robbery Task Force, police said.

Anyone with any information regarding the heist that could prove helpful is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. Information may also be sent to Crime Stoppers by text message to 274637 (followed by the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

All calls and messages will be kept confidential.

Ozone Park Home Damaged In Blaze | www.timesnewsweekly.com | Times Newsweekly

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No injuries were reported following a one-alarm fire which broke out inside this two-story home in Ozone Park on Sunday night, Oct. 12. Fire Department sources said the incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. inside the residence on 114th Place near Sutter Avenue. Members of Engine companies 285, 302, 308 and 331; Ladder companies 142, 155 and 173; Squad Company 270; Rescue 4 and Battalions 39 and 51—under the direction of Division 13— responded to the scene with officers from the 106th Precinct and EMS units. The blaze was brought under control at around 8 p.m., said an FDNY spokesperson. (photo: Allen Epstein)

Mayoral Control Meets Opposition by Ralph Mancini - (Ridgewood) Times Newsweekly

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City Council Member Joseph Addabbo (pictured standing) hosted a town hall meeting this past Monday to give parents an opportunity to offer their views of mayoral control of city schools. Also pictured are (from left to right): Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, State Sen. Shirley Huntley, CEC 27 President Andrew Baumann and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. Photo Ralph Mancini

Education advocates were given an opportunity to weigh in on mayoral control of education in New York City at a community input session, held Monday, Oct. 6, in which a panel of elected officials listened to numerous parents calling for change.

Most of the audience at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Howard Beach expressed frustration with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's authority over the city's education system, citing the need for more parent and community involvement in several decisions that are reportedly being made without public input.

Community Board 10 Chairperson Elizabeth Braton acknowledged some of the benefits of having one individual oversee education in the city, but wasn't satisfied with Bloomberg's direction.

"There are pluses, but it's not a dictatorship. There needs to be some sort of accountability on the mayoral level," she pointed out.

Braton didn't agree with how other city agencies are held to different standards as far as their requirement to report their work to the community boards in the city and the public, while the mayor and the Department of Education "thumb their noses" at the commu- nity.

She called for a "structure" in place where people could issue their insight on how schools are being governed.

"We need structure that's going to function no matter who the mayor is," said the former 34-year educator, who believes that Bloomberg has added too much of his own managerial style to how the DOE communicates and interacts with community stakeholders.

Shortly after taking office in 2001, Bloomberg asked for control of the school system to rehabilitate the city's ailing school system, formerly under the control of the Board of Education.

One of the ways he sought to accomplish this feat was by placing more accountability on the part of principals and their schools.

Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer promised that changes will be in the offing for the current rule.

She assured parents that many more hearings will take place in which they will be invited to offer their input.

"Our suggestions were much different than the actual legislation," she said in reference to the original bill that was signed into law on May 21, 2002.

"We knew we wanted much more parent participation," she Pheffer.

City Council Member Joseph Addabbo and State Sen. Shirley Huntley echoed Pheffer's sentiments. Huntley revealed that she's spearheading a movement to garner public feedback in an effort to revise mayoral control.

"We've had five hearings with many more on the way. This is something I would not like to do again. We want a good plan. We don't agree with the mayor in how things are planned." she said. "We want legislation to give rights to parents and continue the dialogue. There's going to be a mandate with a watchdog group to make sure this law is carried out."

Community Education Council District 27 President Andrew Baumann bashed the way Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein have been doing business.

Klein and the entire DOE, according to the CEC leader, have systematically shunned him and other CEC representatives through- out scheduled bi-monthly meetings.

"We've been met with disregard," he stated. "They talk at you, not with you. It's a dictatorship, not a collaboration. Parents complain to us across the city. Mayoral control the way it is now isn't good for us. It's not working."

P.S. 207 (Howard Beach) Parent Association President Andrea Mercatante called out the Bloomberg Administration for issuing too much power to individual principals, who are instructing their teachers to avoid her group.

Due to the lack of participation, rights and access afforded to her association, many parents have decided not to get involved in PA activities and meetings. Many of them are reportedly opting to use 311 or report directly to the district office.

Her PA, she continued, is just being looked at as a "cash cow" that brings in money through fundraisers, while being restricted from entering P.S. 207 premises before 8:30 a.m. and after 2:30 p.m.

"We are not allowed to communicate with teachers. Tell me what can I do. You put cones in the schoolyard to ward off parents. Every little thing adds up. The PA is not a forum for parents anymore— we have no power," she concluded.

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan told attendees about her plan to create a five-borough education system with Queens having its own set of leaders and advisors.

Local parent David M. Quintana was on hand to deride the mayor's "failed" six-year experiment with control of the DOE.

"Many speak of tweaking the system, but I think it's in need of a massive overhaul to make it more responsive to the concerns and needs of their primary stakeholders, parents, teachers and students," he began.

"Mayoral control of the New York City Department of Education has not achieved improved student performance," he added. "According to the most recent NAEP (National Association of Educational Progress) for NYC [report], test stores are stagnant. There have been no significant gains in scores during this period."

Quintana also called for the elimination of massive NYPD presence in school buildings, which in his estimation creates a "prisonlike" atmosphere.

In addition, he urged that educators be put back in the "Tweed Courthouse" and not corporate "media spin doctors" who misinform the citizenry of the conditions in schools.

Under the current setup, said Addabbo, there's no limit to how many times a mayor can come in and change the rules, even if it means modifying school policies in the middle of a school year.

"I'll check it out with our legal counsel in City Hall to see if we can implement structure," said the Council member.

Councilman Addabbo Visits the Times Newsweekly's Centennial Celebration Held at the Onderdonk House on August 17th...

From left to right: Bob Miller, Councilman Joe Addabbo, George Miller (Onderdonk House archivist), Arthur Miller, and Linda Monte (President of Onderdonk House)

Councilman Joe Addabbo dropped by the Ridgewood Times' centennial celebration at Onderdonk House where he enjoyed a tour of the historic Ridgewood house and grounds.


The Councilman also inspected a model elevated subway car which was crafted by train fans and brothers, Bob and Arthur Miller.

Zoning Debate Heats Board 9 - Approval Is Sought For Business by Ralph Mancini - Times Newsweekly: Community Headlines

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A local property owner was faced with strong opposition in his appeal to seek a variance for the conversion of a three-story residence into an office building at the Tuesday, May 13 Community Board 9 meeting at the Fairfield Pavilion in South Richmond Hill.

Attorney Naresh Gehi appeared at the meeting with legal counsel Alfonso Duarte to rationalize his plans to board members.

The building, located at 101-17 Lefferts Blvd. in Richmond Hill, is, according to the proprietor, intended to be utilized as a dual-use location, serving as both his residence and personal workplace.

Board 9’s Land Use Chairperson Sylvia Hack announced that her committee was opposed to the request, due to the zoning violations involved with inserting a law practice into a block of homes where parking is at a premium.

Local attorney Naresh Gehi (standing with microphone) and his legal counsel Alfonso Duarte appear at last week’s Community Board 9 meeting to request a variance to turn a three-story home into an office building in an a residentially-zoned area of Richmond Hill.
(photo: Ralph Mancini)

“You shouldn’t have purchased a building in a residential neighborhood. You can’t change zoning on a hardship,” said Chairperson Andrea Crawford, in reference to Gehi’s expiring lease at his current office site.

Gehi argued that the building in question already has two businesses in its immediate vicinity, including Italian restaurant Villa Russo across the street.

In addition, he also pointed out that his property would be housing only one business—his own—in response to parking concerns.

All visiting clients, he continued, come to his practice by appointment only, which would, he claimed, make parking a non-issue.

The board shot back by indicating that the area was governed by different zoning laws when Villa Russo acquired their Lefferts Boulevard location.

To that end, board member Sam Esposito noted that restaurateur George Russo was required to build an on-premises parking lot to appease the community.

Furthermore, Gehi was informed that local zoning laws will reportedly only allow 500 square feet of a residence to be used for commercial purposes—not nearly enough room for the lawyer, who intends on adding offices to all three floors.

Board member Robert Mangieri unsuccessfully attempted to make a motion to table a vote on the matter and have the 81-year-old edifice surveyed because of the lack of time the Board had in commenting on the BSA application, which only allows 30 to 45 days for input.

First Vice President Ivan Mrakovcic said that making an exception in this case would just lead to many other spot zonings and would “erode the residential character of this portion of Lefferts Boulevard,” which is situated in an R5 zone.

By a tally of 20 to 13, the Board voted not to endorse the application.

Other land use issues

Hack also addressed problems with individuals planning to erect a 20-story building at the Pasta Lovers parking lot located at 123-32 82nd Ave. in Kew Gardens.

Board members were apprised of the lack of permits for this project. Hack reported never seeing any paperwork on the undertaking on the Department of Buildings’ website.

Also mentioned was the addition of green spaces surrounding Congregation Adas Yereim at 123-32 Metropolitan Ave.

Candidates on parade

Candidates running for the vacant representing the 30th Council District were on hand to introduce themselves and their ideas to Board 9 and others in attendance.

State Sen. Serphin Maltese’s chief counsel, Anthony Como, was the first to take the floor, and told the audience how the winner of the upcoming race would need to focus on a variety of concerns, not just one main issue. Como went on to tell everyone how he intends to fight for the survival of senior homes in light of looming budget cuts.

Following Como was Charles Ober, first vice president of the Ridgewood Property Owners Civic Association, who presented himself as someone who’s qualified to work with budgets and payrolls. The Ridgewood local also told everyone about his past volunteer work and commitment to community programs and initiatives.

Former City Council Member Thomas Ognibene stated his case by touting his “hands-on experience” and “knowledge” that will help get results immediately. He highlighted his past accomplishments, in which he continually shifted the budget in order to meet community needs.

Candidate Elizabeth Crowley, on the other hand, focused on education. The Glendale resident voiced her desire for building more schools. In addition, she stated the need for a senior advocate to look out for numerous programs such as Meals-on-Wheels.

Attorney Joseph Suraci—who has reportedly failed to qualify for the ballot—also appeared, and made mention of pro-bono work he’s done through the years in order to help non-profit organizations qualify for funding. He further communicated his opposition toward overdevelopment.

Addabbo on police officers

City Council Member Joseph Addabbo weighs in on the declining number of police officers graduating annually from NYPD’s Police Academy. (photo: Ralph Mancini)

Increasing the salaries of New York City police officers ranked prominently among City Council Member Joseph Addabbo’s objectives as he prepares to huddle up with fellow Council members to agree upon a new city budget, due July 1.

“Let’s work with the PBA (Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association) to increase the pay of police officers,” he offered. “There’s no reason why the starting salary of a police officer should make them qualify for food stamps.”

Bumping up police salaries, added the City Council member, is the only way for the NYPD to retain their recruits and prevent them from applying for higher-paying jobs in Suffolk County.

Addabbo also commented on the plight of senior centers that may be seeing budget cuts soon come their way. Not only did he state the necessity in keeping these senior locations, but he also emphasized the importance of feeding seniors warm meals, instead of offering them the frozen variety.

Crime report

Police Officers Jeff Fisher and Christopher Gonzalez of the 102nd Precinct told of a stabbing occurring on the same day of the meeting at Richmond Hill High School. At press time, the alleged perpetrator is still at large, although he was reportedly witnessed committing the crime by numerous people.

Both officers conceded that crime is up throughout the city, due to a nationwide economic downturn.

Group home proposal

During her Health and Social Services Committee report, board member Evelyn Baron introduced Fatma Abboud and Jane Merolla of Eihab Human Services. Both representatives proposed the addition of a group home for the developmentally disabled located at 74-20 Rockaway Blvd. in Ozone Park.

Abboud told Board 9 that most of the adults that would be living in the dwelling are in their late 40s and 50s. They consist of sons and daughters of parents who can no longer take care of them anymore, she said.

Board 9 unanimously agreed to give their approval of drafting a letter of support for the group home.

Speed hump

Unanimous approval was also issued for the installation of a new speed hump on 78th Street between 88th Avenue and 88th Road in Woodhaven.

Liquor licenses

Votes were taken on two eating establishments seeking approval to serve alcohol.

No objections were made regarding the endorsement on the part of the Public Safety Committee to endorse the issuance of an on-premises liquor license to Ravo Restaurant & Bar Corp., at 77-01 101st Ave. in Ozone Park.

In the case of the second restaurant making its bid for a new beer and wine license, the Board voted against La Cabana Pizzeria, located at 91-60 87th St. in Woodhaven.

Public Safety Committee Chairperson James Coccovillo cited reports of loud noise and music emanating from the establishment, making it ill-suited to serve alcoholic beverages. Also mentioned was the fact that La Cabana never mailed in a questionnaire sent to them by Board 9.

Community Board 9 regularly meets on the second Tuesday of the month at a variety of locations within Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and Woodhaven. For further information, call 1-718-286-2686.

WOE-HAVEN BOULEVARD Residents Sound Off On Roadway’s Congestion Issues At DOT Hearing story and photos by Robert Pozarycki - Times Newsweekly

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story and photos by Robert Pozarycki

Improving traffic flow and safety along Woodhaven Boulevard were the focus of a public hearing held by the city’s Department of Trans-portation on Monday, May 19 in Forest Hills, as community residents offered their suggestions on where changes are needed along the roadway.

The session at the Forest Hills public library was the first of a series of public hearings regarding the Woodhaven Boulevard Congested Corridors Project launched by the DOT to formulate short- and long-term solutions to traffic control and safety issues along the roadway running between Elmhurst and Ozone Park.

Following a brief overview of the initiative from Queens Transportation Commissioner Maura McCarthy and other members of the DOT and the Urbitran design firm, attendees broke into three separate groups with transportation experts to brainstorm ideas on the most pressing problems faced by commuters each day and points along the thoroughfare where improvements are needed.

Among those in attendance were representatives of the MTA, which operates several local, express and limited bus lines that traverse the roadway, and members of Community Boards 5, 6, 9 and 10, sections of which encompass the study area.

Woodhaven Boulevard—which runs between Queens Boulevard and Liberty Avenue—is one of 14 roadways across the five boroughs being studied by the DOT as part of the Citywide Congested Corridors project. According to the DOT, the project aims to formulate goals for “improving mobility, air quality, safety and the quality of life for all of the street’s users as described” in the city’s master plan for the year 2030, PlaNYC.

McCarthy informed the Times Newsweekly that the boulevard was chosen by the agency for the study at the request of Borough President Helen Marshall, who provided funding for the project. The agency also plans to study other roadways in the borough in future years, including Liberty Avenue between Woodhaven Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway; and Northern Boulevard between Queens Plaza and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

At the conclusion of the 18-month study in 2009, the commissioner indicated that the department will make a number of short-term improvements to the roadway based on its findings and recommendations. Additional funding would be sought for any large-scale changes that may be deemed necessary.

‘A critical corridor’

Community residents and activists attending Monday’s workshop at the Forest Hills public library on the Department of Transportation’s Woodhaven Boulevard Congested Corridors Project are shown scanning maps of the artery while pointing out to transportation experts and DOT employees troublespots where improvement is needed

During an overview of the goals of the boulevard project and statistics gathered from a preliminary study, Urbitran Senior Vice President Jerry Gluck presented some of the preliminary findings from the study of the roadway, which indicated a high rate of accidents at several locations as well as heavy volumes of traffic during rush hour periods.

In a three-year period between 2004 and 2006, Gluck reported, a total of 402 accidents occurred along the 3.2-mile roadway, the majority of which happened at major intersections. These crashes were reported to local police precincts and resulted in a fatality and/or damages exceeding $1,000 to one or more of the vehicles involved.

The number of accidents rose each year during the three-year study, from 109 in 2004 to 136 in 2005 and 157 in 2006.

Most of the incidents during the study period occurred at the intersection of Union Turnpike and Woodhaven Boulevard, where 72 were tallied. Close behind it were at Jamaica Avenue (70) and Queens Boulevard (69).

Board 10 Chairperson Betty Braton questioned why the study excluded accident date regarding the boulevard’s intersections with Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue. Project manager Andrew Lenton pointed out that both crossroads were added to the study after it was commissioned, and a full analysis was not yet available.

The roadway has proven to be “a critical corridor” for a wide-range of traffic traveling between points in northern and southern Queens, Gluck stated. Woodhaven Boulevard serves as a local truck route and accommodates numerous bus lines including the local Q11, the limited Q53 and seven express routes.

Even so, traffic during peak periods moves at a reduced speed along the stretch, according to Gluck. The study indicated that the slowest traffic northbound can be experienced during morning rush hour periods; the average speed attained by drivers was 11.4 m.p.h., resulting in a 19 minute drive along the full length of Woodhaven Boulevard.

The slowest period for southbound traffic was during the evening rush, as drivers attained a top speed of 15.9 m.p.h., resulting in a 13 minute drive along the boulevard’s full length.

Calls for changes

During the brainstorming session, attendees were divided into three groups to review the boulevard’s existing conditions while recommending areas of the roadway that are in need of improvement. A DOT employee that sat in with each group read a list of top priorities that members believed should be addressed as part of the study.

Matthew Roe, whose group included members of Community Board 6, an MTA Bus Company representative and local residents, stated that members suggested that the location of bus stops near some major intersections often contributed to congestion. Additionally, “pedestrian mobility” at some locations—including the overpass above the Long Island Rail Road’s Montauk branch in Glendale—is difficult due to a lack of a sidewalk on one side of the street.

Queens commissioner of the Department of Transportation Maura McCarthy (standing at right) is shown addressing attendees at the start of a public hearing on Monday, May 17 in Forest Hills regarding the Woodhaven Boulevard Congested Corridor Project.

Many of the drivers that use Woodhaven Boulevard during rush hour periods often commute to and from subway stations throughout Queens, according to the group’s list. It was noted that group members believed that many of these drivers would opt to leave their cars at home if another mode of public transportation was made available.

Other problems along the boulevard on the list included:

• Bus delays near the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and Hoffman Drive in Elmhurst due to the latter roadway’s use by drivers as an alternate route from Queens Boulevard.

• Increased use of Woodhaven Boulevard by truckers seeking to avoid the Van Wyck Expressway. Trucks making local deliveries are permitted to use the boulevard, but trucks traveling through the area are required by law to use the expressway.

• Limited connectivity between buses traveling north and south on Woodhaven Boulevard with buses traveling east and west along major arteries including Metropolitan, Myrtle, Jamaica and Atlantic avenues.

A table of Board 5 members, who were represented by the DOT’S Adam Zaranko, stated that one of the major problems drivers face on the boulevard is a lack of continuity in the road’s structure. Lanes in both directions are merged and divided at various points, causing confusion for drivers seeking to access local streets.

Group members also stated that pedestrians often face danger crossing at certain major intersections with short-timed traffic signals, including near the off ramp from the eastbound Long Island Expressway. They also stated that the boulevard’s dimensions also made it difficult for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel along points throughout the corridor.

The third table of group members represented by the DOT’s William Vallejo, noted that the roadway’s grading and median structure posed the greatest difficulty to drivers. At points along the street, drivers can encounter narrow concrete medians as well as sharp turns and a “lack of connection” to and from the main and service roads through Woodhaven and Ozone Park.

Members also suggested that the timing of certain stoplights also posed a problem to pedestrians and bicyclists seeking to safely cross major intersections at a timely manner.

What’s next?

Monday’s session, as noted, was only the first in a series of public meetings and other outreach programs being undertaken by the DOT to solicit public comment regarding the Woodhaven Boulevard project. The suggestions offered by attendees will be incorporated into the ongoing study.

Gluck indicated that a second public meeting will be held in either September or October, during which the DOT will provide further analysis of the boulevard as well as the recommendations for changes made. The DOT’s recommendations for improvements to the boulevard will be made at a third public meeting toward the end of this year.

Additionally, he noted, the DOT will hold a community “walk/drive through” along the full length of the boulevard in mid-June in which transportation officials and experts will tour the roadway with local residents to get a broader picture of some of the problems faced.

Additional information on the project can be found online at www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/woodhavenblvd.html. Comments on the study can also be e-mailed to the DOT at congestedcorridors@dot. nyc.gov.

Falling Into a Queens Time Warp by Corey Kilgannon - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog

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I called Robert A. Miller, an amateur local historian in Queens, because I heard that the Long Island Motor Parkway, which once stretched from Queens out to Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island, was about to celebrate its centennial.

True, said Mr. Miller, they began building the parkway in June 1908. And yes, it is widely recognized as the country’s first parkway, and the setting for the Vanderbilt Cup, the first major auto event in the country.

And yes, he’d be happy to meet me on Thursday, on the several-mile stretch of the long-defunct parkway still remaining in eastern Queens. But first, he had another centennial to tend to: Preparing for the 100th anniversary of The Times Newsweekly, a weekly paper covering western Queens and founded in 1908 as The Ridgewood Times.

Wondering how many centennials a man can fit into one day, I arranged to meet Mr. Miller at the Newsweekly’s offices on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood, where he and his brother, Arthur Miller, and an unrelated friend, George Miller, of the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society, were helping the paper prepare an anniversary commemorative insert by pulling news and photos from 100 years’ worth of newspapers.

They were sitting with the paper’s managing editor, Bill Mitchell, and its publisher and editor Maureen E. Walthers, 73, a hard-boiled, wisecracking newsgal who has worked at the paper since 1976. They were all eating lunch, corned beef and cabbage.

“We do things right around here,” Ms. Walthers said, and then they went back to work.

“All the knowledge these three guys have, it’s more than an encyclopedia,” Ms. Walthers said. “They’re mixing all the ingredients and soon it will be cake.”

She picked up a framed copy of the first edition of the paper, published on Aug. 1, 1908 — half in English, half in German — and with a newsstand price of 2 cents. On a box on the upper left is the motto, “Advertise Your Wants In The Times.”

An old photograph of a Ridgewood, Queens, butchers union from The Times Newsweekly, founded in 1908. Enlarge this image. (Photo: Ridgewood Times Newsweekly)

The group was reviewing papers from 1934. The Feb. 9 issue had an article about Lt. Gov. Franklin Haven visiting Ridgewood. The Feb. 16 issue had an article about a local law crated to keep “peddlers, vendors, hawkers and hucksters from the streets of Ridgewood and Glendale.”

“Hawkers and hucksters,” Ms. Walthers said, cackling. “Guess that includes us.”

There was something on Ridgewood’s Knights of Columbus opposing the showing of “immoral pictures and the enactment of the birth control bill.” And an article with the headline “Favor Park on Site of Ash Dumps,” about building what is now Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

A headline in the Feb. 23 issue reported: “Survey Shows H.S. Students Not Influenced By Jazz Age.”

Ash heaps. Jazz Age. Fitzgerald, anyone?

The March 3, 1934, copy informed readers that, “Queens Tax Rate, Set At $2.83, Is Highest in City.”

Were the articles so different than today’s, asked Arthur Miller?

“It’s so old it’s new again,” he said.

But Robert Miller observed that they had run across an unusually high number of articles about women falling out of apartment windows. The cause was often omitted. The men wondered what it could be: Were the women waving to the ice man? Closing the shutters? Was it the heavy clothing? The lack of window guards?

The Times Newsweekly circulation is roughly 25,000, Ms. Walthers said, including about 2,000 copies sent to subscribers in Florida, mostly former Queens residents now retired.

Maureen E. Walthers, the publisher and editor of The Times Newsweekly, with a 50-year-old edition. (Photo: Corey Kilgannon/The New York Times)

Ms. Walthers told her favorite journalism parable. She came to work at the Timesweekly with no experience (”My experience was stirring a pot in the kitchen — barely finished high school.”) After several years as a reporter, she tried taking a journalism class at Columbia University, she said, and found herself sitting around a table with a professor and students much younger than her.

The professor asked what was the most important thing in journalism, and the students answered Truth and Justice. Finally, Ms. Walthers gave her opinion: “Advertising.”

“The professor took me aside after class and said this may not be the best class for you.” They refunded her tuition and several years later, she bought the Newsweekly, whose cover this week was emblazoned with the usual bold banner headlines:

HE’S SHOT IN BEEF AT A BODEGA

BREAK–IN BID BUST

THEY BEAT HIM DOWN FOR PHONE

Then it was on to the Motor Parkway’s centennial. Mr. Miller and I drove to the remaining stretch of the Motor Parkway and parked in a lot in Alley Pond Park across from Creedmore Psychiatric Center at the corner of Union Turnpike and Winchester Boulevard. We walked past the Alley Pond Tennis Center and past a group of men practicing cricket in a tennis court.

It is basically the east end of a three-mile stretch of what remains of the parkway in Queens, although there are remaining segments on Long Island, said Mr. Miller. It was built by William K. Vanderbilt Jr., a great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the railroad tycoon.

“Willie K” wanted a race-road for him and his tycoon friends. The annual Vanderbilt Cup soon drew an international field and crowds of 300,000.

The private 45-mile highway from Flushing, Queens, to Lake Ronkonkoma was built between 1908 and 1911. The architect was John Russell Pope, who later went on to design the American Museum of Natural History in New York and Washington’s National Gallery of Art. It is listed with the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places in 2002, but never recognized as landmark by the city.

The parkway closed in 1938, and parts are run by the city’s Parks Department as a path for walking and biking and enveloped by a woodsy canopy. Although it is surrounded by busy roads like Union Turnpike and the Grand Central Parkway, it’s handsome banks and curves pull the eye off into the distance, back to an earlier time of sporting chaps in gloves and caps, driving chugging motorcars.

Members of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce in 1921. Enlarge this image. (Photo: Ridgewood Times Newsweekly)

Mr. Miller speaks passionately about its swashbuckling history: The drama and danger of the open-road motorcar races; how rum-runners used the parkway because it was privately owned and not patrolled; how Mr. Vanderbilt had dramatic jurisdictional showdowns over rights of way with Robert Moses, who was building the Grand Central Parkway; the 1910 race that drew 300,000 people and killed several mechanics and spectators; how Mr. Vanderbilt’s vision changed Long Island’s roadways and the shape of the automotive world

“When this opened, there had never been anything like it in the world. It had more reinforced concrete than all the rest of the roads in the United States. Combined!.”

He regrets never meeting “Willy K,” who died Jan. 8, 1944, “two-and-a-half months before I was born.”

Mr. Miller is a retired Queens Library employee who for the past 40 years been studying and giving tours and talks about the parkway. As a young man, he read an article about the parkway and set out with car and bicycle exploring it in Queens and Long Island.

“For 40 years, I’ve tried to make people more aware of it,” said Mr. Miller, 65, whose voice becomes imbued with a touch of regret as he talks about why he never married. “Things just never worked out,” he said, staring down the old parkway narrowing into the distance. “I’ve given just about my whole life to this thing. I guess it’s the romantic in me. I love the way it curves around. It’s like a time warp.”

Ridgewood Times - Community Board 9 Meeting - Ozone Industries Clean Up Plan & Ridgewood Reservoir Presentation by Ralph Mancini

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The abbreviated Tuesday, Feb. 12 Community Board 9 meeting, held at the Fairfield Pavilion in Richmond Hill, featured a public hearing focusing on the proposed cleanup of the former Ozone Industries site located in Ozone Park.

Senior Project Manger David G. Austin from ENSR, a worldwide provider of comprehensive health and safety management services, appeared at the conference alongside Ted Coyle of End Zone Inc. (the successor company to Ozone Industries) to present a summary of environmental studies performed by an ENSR project team to examine soil and groundwater contamination at the former aircraft manufacturing location.

Senior Project Manager David G. Austin of ENSR illustrates a diagram of an upcoming cleanup plan along property formerly occupied by Ozone Industries in Ozone Park

Ozone Industries, in operation from 1948 to 1996, reportedly used a chemical solvent trichloroethene (TCE) to degrease their parts in the eight storage bays they occupied beneath the the abandoned elevated Long Island Railroad between 99th and 100th streets to the west and east and 101th and 103rd avenues to the north and south.

In 1996, it was discovered that contaminated groundwater had migrated southward at about 35 feet below surface level.

With the approval of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Health, ENSR began collecting soil and groundwater samples underneath and adjacent to the site in 2004.

“Throughout that period, there have been some reports issued,” said Austin. “From those reports, we’ve revised and fine tuned our work plans. We’re now at the end of our assessment process and we’re now drafting reports which will include results of all our assessment work and will also include what kind of remedy or cleanup we think is necessary for the site.”

Those reports, he continued, have been deposited in a document repository in the Central Library Branch of the Queens Public Library in Jamaica.

Monthly progress reports and fact sheets are reportedly being mailed to local residents and community leaders.

When asked by Board 9 Chairperson Andrea Crawford what the intended future use of the location would be, Austin replied that he’s only involved in the cleanup of the site and will leave the property in its present condition.

Top and bottom photos show areas formerly occupied by Ozone Industries from 1948 to 1996. ENSR, a Massachusetts-based health and safety services company, will be entrusted with the cleanup of this site, consisting of the removal of contaminated soil and groundwater. (photos: J. Naughton)

Board 9’s Sherman Kane inquired about the duration of the cleanup to which Austin responded that the type of technology utilized in the undertaking will determine that.

A specific start date will reportedly be given in an upcoming report which will be released in the late Spring or early Summer months, according to the ENSR spokesperson.

Crawford Updates Board

Although the Board failed to reach a quorum preventing it from conducting the regular order of business, Crawford did issue a brief update on efforts being made to prepare a study on the movement to transform the defunct Long Island Rail Road branch into a greenway bicycle path.

The Board, she said, has been in contact with architects from the City University of New York who are reportedly preparing materials for an upcoming study.

The proposed greenway would consist of three-and-a-half miles of abandoned tracks running from Rego Park to Ozone Park.

Crawford also referenced six recent text amendment recommendations recently made by the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects that the Board believes would “give free reign to developers to maximize property dimensions while depriving the community of free and unencumbered areas,” as stated during Community Board 9’s December meeting.

The chairperson told those in attendance that she found the AIA’s text amendment suggestions to be “damaging on a number of levels.”

She added that if the amendments are approved by the Department of City Planning, it wouldn’t set a great precedent by having a lobby group push legislation that affects the entire city.

Pol Reps Address Legislation

Michael Johnson from State Sen. Serphin Maltese’s office was on hand to bring community members up to speed on the recently-passed Lawn Litter Bill aimed at preventing store and restaurant owners from flooding people’s doorsteps with circulars and menus by handing out fines.

The bill is reportedly being reviewed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has a 90-day window to determine which city agency will be chosen to enforce the ruling.

Also appearing was Diane Barrett, Assemblyman Rory Lancman’s chief of staff, who told Board members that the legislator is working on the Oasis Bill, which would give community boards input on mental facilities moving into their districts.

Activist on Ridgewood Reservoir (See Previous Related Blog Posting)

South Queens activist David M. Quintana gave a presentation regarding the ongoing plans for the Ridgewood Reservoir.

Quintana opened with a history of the site, dating back to the mid-1850s, when the reservoir was used as a primary source of water for the city of Brooklyn.

Current plans on the part of the Parks Department to redesign the 50-acre site adjacent to Highland Park on the Brooklyn/Queens border were brought into focus.

Two of the plans being mulled would reportedly turn one of the reservoir’s basins into a recreational park.

South Queens activist David M. Quintana asks for Board 9’s support in preserving the greenery within the Ridgewood Reservoir.

Quintana stated that he opposed this idea, indicating that it would entail the demolition of 30 acres in order to install an artificial-turf field.

As an alternative, the Ozone Park resident and Community Board 10 member suggested the addition of walkways and bicycle paths.

Crawford invited Quintana to revisit Community Board 9 and issue a formal presentation.

In a list of desired outcomes for the Ridgewood Reservoir and Highland Park prepared by the Ridgewood Reservoir Education and Preservation Project, submitted by Quintana to the Times Newsweekly, the following objectives are highlighted:

• To preserve and enhance the ecosystems within all three basins.

• To create an environmental learning and research center for the use of area schools, colleges and the general public.

• To develop a long-term management plan to remove and mitigate damaging invasive plant life and improve wild life habitat.

• To create a museum or learning center.

• To encourage active recreation at the reservoir.

• To restore all lampposts, fences, stairways, railings and walkways.

• To provide seating, viewing areas and necessary amenities for passive recreation.

• To create two over-the-road walkways.

• To coordinate and integrate all facilities at Highland Park and the Ridgewood Reservoir.

• To ensure the coordinated, well-funded administration and maintenance of the entire area.

Community Board 9 regularly meets on the second Tuesday of the month. The location of the next meeting will be announced at a later time.