Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together

COMET
Newsletter Fall 2016

Maspeth Community Targeted

for Homeless Shelter
Community residents
fight Mayors proposal to
warehouse 110 adult couples
at Holiday Inn
(page 5)

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Memorial Day 2016

Tree Roots Cause

Trip Hazards
In our last newsletter we highlighted a few blocks where trees
were causing hazardous conditions. Someone called our attention
to two new tree locations on 52nd Court at 73rd Street that were
trip hazards. We couldnt believe our eyes!

Once again, the United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of

Maspeth did a fabulous job organizing our Memorial Day Parade
and making sure everything went smoothly. The weather was
great and many folks lined the street to watch the marchers.
Comet marchers were Geraldine Walsh, Chammy Liu, James
Lee, Betty Medina and her son Joseph, Joanne Ferguson, Richie
Polgar, Roe Daraio and Mike Fordunski (not in photo).
Photo by Mike Fordunski

Thank You!

Before

After

Block Captain Lucille Winsko is always looking to improve our

community. During the summer she noticed the greenspace
near her home on 58th and Flushing Avenues was becoming
overgrown and might soon obscure the street signage. She
notified Council Member Crowleys office and in no time Parks
Department came and trimmed the vegetation. Great job!
We urge folks to report problems and help us maintain the quality
of life in our community.

Pg. 2 Fall 2016 COMET

Memorial Held for Slain Police Officers in Dallas,

Baton Rouge and Kansas
Photo by Terrie Marrero

On Thursday, July 21st, COMET held a Memorial Service for the nine police officers who were
killed in the line of duty during the month of July and gave honorable mention of the Deputy
Sheriff killed in June. We want to thank the NYPD and Maspeth Federal Savings for helping us
make this important event a success.

End of Watch
Corporal Montrell Jackson, Baton Rouge PD End of Watch 7/17/16
Police Officer Matthew Gerald, Baton Rouge PD End of Watch 7/17/16
Deputy Sheriff Brad Garafola, East Baton Rouge Sheriff End of Watch 7/17/16
Police Officer Michael Krol, Dallas PD End of Watch 7/17/16
Police Officer Brent Thomas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit End of Watch 7/7/16
Police Officer Patricio Zamarripa, Dallas PD End of Watch 7/7/16
Sr. Corporal Lorne Bradley, Dallas PD End of Watch 7/7/16
Sergeant Michael Smith, Dallas PD End of Watch 7/7/16
Court Officer Ronald Kienzle, Berrien Co. MI End of Watch 7/11/16
Security Supervisor Joe Zangaro, Berrien Co. MI End of Watch 7/11/16
Deputy Sheriff David Michel, Jeff. Parish Sheriff End of Watch 6/22/16
Photos compliments of NYPD

While We Were Sleeping

Photos by NYPD

In the early morning hours of August 6th, the Citywide Vice Unit and 108th Precinct
Conditions Unit closed the gentlemens club known as City Scapes. If you recall, a
patron of the club was shot on Maurice Avenue after leaving the location. The club
was tentatively scheduled to reopen on August 26th.
Great job by NYPD!!
COMET

Fall 2016 Pg. 3

Neighborhood Updates
1 Claremont Terrace, Elmhurst
COMET Treasurer Geraldine Walsh
spotted this building several months
ago. It was graffitied, unsecured and
used as a hangout by trespassers.
After receiving a second letter
from Council Member Dromm, the
A utility pole that
building owner promised to clean up
went on fire.
the graffiti and secure the premises.

Maspeth
The news racks on Grand Avenue at 69th Street and 69th Place
as well as outside the post office on 69th Street at 55th Avenue
have been an eyesore for years. Council Member Crowleys office
has reached out to the Department of Sanitation as well as the
Department of Transportation and as of yet has met with no
success.

Council Member Dromms office

reached out to the Department of
Citywide Administrative Services to
ask how the construction could be taking place when the only
entry onto the lot is through city property. The agencys only
response was, It happens sometimes.

60-90 Flushing Avenue, Maspeth

Thanks to the persistence of
Council Member Crowleys
office, the Department of
Housing Preservation &
Development finally placed
this property up for sale.
The property was purchased
and hopefully the new
owner will take quick action
to repair the building and
remove the scaffolding that
has been a neighborhood eyesore for far too long. Photo by Tom
Porembski

Council Member Dromm introduced legislation regarding

newsracks. If passed, it will mandate any person or entity that
owns or administers the location of a newsrack and its contents
to maintain it and insure that any material being distributed to
the public is current.
Council Member Crowleys office said they will continue their
efforts to see if the newsracks can be removed since they havent
been used for years.

Crowley Park, Elmhurst

Great news! Council Member
Dromm was able to acquire
$250,000 in Capital funding
which will be earmarked for
security lighting.

70-09 52nd Avenue,

Maspeth
After being boarded
up after a fire last
year neighbors say the
homeowners are ready
to do repairs. They are
turning the house from
a one-family to a twofamily and the permits
may have taken some
time to be issued.
Photo by
Tom Porembski

Pg. 4 Fall 2016 COMET

The rear of the park by the

basketball courts is dark and
deserted at night. People
have been known to hang out
there, drink and do graffiti.
It has become a convenient
spot for illegal dumping.
Were hoping the security
lights will help resolve these
issues for the nearby homeowners.
In the meantime, we will continue to work with the Council
Members office to follow up on Block Captain Richie Polgars
idea of having shrubs, small trees or other deterrents planted to
discourage quality of life problems as well as beautify the back of
this park which abuts the LIE pedestrian overpass.

No More Shelters!!
On August 11th, approximately 2,000 residents showed up for
a hearing at Martin Luther H.S. to hear a proposal that would
convert the 110 rooms
at the Holiday Inn in
Maspeth into a homeless
shelter for adults. The
gym at the school was
filled to capacity with
about 600-700 residents.
Some residents were
forced to stand in the
schoolyard while others
lined the streets for
several blocks.

The Department of Homeless Services stated that this location

was chosen because there are currently no homeless shelters in
Community Board 5 and there was little work to be done to turn
the Holiday Inn into a shelter. They stated the hotel would house
110 adult couples such as husband and wife, parent and adult
child or other relationship which would consider the couple to
be family. They said no school-aged children would be at this
shelter because of concerns about overcrowding in School District
24. They stated the shelter will open on October 1st whether we
like it or not. We were told some of the homeless have jobs and
others are on Social Security Disability. The community voiced
concern about sex offenders or those with a criminal record since
the hotel is in close proximity to several schools.
What we find interesting
is that this is supposed to
be a temporary residence
for homeless people but
it will be a permanent
shelter. Everyone thought
the statement that all
these people had resided
in the Community Board
5 area previously was a
stretch of the imagination, and now wonder where the next 110
couples will be found within Community Board 5 to live there
temporarily and yet even more homeless from our area to house
another 110 couples after that, etc.

Those who couldnt get into the meeting marched down to the
Holiday Inn to let their voice be heard. After the hearing the folks
at the meeting joined the others at the hotel. Since the hearing
residents have continued to gather outside the Holiday Inn
protesting the warehousing of the homeless and the adverse
impact it has on communities throughout the city.

Community Board 5 held a Public Hearing on August 31st at the

Knockdown Center. At the hearing City Council Member Elizabeth
Crowley stated that she has filed a lawsuit in Queens Supreme
Court against the City of New York and HRA Commissioner Steven
Banks, with State Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr. and State Assembly
Member Margaret Markey signed on as co-plaintiffs. The lawsuit
seeks to shut down the Maspeth homeless shelter proposal,
and uphold a City law that requires that units housing homeless
families be equipped with cooking facilities. As the hotel rooms
inside the Maspeth Holiday Inn Express do not contain stoves
and other amenities that would constitute cooking facilities, the
After challenges the legality of the City's proposed conversion.
lawsuit
The mayor himself, as well
as Department of Homeless
Services Commissioner Steven
Banks, has said converting
hotels into homeless shelters
is an unacceptable solution to
the citys homelessness crisis.
Yet time and time again, we
hear of the city moving more
people into hotels and motels,
Crowley said. Hotel conversions should not be an option when
creating shelter capacity. Not only is it illegal in New York City, it
is inadequate and negligible.
Some residents have banded together and created a Go Fund Me
account in order to fight the shelter. They urge residents to help
fund the cause at:
https://www.gofundme.com/noshelterinmaspeth

We commend the residents who came out to

fight this proposal and urge everyone not to
give up the fight!
COMET

Fall 2016 Pg. 5

Elmhursts
55th Avenue Footbridge

No Q47 Bus Service in Near

Future for Woodsides
Calamus Avenue Riders!
More than a year ago residents were told bus service would be diverted
from Calamus Avenue until September 2016 during the installation of
new water mains. There was a lot of activity during the beginning of the
project, the street was patched, and the bus was not returned to the
route because residents were told construction would be resuming and
the MTA thought it didnt make sense to put the bus on the route for a
short period of time because it would confuse the ridership. The project
has remained dormant for MONTHS leaving Calamus Avenues roadway
looking like a moon crater with no updates from the agency.
With September 2016 now upon us, COMET reached out to the offices
of Assembly Member Markey and Council Member Crowley to find out
when residents could expect to get their bus service back. Assembly
Member Markeys office was told the design plans changed and there
was a delay. Council Member Crowleys office was able to push them
into giving us more information.
The Department of Design & Construction states that there was a design
challenge which resulted when the water main could not fit underneath
the LIRR. As a result, the plans had to be redesigned, a change order
adding money to the project had to be submitted to the Comptrollers
office for approval, and a three-month BID process had to be done to
retain a contractor. Believe it or not, thats the good news. The bad news
is that the work should be resuming in late September or early October
and it will be approximately six to nine more months, depending how
severe this winters weather will be, before residents can expect to see
their bus service back.

SCOPE OF WORK
As everyone knows, we have been trying to get the Department of
Transportation to improve the heavily used footbridge at 55th Avenue
between Van Horn and 85th Streets with little success. The agency did
a patch job on the stairs and the overpass itself but the work doesnt
come close to solving the problem. The lack of lighting, low handrails
and the uneven steps make crossing this bridge hazardous. Many folks
have fallen and one resident fell down the stairs and died.
Council Member Dromm personally visited this location and agrees
something should be done to make it safer. We found out that he did
reach out to the Department of Transportation about funding for the
steps but the agency said they would want to build a NEW bridge at a
cost of 5 million dollars!
We think everyone in the community would agree that the bridge itself
is fine and may just need to be resurfaced. The major issue is the stairs.
Unfortunately, this is where were at on this problem but will continue to
work with the Councilman and the agency to see if a more cost-effective
fix can be done.
In the meantime, we hope the agency remembers to come and shovel
and salt the bridge and the steps this winter.

Pg. 6 Fall 2016 COMET

Replacement of combined sewers on Calamus Avenue between

74th and 69th Streets, and 69th Street between Calamus Avenue
and Queens Boulevard.

Water main replacement in Calamus Avenue between 74th and

69th Streets and in 69th Street between Garfield Ave
and Maurice Ave.

Sewer work covers the installation of 5 x 8-ft. RCP combined

sewers and modification of existing chambers.

Water main work calls for the installation of 12-in. water main.
Other aspects of the project include roadway, curbs and
sidewalk restoration, including trench restoration and 2-in.
asphalt overlay.

COMET will be working with Crowley and Markeys offices to see if

anything can be done to expedite this nightmare.

Madison Street
Renaming Delayed
If you drive along 57th Avenue
youll pass an intersection
that says 57th Avenue/84th
Street. The sign is accurate
for the intersection across
the street, but not at the
driveway location where
the sign is posted. The real
84th Street for this side of
the street is one block away.
In a nutshell, we found out this driveway was known as Madison
Street. The street name wasnt posted anywhere and most residents
didnt even know the actual name of the street. Council Member
Dromm visited the location and agreed the current name doesnt fit in
with the numbered streets surrounding it. He submitted a bill to rename
this driveway/street 84th Place and have the correct street designation
posted.

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Existing Member

This effort didnt turn

out to be as easy as
we thought. Council
Member Dromm was
told the street had been
demapped and the
street naming couldnt
be done. We are now
trying to see if this
street can once again be
mapped, not only to
have the name changed but to add much needed street lighting to this
dark strip. The Councilmans office is looking into it but we were told it
could take months.

New Member

Mail to: COMET

P.O. Box 780151
Maspeth, NY 11378

We need
your support
to continue
our efforts in
the community.

Report Plane Noise

http://www.planenoise.com/panynj/daPRAbr9/qs114wbt.php

C.O.M.E.T. Meetings

Please check our website at www.cometcivic for our upcoming meetings

Newsletter Committee
Mike Fordunski, Tom Porembski, Geraldine Walsh, Christina Wilkinson, Richie Polgar, Dick Gundlach, Howard Moskowitz,
Roe Daraio and Maspeth Press

Special Thank You

This newsletter is made possible by funding from Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer
through the Department of Youth and Community Development. State funding is provided by Assembly Member Marge Markey
and is used for graffiti removal and the Maspeth Memorial Day Parade.
COMET

Fall 2016 Pg. 7

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